December 14, 2012, a date which will live in infamy…the calendar of American history is filled with too many infamous remembrances. My generation has collected too many over the last three decades. Today the President stood behind the podium in the White House briefing room and lamented that “as a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago -- these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”
I do not pretend to have answers as to why the tragedy in Newtown happened, but I do know that the time has come to ask the questions. When incidents like this happen, we flood the public square with attempts at meaning. We do not endeavor to fix the problem. We cling to our beliefs, whatever side of the political spectrum, or we shout down the answers that we do not want to hear. I do not know if the solution to this problem is gun control, concealed carry permits, armed guards at our schools, or an intentional investment in mental health counseling, but I do know that it is time for the debate.
In an America defined by gridlock, we need to recognize that the safety of our children and our communities is the water’s edge. I cannot accept that a solution does not exist. I will not accept that a society that allows, or perhaps incubates, madness like the world witnessed in Newtown is as good as we can do. I refuse to accept that the execution of twenty innocent children is simply the unavoidable reality of a broken humanity. I believe that America feels the same way. After the events of September 11, the defining event of my generation, President Bush declared, “our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.” We did what we had to do to ensure that we would not relive the tragedy of that day. We have relived tragic events like those in Newtown too many times. We deserve better than that, and we must demand better.
Mr. Rogers once offered the following story as advice for dealing with tragedy: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world." It is our time to be helpers. Flood Washington with letters. Demand your voice be heard. Whatever your opinion on the issue, demand that we undertake the rigorous debate that this issue deserves. No more parents should be forced to bury their children because our heads were buried in the sand.