So, I created this blog to write but I haven't been keeping up with it.... I don't know what to do about it, I'm writing right now but I guess I'm just not as motivated to write as I would like to be. My life is pretty uneventful right now... I've been real sick, so I've been resting a lot, watching movies and goofing off on facebook.However, learning about the shooting that took place on Saturday in Arizona has definitely captured my attention and I've been praying for those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones!
I will say that the events that occurred in Arizona really got to me.. I am praying for everyone who was lost, wounded, and their families. I am also hoping that Congresswoman Gifford pulls through her injury and makes a speedy recovery. Today I decided to watch The Talk, and they took time to discuss the event, as well as what it must feel like for the parents of the shooter and how they must feel so many mixed emotions about the matter. It's sad, and I hope that our country doesn't judge them unnecessarily, or too harshly because I'm sure that finding out that their son was capable of something like what occurred must be weighing heavily on them, and it saddens me when we as a society just continue to pile on blame and guilt on the family members of a murderer, or any type of assailant. My prayers most definitely go out to them right now, because no matter what, their son chose to do what he did, not them. I know it's easy to point the finger and say "people should have known," "his parents should have seen the signs," etc.... Are there ever really "clear" signs that someone is going to go and attempt to assasinate someone? I don't think so.. I do believe that maybe there were red flags, but you cannot predict a horrific act like what occurred unless he had literally said he was going to do it. If that were the case, and someone knew what he was planning, then, yes, precautions should have been taken and he should have been arrested, but there were no "set in stone" plans like that.
I find the loss of life on Saturday to be such an immense tragedy. I am glad that the media is reporting on all the vicitims that lost their lives, because I have been particularly moved by learning about them and their stories. I am saddened that all of their lives were taken in an instant, and my heart just goes out to their families and friends. Here is a site I found that has a brief bio about the victims so that we can continue to put faces to their names and keep their families in our thoughts and prayers.
Link to site below:
John Roll
Age: 63
Named Arizona's chief federal judge in 2006, U.S. District Judge John M. Roll won acclaim for a career as a respected jurist and leader who had pushed to beef up the court's strained bench to handle a growing number of border crime-related cases. Roll was appointed to the federal bench in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. He previously served as a state trial judge and as a judge on the midlevel Arizona Court of appeals, and as a county and state prosecutor. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Church's Tucson Diocese said Roll was an active parishioner. "He lived his faith as a servant of our nation for the cause of justice," Kicanas said. Roll was a Pennsylvania native who got his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren.
Christina Taylor Green
Age: 9
Christina Taylor Green was only 9, but the third-grader already was an aspiring politician. Her parents say Christina had just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School and had been interested in politics from a young age. She already had told her parents she wanted to attend Penn State and have a career that involved helping those less fortunate than her. The brown-eyed athletic girl loved to swim with her 11-year-old brother Dallas, her lone sibling. Her mother, Roxanna Green, said Christina also loved animals, singing, dancing and gymnastics. She also was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team. Her grandfather, former major-league pitcher Dallas Green, managed the 1980 world champion Philadelphia Phillies. Christina's father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Christina was born on the tragic day of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gabe Zimmerman
Age: 30
Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, handled thousands of issues raised by constituents out of the congresswoman's offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista. Zimmerman was one of the Giffords staffers who organized many public events where voters could meet Giffords and talk to her about issues. Co-workers say Zimmerman, who had a master's degree in social work, cared passionately about helping people. Zimmerman's mother, Emily Nottingham, said politics was a good fit for him because it combined policy and making a difference for others. "He had a real interest in helping people and had a real caring for social justice," Nottingham said. Zimmerman, who was engaged, had set a wedding date for 2012.
Phyllis Schneck
Age: 79
When Phyllis Schneck and her husband retired, they spent their winters in Tucson and summers in their native Rutherford, N.J. "They didn't want to ever have to deal with the snow again," said Schneck's daughter, B.J. Offutt of Colorado Springs, Colo. Schneck, who continued to return to Tucson in the winters even after her husband died in 2007, was a homemaker who raised her two daughters and one son and had a talent for cooking. In retirement, Schneck kept herself occupied by volunteering at her church. Her home in Tucson was less than four miles from the supermarket where the shooting took place. Offutt said her mother's appearance at the store was surprising, because she normally shopped at a different store and wasn't very political. Schneck is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Dorwin Stoddard
Age: 76
Everyone who knew Dorwan Stoddard thought he would die of complications from one of his 17 heart stents, or during one his numerous construction projects at Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. During his latest project, he fell 20 feet when a ladder buckled, said his pastor and friend Michael Nowak. When the shooting started Saturday, he dove to the ground, covering his wife Mavy, who was shot in the leg three times. The couple had been grade school sweethearts growing up in Tucson. After their respective spouses died, they independently moved back to retire, became reacquainted and fell in love all over again. Mavy Stoddard talked to her husband, who was shot in the head, for 10 minutes while he breathed heavily. Then he stopped breathing. He had two sons from his first marriage, and Mavy has three daughters.
Dorothy Morris
Age: 76
Dorothy Morris, known to her friends as "Dot," was a retired homemaker and secretary who lived north of Tucson in Oro Valley, Ariz. Dorothy died in the shooting. Her husband George, a former Marine and retired airline pilot, remains hospitalized after suffering two gunshot wounds. One of the couple's daughters said George Morris tried to protect his wife of 50 years by throwing her to the ground and trying to get on top of her to shield her. The couple both grew up in Reno, Nev., and were high school sweethearts. They settled in Oro Valley around 1995. Sue Blinman, who lives next door in a retirement community, said the couple traveled extensively and escaped Tucson's summer heat by heading up to their home in the eastern Arizona mountain community of Pinetop. "They were always good neighbors," Blinman said.
Bio Link: http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/4961331- Bio of Arizona Shooting Victims
