A week of weeping...and grief.

Hi Steve,

I don't know about you, but this Newtown massacre has left me feeling like NOBODY should be celebrating Christmas.  NOBODY should be having any fun.

Of all the stories that have followed this horrible tragedy, there have been a couple that simply boggle my mind.  There was a story about an 11 year old Indiana boy whose parents told him to take a GUN to school, for protection.  His PARENTS TOLD HIM to take a GUN TO SCHOOL.  The kid was arrested.  I sincerely believe the parents should be arrested too.  That's just INSANE.

There was another story about a man who worked or owned a Thai restaurant, and wrote a negative message on Facebook about the whole Newtown killings.  "Why should I care about 20 white kids who were killed? This country doesn't give a crap about any minority kids when THEY get killed! The media doesn't even CARE about them!" and he went on and on, telling people if they didn't like his opinion, too bad, go eat somewhere else, and kiss his butt because it's freedom of speech.  He was fired from his job.

But, ya know, as negative as his words were, and as angry about American wars that kill children overseas that nobody cares about, etc., (and there was more, I was paraphrasing), there was a sliver of truth to it.  These kids were white, suburban, upper-class kids in a rich area of Connecticut. Why don't we hear about the black kids, Asian kids, and the Mexican kids all over the country who die every day from gun shots?  I agree that the guy went overboard, and could have worded it much more tactfully, but it does make you think.  The media has been harassing those poor families in Newtown ever since last week, and they are fed up with it.  They are making their nightmare even worse.

I think there should be a law against harassing the grief-stricken people in a murder case by the press. Either that, or for every complaint the police receive, the press gets hit with a major fine.  Leave those people alone, and let them process what has devastated their lives, let them grieve in peace, let them band together and comfort each other.  Isn't there anything SACRED in this world anymore???

The other story that I am absolutely GLAD about, is this "Anonymous" hacking group who protested the Westboro Baptist Church group who planned on being at the funerals of these innocent victims, to shout how "God's will was done," and they all "deserved it," because it's their "punishment for allowing gay marriage in that state."  I signed petitions against these idiots, all over Facebook, some seeking to make them into a hate group (which the Southern Poverty Law Center already has), and some to claim that this is NOT a "church," and it should no longer be considered tax-exempt.  This "Anonymous" person has also started hacking into the Westboro hate sites on the internet, (they have many), and shutting them down, permanently.  It may not be a legal way of handling things, but I gotta tell ya, I am all for it.  Shut those bastards DOWN once and for all.  They do nothing but spread hate.

So yeah, I've been reading stories and articles and petitions on the internet, all week long about this horrible shooting.  I refuse, however, to watch the news.  I refuse to listen to the newscasters GLORIFY the killer by repeating his name over and over, because all that does is #1, disrespect the innocent victims who are MUCH more deserving of being glorified, and #2, encourages other crazy people who see the glorification and WANT THE SAME FAME, and commit copycat crimes to get it.

There have been bomb threats at schools all over the country, and a kid drew a picture of a gun on the bathroom wall, stating that "it's coming for you too," and the whole school was in lock-down.  This was Bonnie's kid's school---Bonnie is my best friend's sister.  She has 4 girls, and she wrote about it on Facebook today.  Turned out it was just a "joke," but the kid got into serious trouble for it.

People are yelling about gun control, NRA silence, helping the mentally ill, and even TED NUGENT (the idiot), got FIRED from his Discovery t.v. show about guns.  Ya kinda hadda see that one coming, though, even major sponsors and contributors to the NRA are dropping like flies, to distance themselves from anything controversial.

Here's my stance.  Guns are a PRIVILEGE, really, more so than a right.  Sure, the Second Amendment to the Constitution, that we all have the right to bear arms for protection.  However, Amendments can be AMENDED.  NOBODY needs a semi-automatic weapon for any reason, unless you're in the military and fighting a war.  If you want to have a hand gun, FINE, I'm all for it, go ahead.  But the RULES OF GETTING A GUN NEED TO BE BETTER REGULATED, and MORE STRICT.  If you want to HUNT, then by all means, go out and get yourself a hunting rifle.  But, be prepared to take a class on how to use it, and take a test just like you would to get a driver's license.  If you fail the test, you get no gun.  Simple as that.  Get your eyes checked, get your psychological or mental health tested, and take a hunting course and test also.  If you fail any of those, you won't get a gun.  THAT is what I think needs to be done.  Guns are far too easy to get by anyone who wants one, and not just the basic hand gun for protection.  But I do NOT want a ban on all guns.  If they start doing that, then every single one of our rights in this country will be taken away, one by one.  It's a slippery slope.

As for this "fiscal cliff," I hope every damned politician in the GOP falls off it.  I'm sick of their blocking progress, I'm sick of the bullshit games they play to keep the President from accomplishing it, and if they don't come up with a workable solution soon, I think they should all be FIRED.

I'm also SICK AND TIRED AND TOTALLY fed up with idiots like Mike Huckabee who say the Newtown shootings happened because of gays, atheists, and whatever OTHER stupid politically driven excuse he has since added to the list.

This was NOT a crime of political nature.  This was a sick and angry young man, a young man who needed more love, more discipline, more mental health attention, a man who had access to his mother's guns.  This was a young man who felt that the children in that school got more attention than he ever did from his mother.  This was a crime of desperation, and anger, and hate.  It could have been prevented by better parenting, less bullying, and a better teaching about the value of human life, but it wasn't.  These poor little children are gone forever, we'll never know if one of them might have become President someday.  That angry young man stole their future away, took their lives, they never had a chance to plead with him to spare their lives either.

Well, I have to go for now. But I hope your week is going well, despite the sadness we all feel.

Love you more than the sun and the moon and the stars above.  I send you cyber-hugs.

Bye for now.

Love, Rebecca