Theme:– Operation C.R.U.S.H. Against Gun Violence, Bias and Clouded Vision

It was a typical morning in Newtown. Some parents dropped-off their kids before doing a little Christmas shopping. Then news broke the airwaves and broke hearts. Since then there’s been more angst than action. Think about it, Senator Ted Cruz walks out of Mandela’s Memorial but is lukewarm on gun reform.

It’s hard to imagine that the tragedy of Newtown has not moved the needle much. We saw wall-to-wall media coverage. The event brought social outcry and community vigils. Some of the surviving parents went to Washington to plead their case. But even that wasn’t enough to get common sense to budge.

Residents in New York and Connecticut can think back to recent weather-related storms. The damage caused by Superstorm Sandy was bad enough. But it was the loss in electric power that added insult to injury. Many people went without power for a few days, even weeks. So, local elected officials took action.

Well, since Newtown it’s almost as if ‘we the people’ experienced another power failure. Everybody agrees that this was a horrible event. Many vowed to do everything possible to honor those lost. And now a year later, we’re still waiting on those with a heart in Congress, to put their muscle where their mouth is.

Even after former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ experience it seemed that wasn’t enough of a wake-up call. She’s still recovering from the trauma of the incident and scars from the after-effects. This makes one wonder if there’s something in our cultural psyche that could be scarred as well.

Footnote: The debate in some circles is about gun reform versus gun rights, but maybe it should really be more about the near-term and long-term effects in the community of a power failure.