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CT School Shooting Victims Named

Via the New York Times, the names of those who died in yesterday's CT school shootings.

The children: Charlotte Bacon, 6, Daniel Barden, 7, Olivia Engel, 6, Josephine Gay, 7, Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6, Dylan Hockley, 6, Madeleine F. Hsu, 6, Catherine V. Hubbard, 6, Chase Kowalski, 7, Jesse Lewis, 6, James Mattioli, 6, Grace McDonnell, 7, Emilie Parker, 6, Jack Pinto, 6, Noah Pozner, 6, Caroline Previdi, 6, Jessica Rekos, 6, Avielle Richman, 6, Benjamin Wheeler, 6, Allison N. Wyatt, 6.

The staff: Rachel Davino, 29, Dawn Hochsprung, 47, Anne Marie Murphy, 52, Lauren Rousseau, 30, Mary Sherlach, 56, Victoria Soto, 27.

May they all rest in peace. We join the millions of others around the world offering condolences to their families, friends and loved ones.

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  • Display: Sort:
    All of those kids (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by rdandrea on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 04:28:31 PM EST
    probably still believed in Santa Claus :(

    Six (5.00 / 3) (#2)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 04:41:12 PM EST
    and seven year olds.

    No words can convey how much that hurts.

    I can't even describe the profound sadness I am (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Angel on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 04:47:24 PM EST
    feeling.  What is wrong with our country and its people?  I'm angry because I don't see a solution to this kind of madness anytime in the near future.  

    I don't know how the moms and dads and (5.00 / 5) (#4)
    by Anne on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 04:56:54 PM EST
    grandmas and grandpas and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and neighbors and classmates and friends will ever, ever be at peace with the deaths of their loved ones in such a senseless and violent way.

    We can hope the dead are at peace, but I don't know if it will ever be possible to convince ourselves that they died peacefully.  As a parent, and now a grandparent, the kinds of questions I would be asking about my loved one's last moments on earth are ones that would just rip my heart out.

    I don't presume to know the best way to stop others from dying like this, or for families to stop having to bury people they love, but I do know this: as much as I understand this alleged right we all have to bear arms, I feel like what has been lost in the discussion is my right - everyone's right - to expect that sending our kids to school, taking a trip to the mall, isn't a life-threatening experience.

    Ironic to me is that as much freedom and liberty and privacy as has been snatched from us - or in some cases just willingly given away - in the name of being safe from terrorists, we have a domestic epidemic of death from guns, that if they were from a virus or a bacteria would see the marshaling of the medical and public health communities in an effort to protect the life and health of the people.  No one would be defending the right of the people to die from a virus - but when it comes to guns, that's the go-to response.  People become collateral - and increasingly acceptable - damage in service to a constitutional right that seems to be viewed only through the eyes of owners, sellers, manufacturers, and distributors of guns and ammo.  What I think just doesn't matter.

    I'm just sick about all these precious lives lost, and all the lives forever changed, and sicker still that the gun lobby and the NRA will probably once again win the day as politicians tsk-tsk and shake their heads and shrug their shoulders as if they are helpless to actually do anything.

    Evil (none / 0) (#5)
    by bocajeff on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 05:06:48 PM EST
    Having two grandparents and two aunts killed by guns doesn't make me mad at guns. It makes me mad at evil. Being mad at the gun is easy since I can understand it, but it is way too easy. I'm mad at the evil and sickness that exist. I was reading about the Bath, MI school bombing in 1927 and was sickened to see the amount of planning and carnage left in its wake. Yes, guns are bad. But this isn't the solution to the problem.

    There will probably be more killings around the country this weekend than what occurred in Newton, but we focus on Newton because of the age of the victims.

    Parent

    I'm very sorry to hear of your losses (5.00 / 3) (#9)
    by shoephone on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 06:52:49 PM EST
    That's too many for one family. But, if not even for these latest losses of 20 innocent children's lives, is there nothing that would convince you some restrictions on guns are needed? Because something is different about this country when the epidemic of gun violence is so unique to the world's nations.

    And yet another gun murder incident occurred this very morning, in a Birmingham, AL hospital. A hospital for crissakes!

    There is something truly sick going on in this country, and guns are playing a huge part.

    Parent

    Babies (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by sj on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 07:41:14 PM EST
    They were just babies.  Babies and their caretakers.  I have no words for how deeply sorrowful I am.  Nor for the compassion and sorrow I feel for those families who will never, ever be the same.

    How young most of the victims were (none / 0) (#12)
    by Peter G on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 08:57:13 PM EST
    brings to mind the West Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse shooting about five years ago.

    Parent
    I agree... (none / 0) (#13)
    by Cashmere on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:01:36 PM EST
    I thought about the same...

    Parent
    Can you please not resort to (1.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 06:01:54 PM EST
    political posturing over gun laws in a thread designed to honor the victims of this tragedy? Please talk about these shootings and this tragedy, not your views on gun laws.


    How do you separate them, Jeralyn? (5.00 / 6) (#8)
    by Anne on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 06:37:33 PM EST
    You're asking people to do the equivalent of discussing cooking without mentioning food.

    Parent
    Hardly (1.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 07:15:23 PM EST
    there are volumes to speak of the victims --from the heroic teachers, to the children whose lives were lost, to their suffering parents and the devastated community. Even Ryan Lanza, the older brother, is a victim as is his father.

    There will be plenty of time to discuss ways to prevent future tragedies. These victims have not even been buried yet. Can't you just focus on them for a few days, as we absorb the depth of their loss? Don't they deserve that much?

    Bypassing them to focus on a political agenda and potential future victims is shameful, in my view. We have these victims. Reflect on their lives and loss for a few days. There are open threads up to talk about your views on gun laws or whatever else you want.

    Parent

    I'm not bypassing these precious lives, (5.00 / 7) (#14)
    by Anne on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:15:11 PM EST
    Jeralyn; far from it.  

    We're becoming professional mourners.  We will see nothing but tributes to these lost babies who will never get a chance to grow up, and to the staff who tried to save the children.  We will see and hear and read the eulogies, the memorials, the grief, and then..the nation will take a deep breath and go on, never having honored these lives by doing anything to prevent the next tragedy.

    I sobbed when I saw the sweet face of that beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel, who reminded me of my own girls when they were that age.  But what does my grief mean, what does any of what I feel mean if it keeps happening over and over and over again?

    I will let the following, from the KC Star, and posted earlier today by MOBlue, explain (bold is mine):

    The nation has a duty to protect its tiniest, most vulnerable citizens. Our children.

    America is failing at this task, and the proof is lying in Connecticut morgues.

    Don't dare forget the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

    Every last one of the 20 precious souls who died Friday deserves a more pertinent and lasting memorial than the shock of a nation reeling.

    They deserve deep, contemplative thought and action. They deserve changes in how we manage the right to own weaponry in America.

    If the slaughter of a classroom of children isn't enough to press for reasonable gun control, then nothing will help America. We might as well hand out NRA memberships with birth certificates.

    Link

    You should read the whole thing, because when Mary Sanchez says,

    The nation soon will be familiar with the faces and too-brief life stories of these youngsters. The sports they played. The games they enjoyed, their favorite colors and classes. Maybe coveted snacks their mothers packed for their lunches Friday.

    Gone are their futures: their joy at presents and family on Christmas morning, high school and college, the effect they could have had on society as mothers and fathers and the careers of adulthood.

    she's expressing what I'm feeling.  What many of us are feeling.  

    And call me cynical, but you don't tolerate discussions about gun laws and access even when it's only one person who loses his or her life at the hands of someone with a gun, so I can't help feeling that your insistence that we only focus on the lives of those who died yesterday is in some part about hoping that we never get to the part about the hodgepodge of gun laws, the proliferation of guns, the lack of quality mental health care in many parts of the country, and so on - we'll just be on to other things.

    Parent

    This editorial cartoon portrays (5.00 / 4) (#18)
    by caseyOR on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:48:03 PM EST
    That is just too, too sad (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by MO Blue on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:56:22 PM EST
    That visual brings tears to your eyes and squeezes your heart.

    Parent
    This is the real War on Christmas (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Politalkix on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:07:46 PM EST
    that the NRA is waging against our kids.

    Parent
    It's not a political agenda. (5.00 / 3) (#30)
    by Dr Molly on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 07:38:40 AM EST
    "There will be plenty of time" (5.00 / 4) (#32)
    by Andreas on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 08:30:30 AM EST
    No, plenty of time has already been wasted in the past. The most recent massacre is a result of that.

    Parent
    Agree... We should focus on the victims right now (none / 0) (#15)
    by Cashmere on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:20:07 PM EST
    ... and not political agendas.

    The teachers really were heroic in this instance, as were the store employees at the Clackamas Town Center shootings earlier this week (I live in Portland so this was very close).

    It seems that both the Newtown School and Clackamas Town Center were well prepared for lockdowns as they had practiced for just such an event.  First responders in each case were wonderful as well.

    In Clackamas, there are many stories as well of heroic acts by shoppers.  For example, when the shooting started, one man saw a family (father, pregnant wife, and a small child).  This man rushed to pick up and carry the pregnant woman so the father could carry his child, and they were all able to exit the mall safely.  Also, citizens of Portland and the surrounding area have been heavily frequenting the mall after several days of closure...  not letting the incident stop them.

    For Newtown, I have seen how thankful so many parents are for how the teachers did their best to protect the children, to the extent of assuring their safety after those that survived were able to leave the school, and then ensure each child was delivered to the parent.  I have heard that the principal lunged at the gunman, and lost her life while doing so.  I have heard of the 27-yr-old teacher who hid her children in closets and cabinets, telling the gunman they were in the gymnasium, only to be killed as a result (yet all of her students survived).

    So may other stories....  and the heartbreak of the way the children and their caretakers at school were killed...  I do not even want to think about the horrifying images, and what their families must be going through..  Simply unbearable.

    Parent

    I see as a moral agenda (5.00 / 10) (#17)
    by Towanda on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 10:41:55 PM EST
    what some see as a political agenda to avoid the moral agenda.

    Parent
    I am not stating that we should not (none / 0) (#21)
    by Cashmere on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:17:00 PM EST
    discuss gun control.  I am all for more gun control  Just trying to respect Jeralyn's wishes re: her blog.  There are ample open threads for the political (or moral) issues.  

    Re: respecting Jeralyn's request, it is her site and she puts much effort into it so there is a place to post.  Just my take.  There are threads to take this discussion to.

    Parent

    That's exactly what you stated (5.00 / 2) (#23)
    by Towanda on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:24:11 PM EST
    "We should focus on the victims right now and not political agendas."

    That is a statement about time, not place.

    At least own your own words that we all can see.

    Parent

    Apologies... I meant IN THIS THREAD! (none / 0) (#25)
    by Cashmere on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:40:06 PM EST
    Jeralyn has requested it (gun control) be discussed in open threads.   What is wrong with that.  Did you even read the rest of my post(s)?  Sheesh!

    Parent
    "honor the victims" (5.00 / 4) (#31)
    by Andreas on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 08:26:03 AM EST
    It is not possible to "honor the victims" by again blocking a wide discussion in American society about the root causes of all these massacres. This discussion must take place now.

    Parent
    No words can grasp the grief. (none / 0) (#6)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 06:01:44 PM EST


    Oh for Pete's Sake -- There can be a discussion.. (none / 0) (#22)
    by Cashmere on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:20:18 PM EST
    about gun control, Jeralyn has simply requested it be done in an open thread.  

    After all the work put into this site, why can this simple request not be honored?

    thank you Cashmere (none / 0) (#27)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 12:12:49 AM EST
    I deleted that comment and will delete other comments in this thread that focus on gun laws rather than the shootings and victims.

    Parent
    a moment of this (none / 0) (#24)
    by The Addams Family on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:28:59 PM EST


    I have honored Jeralyn's request (none / 0) (#26)
    by Slayersrezo on Sat Dec 15, 2012 at 11:40:47 PM EST
    And will continue to do so.
    I just wish some on here would stop pretending that we haven't had discussions about "the subject" over the past 25 /30 years and that laws haven't been passed, and that there aren't already many laws on the books. At some point you have to stop with LAWS and start with OTHER IDEAS. I have quite a few. Jeralyn, when you make another open thread I hope some of the people here will be willing to discuss all types of ideas about how to prevent some future tragedies (you can never prevent them all).

    other threads are open (none / 0) (#28)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 12:13:16 AM EST
    How about a specific... (none / 0) (#29)
    by unitron on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 05:14:39 AM EST
    ..."Do we need to fix the gun laws or is the solution something else?" thread?

    For instance, if we could get to the crazy people and get them some help in time, maybe they wouldn't go on these rampages in the first place, so it wouldn't matter if it was a gun they were not using or a bomb they were not using or a knife they were not using or Sarin gas they were not using, because they wouldn't be using any of them.

    And yes, I probably should use some longer, more convoluted, scientifically accurate and politically correct term than "crazy", and will endevour to do so in the future.

    Parent

    Great idea, unitron (none / 0) (#33)
    by Lora on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 02:21:29 PM EST
    When it's time (soon I hope), how about unitron's idea for a specific thread:

    ..."Do we need to fix the gun laws or is the solution something else?"

    Parent

    and, not or, please (5.00 / 4) (#34)
    by Towanda on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 06:45:12 PM EST
    as the wording sets up a simplistic dichotomy that is not useful in finding solutions to a societal problem or complexity.

    That said, I would suggest that those who are against gun control remember the saying from our era that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

    If they think that things have not changed, they are wrong.  Change is coming.  They can be part of the solution by engaging in the discussion and helping to write the laws, taking the fingers out of the ears, because yelling "la la la" is not going to work anymore.  Or they can continue to think that the NRA lobby can continue to win at all costs, the costs of more lives, and leave it to us to write the laws -- and live with the result.

    Inactions have consequences, too.

    Parent

    To both you and unitron (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by sj on Mon Dec 17, 2012 at 09:20:14 AM EST
    Why is this either/or?    What a perfect way to set up the conversation that gun control opponents want to have.

    Parent
    Just wanted to start the conversation (none / 0) (#39)
    by Lora on Wed Dec 19, 2012 at 03:40:10 PM EST
    Wasn't too concerned about the wording: I'd say Either, Or, or Both

    Parent
    You can talk about that in the (none / 0) (#35)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 16, 2012 at 08:51:09 PM EST
    Which is not a separate thread... (none / 0) (#38)
    by unitron on Wed Dec 19, 2012 at 01:42:53 AM EST
    ...specifically about the one issue, without posts about other stuff getting in the way, or posts about the one issue getting in the way of what the thread was supposed to have been about.

    Parent