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Why Society Declines: One View

Guest columnist LT. Col. Don Zapsic (ret.), an Ohio resident, served as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army.

The Dayton, Ohio mass shooting on Sunday August 4, 2019 was a despicable act perpetrated by a cowardly, hate-filled human being. The violent act itself is indisputably heinous and disgusting. Enter in Ohio Representative Candace Keller who authored a Facebook post providing a laundry list of factors that allegedly played into the mass shooter’s dastardly deed.

 I will not repeat many of the particulars which were collectively categorized as a break from “traditional family values.” This article is not aimed at gauging cultural toxicity or assigning blame to the various population groups cited by Representative Keller. More to the point, it is an effort to flesh out a disturbing trend among public officials that is paramount to tossing verbal grenades and then failing to stand-and-deliver.

I, like Ohio State Representative Keller, am an outspoken conservative and make no apology for it. That being said, I contacted Keller’s office on two separate occasions seeking to understand more about the basis and rationale behind her reported statements regarding the mass-casualty incident. It should come as no surprise that no one from her office called back after five business days had passed, leaving two perfunctory messages. Not to be deterred, and no stranger to being totally ignored by political leaders, I decided to write about what I would have asked if given the opportunity to do so.

The opening question would have focused on why Rep. Keller hastily removed the Facebook post to begin with. If she was compelled by a strong conviction to voice her opinion in the first place, then why rescind the stinging litany in such a rash manner? True conservatives, unlike liberals, are supposed to stand by time-honored values, traditions and truths because of their tried-and-proven track record for promoting the greater public good. Conservatives want to “conserve” the Bill of Rights while liberals want to “change” things often from a deeply-held conviction that America is fundamentally flawed and needs to change while journeying towards that mythical land called “utopia.” 

If Candace Keller felt so strongly about her opinion, then why abandon it at the first sign of public outrage? Or if it was simply a mistake, then why not render an apology and keep moving forward? There is by the way, nothing in the conservative handbook (which to the best of my knowledge does not exist) that forbids making amends for being human and committing a mistake. The second, and final question (because in the real world that would be about all the time allotted) would center on why she did not take full advantage of the opportunity to make a case for a return to traditional family values before a national audience in light of what had just transpired in Dayton?  

Some of the sources that can be referenced when citing cause-and-effect that drives cultural, moral, and family decline are:

  • FBI annual crime statistics regarding criminal behavior and fatherlessness;
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics that highlight the adverse effects of unemployment on America’s poorest, or even
  • the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that provides data linking certain lifestyles to incidents of sexually-transmitted diseases that all-too-often lead to treatment-resistant conditions up to and including death.
  • Then there is the Bible to consult which has a proven track-record linking certain behaviors with very predictable outcomes. I have a hard time believing that man is smarter than God when it comes to figuring out how to find true purpose and meaning in life. (I would be happy if someone simply figured out how to prevent credit cards from getting hacked into oblivion!)
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There is also history to consult as in the case of well-documented conditions leading up to the fall of the Roman Empire including: Excess love of entertainment (games at the coliseum), rampant laziness (free food to Roman citizenry), sexual deviancy (I would be Captain Obvious endeavoring to further explain that concept), and apathy towards military service (the Romans employed large numbers of mercenaries to protect its domain). If I would have had the opportunity in my ideal scenario of presenting a third question regarding the Facebook post, it would surely be how drag-queen and drug-using advocates contribute to murderous rampages. The terrorist according to the autopsy report had cocaine in his system, not marijuana.   

If it appears that I mean to disrespect or belittle the Ohio Representative, it is not my intent. In fact, as a former member of the military serving in a combat zone alongside liberals and conservatives, most of those I had the privilege of serving with fundamentally understand the true cost of freedom. We want our public leaders to make the best of the opportunities entrusted to them to promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If they fail to do so, we all have a duty to better inform those that aspire to lead us in a respectful, knowledgeable manner. The stakes are simply too high to do otherwise.     

Illustration: Pixabay