On August 4, 2009, George Sodini opened fire on a group of women in an aerobics class at the LA Fitness Club in Bridgeville, PA, near where I live. From Congressman Tim Murphy's web site:
Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) today released the following statement in response to the tragedy in Collier Township:
"This tragedy comes as a shock to our quiet community and concerns us all deeply. As we work to recover from this tragedy we must be compassionate and supportive of the survivors and the families of the victims. This is a time for healing."
"These acts leave us with confusion, anxious hearts and worries for our families."
"As we attempt to understand such senseless violence, it is very important that we commit to preventing future tragedies such as this one from happening again. And that we recognize the strength we gain from caring for each other. I hope that we can rededicate ourselves to helping those who are affected and keeping all of them in our prayers."
First, let me introduce you briefly to Tim Murphy, my congressman. He's a Republican, mid-50's, father, child psychologist. A few weeks ago, Rachel Maddow spent a good ten minutes calling him out for being a birther in a segment that simply had to hurt. I call his office every few days to see if his position on the Public Option has changed, and of course it hasn't. He voted "NO" on HR3200, partly because he "doesn't want any public funding for abortions", according to the staff member I spoke to today. He thinks that private insurance companies will step up and make insurance affordable for all. A few weeks ago he held a town hall meeting that drew over 500 people. I showed up but couldn't get in, so I had to read about it in our local paper, The Observer Reporter. The article mentioned that a senior citizen got up and expressed concern about a TV report she saw that the government was going to force her to discuss her eventual demise every five years with her physician and that she didn't like it. According to the paper:
Murphy addressed the issue of euthanasia counseling by simulating a conversation between the government and a chronically ill patient.
"You're costing us too much; it's time to go," he said. "I don't want Uncle Sam coming in and telling me what to do."
This is a man whose Town Hall silliness and irresponsibility to telling the truth seem to be in contrast to the caring statement issued above a few days after the shooting.
George Sodini opened fire in the aerobics room that night, knowing that it was filled with women. He killed three of them and wounded nine. One of the wounded women is 22 year old Heather Sherba...a girl, really, just graduated from college with a nursing degree and starting off on her own in this world. I don't know Heather personally (and Heather, if you read here, I hope you don't mind me writing about you) but I can barely type her name without tears coming to my eyes. She's a pretty girl, talking to reporters from her hospital bed a few days after the shooting...freckles on her nose, her eyes done with a hint of mascara, but on camera only from the nose up because a bullet knocked out one of her front teeth and she didn't want to be on TV like that. It breaks my heart. I have a 22 year old daughter who would do the same. I don't think it's vanity, really, to not want to be on TV with a missing tooth, especially when you have done nothing to seek the publicity. If Heather is anything like my daughter, probably like most of our daughters, it's just a normal thing, a little sweet self-consciousness left over from the 6 year olds they were who wore plaid shirts with flowered shorts, insisting that they matched because both of them were purple. You have a 22 year old daughter too, don't you Mr. Murphy?
Heather graduated from Robert Morris college a few months ago with a nursing degree. As of the night of the shooting, she still hadn't found a full time job. I can't even imagine the horror of what she faced that night as Sodini randomly fired round after round of ammunition...the decision that she had to make to run or play dead, and the way she finally got up and ran for the door even as a bullet ripped through her thigh, making it almost physically impossible for her to do so. I try not to, but like so many of us, I project what would've happened if that was my daughter in that situation and it's more than I can bear. But I think that the most heartbreaking thing is what Heather said in an interview three days after the shooting:
"The first thing I thought of when I was laying out in the parking lot bleeding everywhere I just thought to myself, 'but I don't even have any health insurance or anything,' and they said you can't worry about that now worry about that later," Sherba said.
And again tears come to my eyes, because with all of her medical problems and bills and lack of insurance, I again think my daughter would do the same.
So my plea here is to Congressman Murphy, who made an appearance at a candlelight vigil outside of the club a few days after the shooting; who issued the above statement about caring for each other and helping the families and showing support and compassion...please think about what you said there, Mr. Murphy, and act upon your words. Are you the man who played games at the town hall meeting, pandering to the seniors and the teabaggers with silliness that you and probably most of them surely don't even believe, or are you the man who really wants to help? Can you not see that this issue of health care reform is so urgent and personal that a young woman who has just been shot in a horrifying massacre, for God's sake, waits for an ambulance in a parking lot and worries about how she is going to pay the bills? I don't know if I want to scream or if I want to cry or if I want to just fall at someone's feet and plead for help. Be a stand-up guy, Congressman Murphy, lead the way and tell your Republican peers and those few Blue Dogs about Heather, and DO something to make sure that everyone is covered. God forbid that anyone else has as dramatic and horrifying a story to tell, but we all deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing that if anything happens, no matter what, we can concentrate 100% on getting better and moving on with our lives without the added trauma of wondering how in the world we'll pay the bill.
Here is a link to the heartbreaking interview that I quoted Heather from, with video:
http://kdka.com/...