I went out looking for photographs that might complement the Blog writing today.  I went down to to the valley below the hill where I live to an African choral tree which is covered in its season of blooming with beautiful red flowers bold green leaves.  With leaves and blossoms the tree is beautiful. In winter it is naked and frankly grotesque.  All of the images below are parts of the same great tree.  Together they are a visual metaphor for the confusion imposed by the NRA on the American struggle to develop appropriate and effective gun control laws. 

The lyrics of the first song in the musical Les Miserables declares,

“It’s time for us all to decide who we are...”

Today the President of the United States, elected to a second term of office by a majority of citizens, asked all the people to decide to who we are... as a nation and as individuals.  His words:

“That most fundamental set of rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, fundamental rights that were denied to college students at Virginia Tech and high school students at Columbine and elementary school students in Newtown; and kids on street corners in Chicago on too frequent basis to tolerate; and all the families who never imagined they'd lose a loved one to a bullet, those rights are at stake. We're responsible.

You know, when I visited Newtown last month I spent some private time with many of the families who'd lost their children that day. And one was the family of Grace McDonnell. Grace's parents are here. Grace was seven years old when she was struck down, just a gorgeous, caring, joyful little girl. I'm told she loved pink. She loved the beach. She dreamed of becoming a painter.

And so just before I left, Chris, her father, gave me one of her paintings. And I hung it in my private study just off the Oval Office. And every time I look at that painting, I think about Grace, and I think about the life that she lived and the life that lay ahead of her. And most of all, I think about how when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable among us, we must act now, for Grace, for the 25 other innocent children and devoted educators who had so much left to give; for the men and women in big cities and small towns who fall victims to senseless violence each and every day; for all the Americans who are counting on us to keep them safe from harm.

Let's do the right thing. Let's do the right thing for children and for this country that we love so much.” 

Which side are you on?