Monday, April 16, 2007
Say A Prayer: Carnage on Campus
By now anyone who gives the slightest bit of attention to the news knows of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech. First, it's important to take a minute and say a prayer for the victim's, their families and everyone impacted by the tragedy.
The incident reaches such a horrific level that I doubt anyone would have anticipated it. Yet, the talking heads on the cable news networks are busy criticizing and condemning the Virginia Tech administration for not shutting down the campus, etc. immediately after the initial shooting of the two girls at the dormitory. Who would have foreseen the eventual outcome?
A mass shooting of this level is an event so rare in the U.S. that it has never happened before. Who would have thought that the shooting would re-erupt more than two hours later. In my memory, mass shootings usually occur as a single continual incident. This incident say a lull of two hours between the initial shooting and the second spree.
To expect the school's administration to foresee the unforeseeable is unfair. Consider how the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and the Federal government reacted to Katrina, an event predicted to come for decades.
The talking heads question how the shooter could have walked across campus with the weapons unseen. Have they ever heard of a book bag? Pistols don't take up much room. A police officer I know often carries a 9mm Glock in a fanny pack when off duty.
On virtually any campus, this mass killing would have been easy to carry out.
But the talking heads are already blaming video games, rap music, paintball, etc. for the culture of violence that lead to this massacre. The rush to judgement is a deluge. Nancy Grace sounds like an idiot. Larry King actually is using restraint. Pat Brown, criminal profiler, seems to be advocating a police state to prevent such tragedies in the future. The shooter, reportedly, was Asian. Maybe, we should make the equally ridiculous statement that we ban Asian students.
After watching the 7:30PM press conference at Virginia Tech, I have to wonder if there is a more clueless group than the press. To begin, they asked only two questions, fifty different ways. And, they seemed to misunderstand every answer.
Say a prayer for the victim's, their families and everyone impacted by the tragedy. And, try, just a little, to remain rational.
The incident reaches such a horrific level that I doubt anyone would have anticipated it. Yet, the talking heads on the cable news networks are busy criticizing and condemning the Virginia Tech administration for not shutting down the campus, etc. immediately after the initial shooting of the two girls at the dormitory. Who would have foreseen the eventual outcome?
A mass shooting of this level is an event so rare in the U.S. that it has never happened before. Who would have thought that the shooting would re-erupt more than two hours later. In my memory, mass shootings usually occur as a single continual incident. This incident say a lull of two hours between the initial shooting and the second spree.
To expect the school's administration to foresee the unforeseeable is unfair. Consider how the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and the Federal government reacted to Katrina, an event predicted to come for decades.
The talking heads question how the shooter could have walked across campus with the weapons unseen. Have they ever heard of a book bag? Pistols don't take up much room. A police officer I know often carries a 9mm Glock in a fanny pack when off duty.
On virtually any campus, this mass killing would have been easy to carry out.
But the talking heads are already blaming video games, rap music, paintball, etc. for the culture of violence that lead to this massacre. The rush to judgement is a deluge. Nancy Grace sounds like an idiot. Larry King actually is using restraint. Pat Brown, criminal profiler, seems to be advocating a police state to prevent such tragedies in the future. The shooter, reportedly, was Asian. Maybe, we should make the equally ridiculous statement that we ban Asian students.
After watching the 7:30PM press conference at Virginia Tech, I have to wonder if there is a more clueless group than the press. To begin, they asked only two questions, fifty different ways. And, they seemed to misunderstand every answer.
Say a prayer for the victim's, their families and everyone impacted by the tragedy. And, try, just a little, to remain rational.
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mass school shootings are getting more common, as far as i know theres been 19 school shootings, to date. its only body counts that increase as they get "better", and with more access to higher weapons,
Brenda spencer 1979 in san diego,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4371403.stm
April 2007: A gunman shoots dead at least 20 people at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia.
October 2006: A 32-year-old gunman shoots dead at least five girls at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before killing himself
September 2006: Gunman in Colorado shoots and fatally wounds a teenage schoolgirl, then kills himself; two days later a teenager kills the headteacher of a school in Cazenovia, Wisconsin
November 2005: Student in Tennessee shoots dead an assistant principal and wounds two other administrators
March 2005: Minnesota schoolboy kills nine, then shoots himself
May 2004: Four people injured in shooting at a school in Maryland
The Columbine school killings led to calls for tighter gun controls
April 2003: Teenager shoots dead head-teacher at a Pennsylvania school, then kills himself
March 2001: Pupil opens fire at a school in California, killing two students
February 2000: Six-year-old girl shot dead by classmate in Michigan
November 1999: Thirteen-year-old girl shot dead by a classmate in New Mexico
May 1999: Student injures six pupils in shoot-out in Georgia
April 1999: Two teenagers shoot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine School in Colorado
June 1998: Two adults hurt in shooting by teenage student at high school in Virginia
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old boy shoots himself in the head after taking a girl hostage
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old shoots dead two students in school cafeteria in Oregon
April 1998: Fourteen-year-old shoots dead a teacher and wounds two students in Pennsylvania
March 1998: Two boys, 11 and 13, kill four girls and a teacher in Arkansas
December 1997: Fourteen-year-old boy kills three students in Kentucky
October 1997: Sixteen-year-old boy stabs mother, then shoots dead two students at school in Mississippi, injuring several others
plus these Simon's Rock College of Bard shooting - Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States; December 14, 1992
Richland High School shooting - Lynnville, Tennessee, United States; November 15, 1995.
Stockton Massacre - Stockton, California, United States, 1989
University of Iowa shooting - Iowa City, Iowa, United States; 1991
Frontier Junior High shooting - Moses Lake, Washington, United States; February 2, 1996
California State University, Fullerton Library Massacre - Fullerton, California, United States; July 12, 1976
Kent State shootings - Kent, Ohio, United States; May 4, 1970
***
school shootings are not really rare.
Brenda spencer 1979 in san diego,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4371403.stm
April 2007: A gunman shoots dead at least 20 people at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia.
October 2006: A 32-year-old gunman shoots dead at least five girls at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before killing himself
September 2006: Gunman in Colorado shoots and fatally wounds a teenage schoolgirl, then kills himself; two days later a teenager kills the headteacher of a school in Cazenovia, Wisconsin
November 2005: Student in Tennessee shoots dead an assistant principal and wounds two other administrators
March 2005: Minnesota schoolboy kills nine, then shoots himself
May 2004: Four people injured in shooting at a school in Maryland
The Columbine school killings led to calls for tighter gun controls
April 2003: Teenager shoots dead head-teacher at a Pennsylvania school, then kills himself
March 2001: Pupil opens fire at a school in California, killing two students
February 2000: Six-year-old girl shot dead by classmate in Michigan
November 1999: Thirteen-year-old girl shot dead by a classmate in New Mexico
May 1999: Student injures six pupils in shoot-out in Georgia
April 1999: Two teenagers shoot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine School in Colorado
June 1998: Two adults hurt in shooting by teenage student at high school in Virginia
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old boy shoots himself in the head after taking a girl hostage
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old shoots dead two students in school cafeteria in Oregon
April 1998: Fourteen-year-old shoots dead a teacher and wounds two students in Pennsylvania
March 1998: Two boys, 11 and 13, kill four girls and a teacher in Arkansas
December 1997: Fourteen-year-old boy kills three students in Kentucky
October 1997: Sixteen-year-old boy stabs mother, then shoots dead two students at school in Mississippi, injuring several others
plus these Simon's Rock College of Bard shooting - Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States; December 14, 1992
Richland High School shooting - Lynnville, Tennessee, United States; November 15, 1995.
Stockton Massacre - Stockton, California, United States, 1989
University of Iowa shooting - Iowa City, Iowa, United States; 1991
Frontier Junior High shooting - Moses Lake, Washington, United States; February 2, 1996
California State University, Fullerton Library Massacre - Fullerton, California, United States; July 12, 1976
Kent State shootings - Kent, Ohio, United States; May 4, 1970
***
school shootings are not really rare.
The shootings don't seem rare but given the number of schools and students in the U.S., they are far from common. A shooting of this magnitude is extremely rare. It's only happened once.
In this case, the weapons apparently used aren't that advanced, either two 9mm semi-automatics or a 9mm semi-automatic and a 22 caliber semi-automatic. Both guns trace their roots and are mechanically quite similar to the 1911 Colt .45 caliber semi-automatic.
I hesitate to say greater gun control is the answer to these problems. Although I'm no fan of pistols. I don't own one a probably never will. From a law enforcement perspective, long guns are much harder for a criminal to conceal. I prefer a shotgun for home protection. Living in a semi-isolated location in the country, I feel the need for basic protection.
I'm not sure there is an effective answer to situations like the one at VT, short of a police state.
In this case, the weapons apparently used aren't that advanced, either two 9mm semi-automatics or a 9mm semi-automatic and a 22 caliber semi-automatic. Both guns trace their roots and are mechanically quite similar to the 1911 Colt .45 caliber semi-automatic.
I hesitate to say greater gun control is the answer to these problems. Although I'm no fan of pistols. I don't own one a probably never will. From a law enforcement perspective, long guns are much harder for a criminal to conceal. I prefer a shotgun for home protection. Living in a semi-isolated location in the country, I feel the need for basic protection.
I'm not sure there is an effective answer to situations like the one at VT, short of a police state.
i wonder why its usually young males, who generally do this kind of thing, are they feeling the antimale and they cant have an outlet of their aggression and so they decide to take as many people out as they can.
is it the alienation of young men of today that helps such crimes, he was a loner, why was he, was he marginalised, discriminated against, and it all built up into the murders.
is it the alienation of young men of today that helps such crimes, he was a loner, why was he, was he marginalised, discriminated against, and it all built up into the murders.
Good questions. I think it's a combination of a greater tendency by males towards aggressive action and alienation/hopelessness.
but men dont have the outlet anymore, whatever we do we get blamed for our violent natures, then when crimes of this magnitude occur, we get blamed, i have noticed they stress south korean and MAN, i dont know if its me but it sounds like they are blaming all men, or all south koreans.
Men don't have what outlet any more? Who fought wars? Who generally are boxers and football players? (Not that there are no women who like these things, but as a matter of general course.) I totally believe that men and women are equal - and should be treated equally - but there are fundamental differences. Men punch holes in walls, women try to work things out. It's simplistic, but clichés are basically true. We have to teach everyone brand new ways of dealing with anger and disagreement - and by "everyone" I mean men, women, Muslims, Catholics, little league parents, etc., etc.....
"little league parents"? You're asking for a lot there.
More and more, this shows itself to be a case of a totally deranged man. To draw any kind of general conclusions from it is a mistake.
More and more, this shows itself to be a case of a totally deranged man. To draw any kind of general conclusions from it is a mistake.
men find it hard to be men, in todays world, we are told we must feel more, we must become more female like, we need to embrace our feminine side.
and so on. yes there are sports, but most men are watchers, rather than going and doing, i am sure dadvocate did things with his father, and he did things with his sons, like take them camping, or in the case of my dad we used to walk miles and miles and miles, just being together. now if any man is seen to be with a teenager, they are looked upon as being, pedophiles.
women of today want men to be faux women.
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and so on. yes there are sports, but most men are watchers, rather than going and doing, i am sure dadvocate did things with his father, and he did things with his sons, like take them camping, or in the case of my dad we used to walk miles and miles and miles, just being together. now if any man is seen to be with a teenager, they are looked upon as being, pedophiles.
women of today want men to be faux women.
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