Jim Kuhnhenn & Ben Feller, AP
NEWTOWN, Conn. — He spoke for a nation in sorrow, but the slaughter of all those little boys and girls turned the commander in chief into another parent in grief, searching for answers. Alone on a spare stage after the worst day of his tenure, President Barack Obama declared Sunday he will use “whatever power” he has to prevent shootings like the Connecticut school massacre.
“What choice do we have?” Obama said at an evening vigil in the shattered community of Newtown, Conn. “Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”
For Obama, that was an unmistakable sign that he would at least attempt to take on the explosive issue of gun control. He made clear that the deaths compelled the nation to act, and that he was the leader of a nation that was failing to keep its children safe. He spoke of a broader effort, never outlining exactly what he would push for, but outraged by another shooting rampage.
“Surely we can do better than this,” he said. “We have an obligation to try.”
The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday elicited horror around the world, soul-searching in the United States, fresh political debate and questions about the incomprehensible — what drove the 20-year-old suspect to kill his mother and then unleash gunfire on children.
A total of 6 adults and 20 boys and girls ages 6 and 7 were slaughtered.
Obama read the names of the adults near the top his remarks. He finished by reading the first names of the kids, slowly, in the most wrenching moment of the night. Cries and sobs filled the room.
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)
DEBATE & SEARCH FOR ANSWERS CONTINUE:
- NRA Silent Following Shooting & Calls for Stricter Gun Laws (ABC News)
- Justice Dept. Shelved Ideas to Improve Background Checks (New York Times)
- Newtown Tragedy Could Put Mental Health in Spotlight (USA Today)
- Experts: No link Between Asperger’s, Violence (USA Today)
- Nation Heads Back to School With New Worries on Safety (New York Times)
LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:
- Houstonians seek solace from Newton tragedy (KPRC 2 News)
- Uncle in Texas says Newtown victim ‘called to a new mission’ (KHOU 11 News)
- Goodfellows family tries to stay positive and prepare for a brighter new year (Chron.com)
- ‘Game of Real Life’ serious for teens (Houston Chronicle)
- Harris County Education Department delivers (Chron.com)
- Boy Scouts launch Galveston County’s first bilingual unit (KHOU 11 News)
- Social media, dance community give Hope Stone the winning edge (Houston Culture Map)
- Young cancer patient gets up close with Houston Texans, beats Dick Vitale on the basketball court (Houston Culture Map)
- Bring back the forest: Tree-themed art exhibit raises funds for Memorial Park Conservancy (Houston Culture Map)
STATE, NATION & WORLD:
- Gains in Texas Budget a Source of Hot Debate (Texas Tribune)
- Cronyism not only infects cancer agency, it’s spreading (Houston Chronicle)
- Some Texas Districts Pursuing School Choice Locally (Texas Tribune))
- Teenager’s Faith At Odds With Locator Tags In School IDs (NPR)
- Editorial: How to Fight Homelessness (New York Times)
- The World’s Worst War (New York Times)