Why we shouldn’t say ‘good morning’ the day after the Sandy Hook tragedy

Sometimes the words that you normally say rang hollow don't think I mean normally you sit down in front of these microphones in it. You begin the broadcast is a good afternoon everybody let's not. I was watching the television news coverage out of Newtown Connecticut this morning and every time Matt Lauer one of the CNN people -- one of the Fox News people would interview. A first responder or an educator -- a policeman. They take good morning and that person would respond back good morning but it's not. It's about it's far from a good afternoon or good morning as you can possibly get. Would put up our Christmas tree last -- little bit late but things get busy we put up -- Christmas tree last night. I can't think of a more joy or less putting up over Christmas tree in our family's history. The television was on the news reports were coming out of Connecticut. As I'm putting decorations on a tree with my wife that we are really not feeling like doing. I thought about something Gerry Callahan -- yesterday afternoon. At one point yesterday -- treated. And bunch of homes in Connecticut right now there are Christmas wishlists probably with a magnet on the refrigerator door. And I thought about parents. Who have got gifts hidden away in nooks and crannies in their homes that they're not going to be able to give out now. It's the most mind boggling horrific story since 9/11. And the only other one besides 9/11 in my lifetime. Something John Dennis tweeted I think this morning and I agreed with him completely. -- think about column by which we've all lived through you think about Virginia Tech which numerically had more victims in this and we all lived through. This is works. And I'll tell you very simple reason why it's worse when they released the list of the names of the victims. Sometime today sometime tomorrow. They'll also list. Statistical numbers birth dates. And some of these kids will be born in 2007. Think about that number from and it just let it roll around in your head. 2007. Don hawks -- was the beautiful -- patients. Young principal. At the sandy hook elementary school and you know this is the age we live and she had a Twitter account she had a Twitter account on behalf of the school. And if you go through the Twitter account for Don -- -- you'll see a bunch photos are photos of rehearsal for the Christmas pageant that's coming up. Photos chillingly of rehearsal for just this sort of thing a fire drill a lock down drill and show the -- all standing outside the building. There's a picture on Don hawks prongs Twitter account for sandy hook elementary school. Which shows what I'm nearly positive is a kindergarten class. And it shows a teacher sitting on a short stool. And it shows a group of probably ten youngsters boys and girls sitting on a rug. In a semi circle around this teacher. And it probably hit home for me as I was looking at the picture. Of the children. Sitting on a rug staring at their teacher. That some of those kids I was looking at could be dead today. We have a hard enough time understanding. Violence in this country we have a hard time understanding. -- a gunman walks into a movie theater in Aurora Colorado and starts firing away it's it it is be on our comprehension. It's not something that we can. We can have any sort of empathy for so we just quite frankly don't understand it never have whenever way. We are talking about. Twenty. Children. Apparently according to the media reports out of Connecticut. And entire. Kindergarten classroom. That means an entire kindergarten classroom. A five Euro. As I said on one at one point yesterday on Twitter. This Howard. Put on all black military fatigues and a and a bulletproof vest. -- gunned down five year old it's. -- I also said yesterday I'm not sure that there's a place worse than how could I hope there is. And he's there. He's there right now. We can't wrap our heads around this and I'm telling everybody stride. Everybody is trying to do what. I've seen all the news reports out of Connecticut I've been watching him since yesterday. Yesterday morning I've watched them all night I watched him today in everybody's trying. Sometimes people are just. Crazy. Sometimes it's as simple as they're just plain. -- You guys know that I grew up in me. We've been around each other long enough you know my background I grew up in Maine. On my dad was -- Avid hunter I grow up grew up and man and a family of hunters still countries in my family even today although I am not one. I have owned guns in my life I don't currently. Own guns. I have no problem with owning guns. Having said all that I do think that probably at some point. This horrific story out of Connecticut is gonna lead to way. Eight and a more learned look at the issue of gun control. I don't have a problem. With people who wanna own a gun to hunt as I said many members of my family -- I don't have a problem with people who wanna own a gun for self defense. Members of my family deal. I for the life of me can't come up with a -- -- the mobile reason. Why anyone on the planet needs to own an assault rifle. There is -- And for the NRA nuts who will try to convince you that that's the slippery slope if we ban assault rifles next thing you know you'll be coming after my hunting rifle. A lot of crack. There is no reason to -- one. No one has to own one. Do I think that if there weren't guns. In Adam lands in his mother's home yesterday that a bunch of kids would be alive today yeah idea. I think they be alive today. Do I think that it's a guaranteed that if the guns were not how's that everybody would be alive today no it's absolutely not a guarantee maybe -- found another way. Maybe he had we are ready are beginning to find out that he'd been trying to acquire some guns on his own outside of the ones that his mother owned. Maybe he'd of gotten them in an illegal man. And that god awful cliche of when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns well you know what maybe that's possible. The fact of the matter is. There are. 26. People in this school who were dead today. Twenty of them are children. Most of them are five year old. And their dead today because Adam lancet did have access to guns. And they may have been perfectly legally purchased and that's. The way the law runs I understand that. What I do know is that their dead today because he had access to those guns. It is. The most numbing. Thing. What I said since nine elevenths and in many respects this is worse than nine elevenths. In many respects I think it's because of the -- I think John Dennis is exactly right. We are talking about by the -- We can't we can't process it. We can't come up with a reason for it because guess what there is no reason. Idea I said at one point last night by the way just to take this the one logical step further that I took on Twitter yesterday. In fact a parent. Had punched a TV news person in the face. Who stuck a microphone in front of a little kid who had just been traumatized. And had escaped the horror that was the sandy hook elementary school. I would have applauded that parent. I couldn't take -- watching TV news. Outlets interviewing. 6789. Year old kids would just -- What was it like. And then some people responded to Twitter say hey you know the parents were standing right there the parents had to give their permission and you are exactly right if you say that but you know what. I'm gonna give the parents a bit of -- pass. Because as much as I think those children were in shock I think the parents were in shock. I know why would have -- If I had rushed to that elementary school wondering if my child was alive or dead. And had found my child as we saw all the still photos of parents hugging their children. I would have been totally in shock and if some TV news guy gets stuck a microphone it's that hey you wanna talk. I don't know if I would have responded in the way I wish some of them had which is the punch somebody in the face. I said that it it it is one of the saddest days in American history what we live through yesterday. In a completely separate category it's also one of the worst days in American journalism. I have never seen so many things -- wrong by so many outlets. To the degree that they actually some outlets actually put out and FaceBook photo. Of the killer. Only turns out they had the wrong name of the killer so they have the wrong guy and oh by the way they have the FaceBook account of a different guy not even -- guy who was related. They were sending out FaceBook photos of I -- Lanza who they thought was the killer and they had the wrong Ryan lands. Can you imagine having that stuck on your life. It was amazing the misinformation. That was put out there all in the interest of getting it first. And I get it right. Got to get a first. As the days go forward we will learn more. We learn a chilling tale today. A chilling tale of a young lady named -- Soto 27 years old. Young teacher beautiful five patients. Had a class of first craters. She's one of the six adults who were killed by atom Lansing yesterday and she was killed because she shielded the kids with her body. She sacrificed her life. To save the children she was put in charge not her children by the way because I'd like to think we'd all do that. We all throw ourselves in front of a bullet to save mark yet I'd like to think all of us would have the courage to do that. She did to save kids who were her students on her children. We'll hear other stories as the days go forward will come up with more details they won't make us feel any better. They won't help us understand anything anymore. Because sometimes there are people in this world who are just crazy. That's the explanation. He's just crazy. And as we said in the job on Belcher case in Kansas City weaker ten days ago two weeks ago. In these situations of murder suicide we wish they'd get the order differently. God knows I wish he'd taken his own life first. And there would be twenty children. Getting ready for Christmas. Going Christmas shopping. Getting ready for Chanukah party tonight. Getting ready to go by a tree at the sandy hook volunteer fire station that has now become a trauma center. The strange world we live and stranger yesterday by ten degrees more than anything we've ever lived through in my life. I give you the phone numbers which party know the lines or fall a Kirk is not here today just one of those things -- and I've known this for several days now that he was scheduled to have today off. Had nothing to do with. What happened yesterday or the scheduling of today. Would direct the calls with the coming up ninety seconds from now Sports Radio WE yeah.