海角大神

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2022
May
25
Wednesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

May 25, 2022
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David Clark Scott
Cover Story Editor

Columbine. Sandy Hook. Parkland. Now Uvalde.

These are a few of the horrifically infamous examples of gun violence in American schools over the past two decades. Statistics tell us that such . But knowing that doesn鈥檛 make the deaths of innocent children any less painful. And so far, it鈥檚 done little to untangle America鈥檚 unique Gordian knot of gun rights, freedom, and security.聽

Seeing the arc of horror to apathy repeatedly play out is deeply discouraging. As citizens and editors we struggle with how to get from heartbreak to a sense of credible hope.聽

David Hogg鈥檚 response caught my attention this morning. A survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting, he鈥檚 emerged as a prominent voice against gun violence. And somehow, in , he sounded confident of progress.

鈥淲e as Americans 鈥� Democrats, Republicans, gun owners, and non gun owners 鈥� we鈥檝e been debating this for decades. 鈥� We know what we don鈥檛 agree on. Let鈥檚 focus on what we can agree on 鈥� even if it鈥檚 tiny,鈥� says Mr. Hogg. 鈥淓ven if it saves just one life, we need to figure out what we can get Senate Republicans to agree on.鈥�

Nationally, in Congress, there鈥檚 been little or no agreement on how to protect children from mass shootings. But in 2018, Mr. Hogg and other Parkland survivors successfully lobbied Florida Republican lawmakers to pass a 鈥渞ed flag鈥� law聽鈥� a court order to temporarily聽 remove firearms from people who are potentially dangerous to others or themselves. Expect a Monitor story about red flag laws later this week.聽

And therein lies some hope. At the state and local level, communities are responding. The 聽for example, is a nonprofit program that has taught nearly 15 million students and teachers how to 鈥渒now the signs鈥� 鈥� identify at-risk behavior and seek help. Expect a Monitor story on that effort, too.

Until American voters choose leaders who are willing to make difficult changes nationally, the effort to solve this fatal problem appears likely to be led by parents, local officials, and communities.

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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

A letter from

Uvalde, Texas
Nuri Vallbona/Reuters
People gather at Robb Elementary School, the scene of a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022.

Sleepless night: Uvalde seeks courage in a school shooting鈥檚 wake

( 4 min. read )

Our reporter spoke with residents of Uvalde, Texas, a community coming together to deal with their grief, anger, and protecting their families.

By Henry Gass , reporting from Uvalde, Texas
Jacob Turcotte/Staff
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Why Fed says fighting inflation is Job 1, despite recession risk

( 6 min. read )

Battling inflation is tricky business. Raise interest rates too fast, and the economy goes into recession. Our reporter looks at how the Federal Reserve is trying to create a soft landing for the U.S. economy.

By Simon Montlake
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The Explainer
Darko Vojinovic/AP
Ratko Mladic鈥檚 image is marked with a Z, a new symbol of the Russian military, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 10. Mr. Mladic is serving a life sentence for genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

When does atrocity rise to the level of genocide?

( 6 min. read )

International justice defines genocide as the worst of crimes. In the Ukraine war, both sides have used the term to describe the other鈥檚 actions. Our reporter helps sift the hype from reality.

By Dominique Soguel
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Patterns

Tracing global connections

Wimbledon calls 鈥榝ault鈥� on Russian tennis stars. Good move?

( 4 min. read )

Sporting events 鈥� especially the Olympics 鈥� often cast themselves as neutral, beyond politics. But these venues offer a big, public platform to take a stand for what鈥檚 right. Our London columnist lays out the moral dilemma of banning Russians from Wimbledon.

By Ned Temko , reporting from London
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In Pictures
Shefali Rafiq
People buy bread from Afghan bakers in the Lajpat Nagar area of India鈥檚 capital state, Delhi. The Afghans living in India have introduced their traditional bread, and customers have developed a taste for it.

A taste of Afghanistan helps these bakers find home in India

( 3 min. read )

In an engaging photo essay about Afghan bread-makers in Delhi, India, we find they offer recipes that include humor and the unique taste of home.

By Shefali Rafiq , reporting from Delhi, India
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The Monitor's View
Reuters
Joe Perez in Uvalde, Texas, prays with other members of the Getty Street Church of Christ after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, May 24.

A basis for healing in Uvalde

( 2 min. read )

Tuesday鈥檚 fatal shooting of at least 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas 鈥� the second-worst school shooting in American history 鈥� has led to national calls for tougher gun controls and better help for troubled young people. Yet within Uvalde itself, the crucial reaction has come from its religious leaders.

鈥淲e need a light in the darkness,鈥� Doug Swimmer, pastor of The Potter鈥檚 House Church, told ABC News. Roman Catholic Archbishop Gustavo Garc铆a-Siller told a congregation that innocent people were taken away but it will be innocent people who will get the community out of this crisis.

These initial responses 鈥� which include prayers, vigils, and consolation of victim families 鈥� cannot be easily dismissed. For sure, the debate after this shooting will center on issues like school safety, psychological services, and stricter regulations. Yet any solution relies on Americans, either locally or nationally, first finding shared compassion for communities like Uvalde. Such compassion is a common denominator for healing.

鈥淲hat we have to offer is ourselves,鈥� said David Reed, Catholic bishop of West Texas, in response to the tragedy. 鈥淭o turn ourselves, our hearts and minds, to those who are suffering in Uvalde 鈥� to reach out our hands to lift up and to extend our arms to embrace. ... We have received the power to love and to resist hatred. And we can pray. We must pray. Ignore the cynics, and pray with all your heart. ... And listen to God answering in return. ... Give yourself over to opportunities to join in the Spirit鈥檚 work of binding up and healing. Love with all you鈥檝e got, and never, ever surrender to the darkness.鈥�

In the wake of human tragedies, prayer is a practical source of strength and an impetus for moral courage that recognizes humanity鈥檚 innate innocence and worth. It can also be a starting point for renewal of the institutions that protect society. James Madison, author of the Bill of Rights, argued that 鈥渢he transcendent law of nature and of nature鈥檚 God ... declares that the safety and the happiness of society are the objects at which all political institutions aim and to which all such institutions must be sacrificed.鈥�

That divine law has a place in shaping human laws, and will help the United States find a balance between competing arguments over how to solve mass gun violence. As Mr. Swimmer said, 鈥淭he one thing that is going to get us through is God鈥檚 grace and God鈥檚 love.鈥�

By the Monitor's Editorial Board
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A 海角大神 Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥� in its various forms 鈥� is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥� The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥� whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

Can you live without anxiety?

( 1 min. read )

At times it can seem as if worry and anxiety are just things we have to live with. But as this short podcast explores, we are divinely empowered to go beyond simply coping and to find healing and freedom.

By Heidi Kleinsmith Salter
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A message of love

Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
Children wearing school uniforms protect their heads from rain with polyethylene while riding on a rickshaw in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 25, 2022. Parts of India and Bangladesh have been experiencing heavy rains and flooding ahead of monsoon season.
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( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow: We鈥檒l look at the meteoric rise of Francia M谩rquez, an environmental activist who has achieved rock-star status ahead of Colombia鈥檚 presidential election.聽

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2022
May
25
Wednesday

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