Why
didn't the media publish this?
It was a Thursday on May
27, 1999, that Darrell Scott, the
father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High
School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, addressed the
House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. The following
is
a portion of the transcript.
"We all contain seeds of kindness or seeds of
violence.
The death of my wonderful daughter Rachel Joy Scott, and
the deaths of the 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. The villain was not the club he used,
neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association -
the true killer was Cain. The reason for the murder could
be found only in Cain's heart.
In the days following the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed
at how quickly fingers began to point 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 don't
believe they need to be defended, but if I believed they
had anything to do with Rachel's murder I'd definitely be
their strongest opponent.
Columbine was not just a tragedy - it was a spiritual
event that should force us to see where the real blame
lies! Much of the blame lies in this very 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. It was written before I knew
I
would be speaking here today.
To Our Lawmakers & Leaders
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 3-part beings consisting of body, soul,
and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of
our makeup, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice,
and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual
influences
have always been present within our educational systems
for
most of our nation's history; many of our major colleges
began as theological seminaries - this is a historical
fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We've refused to
honor God! In doing so, we open the doors to hatred and
violence. Then when something as terrible as Columbine's
tragedy occurs politicians immediately look for a
scapegoat
such as the NRA. And they immediately seek to pass more
restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our
personal
and private liberties.
We don't need more restrictive laws; Eric and Dylan
wouldn't have been stopped by metal detectors. No gun law
can stop someone who spends months planning such a
massacre. The real villain lies within our hearts.
Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not
the
answers. It's the young people of our nation who hold the
key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that
will
not be squelched! We don't need more religion, we don't
need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal
religious garbage, we don't need more million dollar
church
buildings built while people with basic needs are being
ignored.
We DO need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment
that this nation was founded on the principle of simple
trust in God!
As my son Craig lay under that table in the school
library
and saw two of his friends murdered before his very eyes,
he didn't 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.
Therefore,
please don't let the many prayers offered by those
students
be in vain. Dare to move into this new millennium with a
sacred disregard for legislation that violates our God-
given right to communicate with Him.
To you who've pointed your finger at the NRA, I offer you
a
sincere challenge - examine your own heart before casting
the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain!
The young people of this country won't allow that to
happen!
Be courageous enough to do what the media didn't - allow
the nation to hear this man's speech. If you feel it is
worthwhile
reading, please pass it on.
I will go ahead and
publish this even though it is on a web page that no one
knows about or will even read. I will publish this like
everything else on the site in the hope that just the
right person might stumble across it and it will be of
help to them.
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