Nine Years Ago Today I was at the Height of My Career, and Then

[JoeOtterbein]

I was super-duper happy and honored to be entrusted to do a third-party food and facility safety audit of one of the three branches of our USA government in DC.

When I arrived at the designated time, I was annoyed that I had to wait over an hour to get started. After all, I've had been long cleared to inspect other major DC government building's kitchens. Much bigger ones with many multiple kitchens.

I wondered what was wrong.

After finally being allowed to get to work, I saw one of my favorite members of the world of DC politics in the parking garage. I smiled and waved at her. Then I was floored when she smiled and waved back!

The audit went great. I was done for the day and headed home.

Listening to the radio I heard the horrible news about the massacre of the babies at Newtown, CT.

I realized the horrible shooting of so many innocents was happening at about the time I was being annoyed at the delay. Maybe they delayed me for a reason.

Driving home I banged on my steering wheel and cried.

Nine years after, that is still all I can do.

(tears)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear JoeOtterbein...

Thank you for telling your poignant story on this day.

I join you in your sorrow.

[JoeOtterbein]

4. Thank you.

I feel so ashamed we have still done nothing about what I call, "killing tools."

[MyOwnPeace]

2. As a teacher and principal........

I will NEVER be able to understand how ANYBODY could fail to do ANYTHING about what allowed that to happen.

And as a parent - I will never pause to ache for those of that community.......

[JoeOtterbein]

5. All these years later and still...

...we are powerless to stop it from happening again.

[spanone]

17. Amen, MyOwnPeace

[uppityperson]

3. 9 yrs ago I was crying on DU, banning troll after troll who came to "educate" us.

It was an awful day. Poor babies.

[JoeOtterbein]

7. It's so horrible to think we can do little...

...even now, to stop it.

[MyOwnPeace]

10. And therein is the anger and horror of it all......

we CAN do something to stop it -

but won't.....

[JoeOtterbein]

16. I'm sorry, you are...

....correct. It's horrible.

[Sugarcoated]

6. I will never forget

[JoeOtterbein]

8. Yes...

...Never Forget.

[nolabear]

9. Those sweet children would be teens now.

It SHOULD be unthinkable that children are targets if they go to school. How can we let them go? How can we fix this? Make fortresses of schools? Maybe so. Maybe so.

[JoeOtterbein]

13. Yes they would be teens.

Like I hope my two grandbabies make into their teens.

(more tears)

[Rhiannon12866]

11. I am so sorry.

And I remember thinking that if this isn't a wake up call that inspires swift and decisive action, then nothing is...

[JoeOtterbein]

14. It's so sad...

...will they, the repubs, ever be inspired to do the right thing? About anything?

[murielm99]

12. I went into my fitness center the next day, after Newtown.

There are always multiple TVs on in the place.

I have a friendly nodding acquaintance with some of the big guys - you know, the ones who lift the heaviest weights and come in twice a day to work out.

I sat down on a bike to warm up and get my blood flowing. I was in between two of the big guys. One kept wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The one on the other side of me looked over at him and said, "I know. It sucks, doesn't it?"

I had to wipe my eyes, too. And I was more angry than sad. We do nothing. NOTHING.

[JoeOtterbein]

15. Those of us who cried that day...

...will never forget it.

I wish we could do more, but it seems we can't do a thing.

First the tears, and then the anger.

[George II]

18. Just stumbled across this last night, and getting around to responding. I too had a great....

....night before at a Christmas party for one of our suppliers. I stayed at a hotel in New Bedford, MA and got up all happy and cheerful the next morning for the 2-hour drive home.

Shortly after leaving, a report came on the radio saying there was an "incident" at a school in Newtown. A few minutes later they said apparently a teacher or asst. principle had been shot in the foot. Then the report was several people had been shot. Then children. Then some fatalities. Then the ages. The number kept rising. It went on all morning.

By the time I got home the full magnitude of the tragedy was known. A horrible day - the worst incident in Connecticut in the 30+ years I've lived here (we're close, but not too close - 45 miles away).

I will never forget that morning - the high from the night before and the abject low a few hours later.

[JoeOtterbein]

19. Everytime I think of that day, first I get angry....

...then, I cry.

(tears)