COLUMN: A Malat Musing: Impossible Is Not the American Way

One of the arguments surrounding the pursuit of solutions to end the American gun carnage is that it is so complex and so multi-faceted there is little or nothing that can be done to end this slaughter. 

To do little or nothing is a defeatist mentality which runs contrary to the American experience. 

We didn’t find a polio vaccine by doing nothing.

We didn’t land on the moon by doing nothing.

We didn’t enact civil rights legislation by doing nothing. 

We didn’t end the Vietnam war by sitting at home and doing nothing.

We didn’t find the truth behind Watergate and change the way we govern by doing nothing.

This was an America where we believed nothing – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING - was impossible.

We still live in that country.

Today we have a black President while gay Americans will finally have their grievances heard by the Supreme Court this year – both were once heralded as being impossible.

It is time to start thinking in terms of the possible instead of dwelling on what we think is impossible.

We have ignored gun violence and done nothing for the last 18 years. To continue to do nothing is to further mandate the buying of more body bags.

Phil Malat is a columnist for KSTP.com. 

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