What is wrong with people

[TexomaOkie]

Brian, no one should EVER have a gun at school. I don't think anyone here is advocating that.

Also, I don't view my concern about the moral decay of our society as a political issue. I believe it's an issue that can only be solved on an individual basis, not by government.

[Brian Sloss]

Someone stated asked, is it a surprise that htis happened on a liberal campus where guns are not allowed? Another mentioned that a well armed student may have ended this thing earlier. That implies in my mind that packing in class would be acceptable. I'm saying that it is not. I am also hearing a lot of anti-Dem. talk because some loon went on a rampage. Not everyone is doing this, but it is there and I think it is not fair. I told myself I should stay out of political debates on a fishing forum, but sometimes I see something that makes want to speak up. I just think it is sad when a tragedy is politicized by either side. The one thing I agree with everyone on is the apathy many people show in raising their kids today. Allowing violent images through games (big problem in my mind) tv and movies. I'm always amazed when I'm at the movies and parents bring very young kids to R-rated, very violent movies. What are they thinking? I don't know if this had anything to do with this case, but it does have something to do with acceptance of violence in our culture. I'm going back to fishing.

[Terry Beeson]

Here here, Brian!

Here again we see the "blame game" at work. There are so many that will bring up the "gun control" issue on BOTH sides. Democrats will blame Republicans and Republicans will blame Democrats for this incident.

I blame mankind in general and Satan... End of discussion...

[Seth]

This is just a shame. Some wackjob has to ruin the lives of so many just to do what he thinks is the "right" thing to do in his mind. I don't understand what can drive a person to this level. People blame video games, but I think it has more to do than that because a person can't be in good mental health to do this. I've played shooting games all of my life with plenty of blood and guts involved and I don't let it hamper my views of reality in any way.

My prayers go out to all that are affected by this tragic event. I hope the shooter has wonderful time burning in hell.

[gonefishin]

One might notice that a lot of people shout it is only Americans that do this but, has anyone noticed that the person who done this was not an American but rather a Korean going to school here. I dunno maybe its in the water.......

About the gun vs anti-gun and or Dem vs Rep. I still think it shameful that this tragedy perpetrated by a non-American will be turned into a political shouting match for either side.

[Terry Beeson]

Seth,

I have to agree with you about "blaming" video games. As I alluded to in recent postings, this type of thing is just a "cop out" to rid ourselves of blame and responsibility. We, as a society, have tried to rule out taking responsibility for our actions. I can blame my mom, McDonalds (well, not them - I RARELY eat McDonalds food), society, doctors, God, genetics, or any number of "things" for my being overweight. But ultimately, I must take the responsibility and understand that it is MY actions that are not under control enough to make me a lean, mean, fishin' machine...

But I do want to "preach a short sermon" on the last comment. I feel instead of reveling in the belief that this person is going to "burn in hell" for his actions, we should take the approach of praying that just before the bullet entered his brain, he had a change of heart and repented his actions. And we should be in prayer that we never get to the same level of mental/spiritual demise to cause us to do something similar. And we should pray that our actions or words might serve to prevent someone else from committing such an act and even more that we lead someone on a similar path to Christianity.

I, too, have "lashed out" and made similar statements in frustration and anger. However, reflection on such thoughts in my head makes me wonder if, in God's "opinion", I'm any better than the shooter... I guess I take a WWJD approach... Maybe I'm wrong...

I see the deacons are all looking at their watches, so you are all dismissed...

[taxidermist]

On NBC they mention the killer has been a legal alien since 1995, I am betting he was facing having to return to Korea, also maybe not passing his classes, then depressed along with all this triggered him to decide his life is not worth living and he was making sure he would make a name for himself.

Noone, noLAWS would or could have prevented this. He would have purchase illegal guns had legal not been available.

[Seth]

You're right about the lashing out do to anger part Terry. I do tend to do that sometimes. I just am not a very forgiving person. It's just my nature. If somebody does something to me or anybody else that I don't care for, I can have hard feelings for quite a while.

Aside from that, I try to do anything for anybody and lend a helping hand anytime I can. I'm just a bear when somebody or something gets on my bad side.

I don't your're wrong in your words of wisdom Terry. Like I said, I just have a hard time forgiving somebody after they do something, even if they truely have changed. Dad always told me to "think before you act" because thinking one thing and doing something are two totally different things and sometimes doing something you will regret later on maybe never be forgotten or forgiven.

[back2roots]

So, to put it all in a condensed form. i think we all agree that this is indeed a tremendous, horrific loss of life and we need to pray for all of the families involved (yes, I am including the family of the shooter). But as to the why's and wherefore's....we'll have to wait until all the dust settles. Sadly, even then we may never know what it was that drove this young man to go on this rampage. All I know is there must be something we should learn from this because the old saying seems to be coming true...Those how fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This scenario is being played out too often. There is a "root" cause for every effect. Perhaps we should be praying for this to be found.

Bill

[Crippled Caddis]

Brian wrote:

<This is not meant to draw anyone's ire, but a lot of people here seem to be politicizing this tragedy.>

I'm sure that I'm the culprit in that matter. But have you witnessed the media feeding frenzy to politicize it? In contrast mine is the voice of reason. Ultimately all social problems are political in some facet or another. It is the real world of 'real-politick' and it affects every aspect of our daily lives. To think otherwise is a betrayal of either one's ignorance or powers of self-deception. It is a critical 2nd Amendment issue and the Left has siezed on the event with unseemly glee, confident that it will provide entree' to deprive the American people of the most basic right of all---the right of self defense.

<Blaming directly or indirectly Democrats or liberals for the crazed acts of one individual. Do you think major corporate offices allow people to be armed in their offices? No, of course not. Why should a university.>

You obviously have little or no educational background on our Constitution and Bill of Rights to even voice the question. In short, by denying students and faculty the right to be armed both the Virginia General Assembly and the Regents of the University deprived them of their right of self defense under the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights, a fundamental Civil Rights violation. In so doing they are arguably guilty of reckless endangerment as well.

<If that person had a knife, the death total would not have been 33. It is a lot easier to get away from a guy with a knife or chainsaw or over power him with force than dodge a bullet or outrun it.>

And had there been a single armed student or faculty member armed with a weapon equal to the one used by the perpetrator the odds that none or far fewer would have been killed or injured would have been dramatically altered. THAT is the fundamental issue in the case. By denying their 2nd Amendment rights to students and faculty the regents and the General Assembly must share the guilt with the one who performed the act. They are morally (and I believe legally) culpable in those deaths and injuries of defenseless citizens.

<But before you say I want to just ban guns, I don't. But think about it rationally, history class is not a place you should be packing.>

Why not when it is one of the Constitutional rights 'reserved to the people'? The right of self defense is the 'first law' of human society. It is denied only to slaves or by totalitarian regimes with good reason to fear the citizenry. And the surest betrayal of intent to persecute or enslave the citizenry by a governmental body is the attempt to disarm them.

<Now should the administration have responded earlier when the first incident occured, in hindsight definitely!>

Yes----hindsight is a wonderful tool for those trying to assign blame. It was one of the first areas of attack by liberal media. Their delight in doing so was almost embarrassing to anyone with the power of independent reason. The inference is a cheap shot at best and simple sensationalism on the face of it.

<I am not trying to insight anyone's anger or get into a big gun control debate, I have no problem with responsible gun ownership, but just thought I'd address the knee jerk "it is the Dem. or liberals fault".>

My retirement project was to discover just what had became of 'the land of the free'. I have invested (or squandered) an almost unbelievable number of hours, days and weeks in researching societies, belief systems, history, psychology and political systems in the past 17 years both in the written word and on the internet. I have studied our own founding documents, those that preceded them and the people who authored them along with the debates that preceded adoption. I am confident at this stage that I have a fair handle on the root causes of the problems in World and American society and the political manueverings that have brought us to this moment in history. I have every confidence that you are a good person who wishes this country well, but I have equal confidence that due to your age you are a product of a liberal educational system that taught few if any of the subjects I cited above. But all the information to educate oneself is freely available on the 'net these days. I commend it to anyone whose curiosity goes beyond the programming of our public school system and universities. Learning can be a lifelong adventure and acceptance of the opinions of others without questioning them constitutes mental laziness at best and indoctrination at worst. I invite you to embark upon your own adventure. CC

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A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. - Joseph Pulitzer

"When the government fears the people, it is liberty. When the people fear the government, it is tyranny."---Thomas Paine

Machiavelli advocated a nation based on a national militia. Such a nation would be founded upon: "good laws and good arms. And as there can not be good laws where there are not good arms, and where there are good arms there must be good laws, I will not now discuss the laws, but will speak of the arms."