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Opinion Texas AG Paxton's shameful Uvalde cop-out: 'God always has a plan'
Ken Paxton is an asshole
Link to tweet
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/19/texas-ag-paxtons-shameful-uvalde-cop-out-god-always-has-plan/
In a podcast interview recorded the day after the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School and unearthed last week by Salon, Paxton was asked by North Texas pastor Trey Graham what he might say to the victims families.
Id have to say, look, theres always a plan. I believe God always has a plan, the attorney general replied. Life is short no matter what it is.
It was all in Gods plan. Thats a suggestion we often hear from pious, well-meaning people when other words fail in the face of an unspeakable, inexplicable tragedy. The idea is that some day we will all understand that larger purpose of our suffering. It is meant to be a balm.
But those words sound more like a shrug when an elected leader and in this case, one who is his states top law enforcement officer offers that as an explanation for a horror that was preventable and exacerbated by human error. Worse, it is a dereliction of responsibility and of the imperative to do something to prevent something like this from happening again, as it has happened over and over.
What Paxton doesnt want to consider, he made clear, is that the events in Uvalde had anything to do with gun laws, which have been loosened considerably in Texas in recent years. He wont countenance even proposals for a red-flag law allowing courts to order the seizure of guns from people deemed an imminent threat. That, he said, becomes pretty risky for our freedom. The only new gun measure he indicated he might support is one that requires schools to train and arm teachers to defend themselves in the classroom.
Id have to say, look, theres always a plan. I believe God always has a plan, the attorney general replied. Life is short no matter what it is.
It was all in Gods plan. Thats a suggestion we often hear from pious, well-meaning people when other words fail in the face of an unspeakable, inexplicable tragedy. The idea is that some day we will all understand that larger purpose of our suffering. It is meant to be a balm.
But those words sound more like a shrug when an elected leader and in this case, one who is his states top law enforcement officer offers that as an explanation for a horror that was preventable and exacerbated by human error. Worse, it is a dereliction of responsibility and of the imperative to do something to prevent something like this from happening again, as it has happened over and over.
What Paxton doesnt want to consider, he made clear, is that the events in Uvalde had anything to do with gun laws, which have been loosened considerably in Texas in recent years. He wont countenance even proposals for a red-flag law allowing courts to order the seizure of guns from people deemed an imminent threat. That, he said, becomes pretty risky for our freedom. The only new gun measure he indicated he might support is one that requires schools to train and arm teachers to defend themselves in the classroom.
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Opinion Texas AG Paxton's shameful Uvalde cop-out: 'God always has a plan' (Original Post)
LetMyPeopleVote
Jun 2022
OP
Walleye
(31,005 posts)1. Red flag laws should be called Trump flag laws
brer cat
(24,555 posts)2. That, he said, "becomes pretty risky for our freedom."
So Ken, I would say NOT taking away guns from people deemed an imminent treat took away all the freedom from 20 people in Uvalde. Asshole!
Funtatlaguy
(10,870 posts)3. Any policy discussion ends when Gods name is invoked.
No one can prove that God exists.
No one can prove that God doesnt exist.
For those that claim that God exists and that they know how God thinks and what God wants, there is simply no rebuttal to that. Other than to call them crazy or just walk away, I guess.
Evolve Dammit
(16,723 posts)4. What a pathetic statement. Wash hands of anything with crap like that.
czarjak
(11,266 posts)5. You'd think an omnipotent being could and would get it right the first time.
Dreaded talking snakes foil em every time.