I’ve always had a notion that people in Congress are rational people. Elected officials are elected for a reason–they’re qualified, sane people entrusted to their position for good reason. Regardless of any personal disagreements with their policies I may have, they deserve respect. I don’t have that notion anymore.
Marjorie Taylor Greene arrived on Capitol Hill this past January to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. She escaped scrutiny at first, due to the countless other newsworthy issues in our society right now that I don’t need to outline here–we’re living it. However, when she was appointed to the House Education and Labor Committee, people started speaking out. Why? Because not only has she voiced support for conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate, but also leveled allegations that school shooting tragedies like Sandy Hook never happened.
I grew up right next to Sandy Hook. I probably don’t need to tell you the trauma our area suffered. I don’t need to revisit the shock and numbness felt by a middle-schooler glued to the television while her image of the world as a place that made sense shattered. I don’t need to go into the vigils, the unimaginable pain of the families of the 20 first-graders and 6 educators lost, or explain that they knocked the entire school down and rebuilt it from scratch, or that my classmate’s mother was in a wheelchair for injuries she suffered as Vice Principal. But I want to, because of the outrage I feel when it’s in conspiracy-theorist-vogue to deny all of this–and when one woman touting these lies uses them as a springboard to fear-monger her way into public office.
It’s clear that someone who has a history of denying school shootings, in turn leading to the harassment of victim’s families and erosion of the legitimate concerns for schoolchildren’s safety, should not play a role in setting policy in our nation’s schools. Many folks agreed. Sandy Hook Promise’s petition alone garnered over 115,000 signatures (see their organization’s information at the end of this article). Luckily, in response to public outcry, the House voted to remove her from her position on the House Education and Labor Committee (as well as Budget Committee) on February 4th. Her removal could seem like a victory, but the fact that she was even in a position to be appointed threatens the ever-degrading legitimacy of our government systems.
Greene eventually half-heartedly recanted these specific theories, but continues to spout harmful and baffling anti-Semitic, conspiratorial, and incendiary statements. There’s so much competing for our attention these days as college students and American citizens. It’s daunting, even overwhelming at times, to care. But we have to pay attention, or people like Greene will keep creeping out of the woodwork.
If you have interest in learning more about Sandy Hook Promise, see them on Instagram @sandyhookpromise and click on the Linktree in their bio for information on their many initiatives. You can also get involved by texting PROMISE to 21333.
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