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Father of Victim of Columbine HS Shooting speaks to the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee.
- May 26, 2008 at 12:06 AM
- By
- Comments (1) Total Views (86) Everyone can see this journal post.
On Thursday, Darrell
Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine
High
School
shootings in Jefferson
County,
Colorado, was
invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee.
What he said to our national leaders during this special session of
Congress was painfully truthful.
They were not prepared
for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be
heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist,
every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous
words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply
personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in
the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:
'Since the dawn of creation
there has been both good and
evil in the hearts of men and
women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The
death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that
heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in
vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
'The first recorded act
of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The
villain was not the club he used....Neither was it the NCA, the National
Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder
could only be found in Cain's heart.
'In the days that followed
the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I
am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent
or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for
my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be
defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I
would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that
Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should
be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the
blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the
pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just
four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws
ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've
stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now
gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek
for answers everywhere,
And ask the question 'Why?'
You regulate
restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to
understand,
That God is what we need!
'Men and
women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit.
When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a
void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc.
Spiritual presences were present within our educational
Systems
for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began
as theological seminaries. This is an historical fact. What has happened
to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open
the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as
Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat
such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that
contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do
not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped
by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends
months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our
own hearts.
'As my son Craig lay under that table
in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very
eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician
to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in
America , and
around the world, to realize that on April 20,
1999, at
Columbine
High
School prayer
was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by
those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a
sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to
communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the
NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
Own
heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not
be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to
happen!'
Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine
High
School
shootings in Jefferson
County,
Colorado, was
invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee.
What he said to our national leaders during this special session of
Congress was painfully truthful.
They were not prepared
for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be
heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist,
every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous
words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply
personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in
the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:
'Since the dawn of creation
there has been both good and
evil in the hearts of men and
women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The
death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that
heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in
vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
'The first recorded act
of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The
villain was not the club he used....Neither was it the NCA, the National
Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder
could only be found in Cain's heart.
'In the days that followed
the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I
am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent
or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for
my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be
defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I
would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that
Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should
be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the
blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the
pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just
four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws
ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've
stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now
gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek
for answers everywhere,
And ask the question 'Why?'
You regulate
restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to
understand,
That God is what we need!
'Men and
women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit.
When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a
void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc.
Spiritual presences were present within our educational
Systems
for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began
as theological seminaries. This is an historical fact. What has happened
to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open
the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as
Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat
such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that
contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do
not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped
by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends
months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our
own hearts.
'As my son Craig lay under that table
in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very
eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician
to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in
America , and
around the world, to realize that on April 20,
1999, at
Columbine
High
School prayer
was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by
those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a
sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to
communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the
NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
Own
heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not
be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to
happen!'
Do
what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech.
what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech.
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Glad to hear from you. Thanks for sharing. This is a beautiful statement. We need to see what we do to our children by always finding blame somewhere else for their actions. We need to teach accountability. It is one of the hardest things to ever do. Love can also mean saying no or you're wrong instead of always the opposite. I hope everyone is well.
- Jones3mom
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