[Speaking Truth To Power]
This week residents of Newtown, Connecticut began to bury some of the victims from Friday’s tragic mass murder at the Sandy Hook Elementary School where 27 people were killed—including gunman Adam Lanza.
Some politicians are now saying gun control must be addressed to stop these atrocities.
But given America’s deeply entrenched culture of violence—which includes the overwhelming use of violence by America’s government—will we really see any concrete change after the immediate grief from this latest tragedy subsides?
Monday two six-year-olds, Jack Pinto and Noah Pozner, were the first of those killed on Friday to be laid to rest, then on Tuesday six-year-olds James Mattioli and Jessica Rekos were buried.
Besides 20 kids, six adults also lost their lives when shooter Lanza went on a violent rampage. Mr. Lanza reportedly first killed his mother 52-year-old mother, shooting Nancy Lanza four times in the head, and then proceeded to the nearby school—which he once attended—to unleash his deadly rampage. Lanza also killed six adults, including Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide.
The school shooting was the second deadliest in America after the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre where 32 people were killed by Seung-Hui Cho. It was also the second worst mass murder at an elementary school after 1927 Bath School bombings in Bath Township, Michigan where 45 people were killed—including 38 children. The perpetrator of that crime was 55-year-old Andrew Kehoe a disgruntled school board treasurer.
Speaking in Newtown on Sunday, President Obama said “Since I’ve been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings, fourth time we’ve hugged survivors, the fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And
