Newtown resident MaryAnn Murtha is right. We haven't thought much about the people -- the survivors -- of that Connecticut town.
The national media have, insensitively, begun to call 12/14 “Sandy Hook” or “Newtown.” Listening to TV the other night, I heard someone say, “We just don’t want another Newtown.” Ouch.
Our friends in Columbine know. Our friends in Aurora know. Our friends in Oklahoma City know. Having your town’s name synonymous with an evil act does not aid the healing process; in fact, it adds to the pain and casts shadows. Here in Newtown, we have seen enough darkness. We need your light, your love and your support.
In her eloquent address to the nation, Newtown’s first selectman, Pat Llodra, claimed that the tragedy would be a defining moment for our town but that it would not define us. Yet, if the media succeed in naming this unthinkable event Newtown or Sandy Hook, it will define us.
Call the tragedy 12/14. That’s not only the day it happened; it’s also the number of beautiful children and talented educators taken from us that day: 12 + 14 = 26. If we call that day 12/14, we shift the focus from where these horrors happened to when they happened and how many lives were lost. And, sadly, we also know this could have happened anywhere. ...WaPo
Yet, if the media succeed in naming this unthinkable event Newtown or Sandy Hook, it will define us.
Posted by: only electric lawn mower | January 25, 2013 at 08:46 AM