Until a few days ago, Die Welt editor Iris Anyali, who has a son in an American kindergarten, made fun of the security measures at his school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But Anyali writes that after the tragedy of Newtown, Connecticut, she will never do so again. For Die Welt, Iris Anyali, writing about her change of heart, says in small part: My five-year-old son Finn … [Read more...] about Turn Kindergarten into Fort Knox? Go Ahead! (Die Welt, Germany)
Some Newtown Residents Would Rather Hug Their Assault Rifles Than Children
If you think that Newtown, Connecticut is the new Ground Zero for stricter gun law advocacy, think again. Efforts by the police chief and other town leaders to try to gain some control over assault rifle gunfire and explosions at unlicensed rifle ranges and elsewhere, including a wooded area near an elementary school, are being met with resistance by assault weapon … [Read more...] about Some Newtown Residents Would Rather Hug Their Assault Rifles Than Children
Home of the Brave (Cartoon Note)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Home of the Brave (Cartoon Note)
Now is the Time
WASHINGTON -- We should mourn, but we should be angry. The horror in Newtown, Conn., should shake us out of the cowardice, the fear, the evasion and the opportunism that prevent our political system from acting to curb gun violence. How often must we note that no other developed country has such massacres on a regular basis because no other comparable nation … [Read more...] about Now is the Time
Husband of Principal Slain in US Shooting Opens Up
Husband of principal slain in US shooting opens up (via AFP) The husband of the principal killed as she tried to stop a gunman from mowing down children at her US elementary school told CNN on Monday that he was angry at first that his wife put herself in danger. Dawn Hochsprung was in a meeting Friday morning when gunshots rang out in the hallway of Sandy … [Read more...] about Husband of Principal Slain in US Shooting Opens Up
Republicans Plan Push to Rig Rules So They Can Win More Electoral Votes
The big news since the election is that the results revealed the Republican Party is now at a disadvantage given its inability to win over key, growing demographics that gave Barack Obama a clear-cut victory in November. So what does the party do? Expand its tent? Try and attract more moderates, blacks, gays, women, Latinos, Asians? Nope. According to the National Journal it … [Read more...] about Republicans Plan Push to Rig Rules So They Can Win More Electoral Votes
Why Newtown Children Lost the Right to Life
How can a God who values embryos in the womb deliver 20 innocent young lives to the twitch of a trigger finger? One unblessed by guidance from a Higher Power but respectful of those who are asks with acute anguish: In shock and mourning, can we reach out to one another? Those who defend prenatal Right to Life surely can’t believe it stops at birth. Yet, as Barack Obama … [Read more...] about Why Newtown Children Lost the Right to Life
The Connecticut School Slaughter: We Have Heard All the ‘Buts.’ It Is Time Now for the ‘Hows’ (Updated)
UPDATE: In the most eloquent and powerful words I have heard thusfar on the Newtown tragedy, conservative Republican Joe Scarborough, “a conservative Republican who received the NRA’s highest ratings over four terms in Congress,” said, “I come to you this morning with a heavy heart and no easy answers. Still, I’ve spent the past few days grasping for solutions and … [Read more...] about The Connecticut School Slaughter: We Have Heard All the ‘Buts.’ It Is Time Now for the ‘Hows’ (Updated)
Agatha Christie, Ian McKellen, Michael Jecks, and ‘Democratic Art’
Ian McKellen reprises his role of Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings films in The Hobbit, projected to be the first of three films chronicling the prequel time before the Rings adventures. In an interview with TIME, McKellen pronounced that the one playright in whose plays he's acted that he hates to be Agatha Christie, the noted mystery writer. McKellen claims, "I've done a … [Read more...] about Agatha Christie, Ian McKellen, Michael Jecks, and ‘Democratic Art’
Poke A Hole In A Meme: Presidential Dog Walker
If you're on Facebook, you might see this photo being shared by conservatives: What it doesn't tell you is this. There is no dedicated "dog walker." Dale Haney, formerly the White House horticulturist and now the Grounds Superintendent, has tended to every presidential dog since King Timahoe, Richard M. Nixon’s Irish setter. That's right, he's worked at the WH since … [Read more...] about Poke A Hole In A Meme: Presidential Dog Walker
How Do You Cover a School Shooting? (Guest Voice)
How do you cover a school shooting? (via GlobalPost) Commentary: How do you cover a school shooting? Journalists can take a lesson from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Bob Giles In the days following the schoolyard shootings in Jonesboro, Arkansas in March 1998, the community struggled to cope with the reality that four children and a teacher had been killed and… … [Read more...] about How Do You Cover a School Shooting? (Guest Voice)
Pro-gun America Quiet, Contemplative in Wake of Sandy Hook Massacre
Pro-gun America quiet, contemplative in wake of Sandy Hook massacre (via The Christian Science Monitor) Pro-gun organizations and politicians usually quick to counter calls for gun control in the wake of massacres involving assault-style weaponry have remained largely silent after Friday's Sandy Hook massacre, for the moment at least ceding their role in a … [Read more...] about Pro-gun America Quiet, Contemplative in Wake of Sandy Hook Massacre
Media and the Connecticut School Shooting (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Media and the Connecticut School Shooting (Cartoon)
Obama’s Vigil Speech Honoring Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims: “”These Tragedies Must End” (Full Video and Text)
Here's the full video and text of President Barack Obama's speech at Newtown, CT -- a speech aimed at the town, the grieving parents of the 20 murdered 6 to 7 year olds, the grieving members of the families of the 6 adult woman who were murdered and to a stunned nation. He tried to put the incident in context and vowed that he will use the powers of his office to try and move … [Read more...] about Obama’s Vigil Speech Honoring Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims: “”These Tragedies Must End” (Full Video and Text)
Dealing With the Aftermath
In one of my many past lives, I worked during college at a local hospital. I was classified "Evening Secretary", a very misleading title. What I was, was the assistant to the night nursing supervisor. I had several administrative duties - getting patient counts from the units, typing birth certificates, etc. - but mostly I was an extra pair of hands, and typically one of the … [Read more...] about Dealing With the Aftermath
Read this now: “I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother…”
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 … [Read more...] about Read this now: “I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother…”
Chuck Hagel – Not Crazy Enough
It would appear that President Obama is going to nominate Chuck Hagel to be the Secretary of Defense. President Barack Obama’s administration has backed down from one major Senate confirmation fight — and may be running headlong into another one. Some in the Jewish community and other Israel backers are reacting with alarm to reports that Obama is preparing to nominate former … [Read more...] about Chuck Hagel – Not Crazy Enough
All 31 Pro-Gun Rights Senators Decline to Appear on “Meet the Press” in Newtown School Shooting Aftermath
NEWTOWN SCHOOL SHOOTING: No-one should be surprised, but should be disgusted, at the fact that all 31 pro-gun rights senators in the U.S. senate declined to appear on "Meet the Press" on Sunday in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre by Adam Lanza that left 26 dead, including 20 children. Here's the tweet from Betsy Fischer Martin: BTW, we reached out … [Read more...] about All 31 Pro-Gun Rights Senators Decline to Appear on “Meet the Press” in Newtown School Shooting Aftermath
Von I. Meyer, Indiana Man with 47-Gun Arsenal, Arrested for Threatening to Kill Kids at Jane Ball Elementary School
Von I. Meyer, a Cedar Lake, Ind., resident, who was equipped with an arsenal of 47 guns, was arrested on Friday after he threatened to kill children at a local elementary school. Von I. Meyer had also threatened his wife: Cedar Lake police were called to the home of 60-year-old Von I. Meyer early Friday after he allegedly threatened to set his wife on fire. A police statement … [Read more...] about Von I. Meyer, Indiana Man with 47-Gun Arsenal, Arrested for Threatening to Kill Kids at Jane Ball Elementary School
CNN: Obama Picks Kerry for Secretary of State
Obama picks Kerry for top diplomatic post: TV (via AFP) President Barack Obama has chosen Senator John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state, news networks CNN and ABC reported. CNN on Saturday cited a Democratic source who had spoken to Kerry, while ABC mentioned unnamed sources. Asked for comment by AFP, the White House did not … [Read more...] about CNN: Obama Picks Kerry for Secretary of State