The Atlantic calls it “prayer shaming.”
“Following the murder of at least 14 people in California, American liberals have questioned calls for prayer,” the magazine notes. When that happens, “There’s a clear claim being made here, and one with an edge: Democrats care about doing something and taking action while Republicans waste time offering meaningless prayers.”
What the Left did was take to social media and belittle prayer at every turn as the tragedy played out – even before the bodies were cold.
At least 14 dead and 14 injured. But lucky for them, the GOP is offering up loads of thoughts and prayers!
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) December 2, 2015
How many dead people did those thoughts and prayers bring back to the life? https://t.co/FX5yWryt1o
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) December 2, 2015
Contrast that Left, apparently only interested in scoring political points from so much death and destruction, versus the tone at the scene at the time: ‘Pray for us’: Calls, texts relay horror of California mass shooting.
All Terry Pettit could do was worry as he stood near the offices of Inland Regional Center.
News of shootings was spreading fast and all Pettit knew about his daughter inside the building came from her text messages on his cell phone.
“Shooting at my work. People shot.”
“Pray for us. I am locked in an office.”
Active shooter on site. We’re all locked in offices and on the floor. Please pray for us,” Megan Murphy wrote.
“So, as a parent, as a father, that’s kind of like the worst thing that you can have come across your phone,” Scott Murphy told CNN.
“Then it was followed a couple minutes later with, ‘SWAT team is on site trying to secure the building. I’m in a tiny room with a bunch of people. We’re freaking out. Please pray for us.'”
Now, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) wants to get into the act, evidently seeking to diminish the power of prayer and the Second Amendment at the same time. But then, Schiff is considered to be something of a weasel in some parts: Weasel: Adam Schiff Supports Iran Deal that Does Not Exist.
What you won’t find the Left in general, or Schiff in particular, praying for is that someone, or some few good people at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino had been armed when the carnage first started, perhaps preventing such a terrible tragedy from having reached the scale that it did. That solution might preserve both prayer and the Second Amendment, while ultimately saving lives no police officer could have gotten there in time to save under the circumstances.
Democrats to GOP: Prayers are not enough
Appearing on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday morning, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he is through with moments of silence, noting that he had just been part of a moment of silence on the House floor mere days ago after a gunman opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that killed three last Friday.
“This has become a ritual in the House. I would much rather have moments of action than moments of silence on the House floor,” Schiff said.
“Your ‘thoughts’ should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your ‘prayers” should be for forgiveness if you do nothing – again,” tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday, whose own state is approaching the three-year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown.
As the situation unfolded thousands of miles away in California, Richard Blumenthal, one of the state’s Democratic senators, tweeted that “Congress is effectively complicit for its inaction.”
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