SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(Photo taken pre-pandemic) Dozens of people attend a vigil calling for gun control on October 4, 2017 in Newtown, Connecticut. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Parents of Sandy Hook Victims: Naming of Marjorie Taylor Greene to Education Panel an Attack on All 'Whose Loved Ones Were Murdered in Mass Shootings'
"Hateful conspiracy theories and suggestions that our children's violent deaths never happened have no place in our society, much less the United States Congress."
Jan 28, 2021
The parents of two victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre issued a statement Thursday condemning the House Republican leadership's appointment of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene--who endorsed the appalling lie that the 2012 mass shooting was "staged"--to the Education and Labor Committee, calling the move an attack on those who have lost family members to school shootings.
"Having a Sandy Hook and Parkland denier on the House Education and Labor Committee is an attack on any and every family whose loved ones were murdered in mass shootings that have now become fodder for hoaxers," said Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden, and Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley.
Barden and Hockley went on to praise "people like Rep. Jahana Hayes who understand that hateful conspiracy theories and suggestions that our children's violent deaths never happened have no place in our society, much less the United States Congress."
On Thursday, Hayes (D-Conn.)--who represents Newtown, Connecticut, the home of Sandy Hook Elementary--began circulating a letter demanding that the House Republican leadership reverse its elevation of Greene to a seat on the education panel, a decision that the Democratic chairman of the committee denounced in a rare rebuke of a minority party appointment.
"Giving Representative Greene the platform to spread dangerous dogma only rewards and normalizes this abhorrent behavior, places already vulnerable groups in danger, and further traumatizes survivors," the letter reads. "As leaders of this country, this body, and Republicans in Congress, we call on you to denounce the deplorable actions, statements, and pattern of behavior Representative Greene has demonstrated and underscore that such appalling behavior is unacceptable in the United States House of Representatives and the country as a whole."
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), a member of the Education Committee, was among the lawmakers who quickly backed Hayes' letter and demanded that Greene be stripped of the committee assignment.
"Conspiracy theorists who deny that deadly school shootings ever happened do not belong on the Education and Labor Committee," said Takano.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The parents of two victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre issued a statement Thursday condemning the House Republican leadership's appointment of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene--who endorsed the appalling lie that the 2012 mass shooting was "staged"--to the Education and Labor Committee, calling the move an attack on those who have lost family members to school shootings.
"Having a Sandy Hook and Parkland denier on the House Education and Labor Committee is an attack on any and every family whose loved ones were murdered in mass shootings that have now become fodder for hoaxers," said Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden, and Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley.
Barden and Hockley went on to praise "people like Rep. Jahana Hayes who understand that hateful conspiracy theories and suggestions that our children's violent deaths never happened have no place in our society, much less the United States Congress."
On Thursday, Hayes (D-Conn.)--who represents Newtown, Connecticut, the home of Sandy Hook Elementary--began circulating a letter demanding that the House Republican leadership reverse its elevation of Greene to a seat on the education panel, a decision that the Democratic chairman of the committee denounced in a rare rebuke of a minority party appointment.
"Giving Representative Greene the platform to spread dangerous dogma only rewards and normalizes this abhorrent behavior, places already vulnerable groups in danger, and further traumatizes survivors," the letter reads. "As leaders of this country, this body, and Republicans in Congress, we call on you to denounce the deplorable actions, statements, and pattern of behavior Representative Greene has demonstrated and underscore that such appalling behavior is unacceptable in the United States House of Representatives and the country as a whole."
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), a member of the Education Committee, was among the lawmakers who quickly backed Hayes' letter and demanded that Greene be stripped of the committee assignment.
"Conspiracy theorists who deny that deadly school shootings ever happened do not belong on the Education and Labor Committee," said Takano.
The parents of two victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre issued a statement Thursday condemning the House Republican leadership's appointment of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene--who endorsed the appalling lie that the 2012 mass shooting was "staged"--to the Education and Labor Committee, calling the move an attack on those who have lost family members to school shootings.
"Having a Sandy Hook and Parkland denier on the House Education and Labor Committee is an attack on any and every family whose loved ones were murdered in mass shootings that have now become fodder for hoaxers," said Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden, and Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley.
Barden and Hockley went on to praise "people like Rep. Jahana Hayes who understand that hateful conspiracy theories and suggestions that our children's violent deaths never happened have no place in our society, much less the United States Congress."
On Thursday, Hayes (D-Conn.)--who represents Newtown, Connecticut, the home of Sandy Hook Elementary--began circulating a letter demanding that the House Republican leadership reverse its elevation of Greene to a seat on the education panel, a decision that the Democratic chairman of the committee denounced in a rare rebuke of a minority party appointment.
"Giving Representative Greene the platform to spread dangerous dogma only rewards and normalizes this abhorrent behavior, places already vulnerable groups in danger, and further traumatizes survivors," the letter reads. "As leaders of this country, this body, and Republicans in Congress, we call on you to denounce the deplorable actions, statements, and pattern of behavior Representative Greene has demonstrated and underscore that such appalling behavior is unacceptable in the United States House of Representatives and the country as a whole."
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), a member of the Education Committee, was among the lawmakers who quickly backed Hayes' letter and demanded that Greene be stripped of the committee assignment.
"Conspiracy theorists who deny that deadly school shootings ever happened do not belong on the Education and Labor Committee," said Takano.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.