My vote for the 10 greatest Star Wars moments ever

To mark the release of the 10th Star Wars film ("Solo") on in a few weeks, I've decided to summon the "Force" (i.e. my inner Star Wars nerd) to come up with my picks for the franchise's 10 greatest film moments. If nothing else, I'm sure this will spark some spirited debate amid fellow Star Wars aficionados (or, as some call us, geeks who never grew up) and provide a welcome break for anyone tired of my political diatribes.

While you'll find that, not surprisingly, most of these moments come from the original trilogy (1977-83), you may be disappointed, or even shocked, to see that the dreaded prequels (1999-2005) were not completely shut out (relax, Jar Jar Binks didn't make the cut). And a spoiler alert: My top three moments all come from "The Empire Strikes Back," widely considered by critics and hard-core fans alike the greatest movie in the history of the franchise. Arguing that the top three from the entire series all come from one film (and the darkest film at that) certainly won't go over well with some, but hey, if you don't like it, come up with your own list! ☺

You'll also find that although Star Wars is largely about, well, war,  I focused less than might have been expected on the the battles, lightsaber duels and accompanying special effects that largely provided the thrill-ride engine of the franchise. I always found its heart and soul in the modern mythology it crafted around its characters and their shared heroes' journey, and my list focuses mostly on that aspect of the movies.

So without further delay, strike the drum roll, and let the John Williams fanfare begin. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

10. "And I will not be the last Jedi" ("The Last Jedi" 2017)

No film in the history of the franchise has left true fans as conflicted as Episode VIII, and if you don't believe me on that, just check out the Rotten Tomatoes scores. So it's fitting I start my list with a moment that seems to contradict the movie's very title. Critics mostly loved "Last Jedi," fans largely lamented it. I felt the same conflict. Upon seeing it the first time, I came away somewhat disappointed. But as Obi-Wan Kenobi taught us all a long time ago, "your eyes can deceive you." When I viewed it a second time (and trusted my feelings), I found a depth in the movie that had initially escaped me. That depth was best captured in the climactic showdown between Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren, which is more a battle of wits and words than lightsabers. The circle is made complete, and Luke schools and humbles Kylo in much the same fashion Yoda did to him all those years earlier (more on that later).

9. "You were my brother, Anakin!" ("Revenge of the Sith" 2005)

I easily could have excluded the prequels altogether, with nary a complaint, but I decided this was the one scene that belonged. "Revenge of the Sith," despite problems of its own, did as much as could be expected to pick up the pieces from the disappointments of "Phantom Menace" (sterile and flat) and "Attack of the Clones" (whiny and sappy), thanks in large part to the dramatic flourish of Obi-Wan Kenobi's anguished outburst at having lost his beloved protege to the dark side of the Force. Obi-Wan's victory in the lightsaber duel is indeed pyrrhic as he comes to terms with his failure as Anakin's Skywalker's Jedi master. It was a shame that Ewan McGregor (as well as Natalie Portman) was not given the opportunity to realize his extensive acting talents in these movies, but this scene at least gave us a glimpse. 

8. The death of Han Solo ("The Force Awakens" 2015)

I admit that this scene initially left me disappointed, and it was one of the few criticisms I had with the splendid "The Force Awakens." It was not the fact that our favorite Corellian smuggler finally bit the dust; I had seen that coming since Harrison Ford had tried and failed to get George Lucas to kill off his character way back in "Return of the Jedi." I knew Han Solo would die in this movie; I had just expected him to go out in his own brash, fearless way, at the time and place of his choosing, much as Obi-Wan had gone out in "A New Hope," maybe with a grin and a wink. I had expected more grandeur and symbolism to accompany the passing of such a pivotal and beloved character. But in time, I came to appreciate this scene on its own terms. We got to see the once-selfish smuggler evolve into a loving father who tried, and ultimately failed, to save his son from darkness. Watching the odds finally catch up with Han in such an unexpectedly gut-wrenching way cements this as one of the franchise's most memorable moments. 

7. "Tell your sister you were right" ("Return of the Jedi" 1983)

For most of us, the climactic chapter of the original trilogy, "Return of the Jedi," failed to reach the heights of the first two installments in the series. For me, it was a good, but not great, ending to the defining cinematic experience of my childhood. While the first two movies inspired and often mesmerized, this one, for the most part, simply entertained. And then there were the Ewoks (a discussion better left to another time). This was the one scene, however, that truly rose to the occasion (though I wonder if it would have been even greater in the hands of Irvin Kershner, the maestro who had directed "The Empire Strikes Back"). It's what we had all been waiting six years for, the victory of good over evil, both in a galaxy far, far away and in the heart and soul of a boy and his father. As Darth Vader (now Anakin Skywalker) at last looks on his son with his own eyes, he makes one final request before breathing his last: To share a message with the daughter he never knew, even as he had chased her across the galaxy. It was a poignant bookend to an unforgettable saga. 

6. "Remember, The Force will be with you, always" ("A New Hope" 1977)

While this may seem like the greatest battle moment of the film that started it all, I see it as also one of the saga's greatest spiritual moments. It actually provides a great contrast to the rousing dog fighting sequences that gripped the audience for roughly 10 minutes during the daring attack on the Death Star. For a few seconds, Ben Burtt's magical sound effects of laser blasts, beeping droids and screeching starships fade away. John Williams' soaring score settles into a soft melody. All seems to grow quiet in Luke's X-wing fighter as a singular voice guides him toward his destiny and plants in the entire franchise its spiritual roots. "Let go, Luke ... Use The Force." When Luke finally summons the mystical Force to destroy the Death Star and save the galaxy, he hears the words that will define his journey for the remainder of the Star Wars saga. I know some people will think this should be higher on the list, maybe even No. 1. 

5. "Your father would have been proud of you" ("Rogue One" 2016)

In my mind, "Rogue One" (the only standalone Star Wars story to date) is the most underrated, and poignant, movie in the franchise's history. It's also unique in being the only movie in which the heroes die (sorry if that's a spoiler, but if you haven't seen the movie by now, you probably never will). One of the criticisms of the original trilogy is that Lucas refused to kill off any of the three main stars (despite Ford's pleading); that certainly wasn't a problem in this film. As the set-up story for the original film, there was no reason that any of the protagonists who stole the Death Star plans that we first read about in the crawl for "A New Hope" would live to fight another day (otherwise, we would have seen them all 40 years ago). That made the final heartfelt exchange between off-and-on-again allies Jyn Erso and Cassian Endor on the beach of Scarif particularly touching and dramatic. With Michael Giachinno's riveting score as the backdrop, the two embrace on the beach as they count their final moments before the Death Star blast destroys the planet and them with it. Jyn's father, the unwilling architect of the Empire's planet destroyer, had entrusted its fatal flaw with his daughter before his death, and now she has done her duty and passed the baton to those who will take up the fight in "A New Hope." The quiet, somber gaze the two heroes share as the nuclear-like blast inches closer speaks volumes, even before Cassian says softly, "Your father would have been proud."

4. The medal ceremony ("A New Hope" 1977)

This is the only scene on my list that includes no dialogue, which may help explain what made it so great (sorry, George Lucas, but the Force wasn't always with your dialogue-writing skills). It also encapsulates why the original movie captured the public's imagination like no film before or since. "A New Hope" was more than a story of good triumphing over evil. It was an intergalactic story of David slaying Goliath, and it came along at a time when the public desperately needed a feel-good underdog tale to escape all the darkness and despair (sound familiar?) that the 1970s had come to symbolize (Watergate, Vietnam, economic malaise, serial killings and fashion fiascoes, but we did have the "Brady Bunch"!). The climax of the movie in which the farm boy, the smuggler and the princess are filled with pure joy at their unlikely triumph still provides an adrenaline rush no matter how many times I see it (even if the wookie had to wait 20 years to finally get his medal). The feisty, icy princess lets her hair down (literally) and melts the screen with her smile, the rogue flashes her a wink that teases of things to come, and the budding Jedi falls victim to the the childlike giddiness that so many people wanted to recapture in their own lives when they saw this movie. This scene without words summed up the surreal, visceral experience of falling in love with Star Wars. 

3. "You like me because I'm a scoundrel" ("The Empire Strikes Back" 1980)

I have a bad feeling about this pick, like it's going to be met with the type of backlash befitting a nerf herder. It's not even ranked as the best Han and Leia moment in one official list. And some might argue that their tension-tinged romance was nothing but a cute, quirky diversion to help pass the time while the fate of the galaxy played out in the hands of a father, his son and the Force. All I can say is that I simply love everything about this scene! I'll admit that I'm a sucker for a good romance, and some occasional tortured dialogue notwithstanding, this is one of the greatest in film history, for my money. Plus, for Star Wars nerds, this is as close as we'd ever get to turning any of the films into a date movie. The build-up in "Empire" to the duel between Luke and Vader is nearly equaled by the buildup to "the kiss." Sure, you can see it coming through all the quips and insults the two exchange through the first movie and a half, but when the moment finally arrives, it's tender, touching and perfect. As far as why I put this ahead of the "I Love You/I Know" exchange later in the movie, I think that was but the frosting to the cake that this scene baked. Leia could withstand Vader's torture with nerves of steel, but she's finally worn down by this scoundrel's charms, particularly when she opens the door for him with the "scoundrel" comment. We finally see what we've always known about her; she's no intergalactic Disney princess waiting for Prince Charming to show up in a glistening starship. Even with C-3PO's unfortunate timing, that kiss seemed frozen in time (if not for a deleted scene, it would have lasted even longer). 

2. "That is why you fail" ("The Empire Strikes Back" 1980)

For all its hypnotic qualities, the original Star Wars film ("A New Hope") was a pretty straightforward, and somewhat superficial, story of good and evil. To the degree that the mystical Force came into play, it was largely to help move the story along, rather than constituting its core, and left us with more questions than answers. It was "Empire" that truly turned Star Wars into a religiously mythological experience, and it was the spirituality embodied by a green gnome named Yoda that gave the movie -- indeed, the entire series -- the depth and stature that came to define it. In a few short scenes, Yoda conveys the spiritual hungering that lies at the root of the human condition (and the world's great faith-based traditions), and teaches us why religious faith in our own world can be a source of great good -- or evil when it falls victim to fear, anger and hate. When Luke's faith in "The Force" (or God, as it may represent to some) falters, Yoda provides a humbling lesson with a miraculous act. It's Moses parting the Red Sea or Jesus raising Lazareth from the dead. Like so many heroes in human history, Luke Skywalker learns that doubt and failure often produce the speed bumps on the road to triumph and greatness. This scene transforms Star Wars from fantasy to true mythology.

1. "No, I am your father" ("The Empire Strikes Back" 1980)

I was 9 years old when I heard those words. The shock I and everyone else in the theater felt is something I will never forget. Like the pained expression of horror on Luke's face, none of us could make sense of what we had just heard, and none of us could accept it. I think we all uttered in our minds the same words that Luke spoke aloud on the screen. "No, no, that's not true! That's impossible!" Alas, we all had to search our feelings over the summer of 1980 to try to discern what to believe. Our hearts kept telling us no, but even the mind of a 9-year-old couldn't deny the truth that lay at the heart of Darth Vader's pronouncement. We'd all have to wait an excruciating three years to learn for sure, and by the time the confirmation finally came in the trilogy's flawed third chapter, it seemed somehow anticlimactic to a now 12-year-old who had just watched Princess Leia slay Jabba the Hutt while clad in a metal bikini.  But this was the blindsiding, I-never-saw-it-coming moment that made the movie -- indeed, the entire franchise -- a cinematic masterpiece. Sadly, future generations that would have to suffer through the clunky, stale prequels would never get to experience the pure shock that made this the greatest Star Wars moment ever (one more reason to hate the prequels!). No Star Wars movie before or since would muster another moment that achieved this level of greatness.

What I learned about Hillary Clinton from reading her book

Hillary Clinton was back in the news recently for offending half the country because she had the gall to state a fact about the 2016 election in a speech in India. "I won the places that represent two-thirds of America's gross domestic product," she said. "So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. And his whole campaign, 'Make America Great Again,' was looking backwards."
Given the media reaction and accompanying backlash, you would have thought it was the "deplorables" comment redux. I'm sure Trump lovers find this infinitely more outrageous than their beloved leader describing the immigrant issue in the context of "shithole" countries. 

Sometimes, the truth hurts (and matters a whole lot more than the never-ending lies that emanate from the mouth of the person who defeated her in the election despite winning 3 million fewer votes). 

Given the latest uproar (or much ado about nothing), I thought this would be a good chance to offer some observations about Clinton and her book, "What Happened," which I read recently.

I don't how much of the book was written by Clinton herself, but whoever was responsible for penning it, it was one of the most insightful, gripping nonfiction narratives I've come across in recent years. Rarely does a book leave me engrossed from start to finish, and I never imagined that a book written by and about Hillary Clinton would rise to that level. While I wholeheartedly supported her candidacy over Trump, I also viewed her as a flawed and less-than-inspiring candidate. I'm not the biggest Clinton (Bill or Hillary) fan in the world for a number of reasons, but I did think she was eminently qualified to be president, and genuinely would have tried to bring the country together and find common-sense solutions to complex problems.

While the book was obviously written from her point of view, with no opportunity for those she criticized to respond, I thought she made a number of compelling arguments about how she was treated unfairly -- even cruelly -- by the media, the public and her opponents. But more than that, the book provided some fascinating insights into her life, her values and her beliefs that I thought I would share here, along with some quotes that particularly stood out.

 Clinton's Christian faith is an important part of her life. 

Unlike the man who overwhelmingly won the evangelical Christian vote, Hillary seems to genuinely be a person whose religious faith plays a central role in her life. She spent much time in the book talking about her Methodist upbringing, the ministers who counseled her and the prayers she recited. She even acknowledged that much of the public would probably be skeptical of this aspect of her life (which also brings up an interesting question about why the role that religion plays in the lives of liberal politicians tends to be ignored, whether by the media, the public or the politicians themselves, while conservatives wear it as a badge of honor, even when it's largely a fake badge).

“I prayed a lot. I can almost see the cynics rolling their eyes. But pray I did, as fervently as I can remember ever doing. … I prayed for help to put the sadness and disappointment of my defeat behind me; to stay hopeful and openhearted rather than becoming cynical and bitter; and to find a new purpose and start a new chapter, so that the rest of my life wouldn’t be spent like Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, rattling around my house obsessing over what might have been.”

And I wonder if Trump -- or most evangelical voters -- could have named this verse from scripture the way she did during this campaign stop.

"In late May 2015, I was campaigning in Columbia, South Carolina. In between events, we squeezed in a quick stop at the Main Street Bakery so I could get a cupcake and shake some hands. There was only one customer in the place, an older African American gentleman sitting alone by the window, engrossed in a book. I was reluctant to disturb him, but we made eye contact. I walked over to say hello and ask what he was reading. The man looked up and said, ‘First Conrinthians 13’ I smiled. ‘Love is patient, love is kind,’ I said, ‘it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.’

His name was Donnie Hunt, and he was a minister at the First Calvary Baptist Church, getting ready for the day’s Bible study. He invited me to sit down.

He told me how rewarding he found it to read these familiar lines again and again. ‘You’ always learn something,’ he said.

‘Well, it’s alive,’ I replied. ‘It’s the living word.’ "

And I found this particularly uplifting and inspiring:

“A few weeks after the election, I picked up a copy of a sermon called ‘You Are Accepted,’ by Paul Tillich, the Christian theologian of the mid-twentieth century. I remembered sitting in my church basement in Park Ridge years ago as our youth minister, Don James, read it to us. 'Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness...Sometimes at that moment, a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying, ‘You are accepted.’ Years later, when my marriage was in crisis, I called Don. Read Tillich, he said. I did. It helped.”

She makes a compelling argument for why the media and public have been unfair to her

Clinton has often been portrayed as unwilling to acknowledge her own faults and flaws. In this book, she admits those mistakes and shortcomings on multiple occasions, but she also argues convincingly that the portrayals of her during her life, particularly by the media, failed to capture the full story of her life and career. As someone who spent his career as a journalist, I have to say she makes a legitimate point here.

“The truth is, everyone’s flawed. That’s the nature of human beings. But our mistakes alone shouldn’t define us. We should be judged by the totality of our work and life. Many problems don’t have either/or answers, and a good decision today may not look as good 10 or 20 years later through the lens of new conditions. When you’re in politics, this gets more complicated. We all want -- and the political press demands -- a ‘story line,’ which tends to cast people as either saints or sinners. You’re either revered or reviled. And there’s no juicier political story than the saint who gets unmasked as a sinner. A two-dimensional cartoon is easier to digest than a fully formed person.”

And she is particularly harsh in her criticism of the New York Times, which is interesting given how the far right often characterizes it as a tool of liberalism.

“Over the years, going all the way back to the baseless Whitewater inquisition, it’s’ seemed as if many of those in charge of political coverage at the New York Times have viewed me with hostility and skepticism. They’e applied what’s sometimes called, ‘The Clinton Rules.’ … As a result, a lot of journalists see their job as exposing the devious machinations of the secretive Clinton machine. The Times has by no means been the only -- or even the worst -- offender, but it’s treatment has stung the most.”

She had some interesting things to say about her marriage

I didn't expect much from her about her marriage with Bill in the book, and she didn't offer much, but what she did offer was insightful -- and inspiriting to anyone who experiences dark days of struggle in their own marriage.

“We’ve certainly had dark days in our marriage. You know all about them -- and please consider for a moment what it would be like for the whole world to know about the worst moments in your relationship. There were times that I was deeply unsure about whether our marriage could or should survive. But on those days, I asked myself the question that matters most to me. ‘Do I still love him?’ And can I still be in this marriage without becoming unrecognizable to myself -- twisted by anger, resentment, or remoteness?’ The answers were always yes. So I kept going.”

She gives some great practical advice for engaging in politics and voting wisely

Conscious of the devastating role that lies, misinformation and echo-chamber thinking played in the 2016 election, Clinton points out that the best way to avoid these pitfalls going forward is to educate ourselves, think critically, keep an open mind, and not get discouraged.

“It’s up to each one of us to stay informed and make good decisions with rigorous reasoning and real deliberation. This is especially important when it comes to voting. Choose wisely and don’t fall for scams. The same way you try to be careful about where you put your money or the car you buy, be careful and informed with your vote. And we all have the ability to break out of our echo chambers and engage with people who don’t agree with us politically. We can keep an open mind and be willing to change our minds from time to time. Even if our outreach is rebuffed, it’s worth it to keep trying. We’re all going to share our American future together -- better to do so with open hearts and outstretched hands than closed minds and clenched fists.”

She also makes a special plea for people to get involved politically in their communities, which particularly hits home with me:

“Local issues are every bit as important as national and global ones. If you see a problem in your community that needs fixing or an injustice that needs correcting, and you think, ‘Someone ought to do something about that,’ guess what? That someone could easily be you. Show up at a city council or school board meeting and suggest a solution. If a problem is affecting your life, it’s probably affecting someone else’s -- and that person might just be willing to join you."

She both apologizes for and defends the "deplorables" comment

Clinton's biggest mistake during the campaign is typically considered the comment she made saying that Trump's supporters could be placed into two baskets, one of which were the deplorables who preach hate, racism, sexism, you name it. While it may not have been politically wise, the fact is that it was accurate based on everything we've seen and know, and this is how she addressed it in the book.

“I know that a lot of well-intentioned people were insulted because they misunderstood me to be criticizing all Trump voters. I’m sorry about that. But too many of Trump’s core supporters do hold views that I find -- there’s no other word for it -- deplorable. And while I’m sure a lot of Trump supporters had fair and legitimate reasons for their choice, it is an uncomfortable and unavoidable fact that everyone who voted for Donald Trump -- all 62,984,825 of them -- made the decision to elect a man who bragged about sexual assault, attacked a federal judge for being Mexican and grieving Gold Star parents who were Muslim, and has a long and well-documented history of racial discrimination in his businesses. That doesn’t mean that every Trump voter approved of those things, but at a minimum they accepted or overlooked them. And they did it without the demanding the basics that Americans used to expect from all presidential candidates, from releasing tax returns to offering substantive policy proposals to upholding common standards of decency.”

She has a great story to share for kids who experience bullying

Clinton talks at length about the role her mother played in her life, and it's clear that Dorothy Rodham was Hillary's greatest inspiration in life.

“There was a time when I was very little, and a neighborhood bully started pushing me around. I ran home to hide, but my mother met me at the door. ‘There’s no room for cowards in this house,’ she said. ‘Go back out there.’ The walk from my front door back to the street was one of the longest of my life. But I went. Mom, was right as usual.”

It's haunting how many vicious lies were spread about her, and how many believed them

Perhaps this is what as most deplorable about the 2016 election.

“Throughout the 2016 campaign, I watched how lies insinuate themselves into people’s brains if hammered often enough. Fact checking is powerless to stop it. Friends of mine who made calls or knocked on doors for me would talk to people who said they couldn’t’ vote for me because I had killed someone, sold drugs, and committed any number of unreported crimes, including how I handled my emails. The attacks were repeated so frequently that many people took it as an article of faith that I must have dome something wrong.”

She dismisses the idea that Democrats need to shift their priorities based on her loss

There's been a lot of debate within the Democratic Party over the past year about whether they need to do more to appeal to white working-class workers, even if it means pulling back from some of the issues around social justice that have become the party's hallmark in recent years. She clearly sees this as a false choice. I agree. The Democrats' problem isn't a failure to advocate policies that would benefit the white working class; it's a failure to explain to the white working class why and how these policies would help them.

“Democrats have to continue championing civil rights, human rights, and other issues that are part of our march toward a more perfect union. We shouldn’t sacrifice our principles to pursue a shrinking pool of voters who look more to the past than to the future.”

She makes an interesting comment about the politics of abortion

This is something many Democrats believe, and will utter in books, but are scared to death to say on the campaign trail for fear of alienating the extreme wing of the pro-choice movement (the same way that Republicans who believe in common-sense gun laws dare not alienate the NRA). I've said before that I think she lost a lot of critical votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin because of her unwillingness to adopt the measured position her husband took in 1992 (that abortion should be safe, legal and rare). I think if she would have spoken these words on the campaign trail, she might have won those decisive states.

“And to be clear, I believe there’s room in our party for a wide range of personal views on abortion. I’ve been working with Democrats and Republicans alike to reduce the number of abortions, in part by expanding access to birth control and family planning, and we’ve made progress. And I picked as my running mate Tim Kaine, a Democrat personally opposed to abortion because of his Catholic faith but supportive of women’s rights as a matter of law and policy.”

And finally, she makes a compelling argument about why it will take a "village" to make America great

I've come to believe that the root of many of the problems in this country is the unwillingness and failure of so many people to engage in caring for and helping the larger community, and their fellow humans, succeed. There is a disturbing lack of empathy among so many who seem to only care about their own lives and whether they can get ahead, regardless of what's happening to the world and people around them (never more evident than in the appalling lack of action following mass shootings). Whatever you think of Hillary Clinton as a politician or a leader, after reading this book, I have no doubt that she truly wants America to become the "village" she wrote about 20 years ago where American look after not just themselves, but each other.

“We all need each other, none of us is an island, an autonomous and independent ‘I,’ separated from the other, and we can only build the future of standing together, including everyone.” Tenderness “means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future.”

"Now what?" A toddler's question deserves an answer in wake of student protests

As students across the country walked out classes on Wednesday to mark the one-month anniversary of the Parkland massacre, I spent the morning at a peace prayer service where local Catholic school students walked out of their classes and into their church to pray, sing and talk about the need to combat violence and spread peace through our broken society.

At the end of the service, there was an awkward silence as the students waited for someone to dismiss them. At that point, a chatty toddler blurted out, "Now what?"

The question elicited a number of giggles from the gathering but also struck me as prophetic for what was happening across the country that day. The month since the Parkland massacre that killed 17 high school students and staff has seen a level of energy, passion and activism on the issue of gun violence unrivaled after any other mass shooting. It's also been met with a fierce backlash by the NRA and its supporters who are determined to see the outrage over our latest national tragedy fizzle without any meaningful change, as was the case after Columbine, Sandy Hook, and so many others. 

The question that hovers over the raging national debate on this issue is indeed, "Now what?" Will we see a repeat of what happened after 20 first-graders were massacred at Sandy Hook, where a few weeks of outrage failed to yield the change we wanted and needed as most Americans retreated into their bubbles of self-interest, while the fringe guns-for-everyone crowd remained mobilized and engaged in maintaining the status quo, or worse. I've thought about the children of Sandy Hook and their families many days since the tragedy, and continue to be haunted by those young lives needlessly lost, but I never did enough to convert those thoughts into ACTION. Now, after another preventable school massacre, we all have a chance to follow the example of the millions of high school students who have stood up since Parkland and shouted "Enough!" to a culture that values guns over life. 

We must do more than hope and pray for the right answer to that toddler's question. The answer will ultimately hinge on how willing those who are sickened by this endless stream of violence -- and the unwillingness of our political leaders to do anything to stop it -- to take up the fight, and remain engaged for the long haul. Each of us who believes we need sensible gun laws in this nation to prevent more innocent lives from being lost has the ability to make a difference in protecting our fellow citizens, if only we care enough to expend the time and energy.

Here's where I suggest we start:

Turn anger into action

It sounds simple, but this has been the missing ingredient after so many mass shootings that we mistakenly thought would be the "turning point." While there has been progress in California and other states in enacting sensible gun laws since Sandy Hook, the national climate has remained unchanged, and many states have actually loosened regulations. 

How does such senseless bloodshed, and the accompanying outrage by so many Americans in the immediate aftermath, lead to such inaction, or worse, NRA victories? The answer is really quite simple: The NRA keeps its fringe wing of All Guns, All the Time, mobilized, while the majority of Americans simply move on. 

That can't happen this time. The students in Florida have already scored a major victory by forcing the Florida Legislature to enact some common-sense laws, which would have been unthinkable a couple months ago in the "Gunshine State." While they don't go nearly far enough, they are an important start. We need to follow their example and write letters to our elected leaders, call them on the phone, and march for change. The gun lobby is waiting for us all to return to business as usual when the dust clears; we must not allow that dust to clear until the NRA loses its grip on our political system.

Start in your own community

It's easy to consume ourselves with the big-picture battles in Washington, D.C., and topics like renewing the national assault weapons ban. While we shouldn't lose sight of that as an ultimate goal, this battle will ultimately be won by starting at the grass roots level and first influencing change in our communities, counties and states. Join groups like your local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I have (they welcome dads too), and I've already discovered a host of simple ways to get involved in making a difference on this issue, from writing letters in support of state legislation like AB 2103 (which would mandate live-fire training in order to receive a concealed carry permit in California) to joining state Treasurer John Chiang's effort to pressure California's public pension funds to divest from companies that manufacture and sell firearms-related products that are banned in our state. 

While we're fortunate that California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, I've already learned that much more can and needs to be done to button them up so that they serve as a template for other states looking to enact similar reforms. No matter what our laws here, we will never be as safe as we can be as long as assault rifles are legal elsewhere and can potentially make their way here. Other things you can do is lobby your local school boards and city councils to be proactive about improving the security of our towns and schools, passing local laws to prevent dangerous people from getting their hands on dangerous weapons, and asking them to take the fight to the gun lobby. If leaders in Washington won't act, then it's up to our local leaders in our own towns to take up this fight and not shirk from the controversy that comes with standing up to those who value guns over life. 

Keep working to change public opinion

I've found out first-hand how frustrating and demoralizing it can be to engage the other side on social media over the gun epidemic. The NRA has done a brilliant job of sowing lies, paranoia and misinformation with the American public (most notably, that any gun control proposal is an attempt to take away every gun from every law-abiding citizen, or that the Second Amendment means ANY gun for ANYONE). We need to educate ourselves on the facts and then work to educate those who haven't yet made up their mind. Posting thoughts on our Facebook pages is well and good, but the impact will be limited if the vast majority of our "friends" already agree with us. We need to get outside our bubbles and seek out debates on this topic on community and other forums. 

Do your homework on how sensible gun laws have worked to reduce violence in other cities, states and countries, and shoot down (pun intended) the lies that we so often see from the NRA (one of its favorite topics for misinformation is the homicide crisis in Chicago and what's caused it; here's a piece from the Chicago Tribune that sets the record straight). But don't stop there. Call out members of Congress who take blood money from the NRA on their Facebook pages or Twitter accounts (my wife has started doing that); be prepared for some pretty harsh blowback, especially in red states, but if there are some independent-minded voters out there that we can sway, it's worth the grief. 

Recognize that the NRA is not as powerful as they want us to believe

One of the myths that has taken told is that the NRA is some giant, unstoppable political force. The media often portray the NRA as if it's the Galactic Empire from Star Wars. It's not true at all, and the NRA is scared to death that the American people -- and the politicians who do its bidding -- are going to figure it out. 

The NRA's success on this issue has been more about our failure to stay engaged and mobilized once these mass shootings fade from the news cycle. The NRA has only 5 million members nationwide, and many of them don't adhere to the fanatical views of its leadership, who act as if the Second Amendment is absolute and grants anyone any gun they so desire, conveniently ignoring the clause about a "well-regulated" militia. We are a country of 327 million people, most of whom want sensible measures to keep our people safe like truly universal background checks, age and mental health restrictions on gun ownership, waiting periods, and limits on high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons that can kill scores of people in seconds. The gun lobby's fierce backlash to the activism we've seen since Parkland (including tweeting out a photo of an AR-15 on the day of the student walkouts) is an attempt to taunt and intimidate us into thinking they can't be beat. 

The NRA's radical views have become normalized the same way the KKK's radical views once became normalized, because of its ability to strike fear in the heart of those who dare oppose it, and the unwillingness of political leaders to confront its lies. Once the politicians figure out that we don't fear the NRA's wrath, they will start to lose their fear about standing up to its frightening agenda. And once the politicians figure out that they have more to fear from our wrath than the NRA's, the organization's power will crumble. 

Make your dollars count

Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to simply give what you can monetarily to make your voice heard on this issue, or make companies that profit from the NRA's agenda pay a price in the form of your business. Join me in donating as little as $10 a month to a group like Everytown for Gun Safety. Deny your business to companies that do business with the NRA or gun manufacturers or retailers that act irresponsibly. Check the holdings of mutual funds in your 401(k) account and make sure they don't invest in companies like Sturm Ruger or American Outdoor brands that make semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15, which has become the weapon of choice in these massacres. Find out which mutual fund companies have large holdings in these companies, and pressure them to divest. You can research this by using the Baron's stock tool.  

If every person in the country who cares about this issue would spend just 5 or 10 minutes a week doing something simple to make a difference (donating money, writing a letter, or just speaking out in a public forum), we can turn the tide at long last and, most importantly, save lives.