Tomorrow marks five weeks since evil descended upon my sleepy little town. For the first few days and weeks after, the world grieved with us. But now, talk of conspiracy and accusations that this unbearable tragedy did not happen or did not happen as presented have reared their ugly head and broken my already broken town a little bit more. 20 children are dead. 6 of their teachers made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our children. Instead of praising these people and remembering them for the amazing gifts they were, their legacy is now being tainted with accusations of conspiracy.
This is my town. I saw the hearses make thier way down the street. I saw my priest, a man who I have nothing but respect for, break down and cry. I saw the innocence of my beautiful town being striped away. I know people that know the victims (though I do not personally know any of them). And now these people that have never been to my picturesque corner of the world have to odasity to question it’s legitimacy. How dare you. How dare you pass judgement for your own personal gain. How dare you question how our first responders handled things. How dare you insinuate the thousands of people involved here are lying. How dare you.
My heart breaks for those 26 families who now not only have to live without their loved ones but now must defend their honor and the honor of their town. What a sad world we live in. Evil visited Newtown five weeks ago and Newtown won. Peace and love and generosity have overcome violence and now must overcome ignorance and callousness.
May God bless those lives lost and my little town of Newtown. May goodness continue to prevail and may those lives lost forever be remembered as the heroes they were. My wish for these conspiracy theory believers is that they never have to experience first hand what it is like to see your life flipped upside down and exposed in front of the whole world. God bless Newtown.