Not the post I intended to write today...

I had a joyous post all composed, describing the amazing day two years ago when we learned that Daniel and Lily would be our children.  However, today's violence has pushed those thoughts out of my mind. Close family members live just miles from Newtown; it could have easily been my precious nephew killed today. May those families be honored by our action. May not one more child be killed by  such shameless gun violence. 

Below is the letter I wrote today to President Obama and our Congressional Representatives.

December 14, 2012

Dear _____________________________________

            I'm writing to you as a mother, as a teacher and as a citizen.   As a mother I am frightened for my children's safety, now that it has been proven that even their kindergarten classroom is not safe.   As a teacher I am concerned for my co-workers and for my own safety and integrity, as now new security measures and new fears will make our profession even more challenging.  As a citizen I am outraged that once again a troubled person with easy access to a deadly weapon has killed dozens of innocent people.

             I believe that government's role is to ensure a safe, healthy and productive environment for all citizens.   I believe that our leader's primary concern should be the safety of our families.  My faith in my government's ability to keep my children safe has been deeply shaken today.

            Please restore my faith in America's government.  Please act quickly to prevent guns from killing any more of our children.  Please prove to your citizens that our lives are more precious than any amount of money donated by the gun lobby.

           

            Let us agree that the Founding Fathers intended for the right to bear arms be to allow us to protect ourselves from invading nations.  Let us agree that they did not intend for Americans to wage war against each other.   Let us agree that those wise men certainly would not agree that it is a right to have a weapon whose sole purpose is to kill another person.  

            Please put aside the rhetoric and the misconceptions.  Please use truth, statistics and logic to make decisions about gun control.   The children and the teachers who died today deserve to be honored with a bill in their name outlawing, or at least making it very difficult to obtain, assault weapons, hand guns and automatic pistols.

            Thank you for your leadership and action on behalf of our children and families.