It’s difficult to think of a way to upstage the tragedy of the recent shooting of 20 first graders at
In a previous post (http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2012/12/this-time-will-be-different.html), I addressed the
Today, President Obama will reveal his proposal to stem gun violence in
Instead because I was unable to shake the degree to which I was flabbergasted by the assertions of Florida Atlantic University (FAU/Boca Raton, FL) Professor James Tracy, I will spend a few minutes sharing his views and claims. Given the degree to which his comments fly in the face of convention, it is surprising, though perhaps fortunate, that his positions have gained so little exposure and traction among the masses.
Mr. Tracy, a tenured associate communications professor, apparently has a history of involvement with conspiracy theories. Two overarching themes held by the professor, in relation to
1.
He questions whether the Sandy
Hook massacre occurred?
2.
He suggests the entire Sandy
Hook scenario was contrived by the Obama administration to promote a gun control agenda.
For the parents of the 20 deceased students, the families of
the 6 school administrators who were
fatally shot, and even the relatives of the suicidal shooter and his murdered
mother, these dual premises must seem at once, crude, offensive, and
appalling. The extent to which Professor Tracy has pushed to redefine
the tragedy is truly mind-numbing. A few examples of his thinking on the Connecticut
·
“Regardless of where one
stands on the Second Amendment and
gun control, it is not unreasonable to suggest the Obama administration complicity or direct oversight of an incident
that has in very short order sparked a national debate on the very topic—and not
coincidentally remains a key piece of Obama’s
political platform," the 47-year-old tenured professor of communication
wrote on his blog, memoryholeblog.com.
·
"While it sounds like an outrageous
claim, one is left to inquire whether the Sandy Hook shooting ever
took place — at least in the way law enforcement authorities and the nation's
news media have described."
·
Tracy
·
"Something most likely took place,"
he told the newspaper. "One is left with the impression that a real
tragedy took place."
·
At one point Tracy
even suggested that no one died in Newtown
As the toxic fumes of Professor
Tracy’s narrative reached wider circles, starting in his own blog, then, coursing
through Florida
However, even some FAU
students expressed embarrassment at the odd, if not absurd renderings of such a
highly placed denizen of the educational institution to which they are inextricably connected. A number of media and members of the Blogosphere labeled the FAU educator, “The Nutty Professor;” a take-off on the 1963 Jerry Lewis film
and/or its 1996/2000 reprise Franchise (Eddie Murphy). The highest elected official in Newtown
Apparently, Professor
Tracy was unprepared for the high volume and sharp tenor of the reaction to
his position and resulting commentary.
He is now beginning to modulate
and walk back some of his most
outlandish comments. The tagline on his
blog, Memory Hole is:
- “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation afraid of its people.” – President John F. Kennedy
As it turns out, James Tracy is discovering not only the
truth of that trenchant quote by President Kennedy, but also the power of
the truism. To paraphrase President Obama, “Actions have
consequences.” As a consequence of the
professor’s actions, a wide range of factions has risen up to challenge, and
moreover, smack down the mendacious
lunacy of a ridiculous alternative narrative.
So on this day, relax, and don’t believe the hype; “Conspiracy Theory: Prof Says Newtown Was Staged…Really?”
I will leave you with one
final thought on the matter of gun violence in our beloved America Newtown Sandy Hook (20 students, 6 teachers and administrators, the shooter’s mother and the shooter),
plus .656. Regardless of ones position on the Second
Amendment, the problem is huge. Action is not just appropriate; it's required.
I’m done; holla back!
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