Ban the “G” Weapon

BAN THE ‘G’ WEAPON?

Jack Valenti says that blaming Hollywood for violence is not the answer; rather, he proclaims in his stentorian tones, the government should “ban the guns.” As a lobbyist for the Motion Picture industry, he reasons that American parents should not be concerned about promoting R-rated films to children, rather they should be concerned about gun manufacturers advertising their products.

Jack may be missing something in his convoluted, lobbyist logic. The biggest advertiser of guns is R-rated movies. Most R-rated movies have more shootings than the average policeman will see in his lifetime tenure on the police force.

But even so, there is a far more powerful weapon that starts with the letter G, and corrupt, envious people use that weapon every day to steal and kill. Every day, millions of innocents are killed in ruthless murders using this weapon. Every day, old people are held up, and poor families are deprived of their inheritance.

Again, the media seems to promote the use of this weapon.

Just what is this ‘G’ weapon? Government, of course.

Government is the weapon that was used in the breadbasket of central America, Nica­ragua, to reduce that country to a basket case. That weapon also was used in the bread­basket of Europe, the Ukraine, to kill millions of people and lay waste to that beautiful land.

How does the media promote this ‘G’ weapon? Well, by making left-wing propaganda movies like THE CONTENDER and left-wing propaganda TV like WEST WING. Also, by constantly lending intellectual and political credence (including in the recent, politically-correct presidential debates) to the radical left wing’s constant mean-spirited attacks on wealthy people. You know, the people who pay most of the taxes to support the military that defends you and me and who pay most of the taxes to support the countless educa­tion, welfare and health programs and research that try to help poor people and try to improve the quality of life for Americans. On Sunday, Oct. 1, Washington Post’s David Ignatius in his article, “The Cannibal Rich,” attacks the richest men in America with a seeth­ing envy that calls upon government to hold them up and take away their hard-earned wealth. Many of us may be envious of these modern moguls, but I’m not sure that we should hire a jack-booted thug to rob them.

In point of fact, however, it is usually not the richest people who get robbed by the ‘G’ weapon, but rather the poorest. For instance, for many years in Atlanta, we lived across the street from a wonderful family who had lived on their land for four generations. As Atlanta sought to grow in prestige, the city raised taxes, eventually forcing our neighbor to sell at a ridiculously low price to a developer who subdivided and built million dollar homes on the remnant of the farm. This was not an isolated instance. The old woman down the street, whose family had lived in the neighborhood for generations, was forced to sell by rampant tax increases, as were the old farm family for whom the street was named.

The Bible condemns stealing, not to protect the rich, but to protect the poor and de­fenseless from the strong and powerful. The story of Naboth is the primary example. Re­grettably, Naboth had a small plot of land in view of King Ahab’s palace window. As if he didn’t have enough, King Ahab lusted after Naboth’s property and eventually had Naboth killed so he could seize the property. For stealing Naboth’s property, God condemned Ahab. When the king (or kings in the case of a mobocracy like the one we have in the United States, where “the majority” rules) uses his power to steal property from the rich or the poor, it is abhorrent to God.

Perhaps, Mr. Valenti has asked us to ban the wrong ‘G’ word.

Of course, this is a satire. Both ‘G’ weapons can be used for good (protection) or bad (theft). Banning either will not solve the misuse of either because the misuse comes from the heart(s) of sinful, fallen people who reject the Word of God. The answer is not character education, but a new life and a new heart in Jesus Christ. Let loose the redeeming power of His Gospel, and schools and society will be much safer. That is the best ‘G’ weapon of all.

When Chuck Colson was presented with the Templeton Prize in Great Britain, Prince Charles asked Chuck what could be done about the rising youth crime rate in England. Chuck noted that Sunday School attendance in England had dropped from 55% in 1900 to 4% in 1989 and told the Prince to send the children back to Sunday School.

Banning the ‘G’ weapons of guns and governments are not the answer. Jesus Christ transforming hearts and minds is.