Stephen Colbert Stands By The Parkland Student Survivors

By Kristy Puchko | TV | February 21, 2018 |

By Kristy Puchko | TV | February 21, 2018 |

In the wake of the Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, several of its student survivors have stood up to add their voice to the growing majority of American begging our politicians for stricter gun laws. As a result, they’ve been publicly degraded by Republicans—including Florida Senator Marco Rubio—and subject to ludicrous claims that they are part of some Democrat conspiracy to rip the guns away from conservatives. And yesterday, these young activists experienced a brutal blow when the Republicans of their state thwarted a potential bill that would ban assault rifles like the one that killed 17 of their friends and teachers. But their supporters are growing in number. Yesterday, George and Amal Clooney donated to their upcoming March For Our Lives, and Stephen Colbert dedicated his monologue to taking up their fight.

Discussing Rubio’s response, Colbert begins, “As long as we’re being clear and honest, senator, as a lawmaker, your position is: THE LAWS ARE USELESS. EVERYONE INTO THE THUNDER DOME! Then why do we need you? It seems like a houseplant would do a better job and would probably need a little less water…But there is one group that does give me hope that we can protect the children. And sadly, it’s the children, the students from Parkland, Florida.”

At this point, the audience bursts into cheers and applause, and it got really dusty up in the Pajiba offices. Then, they cut to the footage of the children who won’t be ignored, who won’t accept thoughts and prayers and inaction, who won’t be bullied into silence.

“I hope these kids don’t give up,” Colbert concluded. “Because this is their lives, and their future. Someone else may be in power, but this country belongs to them. And there is reason for hope. Look at the Me Too movement. A lot of men in power did not see that coming. But it proved that change can happen overnight. And this is an election year. So if you want to see change, you have to go to the polls and tell the people who will not protect you, that their time is up.”