walkingman

The news today was awful. Too many young people died without reason in Norway. Then Amy Winehouse died in the UK. Young lives ended before they really had a chance to begin or reach their potential. We must be outraged as this senseless loss of life. In Norway the youths were slaughered by a crazy home grown terrorist whose mission was to cause death and destruction. He clearly succeeded in his mission but this should only alarm and scare us. How could someone shot that many children point blank in cold blood? Everyday you turn on the news or read in the newspaper stories of children dying around the world due to violence, whether it be gang related, child abuse, sexual exploitation, or malnutrition. At times it seems we are overloaded or overwhelmed by too much and just shutdown or shutout these stories. As a father I feel these stories and cannot ignore them. As an attorney I have handled cases involving children who are victims of violence. As a citizen of the US and the world I have taken a stand and gotten involved in taking a stand against violence against children. What happened in Norway today both broke my heart and pissed my off royally. What happened to Amy Winehouse also pissed me off. Here was a young talented lady who died probably from alcohol and drug addiction. Last week was the one year anniversary of my nephew's death because of alchol and drug addiction. I do not like glamourization of alcohol, drugs, and smoking by the film, alcohol, and tobacco industries. They do not care about the consumer, they are only interested in making a profit. It is funny how the American tobacco companies moved out into the 3rd world looking for teen smokers to increase their consumer pool. Have to increase those profits. Get someone hooked and then exploit them. We need to look out for our kids and not just those in the US. I believe people are free to make their own choices but industries also have a social responsibilty. I pray for the victims of the Norway massacre and for Ms. Winehouse.