He who shall not be named

I don’t want to talk about what happened in Connecticut last Friday.  I feel like the media has covered the matter in way too much detail as it is.  Truth be told, I want to complain about the media coverage.  They were interviewing children as they came out of the school building for crying out loud and posting pictures of them sobbing while walking away from the school with their hands on the shoulders of the child in front of them!  We knew the name of that individual before we heard the names of any of the victims.  Those that were on Facebook saw the creation of what seemed like 600 new pages/profiles devoted to the name the media gave out first, who turned out to be the shooter’s brother.  This sick individual became a celebrity the moment the first shot was fired, even if it was only because of the hate and rage at their actions.

When you look at the reaction of the public, everything has degenerated into a flame war.  Some want to increase gun control laws.  Others say that arming teachers is the answer and best way to keep our children safe.  The arguments are broken down into factions: gun enthusiasts, gun control seekers, atheists, über-religious, and the parents like me that are at a complete loss of words.  I don’t know that more gun control laws would make much of a difference; someone that is bound and determined to wreak havoc will find a way.  When it comes to religion, stay out of this type of situation completely.  Lack of religion in our schools did NOT cause this.  The remarks about the children receiving the best gift possible for Christmas, meeting Jesus, were completely insensitive and inappropriate in my eyes.  The comments stating this *proves* that religion is nothing more than the opiate of the masses is equally insensitive. 

I got something else out of this event that didn’t involve gun control or religion, and it’s something I believe to be important.  What happened that made the shooter capable of committing an atrocity like this?  It wasn’t just because he had access to a gun, so maybe we need to focus on fixing our mental healthcare system to better care for and support the individuals who are at risk.  Taking a gun out of their hand doesn’t mean they won’t research how to make a bomb.  We need to focus on fixing the problem so that they don’t look for the weapon in the first place.  The problem is that if you know someone is out of control and needs help, your options are extremely limited or non-existent.  I found an article that solidified in my mind that maybe gun control isn’t what the American people should be focusing on.  Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, “Something must be done.”

I agree that something must be done. It’s time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That’s the only way our nation can ever truly heal.

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I hope that the families of these sweet angels can one day come to terms with the loss they were dealt.  I hope they can learn to live with what happened and they find the love and support they need to heal.

“Our hearts are broken today for the parents, grandparents, sisters, and brothers of these children, as well as the families of the adults who were lost.”
President Barack Obama
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Ciao



P.S.  I saw this video this morning and decided that I needed to share it.  Thank you to The Voice for this lovely tribute to the lives lost…