He Said...
Outraged and hurting, in desperate need of answers, a grieving, wounded society is on the attack...again.
While he may have acted alone, the sick young man who rained evil upon Newtown, Connecticut, apparently had "accomplices."
It was 20-year-old Adam Lanza who opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary, snuffing out the lives of 20 small children and six adults, before taking his own life. But, he, in the minds of many, striking out on Twitter and Facebook, isn't solely responsible. There are others to blame, from God to the NRA, to society's ignorance of mental illness. It's now obvious the boy was disturbed, but the signs were missed, misread or ignored.
And where was this loving God? Was he too busy that fateful Friday to attend Sandy Hook? How, in his name, could he possibly allow this!?
Then, there's the "gun lovers," those who believe in the right to bear arms, and who oppose legislation that would severely cripple that right...those who are mocked for stating, "guns don't kill people, people kill people."
But, finger pointing aside, the fact is, the deadliest "weapon" in Newtown, was Adam Lanza. Had there not been the convenience of mom's guns, would he have sought them elsewhere, or employed other means to wreak havoc?
We'll never know.
Like most, I'm not opposed to gun control, but even the strictest laws would be no guarantee, that we'd never see a repeat of the nightmare that's Newtown.
After so many tragic incidents, (Ecole Polytechnique, Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc., etc., etc.) if the answer to the question, "how do we protect our schools?" isn't obvious by now, I fear, it may never be. Unfortunately, the ONLY answer is, turning our schools into armed fortresses. It may be a dear price to pay in a free and open society, but a necessary one.
Had young Mr. Lanza faced pistol packin' guards at the school's front door...odds are pretty good, that 20 little ones would get to grow up. But, there are those who take comfort, in believing these small souls are in a much better place. I truly envy you, and sincerely hope you're right.
She Says...
I am thankful that our hydro went out last Friday evening. I just couldn't take any more and knew that I wouldn't turn it off. Mesmerized and sickened by what I was watching from Newtown, Connecticut I was feeling so sorry for the families joined in tragedy. It was too much to bear to watch, how will they cope?
One little girl talked about her friends who had stomach aches after the days horror. Tell me why members of the media were talking to children six and seven years old after so many of their classmates had just been gunned down in cold blood. I don't care if this child's mother was standing right behind her. They were all in shock and weren't thinking clearly. Believe it or not, they do teach ethics in journalism school.
Just now we are getting to know the people behind the numbers. Twenty-six dead, but who are they? The stories of immense courage are coming out, teachers running toward the sound of gunshots, some shielding children with their bodies.
We hear so much about the awful people in this world. Every day the news is filled with the ones you don't want as your neighbours. In the midst of this we are hearing about the lives of wonderful people who made a mark on these precious little children and who truly loved them.
Who could do this? Why? A picture is emerging of someone with mental health issues and far too easy access to weapons. There were signs. It seems in retrospect there always are.
American society, as wonderful as it is, has some fatal flaws. Many are saying it's not the time to have a debate about guns. It's precisely the time to have that discussion. If not, these children and their incredible teachers will just be the latest in a growing list of tragedies.
I don't know if anything can make this worse, but that this happened at a time of year that fills that age of innocence with such excitement and wonder just adds another level of heartbreak.
The Motts can be heard weekdays from 11 until noon at themotts.ca, Erin Radio 88.1FM, and Stouffville Radio 102.7FM. "Motts Weekend" is heard on radio stations CKTB, CKNX, CHOK & CJBQ.