We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.
We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this.
If there’s even one step we can take to save another child or another parent or another town from the grief that’s visited Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek and Newtown and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that, then surely we have an obligation to try.
In the coming weeks, I’ll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine.
Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?
Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?
I think that the NRA's worst fears about this President may be about to come true.
At least I goddamn hope so!
You can read the entire transcript here. (I almost forgot, reports are that the President wrote virtually this entire speech on his own. I think it shows.)
Update: President poses with children of Newtown.
Please help to keep them safe Mr. President. They are counting on you.
John McCain is mysteriously absent from this discussion, yet he ranted on daily about 4 Americans killed in Benghazi. So, 20 kids and 6 adults slaughtered here in a school gets no reaction from him and his co-horts? I wonder how much the gun lobby donates to HIM?? I watched the President speak in Newtown, and it was difficult for him you could tell. He is such a calming influence at the worst times. You get the feeling that he honestly cares for people.
ReplyDeleteMcCain is #1 politician in money received from the NRA. Of course he will not bite the hand that feeds him.
DeleteAbout half a million, give or take. He's at the top of the list
DeleteI think the gun nuts have a right to be fearful, or more than usual.
DeleteThis was the very last flippin' straw that broke the camels back and America is not going to stand by and let their kids get slaughtered!
Well Liberal America, who is the majority here.
Potus is "up" to something.
Many in Sen & Congress have all basically said, enough is a enough!
I urge everyone who has concrete idea to send to their congress person or send to POTUS.
He will probably have to make some sort of oversight group to keep the NRA in line.
I for one say FUCK the NRA and all of its mindless followers.
I'm sick of their stupid excuses.
GUNs are for killing. That's all.
We have a "Well armed militant" its called the National guard.
We need a NEW reading of the what the second amendment is and not from a teabag scotus either.
POTUS should invoke his executive order. The RW nutjob all ready say he's taking their precious guns, so yeehaw, lets do it. I think we should tax the shit out of ammo.Chris Rock's 5K a bullet sounds good.
Mandatory ins. yearly physical exam & test.
No assault rifles or cartridges over 9 bullets.
Close gunshow loophole, aka easy access, NOW.
And oh yeah, fuck you nra!
Given McCain's behaviour as of late, there is nothing particularly "mysterious" or otherwise baffling about his absence.
DeleteCheck out the link that Jesse put in the previous blog post about NRA campaign contributions.
DeleteFrom NRA sources, McCain has received over a half-million $$$ since 1986 (#1 by far) and Boehner is #1 in 2012 and 2010.
Open Secrets has great drop-down menus that you can check for each past election by year and by house of Congress for the gun nutters' faves. Very few D's even show up. The only one I remember was Manchin from WV.
Oh yeah, Allen West, the scumbag and war criminal with the MC Hammer haircut (STILL!)was one of the biggest NRA water carriers in 2010 when he first ran, AND this year, even though he got his walking papers from the folks in his redrawn home district.
He does honestly care for people, and is that rare man who weras his heart on his sleeve. I'm surprised that Fox is not all over him for shedding real tears over kids dying in their schoolroom. I hope things can change. We need to reinstate mental health care, school counselors and so much more that has been gutted by the GOP over the years in favor of WAR dollars. Until we can change their mindset, what will happen? Oh yes. And get ALEC and the NRA out of our government.
DeleteAnd if Snyder signs SB 59 today, allowing guns in MI schools, I will personally figure out how to start a recall.
DeleteSally in MI, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Not only does Congress have to act on gun control, it has to act to provide access to adequate mental health care so that those who suffer from mental illness, especially those who are young, can get the treatment including residential care that they need with dignity. At the moment, ALEC is in control of too many states. And the residents of those states are largely ignorant of ALEC's existence.
DeleteBeaglemom
PS If (well, when) Snyder signs the bill into law, I'll sign a petition for recall for the governor and for my local state representative and senator who voted for this insane legislation.
I can't help thinking how Mitt Romney would have handled all this had he been elected and it happened on his watch.
ReplyDelete(Or John McCain for that matter.)
We have the right man. We've elected him twice.
We must not relax and rest. We must be looking NOW for a worthy and capable successor or we will lose whatever ground he has given us in 8 years.
Totally agree!
DeleteTotally agree that we need to find a worthy and capable successor. It will be difficult.
DeleteThe President gave this address after meeting all day with those who lost loved ones. President Obama shows real caring, empathy, and compassion. He must feel their pain. Yet he consoles others, and offers hope for a better tomorrow. We could not have a better president.
ReplyDeleteOur POTUS really relates to children. I really love that in him.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture. I just don't see Johnny Walnuts or Mitt 47% being this comfortable with young kids, or so effective at the role of Consoler in Chief.
ReplyDeleteMight even change the minds of some who think President Obama is a Muslim traitor commie caliphate supremacist :)
Oh, and THANKS!Gryphen for excellent work today, and every day on keeping people up to date on IM.
It's a lot of work and you are appreciated!
Yes, Thank you!
DeleteRight, AJ, we mustn't forget to thank Gryphen for all his hard work.
DeleteAs a man who's worked one-on-one with children, Gryphen is especially hurt by the Newtown tragedy, and his passion and clarity show this.
Thanks, friend.
Obama said that the nation is left with some hard questions. The president talked about the job of keeping our children safe and teaching them well is something we can only do together. He said, We bear responsibility for every child. We’re all parents, and they are all our children.” He said society will judge us by how we raise and keep our children safe from harm. He asked if we can say that we are doing enough to keep our children safe from harm? The president said, “I’ve been reflecting on this for the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. It’s not enough, and we have to change.”
ReplyDeleteObama said this is the fourth time he has spoken at one of these memorial services, and that these tragedies must stop and we must change. The president said that if there is even one step that we can take to save one child, one parent, one town from this grief, we must try.
http://www.politicususa.com/newtown-memorial-obama-tells-america-change-violence.html
My husband and I watched the entire speech and he bet me that POTUS would just do another of his speeches because he'd be accused of politicizing the tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI bet him dinner and a movie (In a REAL restaurant and a REAL theater) that he would!
When POTUS said these words:
"I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.", I knew he was serious and means business.
What an amazing man, husband, father and President!
He has our backs, and we need to help him get this done, soon.
It was his best speech yet.
ReplyDeletePeople that complain about his not doing enough about gun control need to realize his limitations. Both legislatively and legally. It is not up to just him. But he can sure get the ball rolling. I think he just got his reason.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The president does not pass laws. He signs them.
DeleteBeaglemom
President Barack Obama is officially the biggest fundraiser in the modern history of American politics, the Federal Election Commission filings show.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/12/14/rainmaker-in-chief-obama-officially-the-biggest-fundraiser-ever
We need to tell the NRA, and the gun nuts, and their heroes on Fox News and elsewhere, that President Obama is not going to take their people-killing weapons away...
ReplyDeleteBut. We. Are.
Love your comment. I agree: But.We.Are
DeleteYes we can! And we must. If they won't save themselves and their kids, we will do it for them.
DeleteAnd he said...
ReplyDelete'But we as a nation, we are left with some hard questions. You know, someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around.
With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves, our child, is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice, and every parent knows there’s nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm. And yet we also know that with that child’s very first step and each step after that, they are separating from us, that we won’t — that we can’t always be there for them.
They will suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments, and we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear. And we know we can’t do this by ourselves.
It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself, that this job of keeping our children safe and teaching them well is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community and the help of a nation.
And in that way we come to realize that we bear responsibility for every child, because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours, that we’re all parents, that they are all our children.
This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged'.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/sunday-coverage-of-newtown-school-shooting/?emc=na
interesting article re mental health I thought issue was guns its not not completely
ReplyDeletehttp://gawker.com/5968818/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother
The gun ownership and gun homicides murder map of the world
ReplyDeleteWhich countries in the world have the highest firearms murders - and the highest rates of gun ownership? Click on a country to see how it compares - and use the dropdown menu to see the map in different ways
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/22/gun-ownership-homicides-map
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NewtownVigil&src=hash
ReplyDeleteVideo: Statement of Muslim Community at Newtown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHvYZeUV9EE&feature=youtu.be
Rabbi Shaul Praver sings Hebrew prayer at Newtown vigil
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS--_V9Sq-Y&feature=youtu.be
Improved gun laws and improved care for the mentally ill are way overdue.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that every single gun needs have insurance on it!!!! really HIGH insurance - you can't drive a car without insurance so why can you own a gun without insurance ??? A simple rifle for hunting the rates could be low - but start adding assaults weapons and additonal weapons and the rates go higher and higher - the more guns the rates should multiple to reflect the additional risk, the more high powered the rates should be extremely high to reflect the risk -- no money does not replace a life - but if gun owners need to be held responsible for the risk they are taking by owning these kinds of weapons - even if they don't use them for harm the guns can be used by someone else, stolen, etc.
Republicans should love this idea since it promotes private business - the insurance companies.
And let the "free market" decide the rates gun owners will pay for insurance!
DeleteI am about to pay my car registration....$71.85 per year, plus tags. How about a gun registration fee???
"from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators.."
ReplyDeleteYes, Mr. President, and most of America as well. But NOT, unfortunately, the NRA nor the members of Congress they own. Congress and the right-wing echo chamber are your sworn enemies in this fight. It will take massive courage on the part of our elected representatives to carry out what is clearly the will of the citizens. Blessed be.
I am counting on him too. This may be the single most important thing he does in the 2nd term...saving America from guns.
ReplyDeleteI think, like a car, you should have to re-register every gun you own every year. Registration fees between $50 and $100 for every gun would go to the federal government and would pay for mental health services and victim compensation. Maybe this would force people to stop hoarding guns and really examine how many guns they need. Every household would get a free pass on one hunting rifle/shotgun and one handgun. The ATF can do spot checks on your guns and if they find you with an unregistered gun at any time, you lose your rights to own a gun forever. You will not be allowed to have any gun in any household where you live. Zero tolerance for unregistered guns.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!
DeleteJillyG
President Obama's speech affected many of us profoundly. But I felt a frisson of terror when it was announced that everyone had to stay in the auditorium until the president was safely off the property. How sad is that, that this wonderful caring man is under so much threat from his own countrymen simply because he wants children to be allowed to grow up and adults to stay alive.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
I know, I had this terrible thought that he would be attacked or shot while speaking at the memorial. So glad he made it out of there
DeleteAnyone have any news on the Westboro idiots?
Are they showing up?
I love seeing photos of our President with children. Notice how they always seem to relax and lean right into him.
ReplyDelete