On Friday afternoon, Dr. Judy Palfrey was doing her rounds at Children’s Hospital, above Longwood Avenue. Two miles away, on the other side of town, her husband, Sean, like her a pediatrician, was doing the same at Boston Medical Center.
The news about what had happened 150 miles away in Connecticut seeped out slowly along the corridors where sick children are cared for. The adults — the nurses, the parents, doctors like the Palfreys — gradually realized the extent of the horror in Newtown but did their best not to betray that knowledge to the kids.
Comments
So sad and so senseless! There must be a way to protect innocent children, innocent citizens from the ever increasing violent use of weapons. There also must be a way to help those with mental health issues who use these weapons to kill innocent people and clearly, supporting big pharma and perscribing antipsychotic drugs without adequate supervision is not working!
Great comments. What I find frustrating about this case is that the perp's mother bought an assault rifle for "self protection!" The real gun enthusiasts I know don't automatic weapons or 100 round clips for duck hunting. I grew up in a town where almost every truck had a gun rack with at least one weapon--often loaded--stored at all times. Nobody pointed a gun at another person unless you had a badge.
Assault rifles serve no purpose other than killing. The one the mother bought was a "civilian" M16. They're notoriously easy to convert into full automatic weapons.
Get rid of the hydra. This skirting around the problem because we can't handle any political mess has gone on too long. We must do what is appropriate to a modern society: REPEAL THE SECOND AMENDMENT. It will take years but it is an important goal. In the meantime we should implement laws that begin to defy the notion that guns in private citizen's hands somehow protect us. In Australia they reacted to change the attitude of their country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)
Really, good luck with this goal. The NRA will undoubtedly control any gun legislation that is drafted in this country. The pro gun rights groups have been fanning the flames for most of President Obama's time in office with lies about gun control or outright bans. Now, we get to sit and watch what happens when our freedom turns into a permit to kill our fellow Americans! Very sad.
There is no way to have a conversation about gun control without first exposing the power of the NRA to control legislation and also the national conversation about guns. Their tactics...designed to sell guns and make lots and lots of blood money...are a poison in democracy. Who are their donors? Who funds them? Who makes money from our lax gun laws and loopholes? Why on earth should we put up with this?
Absolutely agree. The new litmus test should be whether or not a candidate will support gun control legislation and disregard the NRA positions on assault rifles, large ammunition clips and background check regulations. Why is this difficult? Because our paperweight politicians realize that getting re-elected is job #1 and the NRA controls a huge amount of votes. They are relentless: calls, mailings, emails, community actions, legal questions etc. They are adept at changing the content and direction of the debate. If you don't keep your eye on the ball, one issue at a time, you will strike out on every occasion. IMHO, it will be easier to re- institute the ban on AW's than repeal the 2nd Amendment. This is a good first step for a voter to resolve with their congressional reps and sens. http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?cycle=2012&id=D000000082 The above link is a peek into the NRA. You won't like it if you are a Republican. The info speaks for itself.
“It Out-Herods Herod. Pray You, Avoid It.”
By Anthony Hecht
Tonight my children hunch Toward their Western, and are glad As, with a Sunday punch, The Good casts out the Bad.And in their fairy tales The warty giant and witch Get sealed in doorless jails And the match-girl strikes it rich.
I’ve made myself a drink. The giant and witch are set To bust out of the clink When my children have gone to bed.
All frequencies are loud With signals of despair; In flash and morse they crowd The rondure of the air.
For the wicked have grown strong, Their numbers mock at death, Their cow brings forth its young, Their bull engendereth.
Their very fund of strength, Satan, bestrides the globe; He stalks its breadth and length And finds out even Job.
Yet by quite other laws My children make their case; Half God, half Santa Claus, But with my voice and face,
A hero comes to save The poorman, beggarman, thief, And make the world behave And put an end to grief.
And that their sleep be sound I say this childermas Who could not, at one time, Have saved them from the gas.
Politicians: Save your condolences, save your tears...they are cold comfort. It's time for all of you to FINALLY find the political courage to ban assault weapons in America! How many more must die senseless deaths because you won't face up to the fact that assault weapons are for war, not neighborhoods? A heartsick nation asks again and again and again. God bless the Palfreys and the Copneys.
Reasonalbe gun control, Parenting, not trying to be kids friends, media based productions of horrorifying actions. single parenting, accountability, consequences for our actions, ten year wars being carried out by our government, mistrust and deceitful behaviour being carried out by our "leaders", constant images of fighting in the news, inciteful lyrics in music, bullying, poverty and hunger, glorifying weapons on the tv, growing lack of strong male presence in schools, marginalizing rather than embracing the "different" children, and you can fill in your own reasons on this list, but be sure to include mirrors, as in we can look and see the reason, its US, we are letting this happen.......
Please stop using this tragedy as an excuse for your daily attacks on liberals and the President. You'd be attacking them regardless. Please have the decency to do it elsewhere.
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I'm all for stricter regulations on gun ownership, but I doubt it would have much of an impact on mass murders. Actually, I think what motivates these depraved, deranged losers is publicity. This guy knew he'd be on the front page of every major newspaper in the country. He knew he would be the lead story on every newscast. He knew he'd be everywhere on the interest. He knew he would be famous. He knew he'd go down in history. That's the motivation and it's the same for all mass murderers. What we need to do is limit the news coverage of these incidents to the basics. Never name the killer or show his picture. After the initial report, nothing else. This would have a far greater impact on reducing mass murder than any gun control legislation.