Raising your children in a small town has many advantages. But when tragedies occur, it's almost always someone you know. Statistics and headlines are never just another story. It's a neighbor's daughter. A classmate's parents. A friend's son. Tragedies are magnified.
Freedom rings clearest when its notes are discordant and especially when they're politically incorrect. To me the beauty of the First Amendment -- "make no law" -- is its simplicity. But, like children, we can't seem to understand that "no" means "no." It's time we grew up and embraced the personal responsibilities of the hard-won freedoms we have so comfortably inherited.