Free Republic

The fallout from the Parkland school shooting is demonstrating how left-wing activists are willing to exploit vulnerable teens in pursuit of a political agenda. It’s a despicable act. We should be protecting grieving teens from this sort of manipulation, not using them as pawns. But expect to see more, and younger children, too. Part of our culture is willing to make children secondary to adults’ lives, quickly pushing them out of the way to pursue careers or more money; willing to rack up a national debt that is an abomination they will have to pay for — merely to help...

"I would rather give birth to a baby elephant than raise a teenager again. It would be less painful," says Renee Cassis Hoering of New York City. "I cannot believe that my darling, sweet little girl has turned into a 16-year-old stranger who just wants money from me all the time." After seeing his son through the teen years, Bob Mittelsdorf is in favor of the Mark Twain approach to child-rearing: "When a child turns 12, he should be kept in a barrel and fed through the bung hole, until he reaches 16…at which time you plug the bung hole."...