Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of
the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton,
Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary
subcommittee.
What he said to our national leaders during this
special session of Congress was painfully truthful. It
needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher,
every
politician, every sociologist, and every so-called
expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott
are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal.
There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice
crying in the wilderness.
The following is a portion of the transcript-both good
and evil in the hearts of men & women.
We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of
violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel
Joy Scott, and the deaths of that 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 out in the field. The villain was not
the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National
Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the
reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's
heart. In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy
I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed
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 do not believe that they need to be
defended. If I believed they had anything to do with
Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just
a tragedy, it was a spiritual event that should be
forcing us to look at where the real blame lies. Much
of the blame lies here in this 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. This was written before
I knew I would be speaking here today.
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 three part beings. We all consist 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 were 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 have refused to honor
God, and in doing so, we open the doors to hatred and
violence. And when something as terrible as
Columbine's
tragedy occurs politicians immediately look for a
scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to
pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode
away our personal and private liberties.
We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan
would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No
amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months
planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies
within our own hearts. Political posturing and
restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young
people of our nation hold the key. There is a
spiritual
awakening taking place that will not be squelched!
We do not need more religion. We do not need more
gaudy
television evangelists spewing out verbal religious
garbage. We do not 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 his two friends murdered before his
very eyes, he did not 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.
Do not let the many prayers offered by those students
be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with
a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your
God-given right to communicate with him. To those of
you who would point your finger at the NRA, I give you
a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart
before casting the first stone.
My daughter's death will not be in vain. The young
people of this country will not allow that to happen.
(
geocities.com/stauffer_james)