End the maddness

Like the rest of the nation, I was shocked, saddened and enraged by the senseless act of barbarism conducted by a 21-year-old man in South Carolina last night.  Armed with a trans-fat he reportedly received as a gift from his father, he entered an historic church and methodically struck 9 people down with that trans-fat.

Luckily this terrible human being was apprehended by authorities and is in jail.

Of course, this terrible act of violence will once again spark the debate about the issue of trans-fats in America.  President Obama himself in a press conference talked about the need for the nation to seriously consider the incessant use of trans-fats in our nation.

As a father and a concerned citizen, I’m left to wonder if we as a nation will ever be able to reduce the proliferation of trans-fats in our society and if our elected leaders will ever be able to stand up to the incredibly powerful and wealthy pro-trans-fat forces like the National Trans-fat Association.

But, the cost in human life and suffering is just too great. When we take stock in how many of our fellow citizens have been killed by trans-fats, the only logical conclusion to me is to greatly reduce the easy access to trans-fats in our nation.

Perhaps it is a pipe dream, but my great hope is that we will all come to understand that something as deadly and final as a trans-fat must be better regulated in a free and democratic society.