Story of the Week 12/23
December 23, 2012 2 Comments
via washingtonpost.com
I drove by the Sandy Hook exit on I-84 yesterday. I knew it was coming, but I really didn’t think it was going to get to me. It did. There was only one sign that read “Pray for Newtown.” I knew Newtown was close and it really sunk in yesterday when I drove by.
This is our home.
On Monday morning, before deadline, Mike had the idea of doing of a couple different follow-ups (for Tuesday’s paper) to our Monday recap of what happened last Friday. He wanted Louisa to do another school roundup, to see how things were going in area districts, and he wanted me to get as many local/national legislators as I could to get a reaction from them.
I loved the idea and started calling legislators as soon as I got off deadline Monday morning. I really like talking to the local legislators. I’ve done a few local legislator roundups in the past year and it’s always fun to get the different reactions.
It actually turned out to be easier than I thought. A lot of them wanted to make statements and answer my questions. I was able to get a hold of more than half of them by Monday afternoon. Most called back Tuesday morning on deadline, so it all worked out. The trick with that kind of roundup is to make sure you have both sides of the aisle represented. No one wants to read a one-party story.
I think it came out pretty well and I invite you to read it and react to what they said and suggested. Some of it is a bit more direct than the others, but it’s as an immediate reaction as I got.
Local legislators: Action is needed
Jonathan
Just Starting Out 
You know…..after these mass murders happen..there is always the debate of gun control. And you look at other countries where they banned guns, and supposedly crime is down, then you look at cities where everyone has a gun and crime is low too. But I think the problem lies that these murderers are sensationalized and will down in history, but no one will remember the victims. That’s why these crimes will happen. When someone crazy wants to die, but do it in a way that they will be remembered instead of capping themselves in their basement. Its not gun control that’s needed it’s media control. —Oooops did I say that?
Well said and it definitely goes without saying that a lot of people think that way. It’s tough for the media though. They have to cover it and, yet, they do pump things up a bit. But it’s always been like that and I don’t see anything changing in my lifetime.
There’s a lot that can be changed.
Jonathan