I Am Hopping Mad

By Dan Rather, Dan Rather's Facebook Page

15 February 18

adness and despair - those were my first reactions.

But then, quickly, I am hopping mad. My urge is to use a much stronger adjective but this is not a time to descend into profanity.

What happened in that Florida school today IS NOT OK. THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

Our children should be able to go to school and be SAFE.

Remember the national panic over Ebola? It ended up killing one person. But there was a national consensus that we would do whatever it took to protect Americans.

But when it comes to gun violence in schools, we just throw up our hands? Thoughts and prayers? Is that how we should have responded to threats like 9/11 as well?

We like to call ourselves the best country on Earth. We like to say how we have a can-do spirit to conquer challenges. But all that self-congratulatory rhetoric rings pretty damn hollow on days like today.

Anyone who says now isn't the time to talk about gun violence, anyone who says there's nothing we can do, anyone who offers up only thoughts and prayers is saying that they can't be bothered with the hard work of trying to keep American children safe. Shame on them. And shame on our nation.