Tony Dodero -- From the Newsroom

May has always been my favorite month.

Probably because I was born in May. But all my life it’s been a time

of celebration -- birthdays for me, my sister, my grandma and my late

aunt. It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary and, of course, Mother’s Day.

May is also time for the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500 and

there’s even a three-day weekend for Memorial Day.

And of course, summer is just around the corner.

But ever since May of 1999, convicted killer Steven Allan Abrams has

ensured that my favorite month now conjures up a somber, even horrible

memory -- the painful images of a playground tragedy that resulted in the

death of two innocent children, Sierra Soto and Brandon Wiener, and the

injuries of several others.

I bring this up not so much as to harp on the anniversary of that

awful moment in local history, but as a warning that recent news events

reminds me that innocence is still under attack.

Take for instance the recent news that someone has been placing razor

blades and shards of broken glass onto park playgrounds and play

equipment.

Then there was the news that someone shot a blue heron, an endangered

waterfowl that makes its home in the Back Bay, leaving its recently

hatched babies motherless.

Here in the newsroom, we ask the same questions as you. “Who would do

such a thing?”

The answer is it’s someone like Abrams. Someone who wants to destroy

innocence.

As a human, I find that incredibly sad; as a father I find it

terrifying.

Children and animals are defenseless, often unable to protect

themselves or cry for help when it’s needed. The perpetrator of such evil

knows this and doesn’t care.

I only hope that all the parents in Newport-Mesa stay on their guard

and warn others that their children and other innocents are under attack.

Hopefully the attacker will be behind bars soon.

***

Newspaper types are pretty notorious for not being early birds.

So getting up at the crack of dawn to spend Thursday morning at the

annual Prayer Breakfast for the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council

was not an easy thing to do.

But I was glad I did it.

The Prayer Breakfast, set to coincide with the National Day of Prayer,

featured our own Peter Buffa as the emcee. Peter was his usually funny

self with a litany of ecclesiastical jokes that set the place off

laughing.

The best part of the morning, however, is the message that the

Interfaith Council brings members of all different religions and faiths

together for a common cause and to learn from each other.

Anyone interested in joining the Interfaith Council can check with

their pastor or rabbi or attend one of the eight lunch meetings held each

year.

Either that or check out the council’s Web site at

www.nmiinterfaith.org for meeting schedules, membership information and a

complete directory of congregations in the three cities. Or call the

council office at 949-660-8665 for more information.

* TONY DODERO is the editor. His column appears on Mondays. If you

have story ideas or concerns about news coverage, please send messages

either via e-mail to [email protected] or by phone at 949-574-4258.