Out of all the interviews and public statements made by parents, relatives, friends, and classmates of Sandy Hook victims, the video plucks two brief snippets of Robbie Parker (father of slain 6-year-old Emilie Parker) and Lynn McDonnell (mother of slain 7-year-old Grace McDonnell) smiling and laughing in conjunction with television appearances in which they spoke about their children, offering this as evidence that a hoax is being perpetrated by people who are merely pretending to be grieving parents. But parents who have lost children don't all walk around afterwards utterly glum and disconsolate, never allowing themselves to exhibit any emotion other than sadness. Either of them might have been laughing and smiling during or immediately prior to talking about their children for any number of reasons: because they were reacting to something funny, because they were expressing nervous anxiety about facing a national television audience, or because they were recalling fond memories of their deceased children.
Indeed, the audio from the portion of Lynn McDonnell's interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper which was used in this conspiracy video is conveniently muted so that viewers can't see for themselves exactly why she was smiling — because she was remembering what a terrific, happy child her daughter was, and how much she loved her:
COOPER: What do you want people to know about Grace?
LYNN MCDONNELL: Well, Grace had such a great spirit. She was a kind and gentle soul. And she was just the light and love of our family. She was just truly a special, special little girl that we loved, and she loved her brother so much. And she loved her school, Sandy Hook.
In fact, this week, I was telling somebody she had a stomach ache one day, and I said to her, "Why don't you stay home with Mom?"
And she said, "No way, I have too much fun there, and I don't want to miss anything." She would skip to get on the bus. It wasn't even — you know, every morning, it was the backpack was packed the night before and ready to get on the bus in the morning and head off to school. We would blow kisses every morning to each other.
And I remember that morning putting her on the bus. She had a habit of blowing kisses, but then she'd give me a big little liver lips like this. But then she — I knew she was so happy to go off and get there.
So it — I'd like to say that she was at a place that she loved, and so we take comfort in that, that we know she was in a place that she really loved.
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