Deluded xtian Oklahoma girl to deliver meaningless ceramic trinkets to shooting victim families instead of money.

They asked the girl if she wanted to send money, she said no. She wants to send Precious Moments figurienes. Wister Teenager Sends Precious Moments Figurines to Newtown After first hearing the news about a school shooting in Newtown, Conn., a 13-year-old girl from Wister, Okla. began thinking of things she could do for the victims’ families this holiday season. “My dad was watching it on the news and it came on,” Mary Stewart remembers. Two days later, Mary decided to send Christmas figurines to each family who lost someone in the shooting. “We talked about raising some money and her immediate response was ‘No, I don’t want to do money. I would like to do some Precious Moments and see if we can get one for each family,’” said Mary’s mom, Kim Stewart. They called the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, MO. and asked if that would be possible. That’s when the Precious Moments Supporting Foundation agreed to help Mary send the gifts.[bold] All together, the figurines ended up costing $945. [/bold] That’s before tax, shipping and handling. Mary worked with her mother to raise the money needed to ship the ornaments to Newtown by asking their community for help. “It’s really sad because all of this happended,” Mary said. “Then you have to come and get with all of these other people and decide what you want to do for these families who lost all of the children. And it’s just…it’s sad.” After hearing about Mary’s plan, the local bank in Wister decided to do its own fundraising. They began raising money on their own, in an effort to fly both women out to Newtown to personally deliver the ornaments. Both Mary and Kim flew out of Fort Smith Regional Airport Sunday afternoon. They’ll make it to Newtown early Monday morning, just in time to personally deliver the figurines to the families before Christmas. “What an amazing gift that we’ve been given to be able to go and actually present however many Precious Moments to the families,” Kim said before boarding the plane. Kim and Mary are scheduled to be in Newtown first thing Monday morning. There, they will meet with police, who will then escort them around town and introduce them to the victims’ families. Along with the figurines, Mary also handwrote a note for each family to treasure. Mary and Kim will be flying home Monday evening. That way they can spend Christmas Eve with their family at home in Wister.

http%3A//5newsonline.com/2012/12/23/wister-teenager-sends-precious-moments-figurines-to-newtown/



• .... and they want to deliver these to the families themselves. If you lost your kid to a mass shooting and someone showed up at your door with a ceramic angel dressed in overalls... what would you do?

• After all, this is all about little Mary and her mother. Cunts

• r1: Get a baseball bat.

• [quote]If you lost your kid to a mass shooting and someone showed up at your door with a ceramic angel dressed in overalls... what would you do? Skeet practice, obviously.

• Good gawd. Wanna bet they'll try to hand that Jewish family a little ceramic Jesus angel? And the special shithead award goes to the 'Precious Moments Supporting Foundation' for charging 45. a pop. Let's hope the cops are running enough interference to contact the families first. And I hope someone asks them to tell everybody in Oklahoma to cancel their NRA memberships and support gun control. I'd probably say "Thank you", walk away and regift the damn thing, if I knew anybody with that kind of bad taste.

• I hope the families sell them on Ebay.

• Why doesn't someone tell this child the families might not want to be bothered with her?

• I would send it right back to her in shards.

• My thoughts exactly, [R2]. It's absolutely amazing to me how self centered people do not see that this is not about them and their charity. If I were a family member, I would want to be left alone, finally after all of the well meaning do gooders had been at my door all week, to finally have some moments to myself. Then "knock knock" little Mary comes with her tacky figurines. This is why I hate wakes. It becomes about the grieving family comforting all of the assholes who want to come and tell funny stories so they don't have to feel any actual emotions.

• I worked in international aid for years and dealt with so many situations where people would collect a few suitcases worth of used clothes and then want to send a delegation to present them to refugees. Stupid as this all is, I can't get too mad at the kid in this story. I think her heart is probably in the right place even if her head isn't. However, the adults involved should know better. Also, seriously, Precious Memories can't even donate a handful of their chintzy figurines?

• But are they Franklin Mint little angels? Are they? They are so divine and only become even more valuable with age, say the commercials.

• [quote]Good gawd. Wanna bet they'll try to hand that Jewish family a little ceramic Jesus angel? Exactly what I was thinking. So insensitive and beyond tacky.

• Mommy's Love Goes With You

  http://www.preciousmoments.com/mommy-s-love-goes-with-you

• In related news: Newtown doesn’t need more Teddy bears

  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121223/NEWS01/121229765/newtown-doesn-t-need-more-teddy-bears%3Fmobredirect%3Dtrue

• [R6] They have little resale value. They make them by the millions and have for years. Actually the families have asked that people not send money preferring that they make a charitable donation in their names.

• I guess it's the self centered thought that counts.

  Grieving%20families

• Why not send a Thomas Kinkade print while she's at it.

• I normally frown upon throwing money at a situation, but here I think it is appropriate. Funeral costs, burial, etc... That would help the families far more than cheap shit. I can't imagine all the families would have life/burial insurance out on a 5-10 year old.

• It is a reasonable response from a 13 year old, but that is all the more reason for an adult to step in and guide her in a more appropriate response and way of dealing with her own feelings on this event. People sending figurines and teddy bears, well the only toys those families will want to clutch is the one that their kid had held dear, so people would be better off supporting mental health and community initiatives in their own towns.

• The parents of the girl probably are on the phone right now to get her on the Ellen show or something.

• will she wear lowriders and tits out blouse?

• What an absolutely dreadful idea. Not only did the adults involved fail to stop this nonsense, they actively encouraged and abetted it. Someone should have told the kid that these families probably don't want that tacky shit and this is not about her.

• Big deal. We're personally delivering baptismal certificates to the Jewish families. It should comfort them to know that their children aren't rotting in hell.

  The%20Mormons

• Seriously, do these fucktards really think the families want to meet with them on Christmas Eve? I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume they would rather be with their own families, not faking gratitude to some deluded stranger and her daughter. Hope someone calls those firefighters to create another human wall. And whatever happened with those other cluelsess idiots who traveled from the midwest to bring their "grief therapy" dogs to the families? Dear God, stay the hell home.

• Precious Moments are for trailer trash. They are absolutely dreadful! Hurl.

  Enesco%20made%20in%20China%20crap

• What makes you think the girl is self centered? Such cynical people. It needs to stop. She's doing a nice thing. I'm sure the families would appreciate it. R18 Maybe other people will step up for that. It's always easier to berate and make sarcasm, isn't it?

• I wouldn't scoff too much..some of those rarer Precious Moments figurines go for BIG bucks on Ebay!

• Straight into the trash! Yeah, these attempts to 'comfort' these families are getting really, really DUMB, cheesy and self serving. Barf.

• I guess the "this is what *I* think will comfort you" attitude will always win out over "what do you need?" Damn, this reeks of a publicity stunt/famewhoring.

• Why should she give them money?

• Good gawd is right. Tacky tschotkes. Dust collectors. You have to see them in the link. Could have gotten gold charms, something. Anything but those PWT trailer stuffers. What the hell is wrong with people? It's an upscale neighborhood in Connecticut you stupid country Brad Pitt homeland bumpkin.

• That's a wealthy neighborhood. They don't need money. I think they should take all donations to fund tearing down the school.

• The poor child must have early onset Fibromyalgia. She'll be confined to a Hoveround by age 16, with only her menagerie of Precious Moments figurines to give her comfort.

• What the hell are this child's parents thinking? Selfish, self-centered, wrong-headed. There are several Jewish kids who died, as people pointed out -- and a stranger at the door trying to intrude on these families' lives for even a moment on Christmas Eve is just incredibly rude. Shame on the parents.

• Her heart is in the right place, but if the families didn't want precious moments figurines before, they certainly won't want them now. Nor will they appreciate one more invasion of privacy during the holidays. I received a Longaberger basket as a bridesmaid gift years ago. The bride came over to find it atop my refrigerator filled with silk plants and was offended I didn't have it prominently on display. Honestly, if someone hadn't have mentioned it was a collectible, I would've tossed it within a week. You can't force people to have your taste or value the same things you do. I understand that she wanted to personally reach out to these people, but someone should have had the sense to help her find a better means of doing so.

  armchair%20charity%20advisor

• On Saturday afternoon, lanterns that are normally lit in the spoerts centre's windows just once a year, on the anniversary of the shootings, 13 March, were allowed to glow. It was Dunblane's first mark of solidarity with Newtown. The lanterns will be lit again at 5pm every day this week. On Monday, the centre opened a book of condolences and placed a donations box nearby. The centre's trustees are mulling over what gift to send. It may be a stained glass window, or a sapling. "We would like to send something meaningful, which would embody the support and strength we've gained over the years," Prodger explained.

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/17/newtown-survivors-routine-order-dunblane

• What? Don't they have Precious Moments figurines in Scotland?

  That%27s%20a%20joke%2C%20son

• [quote]I'm sure the families would appreciate it. Then you are as clueless as this silly girl is, r26.

• I think the girl is well-intentioned, and agree with the the poster who said, why should she give them money but: also agree with the posters who say adults should have stepped in. The girl should have been suggested to send these presents not deliver them. And AFTER Christmas. The grieving families may understandably be "too raw" to even be polite in this situation. Or perhaps the girl and mother should be encouraged to deliver to a fire station or other "municipal" place where town volunteers of some sort could deliver the presents after Xmas. Good points made, too, about how these situations often devolve to it being more about the do-gooder than the bereaved. But I can't blame that on a young girl; at 50-something I catch myself doing that sometimes, too. Years ago, sobbing at a well-written obit in the small town where I used to live, 3000 miles away froM (then) SF, I wrote a nice card and sent (for funeral expenses, mentioned in the obit) $75 the family of a 20-ish young mother, killed in a car accident (slippery road). Felt good doing it, but was perhaps a TRIFLE miffed that I never heard back from them (sometimes people send thank-you notes even for just sympathy cards; we did for my mother. But I do NOT think this is by any means necessary.) The next year, I sent $75 again to the family of a young popular schoolteacher killed in a freak accident. This $$ went to the local ambulance squad. Never heard back from them, either. It mortifies me that I even THINK of not getting thanked; shame on me. But I think it is nice for a very young girl to think of something like she has - we'll just hope she and family don't turn into total fame whores.

• No fear r39 -- sometimes the "thank you" notes are just requests for more money...

• The fact that the media were contacted about this nonsense is all you need to know about these people. They couldn't just do this without drawing attention to themselves, making an already empty gesture even more so. It is amazing to me how almost everyone is looking for their 15 mins. Still, this isn't as bad as the stupid Newtown parents who allowed their kids (who had just gotten out of the school) to stop and talk with the media right after the shooting happened - as opposed to immediately taking them home.

• Holy shit I wish I were a ceramics artist. Someone should make a set of "precious moments" style figurines or illustrations of their 'little angels' with AK-47s and various automatic assault weapons. Then mail the set back to this privileged dumb bitch.

• Why in the hell would this girl and her mother -- or anyone -- think that grieving survivors would want to be part of a media-circus they created? They don't know any of these families. What right do they have to intrude on the lives of these people?

• R39, if you expect thanks then you did not give entirely with a willing heart. Admit that at least a small part of you wanted applause for your kindness. Next time, give anonymously and you won't have to be disappointed at not getting a thank you. Also, keep in mind that grieving families are worn out and in shock. Often they are fighting deep depression. The last thing they need is a tedious homework assignment--ie. having to write hundreds of thank you notes. Many are probably not even capable of putting pen to paper. I know I wouldn't be if I lost a loved one in a horrific tragedy. I'd have to be sedated.

• [quote]Why should she give them money? They won't, but that money could have gone to some kind of fund, a scholarship, a memorial expense fund, a mental health organization for getting professional psychiatric help for the families... A million fucking more useful things than the fucking crap company that exploits the 'good intentions' religious fanatics to make money.

• Will she also be sending them to Webster, NY where four firefighters were shot (two of them dead) as they were trying to battle a fire?

  http://abcnews.go.com/US/firefighters-shot-responding-webster-ny-house-fire/story%3Fid%3D18055594%23.UNh1naz8LdU

• [quote]Will she also be sending them to Webster, NY where four firefighters were shot (two of them dead) as they were trying to battle a fire? She's kinda busy right now being interviewed for all the morning frau-fest shows like 'Today', so the answer is "no".

  building%20her%20brand%20one%20tragedy%20at%20a%20time

• [quote] The fact that the media were contacted about this nonsense is all you need to know about these people. Exactly.

• Never understood the teddy beat/stuffed animal thing. Okay, I get that it's some people's way of grieving communally but just after being outside for one night, especially in bad weather, the things are worthless and not even healthy enough to be donated to a children's charity.

• Comments section: [quote]Marilyn Hill Russell42 minutes ago This brought tears to my eyes. What a special thing to do. Yes, "special."

• Those precious moments figurines are the ugliest-ass things in the world--and they are supposed to bring someone comfort whose 6-year old kid was shot up to 11 times? Fine, whatever, I get she wanted to do something. This publicity-seeking girl and her mom's money, time, and effort would be much better spent donating to a homeless shelter, animal shelter, or some child welfare group than showing up, uninvited, at Christmastime, on these grieving families' doorsteps. The tackiness and cluelessness of some people never ceases to amaze me.

• I'm still not really clear on why they need to raise money.

• Has any of the 24-hour news networks had footage yet? "Precious Moments: A Journey to Newtown"

• That little girl has early onset "Frau Brain."

• I doubt the families feel very precious about any moments right now. A figurine of a precious little child memorializing a heartwarming Christmas moment would just be salt in the wounds, I would think. I hope the army of reporters who will undoubtedly be accompanying these fame whore Santas get some good footage of doors being slammed in their faces.

• America, the surreal.

• I'm sorry, the stupid bitch is not well-intended, it's presumptuous and selfish. The little whore should mind her own business and keep her idiotic beliefs in her pants.

• Human wall!! She mush be stopped!!

• Thousands of people have sent things without the need to notify the media. OK must really have absolutely nothing going on if this is the nonsense they cover.

• I hope this is the figurine that she delivers...

  http://www.jrdkirk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/precious_moments_akedah.jpg

• Oh, for fuck's sake! She's 13 years old! Give the kid a break.

• A break? Maybe break those putrid figurines.

• R61, I think people are reacting more to the asshole parent who hasn't taught her child that you can do good things without drawing attention to yourself.

• My family would react to such a gift with macabre laughter at the tackiness and at the naive but sweet stupidity of the young girl from the sticks. It might cheer us up in a sick way.

• Mother: "Oh, honey. Little Mary wants to *deliver* Precious Moments figurines to each of those families in Sandy Hook. Isn't that just wonderful ? Who can we notify ? Ellen ? Katie ? Anderson ?? We should be able to work this into a college fund for Mary, right ??"

• The girl is only 13, so perhaps her heart was in the right place, but this is inappropriate on so many levels: 1.) The local TV staion considered this news thus encouraging such nonsense. 2.) No adult told this girl that the families may not want to meet with her. 3.) You don't just show up at someone's house particularly if you don't know them. 4.) In this case, money would be much more appropriate. 5.) The gift is something an elderly neighbor would give, not a stranger. 6.) There doesn't seem to be any restraint by the adults involved to say, "Hold on, would another type of gift and donation that would be more meaningful, lasting and appropriate."

• How exactly is she going to locate all these victims' homes? Is there a map like the one they sell in L.A. to the stars homes? Seriously, how is she going to find these poor people?

• Exactly, R66. She's thinking with a 13 year old brain. At this stage in her life, it is about her. She needs an adult to teach her what's appropriate and what's not. Obviously, though, the adults in her life think with 13 year old brains, too.

• I should have read before I posted my question. The police have nothing better to do than chauffeur this concern troll all over town aggravating the victims. How proud the taxpayers of Newtown must be.

• R67, I have to believe the families have someone running interference for them. At least I hope they do. Someone could be posted at the front door to take the craptastic tchotchkes, thank everyone and then, once they leave, throw all the shit in a dumpster behind the house. As a matter of fact, that would be a worthwhile donation to make to the families. Pay to rent a dumpster for each house so they can just toss all the crap they get into it. Then have it picked up in 30 days when everything dies down.

• The police should be stationed outside the homes of all the families to keep these pigs from coming anywhere near them. Forget Westboro, they need a "human wall" of protection from all the weepy do-gooders.

• I really hope the families don't feel obligated to see her because she "came all the way from Oklahoma" (where the wind sweeps between the ears, too). I think Mary Stewart is going to go home disappointed tonight.

• If you donate money in lieu of flowers, a thank you card is appropriate. They need not be written by the bereaved family members. There are always friends saying, "If there's anything I can do..." So take them up on the offer. Each person who offers can do a few. In this case, a fuck you note might be more appropriate. I'll volunteer to write a few.

• [quote]I think Mary Stewart is going to go home disappointed tonight. Wonder if the local news stations will be there to capture her walk of shame through the airport?

• I now live in Arkansas and a local woman had a memorial service here for the dead children in Newtown. Of course, the media covered it and interviewed her. All I could think of was, yeah, it really is all about you, isn't it?

• The media needs to ignore these human interest stories if they expect anyone to take them seriously as far as journalism is concerned. Nancy Reagan's casket dance is tasteful in comparison.

• Disgusting pigs, the child and her parents. Precious Moments is crap you throw in the dumpster. It's Connecticut, most folks commute to NYC. How do these pigs justify spreading their trashy self promotion? Old MySpace vids show tons of hillbillies with these tschotches lining the shelves of their homes. How in-fucking-sulting. The funds could have went to an animal shelter in the names of the family NOT glorifying some tacky ornament company patronized by trash. If supporting an animal shelter, I could deal but not this waste of close to 3K on an Okie hick. Get the fuck out of here and may you never breed.

• [quote]Old MySpace vids show tons of hillbillies with these tschotches lining the shelves of their homes. How in-fucking-sulting. The funds could have went to an animal shelter At least "hillbillies" and "could have went" aren't in the same sentence.

• What was the thought process, for the girl--and more importantly, for the adults involved who decided that "No," we won't give money, we'll give some useless gift to parents and families who are still in the depths of their grief. And this girl wants to give this crap on Christmas and then be home on OK in time to enjoy her own Xmas. This is a total and complete invasion of privacy. To this unknowing girl and her stupid mother: Mind your own fucking business especially when it comes to murdered children who you don't know.

• I actually think 13 years-old is too old to be pulling this shit.

• Wait, she's being trained as a mistress manipulator. She'll land a rich husband, in which she will steal all his money in a legal maneuver called divorce. Then repeat.

• R80 is right.

• Thank you R66 and R68. When it comes to tragedy and grief, this whole country's mindset has devolved into that of a 13-year-old girl - one who believes that balloons and teddy bears and personal involvement in someone else's big drama is appropriate and necessary. People are competing to think up the most original off-the-wall "tribute" and the media is competing to come up with the most "heartwarming" story of love and caring from stranger to victim.

• I think this would make a great short story. East-coast WASP family who have just lost their child in a horrific tragedy are accosted at the door of their impeccably tasteful home by a hickish teen girl presenting them a Precious Moments figurine, TV crew in tow. The uptight mother, who has been been eerily calm and bottling up her grief inside up until that moment, suddenly vents it all by flying into a rage about the tackiness of the gift, smashing it in front of the crying girl and embarrassed tv people.

  The%20title%20could%20be%20%22Precious%20Moment%22

• I love r84!

• OP, what have you done for the families in CT? This girl has shown love toward others with her actions. Man judges the outside superficially, but God judges our hearts.

• I just vomited all over r86!

• would be kinda great if she shows up at someone's home and gets shot. "I know it's terrible in light of the tragedy, but this little cunt was asking for it."

• R86, doesn't your beloved bible say something about "If thine eye offends thee pluck it out and cast it from thee"? Think about it...

• If I had a hammer...

  Crunch

• If you want people to like you you have to buy them things (that they like/want.)

  Karen%20Walker%20

• This thread is making my (formerly miserable) day. Merry Xmas everyone! Please keep on.

• okay, her heart IS in the right place... I wish her parents would have used this as a teachable moment instead of encouraging her on. She could have done something for GUN CONTROL or something meaningful, or something in which she teaches other young kids about how heroic the teachers were or SOMETHING that could have been helpful somehow to families, but this is just a mindless stupid act that is actually harmful.

• I HATE the ittle CUNT! I'd take that figurine and ram it up her ass!

  Honey Boo Boo

• Exactly r93, the media loves meaningless gestures like this that ignore the real problem. They never would've covered a 13yr old girl's campaign for gun control.

• A 13 year old is in 6th or 7th grade and should know better than to impose her unwanted presence and tacky gifts (that she didn't pay for, right?) upon the parents of children who were brutally murdered by a disgusting and self-absorbed sociopath. Why the FUCK does she think they would have any tiny bit of interest in meeting with self-promoting scum like her and her mom?

• I had not seen a PM figurine until googling because of this thread. Oh my eyes, make it stop.

• Where is Deidre Hall's article about "Why I will not send Precious Moments figurines"??

  Dee%20Hall%20superfan

• It cannot be said enough times how DISGUSTING and tacky 'Precious Moments' shit is. It is status collectors items for trailer trash.

  BARF

• I've got a link for little miss concern troll....

  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kyfu3pwZvm1qzxzwwo1_500.jpg

• Surely a bit from the Villa Delirium Delft Works of Charles Wing Krafft would have been more apposite…

  http://www.charleskrafft.com/

  Dancing%20on%20Morris%27s%20Graves

• She should have chosen Hallmark figures. A Hallmark melodrama of the week would have been practically guaranteed.

• [quote] Man judges the outside superficially, but God judges our hearts. I'm pretty sure even God is saying, "Precious Moments figurines??? Damn, that's tacky!"

• Lol, r100!!!!

• And what does God say about people who feel the need to trumpet that "goodness" rather than understand that most of these families aren't looking to host some teen with a camera crew?

• Did one of you write this at the link? [quote]Linda Lovell6 hours ago This girl and her mother mean well, but their insensitivity to the needs of families at this time is shocking. Who needs to have to deal with the altruistic needs of total strangers bearing tacky ceramics at a time like this in their lives. This is a thoughtless mission and the girl's mother should have known better. The story is disgusting and tasteless.

• okay, I commented before I even read this horrendous article. how come you's haven't jumped on this gem??? Along with the figurines, Mary also handwrote a note for each family to treasure.

  Lila%20McKann

• 100% certain that they will appreciate what she did.

• R108? A lot of good people have done good things for this community - they aren't looking for attention. Ask yourself why she couldn't just send these things. Why did she and her mother feel the need to fly there and obviously expecting the families to want to see them.

• ITA @ R109. How self absorbed do you have to be to not realize that you're only one of thousands who would like to offer support to the families. To assume you can just saunter up to their front door with your tacky gifts in hand as though everyone else has been ignoring these people is just beyond delusional. Do they have some weird fantasy scene playing in their heads like a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie--thinking they're going to turn frowns upside down? Ugh. Stupid fraus are in for a rude awakening.

• Holy shit, R101, thanks for the link - Charles Krafft's artwork is truly (weirdly) awesome. Porcelain guns indeed.

• Why do you fags care what this woman does? She is trying to help.

• Is that guy like the Banksy of porcelain?

• Why the fuck do you care what fairies care about anyway, r112? Why does a closeted queer, like yourself, slither around gay message boards anyway?

• The figures are named "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" and "Embrace in His Love." Anyone find any current news reports?

  http://www.news9.com/story/20410598/wister-teen-precious-moments-chapel-team-for-newtown-donations

• .

• r114, it's a good question. Why are so many gays so against the good deeds that Christians do everyday?

• [quote] The funds could have went to Like, oh dear.

• No, R117, it is NOT a good question. It is a question that already has an implied answer--that TEH GAYZ are bad for questioning the self-satisfied and self-serving Xtians pushing themselves into a situation.

• They aren't, douche @ R117. This fools errand is NOT a good deed. And, BTW, who are the "so many" gays you refer to?" How many "gays" do you even know, R117? I'm guessing zero. Clearly you've lost your way. Here, let me help your way back:

  http://www.ivillage.com

• ROFLMAO @R90

• Some piece of shit, made in china bric a brac is hardly a christian good deed! Gads!

• Some snake-handling Okie hillbilly girl going to the tasteful homes of Fairfield County with her unbelievably white-trash tchotchkes to give to all of those high-falutin' professionals of the east coast upper class. This is the only thing about this unspeakable tragedy that has made me laugh.

• Keep laughing r123. At least she is doing God's work.

• Your god maybe. This isn't some selfless act of charity. Don't kid yourself.

• If she were really doing God's work, R124, she would be providing the suffering families with what they need, not with what she thinks they need. This is all about her indulging in grief porn, not about true Christian charity.

• I'm creating muppets in the image of each dead student which I intend to present to their parents on New Year's Eve.

• God's work, r124? A kitschy ceramic figurine to commemorate someone's 5 yr old being mowed down, delivered to their door by a complete stranger just days after the tragedy, sounds a helluva lot more like Satan's work to me.

• Next week she's visiting spina bifida sufferers, to give out Yankee Candles, The worst part? It's the chocolate scented ones. They might as well kill themselves now.

• Along the lines of R101, here is another good option.

  http://www.jessicaharrison.co.uk/page7.htm

• If no one delivers intrusive trinkets, what have we become?

• Exactly R105. I lose a kid and I want someone with a ceramic angel and a news crew knocking at my door?

• Oh my gawd. From the "Bunnies" section of R101's link.

  http://www.charleskrafft.com/%3Fp%3D282

• Did she ever arrive in Newtown?

• I like turtles.

• Any updates? I would have flipped if some stranger came to my house on Christmas eve during such an intensely private, heartbreaking time.

• Oh, I don't know, R33, the bunnies just scream Easter to me.

• NEWTOWN, Conn. December 26, 2012 (AP) This Christmas was unlike any other in Newtown. When a gunman wiped out nearly an entire first-grade class and killed students and adults in two other first-grade classrooms just 11 days before Christmas, it made it impossible for the holiday to be the same this year. Some residents, like Joanne Brunetti, have found ways to console and help their grieving neighbors. Well-wishers from around the country are stopping by to do the same. Brunetti watched over 26 candles that had been lit at midnight, just before Christmas Day, in honor of those slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She and her husband, Bill, signed up for a three-hour shift and erected a tent to ensure that the candle flames never went out throughout the day. "You have to do something and you don't know what to do, you know? You really feel very helpless in this situation," she said Tuesday. "People have been wonderful to everybody in Newtown whether you were part of what happened or not. My thought is if we were all this nice to each other all the time maybe things like this wouldn't happen." At a town hall memorial, Faith Leonard waved to people driving by and handed out Christmas cookies, children's gifts and hugs to anyone who needed it. "I guess my thought was if I could be here helping out maybe one person would be able to spend more time with their family or grieve in the way they needed to," said Leonard, who drove to Newtown from Gilbert, Ariz., to volunteer on Christmas morning. "I know they've been inundated with support and that's great, but it's always nice to have a present to open on Christmas Day." Julian Revie played "Silent Night" on a piano on the sidewalk at the downtown memorial. Revie, from Ottawa, Canada, was in the area visiting at the time of the shootings. He canceled his plans to go to Australia, found a piano online and chose to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day playing for the people of Newtown. "It was such a mood of respectful silence," said Revie, who planned to leave the piano behind. "But yesterday being Christmas Eve and today being Christmas Day, I thought now it's time for some Christmas carols for the children." Many town residents attended Christmas Eve services Monday evening and spent the morning at home with their families. Others attended church services in search of a new beginning. At St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, attended by eight of the child victims of the massacre, the pastor told parishioners that "today is the day we begin everything all over again." Recalling the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, the Rev. Robert Weiss said: "The moment the first responder broke through the doors we knew good always overcomes evil." "We know Christmas in a way we never ever thought we would know it," he said. "We need a little Christmas and we've been given it." Volunteers hung ornaments on a series of memorial Christmas trees Tuesday morning while police officers from around the state took extra shifts to direct traffic, patrol the town and give police here a break. "It's a nice thing that they can use us this way," Ted Latiak, a police detective from Greenwich, Conn., said Christmas morning, as he and a fellow detective, each working a half-day shift, came out of a store with bagels and coffee for other officers. The expansive memorials throughout town have become gathering points for residents and visitors alike. A steady stream of residents, some in pajamas, relit candles that had been extinguished in an overnight snowstorm. Others took pictures, dropped off toys and fought back tears at a huge sidewalk memorial in the center of Newtown's Sandy Hook section that is filled with stuffed animals, poems, flowers, posters and cards. Snow covered a pile of teddy bears displayed in town. Newtown officials plan to convert the countless mementos paying tribute to the 20 children and six adults into a memorial. Thousands of flowers, letters, signs, photos, candles, teddy bears and other items at sites around town will be turned into soil...

  http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/newtown-celebrates-christmas-remembers-victims-18062887%3FsinglePage%3Dtrue%23.UNsanKy5VC0

• Grief porn. TIRED OF IT

• OP = has sex with colored people

• [quote]Newtown officials plan to convert the countless mementos paying tribute to the 20 children and six adults into a memorial. Thousands of flowers, letters, signs, photos, candles, teddy bears and other items at sites around town will be turned into soil... Soil...heh

• Soil and blocks. Excellent. I hope there's a few handsful of porcelain fragments in there too.

• Follow up: At the link to the "Oklahoma Welcome" website is a short article about Mary, the precious moments teen, along with a photo. Below the article, however, are 4 comments, three negative, and one from Kim, the teen do-gooder's mother. Mom's letter tells us a bit of follow-up to the story, (mercifully they didn't get to meet the victim's families) and proves conclusively that the self-serving douche-frau didn't fall far from the tree. Especially revealing is mom's final sentence, just dripping in christian self-righteous superiority. Mom writes: Thank you so much for sharing our story! We are in Atlanta now awaiting our flight home :-) We placed this whole project in the Lord's hands from the beginning and continue to give Him ALL the glory! Although the initial plan was to attempt to present even just one figurine to its family, the Lord had His own plans! The families are still out of the spotlight (as we think it truly should be) so we didn't meet them. We DID have a wonderful police escort who shared with us the heart and soul of their precious, loving and giving community. Through her we were able to finally find the figurines that had been placed in each individual family's box.....awaiting the families to start collecting those items in a couple of days. Each person we encountered today expressed sincere thanks that we came, cared and represented love from a small town in OK! They were all incredible! The way they were all so totally unselfish and truly care for others is such a great lesson for everyone!! Our prayer is that the families might feel love from OK and hopefully someone somewhere will make the decision to do for others instead of just sitting back contentedly.

  https://oklahomawelcome.com/news/regional/whatzup/91970-wister-teen-helps-sandy-hook-families-oklahoma-welcome.html

• All this girl (who ought to know better) and her parents (who REALLY ought to know better) is to put themselves in the parents of the dead children's place. Would you want a total stranger showing up at your house offering some useless trinket? Get a friggin grip and stay away from these grieving parents' homes. You and your useless acts of random and unthinking kindness are not welcome.

• To this gift-giving girl's religious whacko, patronizing mother: [quote]Although the initial plan was to attempt to present even just one figurine to its family, the Lord had His own plans! Sweetheart, the lord didn't have any plans. It was the police who had their own plans to keep you the hell away from these families. [quote]The families are still out of the spotlight (as we think it truly should be) so we didn't meet them. If you truly thought that the families should be out of the spotlight, then why were you trying to invade their privacy during this horribly sad time...with possibly a television camera crew and the police in tow for your pwn self-serving and disrespectful gesture?

• Someone should've hijacked them and forced them to sit through multiple screenings of "Les Misérables." Or is that banned as "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Constitution?

• Daddy of this stupid girl was probably at home in Oklahoma guarding their house with his AK-47 because it's his constitutional right to own a machine gun to defend his property. ...all while the wife and daughter were out doing the lord's work.

• She sounds Margaret White-esque. Here's hoping she doesn't have a huge supply of guns and a weird son.

• That self-satisfied way she ends her statement is particularly irksome. She *did* something dammit! She collected money for repulsive hillbilly kitsch, and forced it grieving families. She's not like those lazy, selfish bastards who just sat back contentedly, and probably haven't purchased as single PM figurine for anyone in their whole life. They're all going to burn in hell!

• [quote]OP = has sex with colored people What were you going for here? You're not one of those Christian morons who thinks the guy you worship -a man born in a part of the world where the sun beats down on the people- was white, are you?

• "Why Mary, isn't it special that you came all this way! And especially that you brought your brother Billy with you!"

• A lot of this is due to the Self-Esteem movement. There are some people who really believe that their efforts -- usually misguided -- are what it takes to "fix" something like this.

• and you know they drew straws at the police station, "who wants to escort those idiots from OK and keep em away from the families?"

• Helpful: Cop in a nearby town who volunteers to take a shift or two in Newtown to give the cops there a rest. Not So Helpful: Woman in Nevada (who is a mother too) decides to fly to CT to give each and every cop and fireman in Newtown a hug to show how supported and appreciated they are.

• David L. Deaton is the Digital Editor at Oklahoma Welcome. Deaton is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. As Digital Editor, David has enjoyed being on the cutting edge of electronic media and news reporting. He has previous experience in journalism and had written a regular column for a local newspaper prior to joining Oklahoma Welcome. Deaton is married and has three daughters. In his spare time he participates in softball, football and baseball from the comfort of his own couch and works diligently to save his garden from the heat, drought and insect pests. David's favorite television shows include "The Big Bang Theory," "American Idol," and HLN's Mysteries. His favorite food is hamburgers. He has won several 1st place prizes for his secret chili recipe at the CASC Chili Cooking Contest. David is a member of Springhill Baptist Church where he teaches an adult Sunday School class. He is also a Board Member of the Nashoba Youth Foundation. Deaton is a regular volunteer for the Poteau Chamber of Commerce events. Jesus, is everyone in this Oklahoma town a self-absorbed shit?

• [quote]We placed this whole project in the Lord's hands from the beginning and continue to give Him ALL the glory! Did God really need a camera crew capturing their mission in order to feel glorified? I don't think so. They on the other hand really needed the crew. Why? To feel glorified. [quote]The families are still out of the spotlight (as we think it truly should be) so we didn't meet them. Now here's a nice piece of post-hoc rationalizing. They didn't truly think this or get it until they got there, otherwise they wouldn't have gone there. The OP's article is pretty clear that they wanted to put it in the families' hands personally. Isn't this just bearing false witness in front of the country and the Lord? They got to Newtown and learned a lesson in basic manners and kindness from the police: Do not try to intrude on the grieving on your terms. They must have been a little stunned since it sounds like it didn't occur to them at any point before disembarking on their mission.

• [quote] Woman in Nevada (who is a mother too) decides to fly to CT to give each and every cop and fireman in Newtown a hug to show how supported and appreciated they are. Did this really happen? Cringe-worthy. I hope those who didn't want them didn't feel obligated.

• I love that the thousands of teddy bears will be turned into dirt to build the memorial. I love the fact that it was announced by the town supervisor on Dec 22, after the last funerals. Saying it's time to move on and start the healing process. If anyone wants to give money, give it to an organization providing mental health counseling. There are several first responders who are so traumatized and unfit for duty and have exhausted all of their sick time and mental health coverage (and likely will go through 2013 coverage in a couple of weeks). Many teachers and students are afraid to return to school. Even the local clergy seem to be near the breaking point.

  Newtown native

• I thought the same thing, R153. How wonderful that some unlucky police officer had to take time out of his busy day to head these kooks off at the pass.

• Yes, the parents should have guilded her but today's parents are lazy and let children do what ever the fuck they want.

• [quote] Yes, the parents should have guilded her Oh, dear.

  A%20real%20golden%20child

• The gays will shit on anything.

• I can't imagine someone arriving unannounced at those poor people's houses with a camera crew expecting attention at any time, not to mention at probably the most painful time of their lives. They must be exhausted, and many tending to their own kids. The idea that there is "glory" involved is absolutely deluded and just rude. The "glory" thing just kind of says it all.

• I am so sick of these moms shoving their brats down our throats with the phony special-interest stories and staged videos that they desperately hope will "go viral" (ie, that kid "crying" because she was "sick of hearing about the election). Whatever happened to doing something good anonymously? I'll bet the second Mary ('s mom) came up with the idea, the family alerted the local media. [quote]Then "knock knock" little Mary comes with her tacky figurines. ...and a camera crew.

  Anonymous

• [quote]Yes, the parents should have guilded her They should have gilded her and put her on their own mantel. Their own Precious Moment figurine.

• OMG! The teddy bear donations have become a bit much...

  http://i47.tinypic.com/vo2vyt.jpg

• Oh, my. The only people reacting to Kim the Mom are not forgiving: [quote]Kim, many people do kind things without seeking out glory or attention for their work. There's no reason for you to assume that anyone other than yourself and your daughter are simply "sitting back contentedly." [quote]Additionally, some of the Newtown victims do not worship in the same way you choose to worship, nor do they follow the same religion. In those cases, the Precious Moments figurines (and your desire to make a show of presenting them in person) are not only invasive, but unwelcome. Will she ever get it?

• [quote]Kim, really? You think tacky gifts are going to help people? I would not accept a tasteless Precious Moments gift bearing some religious message in which I do not believe. Has it occurred to you that your response to this tragedy is self-serving and tone-deaf? What did you really accomplish?

• Ohmigarsk, the cunty Kim mom is getting a schooling: [quote]Truly giving is about the person receiving--not self-aggrandizement on the part of the giver. I am sad that this girl was not raised to have compassion and empathy, but surely even now her parents could used this as a teaching occasion rather than indulging this ultimately selfish act. But she won't get it. Ever.

• Any speculation as to which talk show will have these deluded twats as guests?

• I don't have a Facebook account, R170, but that's the precise question I'd be asking about their future prospects. Because it's all about prospects. I do hope that the Newtown Police Department sends them a bill for the escort service provided by an on duty officer who was obligated to spend his/her day performing diversionary tactics with them. Those are taxpayer dollars that were wasted for the self-indulgent folly of a teen-aged girl, which could be understandable if not for the extravagant self-focus of her mother who chose to call her own self-glorification God's. What a fucking narcissistic twat.

• "Daddy of this stupid girl was probably at home in Oklahoma guarding their house with his AK-47 because it's his constitutional right to own a machine gun to defend his property." Is it wrong that, upon reading this, the first thing that popped into my mind was...I really hope their plane comes in late and they enter the house after dark and startle dad on the couch with his machine gun at the ready?

• "My favorite food is hamburgers."

• I agree. I simply HATE everyone that does stuff and feels the need to be rewarded. A facebook friend of mine, a world class doushe (friends only for work purposes) recently talked about giving a homeless person $50 for xmas, inviting him into his house for a shower and gave him a hot meal. And it's very nice. But it wasn't even done with the intent of encouraging others to do it. It was simply, look at me, look at how terrific I am. I would have loved if the homeless guy robbed him blind and kicked his balls off his body.

• Then add this to the mix: Updated 7:52 p.m. Authorities say a New York woman has been arrested for allegedly claiming to be related to a shooting victim at Sandy Hook Elementary School and soliciting donations for the child’s funeral. Nouel Alba, 37, was charged in federal court on Thursday with lying to FBI agents investigating fraudulent fundraising tied to the Newtown, Conn., massacre in which Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 first-graders and six adults at the school before shooting himself in the head. Alba is accused of using Facebook, phone calls and text messages to solicit donations to her PayPal account for a “funeral fund,” authorities said. “This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone who attempts to profit from this tragedy by contriving fraudulent schemes that exploit the many victims, their families and individuals who sincerely want to help,” U.S. Atty. David B. Fein said in a statement. “Investigators continue to monitor the Internet to uncover other fundraising scams...

  http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-sandy-hook-alleged-scam-arrest-20121227%2C0%2C1458751.story

• If there were a God, and if life were like The Twilight Zone, this girl's fate would be to spend eternity AS a Precious Moment figurine, forever collecting dust on someone's mantelpiece. (Until getting tossed in the dumpster.)

• [quote]Newtown officials plan to convert the countless mementos paying tribute Newtown officials plan to convert the worthless mementos paying tribute There. I fixed that for them.

• With a name like "Precious Moments" it's gotta be good!

• It sounds like the girl's heart is in the right place, by her fundie mind is somewhere else.

• Precious Moments figurines... they look more like Sloppy Seconds.

• R158: thank you. You make the most sense of anyone on this threat (myself included) so far.

• R162 is just mad we won't shit in her mouth.

• r174: your 'friend' who posted about his generous treatment of the homeless man... are his initials DR?

• [quote] A facebook friend of mine, a world class doushe (friends only for work purposes) recently talked about giving a homeless person $50 for xmas, inviting him into his house for a shower and gave him a hot meal. Wasn't this a 30 Rock episode?

  Dennis%20Duffy

• R184. I believe that Kourtney and Khloe Kardashians already invited a homeless guy to their house minus the $50 and the meal. I think they just allowed him to shower.

• My mom and I made cross stitch pictures of a kitten with the words "Everything Happens For The Best" on them. We're going to take them to the dead kids' families on New Years Day.

  frau%20in%20training

• [quote]Wednesday, 26 December 2012 12:05 posted by Miss Hannigan Take our figurines. TAKE THEM. Feel the hot love of the Lord shooting down your throat! chugalugalug

• My husband's cousin and her husband just moved to this town. Their kids are grown, so they don't have to deal with fears of sending their kids to a school they might be frightened to attend. They like the town.