After the deadliest mass shooting perpetrated by a single gunman in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called for a moment of silence at 4 p.m. on Monday to “honor the victims.” When the House does the same, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) won’t be there.
“We meet this tragedy week in and week out with smug, self-empowering moments of silence in the House that do absolutely nothing for anybody,” Himes told ThinkProgress.
“I’d love to interview one of the parents down in Florida and say: What does 16 seconds of silence in the House of Representatives mean to you?” he continued.
On Sunday night, after learning about the Orlando massacre and then attending a screening of a documentary about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Himes wrote a series of tweets addressing Congress’ planned moment of silence.
I will not attend one more"Moment of Silence" on the Floor. Our silence does not honor the victims, it mocks them. — Jim Himes (@jahimes)
The Moments of Silence in the House have become an abomination. God will ask you, "How did you keep my children safe"? Silence. — Jim Himes (@jahimes)
He said he decided to use powerful moral language, invoking God in multiple tweets, because presenting the facts about gun violence does not seem to work with Congress. “We’re not going to get through on facts, so we need to start asking some questions about what is it to be a good person?” said Himes, an elder in his Presbyterian church. “Do you have the responsibility to try to save some lives if you can?”
Congress’ moments of silence — now a common occurrence — are even more shameful to Himes because they are not followed by policy discussion or talk of how to prevent more tragedy. Cont.
Story from - Think Progress
Image from - Wikimedia Commons
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