This week saw the passing of James Brady, who served as President Ronald Reagan’s press secretary and was seriously wounded during a presidential assassination attempt. Inspired by Brady’s courageous – and successful – battle for gun safety legislation following his injury, it’s frustrating that more recent gun tragedies, including the Oak Creek Sikh Temple massacre two years ago this week, the shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords, and the Newtown murders, haven’t swayed a Congress that seems to be in thrall to the National Rifle Association. Welton’s got some thoughts to share on how the best response to bad politics – is more politics: direct engagement from individual voters.
Welton also celebrates President Barack Obama’s nomination of Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism and former Interfaith Alliance Foundation board member, to the post of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.