We Are Newtown

I have a friend who lives in Newtown, CT. She used to be my client years ago; we've kept up with each other on Facebook since that time.

Life has been strange for them. They have been incredibly saddened by the day's events, by the tremendous loss that 26 families in their town of 21,000 people suddenly suffered on December 14. They have been touched by the amazing generosity of strangers who have paid for ice cream, coffee, for life's little things to try to soften the blow of losing the big things.

In the days shortly after the shooting, she likened their first outing to walking in a post-apocalyptic world. There were people around but they didn't speak to each other. They could only share glances before the shock and pain showing in the other person's eyes made them look away. Inconsequential chit chat seemed irrelevant, so no one spoke because no one could put words to the grief they all felt.

There have been calls for gun control. Calls for more guns. Calls for better mental health screening. Of the pieces I've read in the wake of this tragedy, these are the ones that I believe are worth a wider audience.

Why the Sandy Hook Shooting Feels so Close

Perspective is everything, and social media and instant news have reduced the amount of space and time between tragic events and our learning of them. This is a must read, as we as a nation consider what to do in the wake of this tragedy.

Is anyone else disgusted by the fact that on December 15th, the day after the shooting, a Wikipedia entry for "Sandy Hook" and "Adam Lanza" were both started?

This is What 6 Looks Like

Why does this particular loss hurt so much? There have been many other shootings, many lives lost senselessly. But the victims were kindergarteners. This writer does a wonderful job of explaining why -- because we all know what 6 looks like.

I Am Adam Lanza's Mother

This post chronicles a mother's challenges in dealing with the mental health of her son. She is left managing him as best she can with no answers and very little help. I've heard this story before -- from Dylan Klebold's mom, Jeffrey Dahmer's mom, and others. This highlights the need for better mental health care in this country, one child at a time.

How the NRA Lobbied Congress to Suppress Firearm Studies

In 2012 the government spent $64.2MM researching how to reduce and prevent traffic deaths. This same year, the government spent $0 on studying how to prevent firearm deaths. With the Sandy Hook shooting, as of right now it appears that more Americans will be killed by firearms than traffic accidents.

Attack on Chinese children the same day

On December 14, the same day as the Sandy Hook shooting, a "madman" entered a school in China and brutally knived 22 children. While the injuries were gruesome, all 22 children survived the attack.

Not that the US wants to become a Communist country and ban outright the owning of firearms by private citizens, but I found the coincidence of these two events happening on the same day in two countries on opposite sides of the world -- with completely different outcomes -- more than a little startling.

Someone's Child

Yes, I'll be bold enough to put my own post in this group. This was one of my first thoughts when I heard of the shooting -- the shooter is someone's child, who is deserving of our sympathies as well.