Republicans and the National Rifle Association need to acknowledge the effect of lax gun laws on American schools. Latin America should galvanise support and lead the cause against Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. China and the Vatican see a thaw in their relationship.
More dead school children than servicemen
Invariably, Republicans and the National Rifle Association have conjured up a slew of reasons for Friday’s mass shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas. Some of these include the excessive use of Ritalin, video games and abortion but all of them fail to mention the crucial aspect of lax gun laws.
The willingness to say anything — no matter how ludicrous — would be laughable if not for the fact that 10 people are dead and that refusing to acknowledge the role played by this country’s lax gun laws only paves the way for the next tragedy, editorialises the Washington Post.
More people have been killed at schools in the United States this year, than service members killed while serving in the military.
“Friday’s school shooting underscores that there are no simple solutions. There seem to have been no clear warning signs about the suspected shooter, a 17-year-old who had made the honor roll and once played on the school football team. The next step is to acknowledge this reality: What sets the United States apart from the rest of the civilized world is not Ritalin or school entrances or violent video games but the astronomical number of guns and the easy access to them.”
How to get rid of Maduro
The issue in Venezuela is not whether Nicolás Maduro won another term fairly or not. Neither the Lima Group of Latin American countries plus Canada, nor the United States or the European Union recognized the election as legitimate. The question is how to get rid of Mr. Maduro before he completes the destruction of his country, writes The New York Times.
Bloomberg has ranked Venezuela the world’s most miserable economy for four straight years, more than a million people have fled the country since 2015 and the inflation rate in the country is by far the world’s highest, set to reach 13,000 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
These are just a few of the devastating consequences of the long reign of leftist firebrand, Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro.
“It is clear that Mr. Maduro must go. But that does not mean American military action, as hinted by President Trump. The best means of eventually ousting Mr. Maduro is in collective action by the Western Hemisphere, led by Latin America.”
Catholicism in China
Recent reports suggest that there may be a possible end to the bad blood that has taken root in China’s relationship with the Vatican, The Economist explains .
“Catholics in China are required to worship in closely watched, registered churches run by priests chosen by the party. Over the years careful diplomacy has ensured that in most cases these state-sanctioned churches are supervised by bishops whom both the Vatican and the party consider acceptable. Nevertheless, there are still some government-backed bishops whom the Vatican finds intolerable.”
Rumours of a new pact between the two country’s have been circulating. Claims have been made that China may reorganise its church system. This would mean that the underground culture of Bishops whom the Vatican has appointed without the consent of the Communists would also have to join in the state-sanctioned church system.
But this is a small precise to pay for the Communist Party which abhors social activity beyond its control. “It probably also believes that a formal accord on bishops would be a big step towards persuading the Vatican to move its embassy from Taiwan to Beijing.”