Another Senseless Tragedy

Watching the news coverage of the Newton, CT school shooting yesterday, I struggled to figure out why these things continue to happen. A high school shooting is tragic enough, but most of these kids were just kindergartners. It takes a special kind of evil to carry out something like this.

I watched President Obama fight back emotions as he addressed the shooting yesterday. Some people will probably criticize him for "showing weakness". But I don't know how anyone, especially a parent, could talk about something this devastating without getting emotional. I really think the President was sincere and I applaud him for at least attempting to console the community.

And as expected, talk of stricter gun control began to surface. On the surface, it sounds like a legitimate argument. After all, guns were the instrument of death in this tragic case. But if someone is sick enough to perpetrate this type of action, they would very likely use another method if guns weren't available. Case in point, yesterday in China, a knife-welding nutcase attacked a group elementary school children.

People who think that outlawing guns is the answer are just ignoring the truth. The only way you could stop gun violence is to destroy every firearm on the earth. And since that ain't gonna happen, guns will always be available. One might argue that the only sensible defense is to have a gun of your own. But I really believe that the reasons behind these senseless killings lie much deeper than the guns themselves.

Today's children are often pampered by over-protective parents. Ironically, these same kids are surrounded by violence in the form of television, movies and video games. Parents who might shield their kids from profanity or brief nudity often have no problem letting them watch someone get their head blown off. I'm not saying anything is right or wrong, but I can kind of understand why kids grow up confused. A few years ago, a Baltimore City firefighter told me about how desensitized to the street violence the kids have become. He told me a story of how he was literally hosing a murder victim's brains off of the sidewalk as the local kids played just a few feet away. It was like no big deal to them. It's just someone's brains on the sidewalk, been there, done that......

I don't know what's going on with this world. But I do know that evil does indeed exist.....

When tragedies such as the Connecticut school shooting occur, everyone quickly realizes what's really important to them. I have known too many people who have died way too soon. Although I really like to believe that they are in a better place, it does little to console the families who are left behind. Memories are nice but they don't compare to having your loved ones by your side.

The parents of the slain Connecticut schoolkids should be getting ready to celebrate the holidays with their families. But instead of watching the excited faces of the kids on Christmas morning, they're be preparing to say their final goodbyes. It hurts me just to think about this. I obviously don't know any of these people but my heart truly aches for them. No one should ever have to experience this kind of pain. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire community of Newtown......

kw