Today is the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_Polytechnique_massacre). I attended a Women in Leadership meeting at my school and one of my Canadian classmates and fabulous friends, S, talked to us about what happened on that dreadful day in 1989. To remember the 14 women killed she read their names (with a perfect french accent might I add). We then had a moment of silence for the victims. It was a powerful moment.
When you think about all of the heinous mass murders that have been committed over the few years I bet you can name some of the killers. How many of the victims can you name? How many stories of unfulfilled potential, childless mothers, mother less children as a result of these tragedies can you remember? I am willing to bet not many.
Many of these loony toony crazies that commit these types of horrible crimes do so in an attempt to get their 15 seconds of fame,d ead or alive. They leave videos, letters and other things behind hoping that they will be all over the news and what do we do as a society, as the media? We fulfill their dying wish. In Canada the major television stations made a decision to not put the perpetrators face on the air and to not mention his name. Wow. That is pretty deep. What would it mean if Jeffrey Dahmer died a nobody in a world where no one knew his name rather than have him live on in infamy forever? Did you ever think about that?
No I am not one for whining and complaining with no plan for action. The women in our group have all made a commitment to write to CNN asking them to stop broadcasting the name and face of the latest loony toon who killed 9 people in Omaha and messed up a whole bunch of people's holiday season.
Rather than look at loony toon's ugly grill let's use this time to remember:
- Gary Scharf, 48, customer
- John McDonald, 65, customer
- Angie Shuster, 36, employee
- Maggie Webb, 24, employee
- Janet Jorgensen, 66, employee
- Diane Trent, 53, employee
- Gary Joy, 56, employee
- Beverly Flynn, 47, employee
I urge you to join us by taking 60 seconds out of your day to write CNN to ask them to stop publishing pictures and videos of the loony toon who committed this heinous crime. Let's not give him his last wish.
To read the story:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/news/omaha.mall.shooting
To send something to CNN asking them to stop publishing his name and picture:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?39
With enough voices we can be heard.
Please let me know if you decide to send feedback to CNN so I can feel like my efforts are not in vain. To quote our hot governor, "together we can" LOL!
No comments:
Post a Comment