Media stay away!

[rattleNsmoke]

Wifey and I are prolly 10 miles from Sandy Hook CT where the horrific mass shootings took place one year ago tomorrow. I tanked up on diesel at a Citgo station across the street from St. Roses Catholic church where the Governor will speak at a memorial mass in the morning. I realize media reporters have to make a living too, but those dogs have to respect the community and wishes by the families. Up and down Church Hill Road there are signs saying "Media Stay Away, police take notice"! I only hope and pray they do just that. My professional life takes me into public schools and last year I was supposed to be in Newtown's. Fortunately last minute plans changed. Funny how fate twists ya' around. The last few weeks as the anniversary approached, the news has been beating us over the head with remembrance. As a Dad of three, albeit now young adults, My heart goes out to those families. I....don't know how those parents cope with it all. It's hard for me to type this. I know it's not remotely camping \RV related, but it hit sooo close to home. Thanks for putting up with me. God Bless those 26 lil' Angels.That community and the surrounding towns ARE NEWTOWN STRONG! They have to be. Now....back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[RKR]

Amen

[Taylorgso]

I watched a clip on CBS news last evening. It concerned the shootings in the Amish community in Pennsylvania a few years ago, and how the families of the victims who were killed have reached out in friendship to the mother of the shooter, who took his own life.

Bitterness and hatred can hold us prisoner unless we let go of it. The families of those victims knew this. Forgiveness is one of God's challenges... too few of us meet that challenge.

[bobcrowder]

[Flintstones]

I agree, media stay away. We are from Danvers, MA where a young, well loved, teacher was murdered by her student in a bathroom at the high school after school got out.

I hated the media being there across the street from the school all week, at the funeral, and weeks later when things related to the case were going on in the courthouse in Salem. The Boston Globe printed heartless, tasteless, photo's of the teachers body being removed from the nearby woods. Just awful.

[B47]

It's called Freedom Of The Press and our founding fathers fought for it.

I agree that sometimes IMO that certain things are shown that probably shouldn't be shown, but just as most of you do, I do watch it. If I didn't want to see it, I and you can always switch channels or turn it off.

YMMV

[MMattox]

X2 B47, If it is not kept in everyone's mind how can we continue to try to combat this violence? If there was NO media coverage the rest of the country would just simple forget this tragic event. I strongly feel that keeping these events in the minds of people will help people talk to their friends and family and keep the discussions alive to try to keep this from happening again.

[dwaynerz]

Easy to change channels when it isn't in your neighborhood b47. I'm sure they were saddened like all of us were, but are they going to come back every year to relive it? Would any of us want to see media in our front yard for a couple of days or be subject to an attempted interview while trying to eat bacon and eggs at the local diner?

[BamaBob]

Rattle has a point that I think some of you missed....Sure we have freedom of the press (and, in fact, I went off to war to help defend that right for us)

However....

When your township is overrun by the media - THAT becomes overwhelming - I mean really you should SEE what that actually looks like (not the "produced" sound bites on the TV channel you can change) I mean the CIRCUS - the semis, Satellite dishes & uplinks, vans, crew, staff, producers, video teams, photography teams and all the ash & trash that follows not 1 not 2 but DOZENS of TV/Video syndicates to these “Newsworthy” events and I think you will get a better understanding about what the folks in Sandy Hook & what brother Rattle is talking about.

I have been in the center of one of those media circuses and I am here to tell you it is invasive, impersonal, and in many cases dehumanizing (some of those media SOBs will do ANYTHING for a story).

I have to agree on this one – leave Sandy Hook Alone – if you did not loose a loved one, or if this incident did not impact you in some way personally, go away – it is not “newsworthy” it is voyeurism!

/Rant

[B47]

Originally Posted by dwaynerz

Easy to change channels when it isn't in your neighborhood b47. I'm sure they were saddened like all of us were, but are they going to come back every year to relive it? Would any of us want to see media in our front yard for a couple of days or be subject to an attempted interview while trying to eat bacon and eggs at the local diner?

As I said - YMMV on this. I was surprised to realize that a full year had passed since the Newtown tragedy and I paused with a heavy sinking in my heart when I saw those pictures again,but I was somewhat glad to be reminded of it and to be able to say a little prayer for the 26 victims.

That's how I handle these things.

[wrvond]

I was working at the Pentagon on 9/11, and I have to admit I get a bit resentful of people and their "memorials". I guess I care enough about my fellow humans that I served for a quarter century in the military. But, when something bad happens to somebody I don't know, I feel bad for them and their families, but I don't hold candle light vigils, or get on television and show what a compassionate person I am. Sometimes I think that I'm the only person in this country that feels bad for the people I killed in other countries. No candles or speeches for them. Men with wives and children that were, in their minds, defending their homes and families.
Freedom of speech is an important right. But with rights come responsibilities. Our press has divested itself of any responsibilities somewhere along the way, and we are the worse for it. I wonder how many attacks these past few years were the result of some twisted soul wanting his "15 minutes of fame".
We are eaten up with drama. Jerry Springer has nothing on the local weather report. It's gotten to where any change in the weather is a potential crises. I can't even watch television any more.
If the media was here to inform the public of things that are important, rather than try to drive their ratings up, if they educated, rather than titillated, I think we'd all be better off.
What if they spent air time telling of the sad events at Sandy Hook by telling about each child by name. Mourning the lost life. But no mention of the shooter.
This post is not intended to be political in any way, it's just the ramblings of somebody that somedays thinks the world is coming to an end, and other days just wishes it would hurry up and get it over with.

[B47]

Originally Posted by wrvond

I was working at the Pentagon on 9/11, and I have to admit I get a bit resentful of people and their "memorials". I guess I care enough about my fellow humans that I served for a quarter century in the military. But, when something bad happens to somebody I don't know, I feel bad for them and their families, but I don't hold candle light vigils, or get on television and show what a compassionate person I am. Sometimes I think that I'm the only person in this country that feels bad for the people I killed in other countries. No candles or speeches for them. Men with wives and children that were, in their minds, defending their homes and families.
Freedom of speech is an important right. But with rights come responsibilities. Our press has divested itself of any responsibilities somewhere along the way, and we are the worse for it. I wonder how many attacks these past few years were the result of some twisted soul wanting his "15 minutes of fame".
We are eaten up with drama. Jerry Springer has nothing on the local weather report. It's gotten to where any change in the weather is a potential crises. I can't even watch television any more.
If the media was here to inform the public of things that are important, rather than try to drive their ratings up, if they educated, rather than titillated, I think we'd all be better off.
What if they spent air time telling of the sad events at Sandy Hook by telling about each child by name. Mourning the lost life. But no mention of the shooter.
This post is not intended to be political in any way, it's just the ramblings of somebody that somedays thinks the world is coming to an end, and other days just wishes it would hurry up and get it over with.

Well put. I do recall that the media did provide each victims name and some personal background information on each shortly after the shootings occurred.

[rattleNsmoke]

The media here has not overshadowed the victims names or bio's that they could get their paws on. Local news 8 showed their faces and names Saturday morning. It's their job to report the news but they do sensationalize events......and obviously it helps get ratings. It's unfortunate but all so true. We were blessed by a snow event Saturday and that helped to keep the wolves at bay. Families need to grieve. They need their space. But as others have rightly mentioned, we must never forget. But remembrance has to be done in a more tactful way. Those 26 families are more than headlines.....they are real folk with real feelings. I am a firm believer in the 1st AND 2cd amendments...and the knee jerk reactions within this State has unfortunately changed us forever. I wish I had the answer to WTF is happening in society....to make kids turn into assassins. I shake my head and wonder when and how all this will all end. That one day in December...the devil truly ascended into a tiny community called Sandy Hook. Now I ain't ever been much of a bible pounder but maybe we should put God back into our lives and daily thought. At this point it can only help.

[dwaynerz]

X2 rattle and smoke. Throwing money and laws at our problems doesn't seem to be working.

[jtstromsburg]

Originally Posted by rattleNsmoke

The media here has not overshadowed the victims names or bio's that they could get their paws on. Local news 8 showed their faces and names Saturday morning. It's their job to report the news but they do sensationalize events......and obviously it helps get ratings. It's unfortunate but all so true. We were blessed by a snow event Saturday and that helped to keep the wolves at bay. Families need to grieve. They need their space. But as others have rightly mentioned, we must never forget. But remembrance has to be done in a more tactful way. Those 26 families are more than headlines.....they are real folk with real feelings. I am a firm believer in the 1st AND 2cd amendments...and the knee jerk reactions within this State has unfortunately changed us forever. I wish I had the answer to WTF is happening in society....to make kids turn into assassins. I shake my head and wonder when and how all this will all end. That one day in December...the devil truly ascended into a tiny community called Sandy Hook. Now I ain't ever been much of a bible pounder but maybe we should put God back into our lives and daily thought. At this point it can only help.

Amen. And parents need to become parents again, not just economic & "stuff" providers