OUR HOSTS TODAY AT THE OLYMPICS
ON THIS VERY, VERY SAD DAY.
I THOUGHT HODA AND SAVANNAH
HANDLED THE NEWS ABOUT THIS
SHOOTING IN FLORIDA AND THE 17
CHILDREN -- AND NOT JUST
CHILDREN BUT OTHERS WHO HAVE
LOST THEIR LIVES, THEY HANDLED
IT SO BEAUTIFULLY.
IT'S HARD, YOU GUYS, FOR ALL OF
US TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF
SOMETHING SO EVIL, BUT OUR JOB
IS TO COME ON THE AIR AND
USUALLY ENTERTAIN YOU.
I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND --
WHY WOULD YOU HAVE TO -- THE
DILEMMA WE FEEL.
THERE IS A PART OF US THAT WANTS
TO GRIEVE ALONG WITH EVERYONE
ELSE -- RIGHT, JENNA?
BUT THERE'S A PART OF US THAT
WANT TO MAKE YOU SMILE AND
CHANGE THE TONE A LITTLE BIT.
BUT WE HAD TO MENTION IT BECAUSE
THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE
SUFFERING.
OTHERS ARE IN CRITICAL
CONDITION, STILL, SO THE DEATH
RATE MIGHT RISE.
>> THE THING IS WE ALL, ALL OF
YOU WHO CAME HERE TODAY, WE GET
TO GO HOME AND HOLD OUR KIDS.
WE GET TO REBOUND FROM THIS.
BUT THOSE PARENTS THAT LOST 17
KIDS WON'T.
>> AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.
THESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO
WITNESSED THE UNIMAGINABLE
WON'T.
>> THEIR LIVES ARE CHANGED.
THE ONES WHO SURVIVED, THEIR
LIVES ARE CHANGED FOREVER, TOO.
YOU'RE A TEACHER.
YOU STARTED OUT AS A TEACHER.
>> I WAS A TEACHER.
SORT OF.
IT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB
THERE IS.
>> OTHER THAN BEING A PARENT.
>> I THINK SO.
>> OTHER THAN BEING A PARENT.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE DON'T
APPRECIATE OUR TEACHERS ENOUGH
IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> THERE ARE SOME REAL ACTS OF
HEROISM THAT ARE COMING OUT FROM
TEACHERS, BUT WHEN ONE
INDIVIDUAL DOES SUCH EVIL, IT'S
AMAZING HOW MUCH BEAUTY COMES
OUT OF THE ASHES ALSO AND TRUE
HEROES, PEOPLE WHO NEVER THOUGHT
OF THEMSELVES AS A HERO, ARE
SHIELDING BULLETS FROM OTHER
PEOPLE.
I GUESS YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU
ARE OR WHAT YOU ARE UNTIL A
MOMENT LIKE THAT.
WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO THINK THAT
YOU WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE
PEOPLE?
>> YES.
>> IN MY DEPTHS OF MY SOUL, I
THINK I WOULD BE RUNNING FOR THE
HILLS WITH EVERYONE ELSE.
>> THE THING IS, I TAUGHT NINE
YEARS AGO, OR TEN YEARS AGO
BEFORE I STARTED HERE.
AND WE WEREN'T ASKED TO DO THIS
TYPE OF THING AS TEACHERS.
SO THERE WEREN'T THESE TYPE --
THERE WERE SHOOTINGS, BUT IT
WASN'T HAPPENING 18 SHOOTINGS IN
THE LAST 45 DAYS.
IT WASN'T HAPPENING --
>> IT WASN'T HAPPENING IN
SCHOOLS LIKE COLUMBINE.
>> -- THE WAY THAT IT IS.
THE WAY THAT IT IS.
NOT ONLY ARE WE ASKING OUR
TEACHERS TO EDUCATE OUR NEXT
GENERATION OF STUDENTS, BUT
WE'RE ASKING THEM TO STAND IN
BETWEEN A GUNMAN AND SAVE THEIR
LIVES.
SO THANK EVERY TEACHER THAT YOU
SEE TODAY.
>> THERE'S SO MANY GOOD ONES.
YOU HEAR ABOUT THE BAD ONES BUT
NOT THE GOOD ONES.
>> WE DON'T APPRECIATE TEACHERS
ENOUGH IN OUR CULTURE, AND WE
SHOULD.
THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, I
HAVE TWO LITTLE GIRLS --
>> OH, YEAH, WHAT ARE THEIR
NAMES?
>> -- AND I THINK ABOUT THE FACT
THAT WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE
OUR JOB AS ADULTS, POLITICIANS,
AS PARENTS, AS COMMUNITY
LEADERS, AS PEOPLE THAT VOTE IS
TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.
SO LET'S DO IT.
LET'S PROTECT THEM.
>> I THINK THAT'S THE
FRUSTRATING THING FOR EVERYBODY.
NOTHING EVER SEEMS TO CHANGE.
WE GET OUTRAGED BY IT FOR ABOUT
A MINUTE NOW, IT'S SO COMMON,
AND NOTHING REALLY CHANGES.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWERS
ARE, BUT WE HAVE TO AGREE AT
LEAST -- IN ALL OF OUR
DISAGREEMENT WE HAVE TO AGREE
THAT SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE.
>> WE HAVE TO WORK ON IT.
WE HAVE TO WORK ON IT.
YOU'VE NOTICED WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN
THE GUNMAN'S NAME.
>> AND WE REFUSE TO.
>> AND WE WON'T.
>> WE'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW YOU
ANY VIDEO, WE'RE NOT DOING ANY
OF THAT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE HIM A
HERO OF SOME SORT.
AND MAYBE SOMEBODY WON'T BE SO
INCLINED TO ONE-UP THE LAST MASS
MURDERER.
ANYWAY, YOU CAN'T HELP IT, BUT I
WAS IN LOS ANGELES FOR SOME
MEETINGS, AND I LIKE TO SEE MY
KIDS, OBVIOUSLY.
AND I WAS THINKING HOW MUCH THE
WORLD HAS CHANGED SINCE I RAISED
MY KIDS.
CODY TURNED 28 RECENTLY.
>> WOW.
>> REMEMBER WHEN I WAS NURSING
HIM?
IN THE MORNING WHEN I SENT MY
CHILDREN OFF TO SCHOOL, I NEVER
DREAMED SUCH A THING WAS
POSSIBLE.
ALL THE STATISTICS ARE GOING THE
WRONG DIRECTION.
CAN WE AT LEAST AGREE ON THAT?
YEAH.
>> AND I THINK SOMETIMES AS
CITIZENS WE FORGET THAT WE HAVE
POWER, TOO.
>> AMEN, SISTER.
>> SO SPEAK UP.
WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE, SPEAK UP
SO NO OTHER MOTHER OR FATHER
WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT
THOSE PARENTS HAVE TO GO
THROUGH.
>> LORD BE WITH EVERY ONE OF
THEM RIGHT THE NOW.
MAY YOUR COMFORT AND STRENGTH BE
WITH THEM.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE DO THAT
THEY CAN'T JUST SAY A LITTLE
PRAYER FOR SOMEBODY.
HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THE DAY?
Is it possible to stop daily
hair damage even before it happens?