The Newtown tragedy has impacted each of us. We all have opinions. We all want to make sense out of the senseless. Yet we all have the burden of responsible behavior to carry.
Gene Rosen is a friend of my father's. He's also a model citizen who has served this state well. Now, however, Mr. Rosen is being vilified.
Why? Because on the day of the massacre, Mr. Rosen took several scared, would-be victims off of his front lawn and into his home. Some believe this makes Mr. Rosen part of a vast conspiracy. Others think it makes him a publicity hound.
I believe it makes him a hero. Think what Mr. Rosen did that day was self-serving and easy? Think again. I've seen Mr. Rosen since the tragedy. I've been in his house, in the same room where the children were gathered, no less.
He has been profoundly affected (as has his wife) by what happened. The brutal criticism hasn't helped matters, either. A nightmare literally showed up on Mr. Rosen's front lawn and the man did all that he could. For this he is punished by those who nitpick his every word and by those who question the validity of emotions.
The First Amendment rightly allows for us to speak our minds. A sense of responsibility, however, should go hand in hand with that precious right. To go on television or online and to accuse a traumatized grandfather of a heinous crime is a serious matter.
A decent person would present some irrefutable evidence before making such an assertion. When no such evidence exists, however...
I'll close with this: years ago I had a co-worker who was literally becoming unhinged. He spoke to myself and to others of having suicidal and homicidal thoughts. A few of us spoke up. Our supervisors did little or nothing.
Out of frustration, I turned to my father, a long time law enforcement official, for advice. My father subsequently reached out to a man he knew who was an expert on criminal behavior. So concerned was this man that he called back from vacation to offer solid and sound guidance.
That man was Gene Rosen.
Things years ago were not perfect but they were a heck of a lot better than they are today. Much much better. Who is at fault?? WE ALL ARE.
Remember that a lie that goes unchallanged becomes truth. Sean I can't tell you how proud I am of you for telling the truth in such an eloquent manner. Sean I can't tell you how proud of you for writing about this.
I suggest you Google Gene Rosen's name and see for yourself the amount of news this story has generated.
Again I have to differ with you. Sean more than read about Mr. Rosen online. He along with thousands of others watched a number on interviews that were televised about him and what he did on that tragic day.Certainly the Newtown Bee's choice not to publish anything regarding Mr. Rosen does not make Seans article any less relevent.
Knowing how his house is situated in relation to the school and the firehouse, and the chaos of that day, it is not hard to believe that a group of young, frightened, confused children with no adult to guide them (since their teacher had been murdered in front of them) wound up in his yard. It is sad to see such meanness directed at anyone after such a horrific event.