#70- Pass the Torch to the Hands of a New Generation

I watched an interview about a week after the horrific Las Vegas shooting on ABC conducted by Martha Raddatz with Congressman Seth Moulton (D) of Massachusetts and Congressman Scott Taylor (R) of Virginia who debated aspects of gun control legislation, specifically the possible banning of bump stocks, which for the price of dinner for four at Applebee's, can convert a semi-automatic rifle into an outright killing machine.

The interview was noteworthy for it brought together two men with somewhat opposing positions to discuss those positions intelligently and rationally, and for anyone watching it was a very small sign of hope, that… the country might return to better days, and it was even more meaningful because of the unique background of both of these men.

Moulton graduated from Harvard University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in physics, joined the United States Marine Corps after graduation and served four tours in Iraq. In 2008, during his final tour, General David Petraeus requested Moulton's assignment to work as a special liaison with tribal leaders in Southern Iraq. On his return to the States, Moulton went on to earn his master's degrees in business and public policy in a dual program at Harvard University. 

Taylor, enlisted in the United States Navy right out of high school and served with the Navy SEALS for eight years. He is fluent in Spanish and served overseas in South and Central America in counternarcotics and foreign internal defense missions. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Taylor was a SEAL sniper.  He earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts concentrating on International Relations from Harvard University Extension School, and also received a certificate in government contracting from Old Dominion University. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of centrists and moderately conservative republicans in Congress. 

So it was not lost on the audience that both of these men held resumes which included military training and experience in armed conflict, an anathema to more than 99% of Americans, and that they were willing to sit down TOGETHER and have a real conversation on a topic that has been extremely divisive for our country

Here is the real kicker.  A lot of Republicans shy away from this discussion.   While many are recipients of NRA financial support, who will wave the flag and proclaim the right to bear arms as if it were god given, none wish to get anywhere near an intelligent discussion about reasonable considerations for gun control.  Scott Taylor didn't, and this friends, is a small sign of hope.

Now both of these men are still young enough that they have not yet been burdened by the divisiveness that exists in our politics.  Perhaps that’s the solution we need to move our country forward in a positive manner.  Every day it seems to become clearer that just about everyone in my generation (the Baby Boomers) is past our prime and so, when it comes to solving some of the mega-problems that stand in front of us, perhaps it would be best, if we just got out of the way. 

In President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration speech he spoke of passing the torch of leadership to the hands of a new generation.  I think that time has come again.  We are the generation that voted Donald J Trump into the office as the 45th President of the United States. If the country was divided before, under the Presidency of Donald J Trump, that division has become a chasm.  Many of us did not vote for him and do not support his behavior, but we have been part of the history that led us to his candidacy, and when it mattered the most, we failed to convince our contemporaries that this was wrong.

Yes that’s right we failed, and we did so spectacularly. 

So the time has come to get out of the way, clean the slate, clear the path, let the minds of a new generation, raised in the new millennium, tempered by war, disciplined by a seemingly unattainable peace, proud of our unique American heritage and unwilling to permit the slow unwinding of that heritage, take the reins.

They can't do any worse than us.

I lean left in my politics, after many years of leaning right, but more than anything in the world I just want the outright divisiveness of the Presidency of Donald J. Trump has openly tried to foster and promote, to go away, as quickly as humanly possible.  

Let a younger generation show us, there is a better way.

. 

Footnote #1 - In the House, Rep. Moulton, along with Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida have since introduced legislation to ban the sale of bump stocks, but there's been no action taken by the Republican leadership in the House.

.

Footnote #2– this past Friday the state of Massachusetts became the first state to completely ban the OWNERSHIP of bump stocks.  The bill previously passed the legislature on an almost unanimous vote of 158 to 3 and was just signed in to law by our Republican Lt Governor (filling in for our Republican Governor Charlie Baker, who was out of state).  Being first in Massachusetts is nothing new, as it was also the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage.  I am happy to say that I live in this great state, and I am proud of our cooperative, bi-partisan leadership.