TV Worth Watching…”I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” 

“The TV Junkie” by Penny Landau ****For those of you who don’t know, I relocated to South Florida in 2016, just another native New Yorker yearning for a warmer, calmer and quieter existence. I must say, it was the best decision I’ve ever made and it turned out to be everything I’d hoped for.

Then came Valentine’s Day and a community 15 minutes from where I live was thrust upon the national stage. It’s been a long seven weeks into 2018, culminating in one of the most horrific and frightening events in our public schools.

The TV coverage has been non-stop. Yesterday, Tuesday, February 20, 2018, busloads of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School went to the State Capitol in Tallahassee to protest for stricter gun controls. Before they got there, the Florida Legislature rejected the bill. In a show of solidarity, students from West Boca Raton High School walked out of their classrooms on Tuesday, bound for Douglas in nearby Parkland. These children, I use that term lightly, will not be stopped until they have completed their mission.

Now, led by these articulate, intelligent and determined students, this South Florida community is demanding answers on how this could have occurred and are asking what steps will federal and state authorities take to prevent this from happening again. Tonight, Wednesday, February 21st, students and families from Stoneman Douglas will be part of “Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action,” which will be broadcast live on CNN at 9 pm, ET, from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

Students including Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Alex Wind and Jaclyn Corin, who have been most vocal about the shooting and the need for increased gun control, will be there. So far, Florida Rep. Ted Deutch, Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio have accepted an invitation to participate in the town hall. Florida Governor Rick Scott and the man in the White House have declined to appear. CNN anchor Jake Tapper will moderate the event.

These students are determined to make a difference and to force those politicians who are in the pocket of the NRA to change the laws or resign from office. A March 14th school walkout organized by the Women’s March, will take place nationally and students and teachers from around the country will further make their point with the “March for Our Lives” taking place on March 24th in Washington, DC. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Speilberg & Kate Capshaw and Jeffrey & Marilyn Katzenberg have followed George & Amal Clooney’s lead, by each donating $500,000 for the March. Said Clooney, “Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School. Our family will be there on March 24th to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country. In the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children’s lives depend on it.” Then, on April 20th the “National High School Walkout” will be held on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shootings.

Let’s not forget those who gave their lives on February 14th … Here are the heroes of that day…

Football Coach and Security Guard, Aaron Feis, who died shielding students from the gunfire.

Teacher and cross-country coach Scott Beigel, who let students take shelter in his classroom, locked the door and then died preventing the shooter from entering the room.

Athletic Coach Chris Hixon, who tried to disarm the shooter and died in the attempt.

Peter Wang, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet, was shot and killed while ushering others to safety. Peter died in his JROTC uniform, witnesses said.

Fifteen-year-old Anthony Borges, who was shot 5 times and survived. His classmates say he used his body as a human shield to protect them.

Teacher Melissa Falkowski managed to put 19 kids in a closet with her. They all survived.

Ashley Kurth, a culinary teacher, heard the shooting from her classroom and saw “a whole mass of children” running out of the freshman building, where the shooter was and started grabbing as many kids as she could. Almost 65 were saved because of her quick thinking.

The list goes on.

Like the woman for whom their school was named, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, an editor The Miami Herald and an author, women’s suffrage advocate and conservationist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development, these students will be heard. They are our future and they will not be forced into silence this time. 

“Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action” will be broadcast live on CNN at 9 pm, ET, from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

The TV Junkie” was preceded in her family by a large mahogany cabinet that housed a small screen with a large speaker below. Thus began her love affair with the older sibling in the living room. Theirs was a tenuous relationship, prone to mishaps (forgetting to use the special “screen” for “Winky Dink”), joyous events (“Julie & Carol at Carnegie Hall”), sad moments (Clarabelle saying goodbye to the Peanut Gallery) and a wide range of emotions (the funeral of John F. Kennedy and the Inauguration of Barack Obama). From “Captain Video” to “Star Trek” to “Lost;” from “A Brighter Day” to “The Edge of Night” to “General Hoapital;” from “Peyton Place” to “ “Dynasty” to “Desperate Housewives;” there has never been a greater love, than that of “The TVJ” and the best friend a girl could ever have.

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