Taking down the confederate flag is a necessary step toward racial harmony, but that alone is not going to change what's in the hearts of those that hate. Changing people's long held beliefs doesn't happen overnight. It takes generations. Many haters have been taught to hate by their parents. It's a difficult chain to break. I don't know if Dylan Roof's parents contributed to his beliefs or not. Much of what he ranted about was learned through hate groups and on line sites that he followed. From what I see, racism is alive and well in the USA. We need to start having honest conversations with each other about this very important problem. Schools, parents, churches, coaches and community leaders need to bring people together. That's where we have to start.
I'm not sure anyone could have stopped Dylan Roof. Gun control laws may have prevented him from purchasing the gun due to his prior record. Background checks will help some. How about Walmart discontinuing the sale of assault rifles? That might help too, but I don't expect that to happen. We need to get rid of the hate in people's hearts, and the rest will follow. Taking down flags, restricting the sale of guns, and having background checks to buy guns will all help, but the fact of the matter is that America is a violent society. We have far more mass murders than any other civilized society. Why that is so, no one really knows. I have some thoughts on that, but I'll save that for another day.
For now, to quote Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"
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