Father Bobby Jindal, “Let Us Pray”

In the aftermath of the Lafayette, Louisiana theater shooting, Governor Bobby Jindal offered his well-worn bromide to the almost daily, senseless gun violence in this country. “’What we can do now,” said Jindal,” is pray. We can hug these families, shower them with love, thoughts and prayers.” This advice coming from a man who is on record as saying, “In Louisiana we love us some guns;” from a governor who actually loosened the gun laws in his state after 20 children were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut.

Jindal, with an outstanding A+ rating from the NRA, presides over a state awash in guns and gun violence. An official report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a year ago revealed that 45 per cent of Louisiana residents have a gun in their homes. The State ranks fifth for weakest gun laws in the country, according to data researched by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Louisiana has twice the national average of gun deaths, with 18 per 100,000 residents. (Rhode Island, by comparison, has just 3 per 100,000).

Governor Jindal, no, I do not believe prayer will solve our nation’s gun problem. But if it can help in any way, this is what I pray for:

The day when common sense rules our politics.

The day when the Supreme Court is not occupied by right wing ideologues.

The day when the Second Amendment is read as it was intended.

The day when fomenting hatred and division is not a winning political strategy.

The day when conservative Christians heed the teachings and example of Christ.

The day when the United States joins all the other civilized nations of the world.

The day when a Bobby Jindal, and his ilk, leaves politics for his true calling, the priesthood.

So, Mr. Jindal, enough with your crocodile tears. You have blood on your hands, sir. If you are not going to resign your office, at least act like the Christian you claim to be.

Let us pray.