Who Cares About the Children?

At Get the Cell Out - ATL we are saddened at the news of the senseless violence that took place in a kindergarten classroom on Friday, Dec. 14.  We grieve for the loss of children so young with their whole lives ahead of them and for the families of the victims who will have so much heartache ahead of them as we enter the holidays this year and undoubtedly for the rest of their lives.

And, we are so thankful for the teachers, police and other adults at the school that day who did what they could to be there for all the children, to keep them safe and to protect them from the horror by leading them out safely and telling them to close their eyes.  The adults were there to protect those children that day.  But, what are we doing, today?  (click headline for full story)

Do the adults making decisions that affect children and our educational institutions really understand the effects and outcomes of their actions and policies?  Are these people who truly love and care about children so that they are making choices based on what is best for them?  Or has our education system become so involved in a political showdown between different views and perspectives that it is now run by people who see children in terms of "headcount" or dollars?  Have we made the schoolyard into a battlefield and turned children into pawns?  

Do those we are electing to our government offices, the ones who make and enforce the laws in our country, see children the same way we do?  Do they understand that to a parent a child is everything, worth more than anything money can buy? Are they capable of seeing our children as individuals with rights and with lives that are worthy of protecting, nurturing and saving?

20 families will be planning funeral services in Newtown, CT, instead of
celebrating the holidays with their young children who were killed by
a man with reports of mental illness and easy access to several deadly
assault weapons.  He also took the lives of 8 adults, including his own
mother and himself before law enforcement even knew what was
going on inside an elementary school classroom Friday.

So many of us are likely thinking today about what we would have done if this tragedy happened at our school, in our own child's classroom.  There are no easy answers.  At Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday, there was so little time for anyone to do anything ... at least on that day.  But, we do have time to do something now, don't we?  

We can start looking for ways to prevent the next school shooting, to take action now.  But, will our leaders rise to this challenge?  Or will it be another tragedy come and gone as the media moves on to the next story and our collective conscientiousness again fades and our call to action is met with rhetoric and debate?

While we believe a review of the safety at our schools is warranted, it is also important to note that the shooter literally shot an entrance into the building. He was not buzzed in. That's what an assault weapon can do.  

Will the nation, regardless of political parties, finally come together to put limits on assault-style weapons?  Do rural hunters believe their rights will be infringed if children in urban areas are considered worthy of protecting against attacks like this one?  As events like this becoming shockingly more and more common, what responsibility do we all have to put politics aside and do the right thing?

Do violent video games play a role?  These games are addictive among many of those who fit the profile of these mass murderers - white, intelligent young men or teen boys.  These games are so realistic and they glorify the killer as a hero and allow a fantasy of carnage as just a consequence of achieving a victory or promotion to the next level.  

Anything done in excess can be argued as unhealthy, but these games are a particular concern because of the desensitization they can cause to the murder of other human beings in a military style assault.  In many cases, these young gamers' brains are still developing and what they spend hours doing every day, playing a game, may have dire consequences to the way their mind in shaped and how they relate to others in the real world.

Where do the constitutional rights of the few overrule the safety of everyone else, and most especially - our children?  We will be considering these and other related issues in the days, weeks and months ahead.  

Here is a look at some other comments and news on the web today surrounding this tragedy, 

and a link to President Obama's address to the U.S. 

From CNN's Report on the Victims:  Robbie Parker is a father who lost his 6-year old daughter in the school shooting Friday.  Fighting back tears with his voice cracking, Parker asked Saturday night that the tragedy "not turn into something that defines us, but something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate and more humble people."  

Excerpts from 

Bloomberg: Gun control should be Obama’s ‘number one agenda’

Posted by Sean Sullivan on December 16, 2012 at 10:11 am

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A man opened fire Friday inside the Connecticut elementary school where his mother worked as a teacher, killing 26 people, including 20 children, as youngsters cowered in their classrooms and trembled helplessly to the sound of gunfire reverberating through the building.

The killer, armed with two handguns, committed suicide and another person was found dead at a second scene, bringing the toll to 28, authorities said.

Originally published: December 15, 2012 5:45 PM
Updated: December 16, 2012 12:21 AM
By VÍCTOR MANUEL RAMOS AND MACKENZIE ISSLER victor.ramos@newsday.com,mackenzie.issler@newsday.com

“Our hearts are broken today,” a tearful President Barack Obama, struggling to maintain composure, said at the White House. He called for “meaningful action” to prevent such shootings.

“The majority of those who died were children – beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old,” Obama said.

He paused for several seconds to keep his composure as he teared up and wiped an eye. Nearby, two aides cried and held hands as they listened to Obama.

“They had their entire lives ahead of them – birthdays, graduations, wedding, kids of their own,” Obama continued about the victims. “Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children.”

Full Text of the President's Address to the Nation Following the Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT found here.

From NBC News:  Mark Kelly, husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was gravely injured in a shooting on Jan. 8, 2011, said he and his wife were sending their prayers to the victims.

"As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws - and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait,” Kelly’s statement on Facebook read in part.