As we say goodbye to 2012 I wanted to take a moment to
reflect on a couple of things for the New Year.
Earlier this year I made a commitment to boost my level of
civility towards my fellow man and I encouraged others to do the same. Easier
said than done. I have seen a decline in civility for the last few years and it
seems to have taken a nosedive during this very contentious election year. More
and more I see yelling and name calling take the place of intelligent discussion
and debate. We have seen a huge number of defriendings on Facebook and many
Americans entered this holiday season not speaking to relatives instead of just
agreeing to disagree. I feel that this needs to turn around so my resolution
for 2013 is to continue to boost my level of civility towards my fellow man and
I encourage you to do the same. Again, easier said than done but it must be
done.
"We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action
to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
President
Barack Obama
2012 ended on a shocking note when on December 14th
a gunman fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members and wounded
two others at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Before
driving to the school, the gunman also shot and killed his mother at their
home. After killing the students and staff members, the gunman committed
suicide by shooting himself in the head.
The massacre was the second-deadliest school shooting in
United States history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. It also is the
second-deadliest mass murder at an American elementary school, after the 1927
Bath School bombings in Michigan.
We have seen this over and over again but this time I am optimistic
that 2013 will bring positive change to our gun control problem. A day has not
gone by where I have not talked to friends about Sandy Hook Elementary School. The conversations
have been both in person and in social media. These conversations contained intelligence,
compassion, pragmatism and perspective. These four ingredients are what will
create the “meaningful action” that the president was talking about. Just like
during the presidential debates, whenever a politician talk like a politician
we the people used social media to call them out on their B.S.. As long as the
conversation continues (and we will have to do more than talk eventually) we
can keep this topic on the front burner.
The last time we will see a New Years Rockin Eve Countdown with Dick Clark
... AND NOW
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Happy New Year and Stay Tuned
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