Some people are just too cruel and disgusting for words. A political agenda provides no excuse for reprehensible behavior, even if there are conspiracy theories floating around in those people's heads. Dismissing and mocking a family's grief over the loss of a loved one is about as low as it gets.
According to The Guardian:
The family of a teacher killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre has applied to trademark her name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it on social media.
Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities have said hid students and tried to shield others from the gunman who killed 20 children and six women. Eleven students in her classroom survived.
Jillian Soto [Victoria's sister] says people have set up fake social media accounts using her sister’s name, many of which promote conspiracy theories about the massacre, and some of which are used to harass her and other family members.
So called Sandy Hook "truthers" claim the government staged or faked the shootings in order to justify and bolster support for stricter gun control laws. They frequently set up phony social media accounts using the teacher’s name to promote their conspiracy theories.
The family is also concerned that the misuse of Victoria’s name makes it harder for people to find links to the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, which raises money for scholarships for aspiring educators.
They hope that trademark protection will help speed up the process for shutting down these unauthorized social media accounts and other abuses. Currently, every time an abusive or unauthorized social media account appears, they have to fill out a form and send it to the social media company. The company then conducts an investigation and determines whether the account violates the company’s policies and should be removed.
The family applied for the trademark protection on Monday in the hopes of expediting that process. If the trademark is granted, they hope to be able to say, "Look they can’t use this name, it has to come down right now.”
I personally hope they are successful and wish them luck.
