As the father of a very young child, I could only listen in horror to what happened to all of those families in Newtown, CT on 12/14/12. I can't imagine how they felt. I hope I never have to know.
And like much of the country, I've felt a little unsure of what I can do to help in the time since. We need to have a real, adult conversation with out government at every level, and I look with tempered hope to what Congress and Obama may produce come January. If our government can't respond to a tragedy like this, then I fear we may have the most ineffectual Congress in history.
But with all of these thoughts, I learned that Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA went on Meet The Press this weekend. And his ridiculous response to the all-too-numerous shootings we've had recently, to put more guns in schools, reminded me of part of the reason why our Congress is so ineffective. It's because special interests rule all comers through piles of money, regardless of the public sentiment or what constituents want or need.
And I thought of a way to combat it (I hope). My idea is after the jump.
The problem is groups like the NRA have huge influence through their bankroll. So I think our only hope as the general public is to use our strength-in-numbers to change the public opinion. When leaders of a group like the NRA say absolutely crazy things, they need to be called out loudly and repeatedly by as many people as possible. We need to make it toxic for elected officials to support them. And Wayne LaPierre made it easy, when on Sunday he said to call him crazy.
So here's my way to oblige him:
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Maybe these won't do much good. And I'm certainly open to changing any of them. But if you like them, please link them. Put it on your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and whatever other things are out there. Send it to friends and family. Inspire others! If we can all keep the pressure up by calling our representatives at both the state and federal level, I think the time is right to effect real change!