Category Archives: Children

President Obama Stays on Message With Gun Control

  By Pamela Leavey | January 19, 2013 - 5:01 pm | , , , , , , , , , ,
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President Obama used his weekly address to the nation to stay on message with gun control today. In his address he said: “My administration is taking a series of actions right away — from strengthening our background check system, to helping schools hire more resource officers if they want them, to directing the Centers for Disease Control to study the best ways to reduce gun violence,” Obama said. “But the truth is, making a real and lasting difference also requires Congress to act — and act soon.” President Obama urged Congress to pass legislation that requires “a universal background check for every gun buyer, ban assault weapons and limit magazines to 10 rounds and appropriate more federal funds to get more cops … Continue reading →

President Obama Re-Frames the Issue of Guns

  By Pamela Leavey | January 16, 2013 - 8:01 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
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In his press conference on gun control today, President Obama turned the gun rights/gun control argument in a very different direction, “away from the Second Amendment and toward rights and themes at the core of other foundational documents, as he unveiled his package of gun proposals.” By invoking The Declaration of Independence, the First Amendment, and the Gettysburg Address, President Obama “cast a new and different meaning on another familiar political phrase, the right to life.” “The right to worship freely and safely, that right was denied to Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The right to assemble peaceably, that right was denied shoppers in Clackamas, Oregon, and moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado,” Obama said in an explicit reference to the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. … Continue reading →

Parents React to Newtown: Sales of Bulletproof Backpacks Soar

  By Pamela Leavey | December 20, 2012 - 12:53 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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This is such a sad statement on our society that parents now feel they must protect their children by sending them off to school with bulletproof backpacks: Shame, shame, shame on the NRA for pushing gun advocacy so far that non gun owners fear for their safety and the safety of their children. Gun sales continue to rise in the wake of Newtown and parents send their children off to school with bulletproof backpacks. Absurd, sad, sick… Life is so precious. Our society is f*cked up right now there are no words! If folks need another reason not to shop Wal-Mart here it is: Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, said yesterday that it would continue to sell guns, including rifles … Continue reading →

Obama Launches Gun-Violence Task Force

  By Pamela Leavey | December 19, 2012 - 5:15 pm | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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At a press conference this morning President Obama said “he would make gun control a “central issue” as he opens a second term” and he announced the formation of a special task force on gun violence, to be headed by Vice President Joe Biden. Obama’s announcement came as  “House Republicans restated their firm opposition to enacting any new limits on firearms or ammunition, setting up the possibility of a philosophical clash over the Second Amendment early in Mr. Obama’s second term.” President Obama noted that the task force ”will formulate a package of policy recommendations by January.” The announcement came five days after the deadliest elementary school shooting in American history. “The fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse … Continue reading →

A Brief Thought on the 2nd Amendment and the Framers

  By Pamela Leavey | December 16, 2012 - 11:39 am | , , , , ,
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When the Framers wrote the 2nd amendment clearly they weren’t thinking forward to 2012. America was a vastly different place in those days. They could not possibly see forward far enough to anticipate the mass horror that the gun culture has wreaked upon our country today. I have no doubt the Framers would change the 2nd amendment in a heartbeat, were they alive today. They are all probably rolling in their graves for the anguish of this great tragedy.  

Talking To Your Children About Newtown

  By Pamela Leavey | December 14, 2012 - 9:51 pm | , , , ,
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In the wake of today’s horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and the loss of so many little innocent children, I spent a lot of time today reflecting on the years I raised my daughter living in Los Angeles. There was not a day that went by that I dropped her off at the bus or school that I didn’t worry as all parents do, that some horrific shooting might happen at my daughter’s school. What happened in Newtown today is simply incomprehensible, but the fact is, we must comprehend and we must help the little ones now to understand this tragedy. As a mother, I found this video to be helpful… My heart breaks in the wake of this tragedy. … Continue reading →

Bloomberg: ‘Calling for Meaningful Action Is Not Enough’

  By Pamela Leavey | December 14, 2012 - 6:19 pm | , , , , , ,
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had some harsh words in response to President Obama’s statement earlier today on the unfathomably tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut this morning. Bloomberg said, “we need action, not rhetoric to deal with gun violence.” “President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for ‘meaningful action’ is not enough,” said Bloomberg in a statement. ”We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress.” In his response to the tragedy, a teary-eyed Obama said “we’re going to have to come together … Continue reading →