The march at the capitol made Bill Morgan sad—and mad. I, too, was sad after reading his column criticizing the “know-it-all” young people’s “whiny” demonstration in Washington. (I do agree that it is unfortunate when in nearly every protest march some cross the line into the kind of unacceptable verbiage that Mr. Morgan found offensive.)

 

But many of the justifications he outlined for his invective seemed dubious. 1) David Hogg is not a real student? (Mr. Morgan seems to be unaware that this internet hoax has been disproved; see snopes.com fact-check and other sites.) 2) There are no school shootings in private religious schools because of God, prayer and discipline? (Or it may be largely ascribed to the fact that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 7.5% of students attend religiously affiliated private schools.) 3) Armed staff should be posted in each and every school? (Should we also then post armed guards at each and every church, theater, and office?) 4) The NRA is so “nobel” (sic!) in its role in educating and training that it shouldn’t even be in the mix of our national conversation on how to reduce gun violence? (Really??) 

 

I believe every one of us should be in the mix: students, parents, grandparents, educators, gun organizations, law enforcement agencies, the media--even columnists, no matter how rigid their views. And all of us need to apply some critical thinking, moderation and respect to that discourse.