The victims.
These are the people we should be remembering today. It will bring tears to your eyes, but better to shed tears of sadness for these innocent victims, than shed tears of rage for the evil that caused this. We need to let any memory of the killer disappear into the deepest, darkest depths of our collective mind – much as he now currently resides in the deepest, darkest depths of hell.
Focus on the victims. The media will make a cult hero out of the killer.
Don’t let them do that.
The names (h/t Michelle Malkin):
Faith has come under fire so frequently in the schools.Yet, under fire, it is faith that sustains eternally.Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.***Via USA Today:The names and birth dates of the victims:Charlotte Bacon (2/22/06), 6 years old, femaleDaniel Barden (9/25/05), 7 years old, maleRachel Davino (7/17/83), Staff member, 29 years old, femaleOlivia Engel (7/18/06), 6 years old, femaleJosephine Gay (12/11/05), 7 years old, femaleAna M. Marquez-Greene (4/4/06), 6 years old, femaleDylan Hockley (3/8/06), 6 years old, maleDawn Hochsprung (6/28/65), Principal, 47 years old, femaleMadeleine F. Hsu (7/10/06), 6 years old, femaleCatherine V. Hubbard (6/8/06), 6 years old, femaleChase Kowalski (10/31/05), 7 years old, maleNancy Lanza, 52 years old, female (mother of shooter Adam Lanza)Jesse Lewis (6/30/06), 6 years old, maleJames Mattioli (03/22/06), 6 years old, maleGrace McDonnell (11/4/05), 7 years old, femaleAnne Marie Murphy (7/25/60), Staff member, 52 years old, femaleEmilie Parker (05/12/06), 6 years old, femaleJack Pinto (05/05/06), 6 years old, maleNoah Pozner (11/20/06), 6 years old, maleCaroline Previdi (9/07/06), 6 years old, femaleJessica Rekos (5/10/06), 6 years old, femaleAvielle Richman (11/17/06) 6 years old, femaleLauren Rousseau (June 1982), Staff member, 30 years old, femaleMary Sherlach (2/11/56), Staff member, 56 years old, femaleVictoria Soto (11/04/85), Staff member, 27 years old, femaleBenjamin Wheeler (09/12/06), 6 years old, maleAllison N. Wyatt (07/03/06), 6 years old, female
The photographs are heart-breaking, but we owe it to these kids and teachers to remember how they lived and loved life.