Littleton

The Founders knew that public order is impossible unless certain behaviors are constantly reinforced as socially unacceptable.

by Rod D. Martin
April 24, 1999

It's only been a year since we were writing about Jonesboro.

I really didn't want to write this column. I didn't ever want to write another column like it again.

But that's just the point. What was once an unheard-of topic is now becoming almost routine. Only the locations – and the stylistic bent of the murderers – seems to change.

A year ago, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee prayed that the day would never come when shock was not our reaction to horrors such as Littleton; yet even then the shock derived primarily from the venue of the killings. We have long since accepted the idea of gang violence – once again, kids killing kids – and our murder rates provoke barely a yawn. We have long since grown accustomed to the culture of death. Indeed, from our abortuaries to our latest box-office craze, we have embraced that culture, whether as a fun night out or as a cowardly but effective way to solve a "personal" problem.

Alan Keyes wrote well when he demanded this…