'We are so sorry, we feel helpless and lost'
Killer's family Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington and Ed Pilkington in New York Saturday April 21, 2007 The Guardian The family of Cho Seung-hui, who shot 32 people dead before turning his gun on himself, made their first public comments yesterday about his actions, saying they had "made the world weep". In a statement put out by his sister, Sun-kyung Cho, through a lawyer in North Carolina, the family said they were living a nightmare, and apologised to his victims. "Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us. We pray for their families and loved ones, who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured, and for those whose lives are changed forever." The statement, released to the Associated Press, came on the day Americans held a collective day of mourning for the victims, with church services and vigils from Capitol Hill to California. Yesterday's solemnities were centred on a moment of silence for the dead across Virginia at noon after the governor, Tim Kaine, declared a day of mourning. Forty other states also held vigils for the dead. "This has touched the globe," Mr Kaine told a memorial service. "The universality that we all suffer, we all grieve, has touched hearts around the world." The sombreness of the day was deepened by the knowledge that it was the anniversary of another school shooting - of 13 students and one teacher at Colorado's Columbine high school in 1999. The Cho family said that it had been "humbled by this darkness". The gunman's sister said: "We feel hopeless, helpless, and lost. This is someone that I grew up with and loved. Now I feel I didn't know this person." She said that, though her brother had been quiet and reserved, "we never could have envisioned he was capable of so much violence". The family, staying in an undisclosed location, said it would cooperate fully with the police investigation. During the day of mourning, church bells tolled on the grassy expanse called the Drill Field at the heart of Virginia Tech campus, just outside Norris Hall, where Cho killed all but two of his victims. Almost all the mourners wore the school colours of orange and maroon, as they drew close to the makeshift memorial on the grass, a semi-circle of stones surrounding large placards with handwritten tributes to the dead, large wreaths, and humble bouquets of flowers. Elsewhere in Virginia, bells chimed for each of Cho's victims at an interfaith memorial at Virginia Commonwealth University. "The thing that matters most today is to remember the friends and families of those who lost loved ones," Virginia's lieutenant governor, Bill Bolling, said. The first of Cho's victims was also buried yesterday in the Israeli town of Raanana, not far from Tel Aviv. Liviu Librescu, 76, was an expert on aerospace engineering who had taught at the university for more than 20 years. As a child in Romania, the professor had survived the Holocaust. On Monday, he was shot while shielding students from the gunman. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2062501,00.html
Staff:Suzanne Goldenberg,Washington and Ed Pilkington
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Jonathan Watts in Goyang Friday April 20, 2007 The Guardian The brooding silence of Cho Seung-hui was so impenetrable it disturbed his family even when he was growing up in South Korea, relatives of the Virginia killer told the Guardian yesterday. His grandfather feared that at the age of eight he might be mute; the boy's great aunt worried that he had mental problems. And his mother, Kim Hyang-im, spent much of her time in church praying for him to snap out of his unhealthy taciturnity. "She was heartbroken," said his mother's aunt, Kim Yang-soon. "After they moved to America, she hoped his silences would ease as he grew older. But in fact they got worse." The poor family had a difficult start. Cho's mother was forced into an arranged marriage with a man 10 years her senior - Cho Sung-tae, who came from a poor family in the south but had worked in Saudi Arabia for 10 years on construction sites and oilfields. Hyang-im was from a well-educated family of North Korean landowners who had fled during the Korean war. "She didn't want to marry, but she gave in," said Yang-soon. No one in the family recalls any violent behaviour from Cho that might have hinted at later carnage. But they were unnerved by his sullenness. "My grandson was shy even as a little boy and he would never run to me like my other grandchildren," his maternal grandfather, Kim Hyong-shik, told the Hankyoreh Daily. "I thought he might be deaf and dumb." Schoolmates told local media they remembered Cho as quiet. But the father doted on his children. "He would have done anything for them," the grandfather said. "But now this has happened. It's as if everything they've done, the reason for their whole existence has been for nothing." The family moved to the US in 1992. During their eight-year wait for a visa, they fell short of money, selling their second-hand shop and home to make ends meet. They had visited Hyang-im's family before they left, an occasion that was only the second time the grandparents had seen Cho. Yang-soon said of the boy: "He would not talk even when I called to him. He was so quiet I remarked he must have a very gentle nature. But his mother told me he was too quiet. Soon after they got to America, he was diagnosed as being clinically withdrawn. It amazes me he ever [got] into university. I guess he must have had some mental problems from birth." Cho's family worked hard in the US. His father worked in a laundry, to fund his children's education. His mother, a part-time waitress, attended the Korean church in Centreville, where she implored the pastor to help her son. When Cho started at Virginia Tech, his mother took his dormitory mates to one side to explain his character and asked them to help. "She was worried that he spent all his time in his room, lost in a world of video games," the paper quoted the pastor as saying. "[Cho] came to bible studies for a couple of years, but rarely spoke and never got along with the other youths." "I just wish he would have talked," said Yang-soon. "There is an old saying in Korea that people who won't talk will end up killing themselves. That is what happens when the resentment builds up." On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source: Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2061777,00.html
'I pretended to be dead ... people died on top of me'
Bobbie Johnson and Lee Glendinning Wednesday April 18, 2007 The Guardian Within hours of news of the Blacksburg shootings, a picture of the terror inflicted by 23-year-old Korean student Cho Seung-hui was being built online through videos, blogs and message boards. Clay Violand, 20, a student at Virginia Tech, described on iChat, an online messaging service, how he pretended to be dead as his classmates fell on top of him. "I watched my fucking classmates get mauled in front of me and I was the only one who wasn't shot. I feel crazy. People died on top of me," he told his friend Alana Fragar, who also attends Virginia Tech. "I am the only person who didn't get shot in my French class in Norris and I have no idea why and I don't know what to do. "I pretended to be dead and people got shot in the face ... I keep seeing gross images of blood and gunshots in the face and ... I have no idea why I lived. I didn't even get blood on me. I don't get it." Friends of Emily Hilscher, the first victim of the shootings, had gathered online to create an instant memorial. Using the social networking site Facebook, hugely popular among American college students, friends built a page asking each other to collect their pictures of the 18-year-old from stages of her life. "We want everybody that joins to post one or more things that made Emily cooler than you," it said. Tributes and messages had poured in from friends, family - and even strangers as far away as Norway. "It didn't matter who you were or if she knew you ... she would be your friend in a heartbeat," said one friend. "Emily was so spunky and full of life," said another. "She had such a creative personality, and was always making such fun new things." Youngsters gathered on the site to post tributes and messages for other victims, such as 18-year-old Reema Samaha. "Reema you were one of the funniest people I know ... We all love you," said one. Facebook is a mainstay of American college life, and used by around 18 million people. Within a day, more than 120,000 people had joined a discussion group named "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting", leaving messages of condolence and confusion. Many Virginia Tech students spent the day trawling through pages set up by their friends to see if they were safe, or logging on to local news websites just to keep up with events. Planet Blacksburg, a student-run website, was among those which kept updating despite being crashed by the amount of web traffic. Local newspapers such as the Roanoke Times were also overwhelmed by visitors. Videos shot by students on their mobile phones were broadcast within minutes of events unfolding, while Bryce Carter, 19, chose to document his experiences on his blog. "I heard several faint gunshots from across campus ... snipers on the library," he wrote. "We saw a Swat member hide behind stairs, seemingly expecting a shooter to walk by ... they had no clue where he was, a scary realisation." One unsavoury side of the internet began to emerge as speculators started offering gruesome website names for sale: sites such as BlacksburgTheMovie.com were registered within hours. in a day, more than 120,000 people had joined a discussion group named "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting", leaving messages of condolence and confusion. Many Virginia Tech students spent the day trawling through pages set up by their friends to see if they were safe, or logging on to local news websites just to keep up with events. Planet Blacksburg, a student-run website, was among those which kept updating despite being crashed by the amount of web traffic. Local newspapers such as the Roanoke Times were also overwhelmed by visitors. Videos shot by students on their mobile phones were broadcast within minutes of events unfolding, while Bryce Carter, 19, chose to document his experiences on his blog. "I heard several faint gunshots from across campus ... snipers on the library," he wrote. "We saw a Swat member hide behind stairs, seemingly expecting a shooter to walk by ... they had no clue where he was, a scary realisation." One unsavoury side of the internet began to emerge as speculators started offering gruesome website names for sale: sites such as BlacksburgTheMovie.com were registered within hours. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059737,00.html
Staff: Bobbie Johnson and Lee Glendinning
Ewen MacAskill Wednesday April 18, 2007 The Guardian A survivor of the Holocaust died trying to save his students from the Virginia Tech gunman, it emerged yesterday. Liviu Librescu, 76, who survived the Nazi killings, later escaped from communist Romania to become a respected aeronautics expert. "My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," his son, Joe Librescu, said from his home outside Tel Aviv. Student Alec Calhoun told the Guardian how Mr Librescu's bravery bought him precious seconds after the killer started shooting in the next room. "I thought I was going to die. I started to make a barricade of desks." Mr Calhoun went to jump out of the window. It was then he saw Mr Librescu. "I hung on to the ledge. The professor was trying to hold the door closed. I was the last one out that was not wounded." When he finally forced his way in, Mr Librescu threw himself in front of the attacker, a student told Israel's Army Radio. "He was killed but thanks to him his students lived," the student said. Messages were posted on the web praising the professor. "No act could be more selfless." one poster wrote. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059729,00.html
11.15am Media reports portray Cho Seung-hui as a troubled boy with a murderous imagination Michelle Pauli Wednesday April 18, 2007 Guardian Unlimited Just one face stares out of the front pages of the papers today. With the naming of the perpetrator of the Virginia Technical College massacre, all attention is focused on Cho Seung-hui, the South Korean loner who shot dead 32 of his fellow students and professors. The Telegraph and the Mirror both use the killer's own words as their headline: "You made me do this." The line comes from the note left behind by Cho, which also rails against "rich kids", "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans". The picture that is emerging of Cho is of a troubled loner with a history of mental health problems. Roommates at the dormitory where he lived called him "weird", while fellow students in his creative writing class describe being frightened by his "morbid and grotesque" plays. The Washington Post has an interview with the head of the English department, Lucinda Roy, who had taught Cho in one-to-one sessions after a colleague had been disturbed by his work. According to the Post, Roy said she warned school officials. "'I was determined that people were going to take notice. I felt I'd said to so many people, 'Please, will you look at this young man?' " The question of whether Cho could have been stopped - if not before the first two killings then in the period before the further shootings - continues to be examined. The Guardian says that "angry" students want to know why the campus was not locked down and classes cancelled and why it took more than two hours for them to be sent a warning email. Details from those two and a half hours "remain sketchy" says the paper but it is believed that the police thought that the first two shootings were a domestic murder committed by someone who had then left the campus, leaving them surprised when the second shootings occurred. "The university has blood on their hands," says one student, Billy Baston, in the Guardian. But what about the gun vendors? As attention, in the UK press at least, turns once again to America's gun laws, it was revealed yesterday that the pistols used by Cho had been bought legally on March 13. "It was a very unremarkable sale," says the owner of the shop. And, the assumption is, such sales will continue to be unremarkable in America. The National Rifle Association is too potent a foe for any party to take on, says the Guardian, which flags up the $14m donated by the lobby group to politicians over the last 14 years. "Once again the rest of the world will look on in amazement as America proves itself unable to defend its ordinary citizens from armed maniacs," says the paper. Elsewhere, commentators generally agree that little is likely to change in the area of gun law. And why should it, asks Richard Wolffe from Newsweek, in the Independent. You can't take the guns out of American life and you can never really stop another Virginia Tech, he says. Magnus Linklater in the Times thinks that "probably" tighter gun control would have prevented the Virginia Tech shootings but that banning guns is a salve rather than a solution. "What is needed s a wholesale shift in the national culture - and that will take rather longer than an arms ban," he comments. The Telegraph, meanwhile, has a rather odd comment piece from David Frum, a former speechwriter for George Bush. Headlined "No policy can outwit the Grim Reaper", Frum argues that we must blame the criminal not the gun culture. "Death lies waiting around the corner for us all," he remarks and "no public policy can rescue us from that grim human fact". Along with profiles of the perpetrator and the analysis of how he could have been prevented, the third area of focus in the pages and pages of coverage of the tragedy are, of course, the victims. And, among the tributes, the papers pay particular attention to Liviu Librescu, a 79-year-old professor of engineering who had survived Nazi death camps but died saving the lives of several of his students by blocking his classroom's doorway as Cho approached. Professor Librescu has emerged a hero, says the Telegraph, which describes how he barricaded the door of his classroom and told his students to jump from the second floor window. Many leapt to safety. He was shot dead. "It is worth reflecting on the significance of Professor Librescu's life of quiet heroism, which encompassed the Holocaust, a career of internationally admired teaching and research, and a final act of sacrifice that saved at least nine other lives," says the Times in its leader. The Guardian describes how friends of the victims are gathering online to remember the students through videos, blogs and message boards. An instant memorial to Emily Hilscher, the first victim, has been created on the social networking site Facebook. The page asks "everybody that joins to post one or more things that made Emily cooler than you". The paper reports that within a day of the shootings, more than 120,000 people have joined a discussion group to pay tribute to the victims. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059933,00.html
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The challenge of preventing violence is not just an American problem
Commentary John Monahan and Jeffrey Swanson Sunday April 22, 2007 The Observer One of the largest mass killings in American history was carried out last Monday at the hands of a 23-year-old university student with mental illness. The reverberations of the events that ended the lives of 32 students and faculty staff at Virginia Tech - and of the offender as well - are shaking the already wobbly mental health system. This American tragedy surely holds lessons for the UK as it considers the revision of its Mental Health Bill. The scientific challenges of predicting violence, and the legal challenges of preventing it, transcend national borders. Both UK and US look first to mental health professionals. But how good are psychiatrists and psychologists at distinguishing which people with a mental illness will be violent? Research shows professionals are better than pure chance, but not much. Predicting harmful behaviour is like predicting bad weather. An inaccurate prediction doesn't necessarily mean the clinician or the meteorologist has 'missed something'; it may just mean the science of forecasting has a long way to go. Tools to aid mental health professionals in the task focus on proven risk factors: characteristics that define the person (e.g. young, male); disorders that a person has (e.g. a major mental illness, a personality disorder, and alcohol or drug abuse); what the person has done (e.g. past violence); and what has been done to the person (e.g. being raised by violent or substance abusing parents, and being physically abused as a child). These risk factors can distinguish patients with a low risk of future violence from patients with a high one. What can be done to preclude anticipated violence? If people need treatment, don't want it, and might do something harmful if they don't get it, can the state override their right to refuse? The law of civil commitment - being hospitalised against one's will - in almost every US state focuses on two things: whether the person is seriously mentally ill and whether they are likely to be imminently violent to self or others. Many states have recently struck the word 'imminently' from their statutes as being too restrictive. There are many state laws authorising 'outpatient commitment', or in Britain 'community treatment orders', requiring certain people to get treatment in the community rather than, or in addition to, in a hospital. Cho himself had received a judicial order in December 2005 to 'follow all recommended treatment'. In Virginia, however, such an order is effectively unenforceable. Civil libertarians see these laws as an Orwellian intrusion on the freedom of people with mental illness, most of whom will never be violent, to make their own decisions about treatment. But family members often argue that their relatives are so sick they don't realise they're ill and won't accept treatment voluntarily, or will stop taking their medication or therapy when they feel better. They argue that some people have to be required by law to accept outpatient treatment, or they won't get any treatment at all, sometimes with catastrophic effect. In Cho's case, opponents will argue that the outcome proves a judicial order to community-based treatment cannot prevent murder and mayhem; proponents will say that these statutes need more 'teeth'. But this controversy raises the question of whether the policy actually works: can legally enforced outpatient treatment prevent violence? Evidence is mixed. However, one study found that if people with mental illness were on a community treatment order for at least six months, they were much less likely to be violent than people who were not on outpatient commitment or on it only briefly. As the science of violence risk assessment improves, and clinical interventions to reduce that risk become demonstrably effective, there will be no avoiding trade-offs among cherished Anglo-American values of autonomy, social responsibility, privacy, and security. Our advice is to beware all those who find these trade-offs easy. In the process of defining the rights and responsibilities of those among us with mental illness, we define ourselves. John Monahan is a psychologist and University of Virginia professor. Jeffrey Swanson is a sociologist and associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2062866,00.html
Letters Wednesday April 18, 2007 The Guardian We have heard the arguments for years regarding the modern-day relevance or not of the second amendment, which engrains the right to bears arms into the American constitution and psyche, and they need not be rehashed now. I am sure all readers are intelligent and well-informed enough to realise and accept that although they may have strong views on the rights of people to own guns, many others do not share that view. But this argument should not be the focus of today's editorials, columns and letters. Nathaniel Hawthorne said that "A hero cannot be a hero unless in a heroic world", so let us today for once become a world that celebrates heroism rather than focusing on the acts of the wicked few. The bravery of students to carry their friends, their classmates and people they didn't even know to safety and help while under fire shows the acts of heroism that are still required in our world. Today it is them and their fallen colleagues that we should be focusing on, not the evil act of one person. We will focus on how to turn heroic acts into unnecessary acts tomorrow, but for today let's celebrate the lives of those who have once again been taken by the winds of fate and those who were willing to risk their lives simply because it was the right thing to do. Let us tomorrow reignite the debate over gun ownership, and this time have a full and frank debate rather than the shouting match that has developed in past decades and led to a stalemate which only allows further acts of terror to plague our society, but just for one day we can put our differences aside and immortalise the all too soon forgotten heroes of our world. Michael Hunter Glasgow It's really very simple. If you permit people to buy firearms they will buy firearms. If a person owns any kind of tool they are likely to use that tool for the purpose intended. Firearms have only one use: they are designed to shoot and to kill. Don't quote in defence "the constitutional right to bear arms"; the constitution was written centuries ago, in a different world with different values. What about the constitutional right not to be murdered? If an individual has a breakdown in response to the pressures they find themselves under, they could kill themselves. Give that person a gun and time after time we see a trail of corpses - Dunblane, Columbine, Hungerford, Pennsylvania, etc, and now Virginia Tech. Personal ownership of lethal weapons has no place in a civilised society. Andrew Harris Hitchin, Hertfordshire The second amendment reads: "Congress must not deny the states a militia. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The context was the "critical period" when the states were concerned over the possible tyranny of the federal government. Eric Liggett Carnforth, Lancashire Neither the president of Virginia Tech nor President Bush even mentioned unrestricted gun ownership as a factor in this carnage in their public statements. The latter suggested prayer as a remedy instead. Maybe there is no connection between the availability and the use of weapons in Virginia. Laurence Mann London Jackie Ashley would not have wanted her thesis on the media numbing-down of the daily carnage in Iraq (What matters is the blood in the sand, not Des Browne, April 16) to have been instantly proved in such a stark fashion. But the blanket media coverage of the killing of 32 students on a Virginia university campus does, by contrast, demonstrate perfectly her cry of pain for Iraq, where the daily death toll surpasses that of the American tragedy. What is, in the 21st century, the insane pioneer attitude to carrying and using guns - to protect yourself in a wild, unknown world - has also been translated to Iraq, where young, frightened American soldiers have been, on average, responsible for up to a third of Iraqi civilian deaths daily, according to Iraq's ministry of health. Dr David Lowry Stoneleigh, Surrey Special report United States Related articles 25.10.2002: Captured in their sniper's nest 25.10.2002: Dropped clues that led police to sniper 25.10.2002: Rifle costs just $800 Useful links National Rifle Association Violence Policy Centre Brady Campaign Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source: Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059479,00.html
Eve Thompson-Acting Permissions Executive Syndication;permissions.syndication@guardian.co.uk
Virginia Tech professor 'died saving students'
Ewen MacAskill in Blacksburg Tuesday April 17, 2007 Guardian Unlimited Alec Calhoun, an engineering student at Virginia Tech, described today an individual act of bravery by one of his professors that saved his life. Mr Calhoun, 20, had been in Room 204 in the college's Norris hall taking a class in solid mechanics. "We heard what sounded like an enormous hammer. We though it was construction. The scream told us it was something else." The killer, having murdered two people two hours earlier, had started a shooting spree in the classroom next door. "I thought pretty early on that I was going to die. I started knocking desks over [to make a barricade]. Others were pulling the windows down. It is lucky someone thought of the windows." The class was on the second floor and the first students to jump were hurt. "I was the eighth to jump. I hung onto the ledge. I saw the professor. I think he was trying to hold the door closed. "I was the last one out that was not wounded. The two behind me were shot. I jumped onto a bush and fell onto my back. It was about a minute between hearing the shots and jumping out of the window." He said his professor had been killed. After reaching safety, he immediately phoned his father, James, a teacher, to tell them he was safe. Special report United States of America World news guide North American media Media New York Times Washington Post CNN Government US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007 -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2059205,00.html
US college shooting 'could happen in UK'
Debbie Andalo Tuesday April 17, 2007 EducationGuardian.co.uk The mass shooting at Virginia Tech University could easily happen on a UK campus, an academic and former vice-president of a US institution warned today. Prof Geoffrey Alderman, formerly the vice-president of Touro College in New York, said: "If you asked any university security guard in the UK whether what happened in Virginia could happen here, and they replied no - they would be lying. "I am sure every university in this country will be reviewing their security and although they will be shocked at what has happened in the States they would not be shocked at the suggestion that the same thing could happen here." He added that institutions had "better face the fact that what happened at Virginia Tech could happen in any British university". He said if someone was determined to shoot people, he couldn't see any way to prevent it. Prof Alderman was vice-president of Touro College for nearly three years until he returned to the UK in 2002. He remains an emeritus professor in history at the college. Referring to security at the New York campus he said: "Security was pretty tight. Every student and member of staff had to wear photographic ID and there were security guards on the gates of every campus. Nobody was allowed in or out without ID. "But security ID can only go so far, especially if you have a sprawling campus, and not one that you can lock-down - if you go to Oxford or Cambridge, for example, the universities are embedded in the cities." Prof Alderman believes a key factor behind the Virginia Tech tragedy, which claimed 32 lives, is the United State's innate tolerance of guns. He said: "This is an issue about the availability of guns in the US - the right to carry arms is enshrined in the American conscience. In my New York days it was something that was enshrined in the American psyche - even in New York where they are quite strict about the carrying of arms. The Fulbright Commission, the Anglo-American academic exchange programme that annually has around 20 UK postgraduates at universities in the US, confirmed today that none of its scholars have been sent to Virginia Tech. Penny Egan, the commission's executive director, expressed "shock and huge concern" for everybody involved in the US shooting, but said she was confident it would not deter students from applying to its academic exchanges programme in the future. She said: "Our website has 1.5 million hits every month and a third of those come from UK students. There continues to be a tremendous interest from British students. "There was a slight decline [in UK interest] following 9/11, but that was a more all pervading issue." She added: "My own view is that we won't see any decline in interest from UK students following this isolated incident. We have a number of US interns working here and their view is that they see it as an isolated incident and not as something which is part of any trend." Universities UK, the organisation that represents university vice-chancellors, today sent a message of condolence to the president of the American Council on Education, which represents US higher education colleges and associations. Earlier today the head of an American university in London expressed his sympathy for the victims of the college tragedy. William Moore, the president of the American InterContinental University, said: "It was just a shock that something like that could happen. It's a tragedy and as an American I share my sense of sympathy for all the families and everybody effected. "I will be meeting my senior colleagues ... to see how we may respond." The InterContinental is an official branch campus of the American InterContinental University in Atlanta, Georgia. It recruits students from around the world, not just the US. Related articles 17.04.2007: Killer's identity still unrevealed 17.04.2007: Massacre on the campus 17.04.2007: '25 of us went in, just four walked out' Background 17.04.2007: A history of violence Map Where it happened Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007 -- Original Source:http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2059208,00.html
Seoul does some soul searching over Virginia massacre
Wednesday April 18 2007 By Mark Tran / USA 04:39pm Like others around the world, South Koreans have reacted with horror to the killings at Virginia Tech university, but they are also nervous about a possible backlash against the large Korean community in the US. The headline in the Korea Herald encapsulates the sense of alarm: Massacre puts US-based ethnic Koreans on alert. "I and my fellow citizens can only feel shock and a wrenching of our hearts," said the south Korean president Roh Moo-hyun at a press conference, the third time he has offered his condolences. The government has already held several cabinet emergency meetings since the killer was identified as a South Korean, although he had been in the US since the age of eight. South Korean citizens pray for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre in front of the US embassy in Seoul. For the blogger, Michael Hurt, an American of Korean and African-American descent who lives in South Korea, the incident raises interesting questions about South Korean society and the "cultural context" of the killing, which he admits is highly sensitive ground. Hurt believes that the South Korean fears of retaliation are misplaced but argues that such fears are a "fair extrapolation of how foreign Others are treated as scapegoats and categorical symbols of many Koreans' opinions of other nations and races". But he raises more troubling points such as the apparent problem that Korean male students have in adjusting to the US. From conversations he has had with American academics, he says: "What came out is that many Korean men felt displaced and disempowered as males who lived in a society that catered to them, while in the US, those forms of automatic power and status - being male, rich, or having come from Seoul National University - mean nothing. And at the same time, Korean women experience a social liberalisation compared to where they would often be in Korea." In further food for thought, Hurt notes that the record holder for the worst shooting in modern times was an off duty South Korean policeman who went on a drunken rampage in 1982, killing 57 people and wounding 38 before blowing himself up with several grenades he took from the police armoury. The Marmot's Hole, however, has no truck with cultural explanations about the Virginia Tech killings. "Cho Seung-hui is about as representative of the Korean community as the Columbine shooters were of the white community, that is to say, he's not. In fact, if there is any group that seems "predisposed" to this sort of violence in the United States, it's not foreign Asian students, it's white males." Contemporaria This post was last changed at 04:39 PM, April 18 2007, at a time when the top headline on Guardian Unlimited was Secret UN report condemns US for Middle East failures, and the top headline from the BBC was More 'chemical castrations' plan, and there were posts elsewhere tagged with these same keywords: Korea The post was written by Mark Tran. You can email the author at mark.tran@guardian.co.uk Comments well, that's all very interesting, but if he had been in the US since he was eight years old, I can't help feeling that it's American culture which would have had the larger impact. Not saying US culture is inherently fucked up, just that the examples given of removal of status / general culture shock leading to 'disempowerment' are probably not applicable here. He was mentally ill, as are many human beings, and it led to the worst possible consequences. His 'heritage' is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. Posted by Joshy on April 18, 2007 5:50 PM. Have to agree with Joshy here. Race and national heritage are largely irrelevant. America is a nasty place full of guns. Posted by Carts on April 18, 2007 6:36 PM. Not necessarily. You don't know how much of an influence American culture played in the boy's life. Asians sometimes stick together in their new country. The common language and culture binds them together in a foreign land. Just because he grew up in the United States does not necessarily mean that he accepted US culture and was integrated into US culture. His parents may have been the type to only socialise with other Koreans, and that may have trickled down to him. I was born in Asia, and have been in the US since I was 3 (with a brief, 6 year stay in the UK for university and graduate school). My parents primarily socialised with other people from their country. I chose not to, but then again I was younger when I came to the United States than Cho was. He probably felt very alienated in school when he first arrived, and if he didn't get over that alienation and those feelings of exclusion and isolation, coupled with his mental and emotional problems... Well, we can see the result. It's too bad that his teachers treated him like such an anomaly. They probably exacerbated his problems and fed his resentment. His peers also may have exacerbated his problems by not knowing how to reach out to him, and by not making an effort to get to know him as a person. A lot of people, particularly people at the margins, do not react positively to the social environment found at universities. He actively resented the people there, and by extension, the way they chose to socialise. Because he couldn't integrate himself, and probably because he was rebellious towards integration, and because of all his problems, well -- I think it's understandable that he could be pushed that far. I'm not excusing his actions, but as we are slowly becoming aware of the facts, it's clear that he was extremely disturbed. Posted by Brinstar on April 18, 2007 6:38 PM. Surely the sick young man was American, he had American citizenship, evn if he was of Asian background. But the point is being missed, in a typical American way, blaming the perpretator completely while choosing to ignore the environment. I live in China but am from Ireland, each has it's own proportion of troubled young men but the law doesn't give them ridiculously easy access to guns. This is not a racial problem it's a gun law problem.I'm saying that if every country had the same law as the one which exists in America, the same proportion of massacres would occur. But the gun law lobby will always place the blame on the victim, it suits their purposes. Am I saying the guy was right or innocent? - no, I'm not. I just want to make that point clear, but he was a sick man living in a society that has a sick law. Posted by Tomco on April 18, 2007 6:44 PM. I agree with the sentiments pertaining to race and nationality - these had nothing to do with his behavior. Rather, it was his mental illness that had everything to do with it. Koreans are very successful in America, and my experience has been that they assimilate well. Posted by cafeej on April 18, 2007 6:45 PM. Brinstar is correct. Immigrant communities often stick together in ways that prevent full assimilation to US society. Many such communities live in subcultures of their own making. Not placing any blame here, just making a statement. It's very sad to see a situation like this turning into a knee-jerk political debate on why people hate the US and its' people. While I completely agree that stronger gun laws should be in place in this country, I find the rants I have seen on these blogs to be pathetic. Posted by Alwick on April 18, 2007 6:55 PM. The above clowns seem to think national origin is irrelevant, unless, of course, one is American. School related deaths are down by half since 1990, with 50 million more citizens today. The above posters only display their bigotry, by ascribing some intrinsic essence of the 300 million who live in the States. Interestingly, 19 people were gunned down in Rio yesterday, but I don't see any amateur sociology about the diseased Brazilian culture in these pages. Hypocrisy.... Posted by ambivabloke on April 18, 2007 7:09 PM. I'm a British guy and I've been learning Korean for about one year, which isn't easy. Throughout that time I've met quite a few Korean people in London and, just as in South Korea, they have been kind, very helpful and supportive. I've been helped at night in Seoul by a young man who asked me if I was a Christian and then told me his name and plenty of other episodes that leave me with a very positive impression of Korean people and the culture. I think this guy could have been from any country and cultural background. Killing can't be justified in anyway but maybe the winner takes all culture of American society can be traumatic to those who feel left out or don't feel suitable to the challenge. Posted by simeonbanner on April 18, 2007 7:15 PM. I have seen no significant evidence of anti-Korean or anti-Asian sentiment since the events at Virginia Tech this week, at least none that I have seen. I read a fairly geographically broad number of online newspapers every day. Someone may use it as an excuse eventually, or decide to blame some event on what has happened. Nevertheless, the "stereotype" for Asians in the US is positive, with exceptions in areas where there is gang activity that breaks down along national lines, primarily in some western states. Asians frequently are viewed as industrious in the workplace and high achievers in academic pursuits by other Americans; to the point where (in the past) some of my friends of Chinese and Korean background said this so-called positive stereotype was driving them nuts. It was as if they were not allowed to be "average." I am thanking god the killer was not a Muslim. There would have been hell to pay. Posted by Phosphat on April 18, 2007 7:21 PM. Tomco, He was not an American Citizen, but a permanent resident, which is why the media refer to him as a "South Korean" rather than "Asian-American" or other term. simeonbanner, What does learning the language have to do with anything? Sorry, but, one cannot say all South Koreans are nice, polite, etc....do you know the level of racism levelled against ethnic-minorites (blacks, chinese, SE Asian, etc) in South Korea (you should go there)? Even the large Korean-American community has tensions with other communities...but then again, that is the problem with the US...all ethnicities have their demarcated lines and cannot leave their respective communities. I do not think this has anything to do with race, nationality or anything, but certainly US youth culture is a bigger problem. But what I can't understand...why is the Asian/Korean-American community shocked that 'one of theirs' has gone off the rail? As if to say it is (or should be) only white/black/latino people that could ever commit a crime. The level of (over)reaction by the Korean-American community is a little too much...yes, he was Korean, but he was also crazy and disturbed, which was the reason why he did such things. And South Korea...feeling a backlash....maybe the way they treat(ed) Americans in their own country, especially minority Americans after a tragic, unexplained accident a few years ago. Again, an over-reaction to a tragedy done by a crazy person (or is it still 'alledged'?). I don't see why the whole nation has to apologise; the US is not sensitive enough to want to attack a whole nation because of one man's actions...oh, hang on a minute... Posted by fraggler on April 18, 2007 7:30 PM. Offensive?...No...Unsuitable?...Not at all...Sadly Misguided?...YES Posted by TorontoAnthony on April 18, 2007 7:40 PM. @ Brinstar: "it's understandable that he could be pushed that far". Bollocks. Millions of people around the globe live in countries and cultures that are different to their own. They don't go on killing sprees when it all gets too much. Posted by Ringpeace on April 18, 2007 7:43 PM. I think it was Ian Fleming who wrote that if you wanted a really precision contract killing carried out, get a Korean assassin to do the job. Posted by brenzone on April 18, 2007 8:09 PM. brenzone: your comment is incredibly crass but I hope it does not get deleted. Not sure there is very much that can sensibly be said, apart from a call for a serious examination of American gun laws. If you need to pass a test to drive a car, I fail to see why gun ownership should not be contingent on extensive testing and a medical exam. You're not allowed to drive if you cannot see adequately enough, why on earth should deranged people (as Cho clearly was) not be filtered out through some sort of psych profiling? Posted by Zerotolerance on April 18, 2007 9:05 PM. It doesn't matter what culture this disturbed young man grew up in, trying to analyze it from that point-of-view only leads to generalizing and jingoism. Every society and culture on Earth has mentally ill individuals and many countries, if not all of them, have had incidents where an individual snapped and reacted with violence towards innocents. We can try to blame US culture like American movies, video games, heavy-metal music, anti-depressants or what have you, but the bottom line is that there are millions of Americans who grow up in the United States without ever using violence towards others. If you took away all the guns in the US, which would be nice, wouldn't have stopped this man from murdering people considering how pre-meditated the massacre appears to be. That said though, I think the real discussion should be the US' loose gun laws especially in Republican dominated states like Virginia. Posted by BlueJayWay on April 18, 2007 9:12 PM. Tomco - the shooter was not a US citizen. He was a legal resident alien. It doesn't matter what culture this disturbed young man grew up in, trying to analyze it from that point-of-view only leads to generalizing and jingoism. Every society and culture on Earth has mentally ill individuals and many countries, if not all of them, have had incidents where an individual snapped and reacted with violence towards innocents. We can try to blame US culture like American movies, video games, heavy-metal music, anti-depressants or what have you, but the bottom line is that there are millions of Americans who grow up in the United States without ever using violence towards others. If you took away all the guns in the US, which would be nice, wouldn't have stopped this man from murdering people considering how pre-meditated the massacre appears to be. That said though, I think the real discussion should be the US' loose gun laws especially in Republican dominated states like Virginia. Posted by BlueJayWay on April 18, 2007 9:14 PM. as a trainee shrink comment, lets be clear "mental illness" neither can explain or remove culpabilty for such actions; such actions are explained quite uniquely by the individual here concerned and his life story experience and then his actions, and they are not so generalisable to other people in ie the "mentally ill" population and a repressive backlash to those considered "mentally ill" would only increase the burden of human suffering! but that is not to say those who continually express violence and violent phantasy as a subgroup should not indeed be very carefully helped/ and the general public protected. Posted by ladolcevita on April 18, 2007 9:14 PM. It is disheartening to read what most of you feel about Americans. I am an American from North Carolina, and I think it is ridiculous to think there is going to be some backlash towards South Koreans over the Virgina Tech tragedy. Not only is it ridiculous, it's insulting. I have to assume you bas your opinions on our post-9/11 society. Granted, issues of racial tension in our society, and there is a population of people who were angry with Muslims after 9/11. I won't deny that, but it is a completly different situation. The terrorists who attacked the US were representatives of an evil and radical ideology. They were part of a population who hates America and its people. (How comfortable were Britains with Germans after WWII?) Even still, the majority of Americans understand the difference between Islam and radical Islam. The Virgina Tech murderer, however, was an individual who acted on his own. Americans are not all Axe-wielding white supremacist barbarians. Just because he happened to be a Korean doesn't mean we are going to begin hunting down Koreans and getting our revenge. Give Americans some credit. Posted by byronimation on April 18, 2007 9:48 PM. It's all pretty tragic. The guy was clearly mentally ill, he had easy access to guns and he decided to use them. The question of his nationality/race etc is rather beside the point. I have lived in several countries and ALL of them have their fair share of disturbed individuals either through abuse, disenfranchisement or physiological mental problems. For example, seemingly random attacks by students on fellow students or teachers in Japan are a fairly commmon occurence and in the UK people regularly lash out at others in violent ways. The main difference is quite clear - in most US states guns are easy to get, in most other parts of the world they are not. It's hardly rocket sicence now is it? If America as a nation wants to retain the right to bear arms then that is their choice and I wouldn't presume to tell them otherwise, but is it not alright to point out that maybe, just maybe it might be a good idea to look into exactly who you are selling guns too? Is that really so hard? As someone mentioned earlier, it's easier to buy a lethal firearm in Virginia than drive a car because you actually have to prove yourself competant to get behind the wheel. Madness. Posted by JawbreakerWiseman on April 18, 2007 10:23 PM. Interesting point about the sexes in Korea. The Korean-American women I know are amazingly successful and ambitious. Don't know any Korean-American men though. I do think however that the central debate here should focus on the ease of obtaining a gun. The gun laws here in the U.S., especially Virginia and most other states in the south, are absolutely antiquated. My hope is that Virginia and other states with lax gun laws use this incident as a wake up call and pass stronger gun legislation, instead of letting the NRA and the hunting lobby decide our policies. I just don't understand gun culture. I grew up in Connecticut, which is probably one of the safest, boringest states to grow up in. CT has strong gun laws, and our schools were pretty much violence-free. It seems to me that saving innocent students lives is more important than placating a small minority of white men obsessed with guns. On another note, I think teachers, especially at the middle school and high school level, need to be more involved in sticking up for students that are on the fringe. When I was in school, I remember teachers often just letting kids be picked on, or worse, joining in. I really upset me to see that. Teachers can help prevent students from forming "cliques" by assigning seating and making classmates work occasionally with other classmates that might not normally hang out with. That's how I would approach teaching, it I was in the position to do so. Posted by AC89 on April 18, 2007 10:24 PM. What I notice is the focus on 32 deaths on an American university campus, while today 160 people died in Baghdad from an insurgency caused by American imperialism. Certainly this says a great deal about the relative importance which the media places upon humanity: Americans are worth much more than Iraqis, if one is to believe them. And the fact that we pay more attention to Virginia says we too are being successfully manipulated by the same media which does little to contribute positively to a sense of community locally, nationally, and throughout the world. Sorry if this sounds a bit self-righteous, but I include myself in this, so to hell with the media, including the Internet. I'm going to read. Posted by Leftacentre on April 18, 2007 10:58 PM. Does the leader always have to have a pun in it? Posted by Level7 on April 18, 2007 11:35 PM. Virginia Massacre: Isn't blogging a twee yuppie distraction. Myriad blogger's who take the time to recant their ancestry, and hopefully ad lib assassin Cho's raison d'etre should really be ashamed of themselves. Without doubt he was a walking time bomb waiting to blast off - that it took so long, speaks volumes !! Virginia Tech officialdom should be incarcerated, quartered and hung out to dry. They failed their staff, alumni and students miserably. Therein lies the NUB - not sociopath Seong Hui.Migrant, permanent resident, green card holder, and would be Martin Byrant ( Australia's mass murderer. Sentenced to Life in Port Arthur. Tassie ) His Teacher's and room mates were well aware of his idiosyncratic behaviour, yet conveniently overlooked it, and mildly chastised him ? Perhaps most US Uni students go through this form of weaning, and hopefully ..just.. grow out of it. It's a crass understatement. Staff should undertake counselling to set them straight. Administrative procedures and protocols ( were there any ? )should have set alarm bells ringing, especially after 9/11. Zero tolerance - this guy should have been expelled or shunted sideways. Yes, irrespective of his paying fees. There are standards to uphold which are universally accepted, and unless one has a valid reason for weird dialogue or ' lone-wolf ' conduct, it may have in the short term prevented this tragedy. He was student iomcompatible. The Psycho's would have forseen his condition..day one. Like in the Armed Forces, he wouldn't have made it pass recruitment. Perhaps, we are all guilty by association.We condone all sorts of burlesque, risque standpoint behaviour at some time of our lives. In hindsight, could we have prevented such a horrendous oucome ?? Guess again. Posted by aussiechick on April 19, 2007 6:22 AM. Nice point LeftofCentre, I was in Europe in 2001 whilst some 3MM people (over a 3 year period) died in a civil war in Congo. This amounts to ~3000 people per day. People in Europe were more concerned over Bush's stumblings, the Kyoto protocol..etc. News coverage was terrible (do a search of BBC and see how many articles pop up). The only reason Europe cares about Iraqi deaths at the moment is because the US invasion is the direct/indirect cause. There was little concern over the 100,000 deaths/year (mostly children) that the UN (and I might add Europe-supported) sanctions caused. As a more ripe example, look at Darfur. More people are dying in Darfur on a daily basis then in Iraq but you could not tell that from the media coverage. In the end, I believe the media gives people what they want. Many Europeans hate Bush and they like to see him fail (hence the focus on Iraq). Many Europeans resent the worldwide attraction toward US "vulgar" culture and like to see its failings (e.g. gun laws, uninsured, suburbanization, SUVs. materialism). Many often simplify quite complicated issues, over-emphasize isolated incidents, fail to understand that the US is not as black/white as they think, fail to factor in the diversity/scale/dynamism of the USA, and forget the problems in their own backyard (Erfurt in Germany - 16 dead, Port Arthur in Australia- 35 dead, Dunblane in Scotland - 17 dead, Polytechnique in Montreal -14 dead). Posted by patapsco on April 19, 2007 7:04 AM. If all of the people that have died in famines, ethnic cleansings, fights over which end of an egg to eat from etcetera, over the past, say two decades, had lived and multiplied; how would they have been fed, sheltered and employed? Posted by Level7 on April 19, 2007 1:20 PM. I am a US citizen; my father is Korean and my mother is English. I think that what happened at Virginia Tech had three main factors: Suung-Hui Cho's mental problems, his environment and the ease of buying guns here in the USA. From all I've gathered, it sounds like Mr Cho had serious mental problems. One of his relatives was quoted as saying that his mother mentioned that Mr Cho was autistic; however, there has been no indication as to whether this was a diagnosis by a professional or a speculation based on his symptoms and history. Whatever his diagnosis, it seems clear in hindsight that he was a seriously troubled person. His environment was not helpful, to say the least. I read one account by a former high school student that Mr Cho was bullied into reading aloud in class by the teacher who threatened to give him an F for participation if he did not. The other students started pointing, laughing, mocking his manner of speaking and yelling "go back to China!" This story absolutely gave me the creeps... and a shudder of sympathy for the butt of the whole incident. My parents met and married at a time in the USA when mixed race marriages were looked down on and actually illegal in some states. They were only able to marry when they showed the justice of the peace their passports because if they had been citizens of the USA, their marriage would have been against state law. I was the first non-white child in my school, all the way up until high school. I was often the target of bullying and harassment based on my race. And not always by the other kids; a fair number of teachers also harassed me. I think the combination of Mr Cho's mental problems and the harassment he suffered throughout his life in the USA combined to drive him over the edge. Why did he kill when so many others (including myself) do not? I'm not sure. All I can say is that if you subject enough people to stress, a small percentage, perhaps only a fraction of one percent, will go over the edge and start to kill. The FBI includes having suffered bullying in the ten point checklist they have compiled of other school shooters. The third factor was the easy availability of guns. I've read comments elsewhere that suggest that if students had been allowed to carry concealed weapons to class, Mr Cho's rampage would have been stopped sooner. This seems to me to be wildly unlikely. If there had been other students carrying concealed weapons, I suspect the headline would read "USA gunman kills three before being shot down himself; forty seven onlookeers also killed in the crossfire" Without one of these three factors, I suspect that today would be just another day at Virginia Tech and most students' main concern would be whether they would pass their next test. Only one of these three factors is not readily changeable--Mr Cho's mental illness. The harassment he suffered and the easy availability of guns could be changed. I suspect, however, that most people in the USA will simply blame the whole incident on some innate evil in Mr Cho. That's a lot more comfortable than facing the possiblity that others may have been indirectly complicit, after all. Posted by MsEithne on April 23, 2007 8:31 PM. -- Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007 Original Source: Guardian Unlimited http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2007/04/18/seoul_does_some_soul_searching_over_virginia_massacre.html
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LA TRISTEZA Y LA DESOLACIÓN, OSCURECIERON LOS CIELOS Y LOS CORAZONES DE BLACKSBURG
Publicado por Carmen Moreno Martín Miércoles, 18 de Abril de 2007 11:28 En la universidad de Virginia Tech -clicad aquí- se vivieron momentos en los que el sin sentido y el pánico fueron los únicos rectores de las conductas. Treinta y dos personas, más el presunto asesino, murieron a balazos. El presunto autor de la matanza era un muchacho, dicen que solitario, pero un muchacho, que tenía, al parecer, dos pistolas; y las tenía porque las había comprado con toda naturalidad. El caso es que en EEUU se compran armas como si de comprar piruletas se tratara, y cualquiera que tenga más de 21 años y unos antecedentes penales limpios, puede comprarlas y portarlas sin ningún problema, y en Virginia es aún más fácil obtenerlas. Escuchaba en las noticias que en EEUU hay casi doscientas mil pistolas en los armarios y cajones de los ciudadanos. El caso es que el derecho a poseer un arma de fuego es en ese país un derecho constitucional y que cada vez que el debate sobre el tema surge, los intereses de la industria y de las asociaciones y núcleos de presión, tienen más fuerza y más poder que la vida y ganan la partida: los derechos humanos, la razón y el sentido común se desvanecen y la muerte vence. No es la primera vez que este tipo de matanzas se da en EEUU, pero la universidad de Virginia Tech, se ha llevado trágicamente la palma. Bush se dirigía a los familiares y estudiantes diciendo algo así como que el problema era que los muertos habían estado en un lugar equivocado, en un momento equivocado... Pero ni el lugar ni el momento eran erróneos porque los muertos, que eran estudiantes y profesores, estaban donde debían: en la universidad; y el momento era el adecuado: el inicio de las clases de la mañana. Lo equivoco, lo erróneo, lo desafortunado y lo criminal -además de tener que sufrir a un presidente tan sumamente necio- es el hecho de no haber acabado ya con la facilidad de adquirir armas y de portarlas. Clinton promulgó una ley prohibiendo portar armas de asalto -armas de fuego-, que si bien no prohibía la venta, algo era algo...Pero en 2004, Bush la paralizó. Cierto que nadie puede prever que un sociópata, o un psicópata, o cualquier otro perturbado la emprenda a tiros, pero ¿cuántas matanzas serán necesarias aún para que en ese país comprendan que los tiempos del lejano oeste terminaron y que no es muy civilizado el ir abatiendo personas como si fueran los platos que se lanzan en el tiro al blanco? Y por otro lado, ¿es realmente un sociópata, o un psicópaqta, o un perturbado mental, el autor de los crímenes y de su propio suicidio? ¿O es la sociedad consumista, capitalista y aisladora la que está enferma, la que ha caído en una anómia total al presentar una ruptura total entre los fines y los medios? Es muy fácil achacarlo todo al ámbito psiquiátrico, pero presumo que en este caso son varios los factores propiciadores del problema, y la sociedad no está exenta de culpa. En fin, terrible tragedia. Expreso desde aquí mis condolencias a los familiares y amigos de los fallecidos y el ruego enardecido de que cambien esas leyes sobre la tenencia de armas lo antes posible. Carmen Moreno Martín Alias Hannah -- Fuente Original: Ser Rizomatico http://serrizomatico.blogia.com/2007/041803-la-tristeza-y-la-desolacion-oscurecieron-los-cielos-y-los-corazones-de-blacksbur.php Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 2.5 España.
Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 2.5 España
Publicado por Batz Friday, April 20, 2007 Todos vimos/leímos sobre la matanza que hubo en Virginia Tech esta semana. Un suceso terrible que personalmente me sorprendió mucho por estar tan cercano al pueblo al que me fui de intercambio en 1997, y a donde muchos de mis amigos fueron a estudiar tras graduarnos de la preparatoria. Por las fechas en que terminamos la escuela, supuse que no habría nadie que yo conociera, pero igual me hizo sentir gran pesar. Que pena que fuera así como viera a mi ex casa por las noticias, en vez de algo de lo lindo que conocí en ese año. La noche siguiente, estando en el MSN, me encontré con mi novio de esa época [y durante 4 años]. Nos saludamos y me dio una muy mala noticia. Me dijo que uno de los estudiantes asesinados es [era] amigo suyo, y hermano de una de mis compañeras de generación: Jarret Lane. Su hermana Alicia y yo no somos amigas, pero compartimos mucho tiempo juntas en el equipo de basketball. Como dije antes, todos pensamos que el suceso fue terrible, pero ahora que me da como un calambre pensar lo pequeño que es el mundo, y que con esta sociedad cada vez menos propensa a solucionar sus frustraciones de forma sana, nos vemos mas expuestos a ataques como este. Narrows es un lugar muy chiquito, todos se conocen y ahora se encuentran inmersos en una tristeza general que me ha llegado hasta acá. So sad... -- Fuente Original: Batz' Journal http://batzjournal.blogspot.com/2007/04/virginia-tech.html Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Atribución-No Derivadas 2.5 México.
Creative Commons Atribución-No Derivadas 2.5 México
Publicado por Mariluz Barrera González viernes 20 de abril de 2007 Siempre pienso en mi padre, en cualquier instante de mi vida, siempre está presente. Sobre todo en los momentos más difíciles o cuando siento que las cosas empeoran cada vez más. A veces siento que el espíritu pierde fuerzas, se agota o debilita ante tantas circunstancias, tantos eventos que me cuestionan si ser tan objetiva y sensible a nuestra realidad vale la pena, en un mundo donde ya nadie quiere serlo, y donde al parecer serlo me convierte poco a poco en un ser fuera de lugar, principalmente en mi lugar de trabajo. Me preocupa dejar de ser sensible, he comentado que en mi trabajo y en mi profesión la realidad es algo que se muestra con mucha crudeza y dolor la mayoría de las veces; y sin embargo se me hace difícil entender que aún así a las personas les cueste trabajo aceptar ayuda y peor aún querer terminar con esa situación que les provoca sufrimiento. Entonces entiendo por que la humanidad atraviesa por tantos problemas que aún no se resuelven. La matanza de Virginia es para mí una consecuencia muy grande del grado máximo al que podemos llegar ante lo peor de la indiferencia, dejar de mirarnos como personas a nosotros mismos y por consiguiente a los demás. Dejar de hacerlo nos convierte en seres que no me atrevería a decir de que tipo. Creo que el asesino de Virginia sintió que definitivamente ya no era mirado ni tratado como tal (Aunque por los antecedentes que tenía tal vez nunca lo fué) y como consecuencia pensó que este acto ruin y terrible era una llamada de atención para ser observado aunque sea por un instante y no pasar desapercibido, en un mundo donde ya nadie se mira; donde nos tratan y nos tratamos como objetos. En terapia muchas veces les he preguntado a mis pacientes adictos que diferencia existe entre ellos y una silla y sorprendentemente no tienen una respuesta, a veces me contestan que la silla tiene 4 patas y ellos dos. Reconocer nuestra humanidad ya no es tan fácil, y reconocerla sin tocarla peor, tal vez por eso es tan dificil entender que un ser que no ha nacido existe y definitivamente representa vida, si al que existe ni siquiera lo miramos y tratamos como tal, a pesar de que su presencia ya es una exigencia y muestra de que lo es. Les comparto unas palabras de mi padre, siempre fue un ser sensible, y nos enseño a serlo, ante nuestra humanidad y la que se nos presenta a diario; le agradezco tan importante enseñanza pues la vida nos puso a todas nosotras sus hijas en circunstancias donde siempre será necesario tan noble aprendizaje. Igualmente les comparto un video, con una música de fondo que en lo personal me encanta y creo que refleja en estos momentos mi sentir, ante todo lo que me rodea y me recuerda que soy y que somos personas. En realidad Solo le Pido a Dios que me permita continuar.... UN BESO A TODOS. "Querida hija, sentí honda emoción al ver que generosamente tendiste la mano a un pobre, que llamó a nuestra puerta implorando un pedazo de pan; tu actitud revestida con la grandeza de lo ingenuo, logró hacer correr por la faz del mendigo emocionado, un raudal de lágrimas, desahogo inefable para su alma atormentada. Muchas reflexiones me sugeriste al preguntarme confundido la razón de su llanto, y no buscando en ese momento la manera de explicarte la causa de su emoción, procuraré en los siguientes renglones demostrarte que realizaste una bella obra. El concepto vulgar de caridad, nace casi siempre de una de las más grandes debilidades humanas, la vanidad: se ofrece una moneda con una actitud soberbia para demostrar la supremacía económica: se donan millones buscando muchas veces sólo la alabanza pública para exhibir su nombre; si algún día por esos azares frecuentes de la vida, te hallas en condiciones de poder distribuir el bienestar entre los demás recuerda que debes hacerlo sin humillarlos y sin envanecerte, para que puedas experimentar uno de los mas grandes goces: hacer el bien sin ostentación. Para practicar tan bella virtud, no necesitas materializar este noble sentimiento; una verdadera obra caritativa, puede realizarse en múltiples formas: enjugando una lágrima, curando una herida, ofreciendo al caído, del que todos huyen, palabras que lo hagan sentir que se le comprende en la inmensidad de su dolor, prodigando una palabra respetuosa a la hetaira por todos vilipendiada, acariciando a un niño que llora abandonado. El hombre por su misma naturaleza está hecho al sacrificio, y por consiguiente a practicar la caridad en sus moldalidades más excelsas; nuestras mismas células, minuto a minuto se sacrifican por conservar la vida de nuestra materia organizada en ser; y el individuo que no esmás que una célula de organismo social también debe inmolarse cuando llega el instante preciso. Cuando se realiza un bello acto, hija mía, el hombre se siente redimido del cavernario que acecha en el fondo de nuestro ser la ocasión para demostrarse con todos sus innobles apetitos." -- Fuente Original: Blog Expediente http://rboexpediente.blogspot.com/2007/04/solo-le-pido-dios.html Licencia de uso: Creative Commons Atribución-No Comercial-No Derivadas 2.5 México.
Creative Commons Atribución-No Comercial-No Derivadas 2.5 México
Close-up of origami cranes in a box on the first floor of Squires Student Center. A sign on an adjacent display case reads "please feel free to take as many as you want." Many thousands of cranes were folded and contributed after the events of April 16, including as part of the "1000 Cranes @ VT" campaign. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
A large glass display class on the first floor of Squires Student Center is filled with paper cranes. An overflow box of cranes sits on the floor to the side. A sign on the other side of the display case reads "please feel free to take as many as you want." Many thousands of cranes were folded and contributed after the events of April 16, including as part of the "1000 Cranes @ VT" campaign. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
A large glass display class on the first floor of Squires Student Center is filled with paper cranes. The sign on the display case reads "please feel free to take as many as you want." Many thousands of cranes were folded and contributed after the events of April 16, including as part of the "1000 Cranes @ VT" campaign. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
About the bird: Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". (from Wikipedia) Cranes are known for their long life spans. Though the average life span cited in various sources to not necessarily agree (probably depends on the sub-species also), numbers tend to be in the 60 to 80 year range. This was much longer than the average life span of humans in ancient times. As a result, the crane, together with the turtle/tortoise, became symbols of longevity, and, consequently, of good fortune in China and the surrounding countries. East Asian Folklore states that cranes live for 1,000 years, and turtles/tortoises for 10,000 years (a bit of an exaggeration). About Origami: The word "Origami" is Japanese for "Folding Paper". It refers to the art, as well as the paper made specifically for the activity. The origin of Origami is not known, but it was most probably invented in China, as most things were, soon after the invention of paper. It propagated both east and west together with the technology of paper making: east toward Japan where it became known as Origami; west through the Islamic Empire all the way to Spain, where it is known today as "Papiroflexia" (Paper Folding) or "folding pajaritas." (The "pajarita" is a fold popular in Spain which represents a sparrow.) About the Tradition of Folding 1000 Cranes: In Japan, tradition states that if you fold 1000 origami cranes, it will bring you good health and good luck. When someone is suffering from a severe sickness or injury, spouses, parents, children and other family members and/or friends, and sometimes the patient him/herself, would fold 1000 cranes to wish for the person's recovery. It is unclear hold old this tradition is, but the term "Semba-Zuru" (1000 Cranes) dates back at least 200 years. About the 1000 Cranes @ VT Project: After the horrific events on April 16, 2007, a group of people in Blacksburg, and the surrounding communities (Christiansburg, Radford, Salem, Roanoke, Pembroke, etc.) got together and decided to fold as many cranes as possible to encourage the students and faculty who were wounded in the attack, and to wish for their speedy and complete recovery. The group included both undergraduate and graduate students, current and emeritus faculty members, and people from the local communities including children as young as preschoolers. Many nationalities were represented including, but not limited to, American, Belgian, Chinese, German, Indian, Iranian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Luxembourger, Lebanese, Palestinian, Serbian, Swedish, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese. The four major faiths were also represented: Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. The total number of people involved is unclear since friends called on friends to help out, who called on their friends to help out, and so on and so forth. The art supply shop Mish Mish also pitched in by providing a discount to the paper purchased. In the five days from April 18th to 22nd, the group completed over 5000 cranes, each crane representing a sincere prayer of the folder for the wounded. The cranes were then strung together into strands of 50 birds each: 20 strands adding up to 1000 cranes. A 50-bird strand was sent to each of the wounded students, and the remainder (over 4000) is displayed here. More cranes are currently being folded, and they will be added to the display as they become available. If you would also like to express your support and prayer for the wounded, please contribute a crane/cranes. Instructions on how to fold one can easily be found on the internet by searching for "origami crane". They are also usually included in packages of origami sold in stores. The collection point of the complete cranes is in the Squires Student Center 225 Office Suite where they will be picked up by members of our group. A 50-bird strand ready to be hung would be most appreciated. Regards, The 1000 Cranes @ VT Project
Threats to Civil Liberties arising from the fallout of the Virginia Tech Forcible-disarmament Frenzy
May 1, 2007 4:51 pm An article from a new contributor: Loren Bliss THERE ARE TWO EXCEPTIONALLY grave dangers to American liberty arising from the present, post-Virginia-Tech forcible-disarmament frenzy. These are: (1)-The criminalization of even the mildest forms of mental illness, as proposed by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), in HR 297. (2)-The criminalization of political protest and dissent, as proposed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, (D-NJ), in S 1237. Each of these measures is enthusiastically supported by the Bush Regime. The Lautenberg bill was written at White House/Justice Department request — a leading Democratic senator serving as the mouthpiece for a despised Republican administration — an unprecedented act of collaboration with the most corrupt regime in U.S. history. Once again, opposition to the Second Amendment is being used as a diversion behind which to conceal an all-out, bipartisan attack on the entire Bill of Rights- including, via S 1237, repeal of the presumption of innocence that is the cornerstone of all English-language jurisprudence. Meanwhile, welcome to the New American Reich, where (if McCarthy, Lautenberg and Bush have their way), anybody deemed a mental case, an effective labor activist or a disruptive political nonconformist will soon be forcibly disarmed, denied all rational means of self defense and thereby condemned to perpetual victimhood. ********* Modern efforts to criminalize mental dysfunction have a long history dating back to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany and are typically part of a broader right-wing agenda of oppression and euthanasia. But in the United States, the primary advocates of criminalization are the forcible disarmament cult and the Communitarian movement, members of which universally (and often vehemently) claim to be leftists and/or "progressives." The Communitarians have argued for at least two decades that diagnosis of mental illness should instantly terminate not only all one's civil rights but also strip one of all privileges as well, driver's licenses included, after which the victim of such determination could then theoretically earn back the abolished rights and privileges in carefully supervised increments. Toward this end the Communitarians — who despite their leftist disguise and innocuous-sounding name are radical Skinnerian fascists of the harshest sort — are demanding creation of a national registry of mental patients. Deliberately established and maintained as a powerfully oppressive tool of social control, this roster of official pariahdom would include the names of anyone now or ever in any form of mental health treatment, regardless of the relative mildness or severity of the condition for which they are being treated. (Google "communitarians" and scroll at will for additional information.) Despite its huge contempt for the Constitution, the Communitarian faction is but one small portion of the forcible disarmament cult, but it is probably disproportionately powerful. Its intellectual prowess is considerable, and it often assumes a behind-the-scenes leadership role, focusing on the development of strategy, tactics and ideology. Another venue of profound Communitarian influence is the Hillary Clinton wing of the Democratic Party. It was the Communitarians who provided the Clintons and their cronies with the ideological justification for the Democratic Party's abandonment of New Deal principles and its subsequent wholesale betrayal of the working class. The Communitarians' grasp of Orwellian principles is also very evident in the present-day effort to redefine forcible disarmament as "gun safety" and the present tactic of concealing disarmament schemes behind apparently friendly but patently false gestures toward firearms owners. All this dovetails neatly with the broader forcible-disarmament-cult agenda of reducing legal firearms ownership by any means possible. Since it is credibly estimated as many as 50 percent of all U.S. citizens will at some time require some form of mental health treatment ("treatment" defined in the broadest sense, to include grief counseling, post-divorce therapy and even self-esteem classes or remedial reading for dyslexics), a favorite ploy of forcible disarmament fanatics is to demand closure of "the mental health loophole" in such a way that participation in any treatment process is penalized by automatic forcible disarmament: either turn in your guns before you see the professional caregiver, or the police will soon be there to kick in your front door, shoot your dogs, wreck the interior of your house by violent search and terrorize your spouse and children into lifelong bouts of shivering catatonia. Typically — and the forcible disarmament advocates make no secret of the fact they are obscenely aroused by the prospect of unleashing such police brutality against firearms owners — this means criminalizing all forms of mental illness or mental dysfunction and thereby forcibly disarming anyone who is or ever has been in any sort of therapy or formalized healing, permanently abolishing their gun rights, no appeal allowed. This is already the law in New York City — if you consult a mental health professional even once in NYC (no matter the nature of your problem), your name is reported to the police and you lose your gun rights forever. Indeed, the Democrats attempted to impose a similar restriction on Washington state residents in 1994, but it was vigorously resisted there by a coalition of mental health professionals, who recognize in such criminalization a huge disincentive to voluntary treatment. Which brings us to the present "mental health loophole" bill pending in Congress. As originally written, it was called the "Our Lady of Peace Act" (Google for details), and it would have permanently denied firearms ownership to anyone "adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution," which is further defined as occurring whenever "a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority determines that an individual is mentally retarded or of marked subnormal intelligence, mentally ill, or mentally incompetent" (HR 4757, 2002, Sec. 103 and 103:c). By including the phrase "other lawful authority," the measure would have empowered any psychiatrist, psychologist or even guidance counselor to deny someone their gun rights forever, merely by declaring that person "mentally ill" — a designation that covers everything from definitively murderous Andrea Yates/Cho Seung Hui psychosis to the mildest cases of neurotic nail-biting and low-self-esteem fidgets. The generic designation "mentally ill" would also have allowed the forcible disarmament of anyone ever found to be "mentally disabled" — never mind that "mental disability" is a very specifically focused evaluation of one's employability or lack thereof, typically for purposes of granting welfare stipends or Social Security disability payments. Thus a finding of "mental disability" has absolutely nothing to do with one's suitability to own firearms, vote or exercise any other Constitutional right. But the Our Lady of Peace Act, which McCarthy has introduced in every Congress since 2002, would nevertheless require the Social Security Administration and every state welfare agency to add to the federal government's computerized catalogue of criminals the name and dossier of every individual who had ever been found to be even temporarily "mentally disabled" — resulting in a permanent loss of Second Amendment rights against which there would be no possibility of defense or appeal. Thus criminalizing "mental disability" (or any other mental disorder in even the mildest forms) would clearly further the forcible disarmament cult's long range objective of making the requirements for legal firearms ownership increasingly prohibitive — ultimately reducing the number of legal firearms owners by the aforementioned 50 percent. The cult's triumph would be all the greater for the fact the imposition of "prohibited person" status would allow disarmament by outright seizure, thereby exempting government from any compensatory (buy-back) costs. Under extreme pressure from mental health professionals, McCarthy has slightly modified her present proposal, HR 297, so that those denied their Second Amendment rights on the basis of mental health considerations would be specifically limited to persons who have been "adjudicated as mentally defective or...committed to mental institutions." Alas, the term "mental defective" remains undefined — leaving unanswered whether it includes those who have been found to be "mentally disabled." It also leaves a number of other questions as to its scope, such as whether a child diagnosed as suffering from attention deficit disorder is to be branded "mentally defective" and therefore — after reaching adulthood — denied firearms ownership for life. Apparently — though this is not clear either — McCarthy has meanwhile broadened the term "committed" to make it as prohibitive as possible: that is, to permanently deny gun rights to anyone formally committed to a mental institution of any kind (including out-patient clinics) regardless of whether the commitment was mandatory (court ordered) or voluntary. (Present federal law allows those who undergo voluntary commitment to retain their Second Amendment rights unless other specific prohibitions apply.) Furthermore, McCarthy — who formerly made no secret of her froth-at-the-mouth hatred of firearms and firearms owners but now (in service to the Democrats' new deception policy) speaks much more softly — recently told ABC News that in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, she would amend the bill back to its original, criminalize-all-mental-disorder wording except for the fact "the NRA...is holding everybody hostage." Given that the National Rifle Association has supported the Our Lady of Peace Act from the very beginning, HR 297 included, McCarthy's accusation is not only false but is an especially misleading, hypocritical and even malicious claim: no surprise given the infinite maliciousness that is the forcible disarmament hysteric's most notorious characteristic. But on the HR 297 issue, the NRA (to which I have belonged since 1951) is equally treacherous and hypocritical, especially given its demonstrably false claim to be a defender of the entire Bill of Rights. Indeed the NRA's opposition to the civil rights of mental patients reveals the frustrating extent to which the organization has deteriorated into nothing more than an instrument of the Republican Party. (And the Republican Party — especially since Big Business America's 1930s alliance with Hitler, Mussolini and Franco — is itself the U.S. equivalent of the fascist parties that formerly dominated Europe.) Thus the NRA implicitly embraces the right wing position that "mental defectives" should be savagely oppressed if not actually euthanized. Not that the NRA is out of step with American opinion: most U.S. citizens — though they are loathe to admit it — emphatically agree that "mental defectives" deserve the harshest treatment possible. As a consequence, the U.S. has long been infamous for the industrial world's most superstitiously ignorant fear of mental affliction and its most violent rejection of anyone so afflicted, attitudes that have been credibly traced to the enduring influence of Abrahamic religion and the grave extent to which our society remains a defacto theocracy. (Anyone who doubts this assessment of our national values need look no further than our officially murderous hatred of those who are homeless.) Meanwhile other Second Amendment advocacy groups remain stonily silent on the patient-rights implications of forcible disarmament,* understandably (given these selfsame U.S. attitudes) terrified they will be accused of supporting "guns for crazies." Never mind that study after study proves mental patients are statistically no more dangerous than any other group of Americans — and far less dangerous than some. _________ *Gun Owners of America has vehemently opposed the Our Lady of Peace Act and HR 297, and it has done so for the very best of reasons: these measures could "bar mentally stable people from buying guns" merely because they had sought mental health treatment, and it is "morally and constitutionally wrong to require law-abiding citizens to first prove their innocence to the government before they can exercise their rights — whether it's Second Amendment rights, First Amendment rights, or any other right." Alas, GOA — which based on its rhetoric seems to be very closely tied to the Christian Theocracy faction of the Republican Party — also opposes such legislation for the very worst of reasons: it echoes the traditional Jewish/Christian/Islamic stance that the husband is god's representative in the household and, as god's enforcer, has unlimited god-given right to beat his wife and children. Thus GOA protests that denying guns to family patriarchs convicted of domestic violence is inflicting punishment for "very minor offenses that include pushing, shoving or...merely yelling at a family member" — never mind the bloody testimony of Crystal Brame's death and far too many other murders just as bad or worse. ********* The criminalization of labor activism, political agitation and effective dissent is not the stated purpose of Lautenberg's newly introduced S 1237, which was dropped in the Senate hopper very late Friday 27 April 2007, the introduction obviously timed to minimize public disclosure and avoid press scrutiny. But given that the Republicans now and for a long while have condemned anyone who opposes Führer George Bush and his New American Reich, denouncing each opponent as a "terrorist" or "terrorist sympathizer," the impact of the measure is made obvious by its stated purpose: "to increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists." Predictably, Bush himself has already demanded S 1237's immediate enactment. Just as predictably, Lautenberg — perhaps even more fanatical a forcible disarmament advocate than McCarthy — lauds its unprecedented subversion of the Constitutionally implied principle of presumed innocence as "too long" overdue. Absolute proof of the calculated political malevolence embodied in the Lautenberg proposal — proof too of how the Democrats have finally abandoned any pretense of being civil libertarians and now (in the name of forcible disarmament) fully and even gleefully embrace the Bush Regime's agenda of totally nullifying the Bill of Rights — is found in the federal government's post-9/11 redefinition of the term "terrorism" to include any form of political protest that is genuinely disruptive. Participants in a legitimate strike or a protest that blocks or even slows vehicular traffic could thus be persecuted as "terrorists." Quoth the American Civil Liberties Union in an analysis disseminated on 6 December 2002: "The definition of domestic terrorism is broad enough to encompass the activities of several prominent activist campaigns and organizations. Greenpeace, Operation Rescue, Vieques Island and World Trade Organization protesters and the Environmental Liberation Front have all recently engaged in activities that could subject them to being investigated as engaging in domestic terrorism." Meanwhile Reason magazine, the official journal of the Libertarian Party, has repeatedly noted that in the eyes of the Bush Regime, "terrorist" and "enemy combatant" are synonymous In other words, any member of any labor union that participated in the Seattle WTO protests could be labeled a "terrorist" merely based on the union's presence there and — under Lautenberg's S 1237 — he or she could be forcibly disarmed forever. But the reality is far more chilling: given the criteria of disruptiveness, the participants in any effective strike or job action can now be subjugated as "terrorists." And given the Third Reich cloak of secrecy that now hides all U.S. security matters from judicial scrutiny, such subjugation could never be appealed. Indeed it is conceivable a labor activist (or any other opponent of the status quo) could be disappeared forever into the gulag of Guantanamo merely on the basis of the spurious argument that the (denied) attempt to purchase a firearm is absolute proof of "enemy combatant" intent. The law that would enable such outrages should more properly be labeled the Lautenberg/Bush/Alberto Gonzales Bill of Rights Nullification Act of 2007 because it would not only subject all future U.S. firearms ownership to the tyrannical whims of the modern-day incarnation of the dread Reich Security Service (RSHA), but it would but it would repeal the presumption of innocence that is the great wellspring of the American legal system. Thus, with active Democratic party collaboration, at the very least the Bush Regime is laying the groundwork to forcibly disarm every labor activist in the United States — and anyone else it chooses to put on its (secret) enemies list. Thus too another advance for the modern-day variant of fascism — not marching forward on hobnailed jackboots but sneaking past us on politically correct rubber soles. Note also how McCarthy's HR 297 undeniably anticipates enactment of S 1237: "The Secretary of Homeland Security shall make available to the Attorney General...records, updated not less than quarterly, which are relevant to a determination of whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm..."(Sec. 101:b.1.A). Now the relationship between the two measures comes into sharp focus: Lautenberg abolishes the presumption of innocence and grants the government the unprecedented power to rule on our political reliability while McCarthy provides the infrastructure to make sure the secret police get every possible scrap of information. Suddenly I wonder if closing the alleged "mental health loophole" — though no doubt an egregious blow to our freedom — isn't maybe just another red herring to distract us from the genuinely fatal wound that would be dealt our liberty by Lautenberg's coup-de-grace against due process. ********* Predictions past and future: as some of you may remember, before I was booted off Progressive Independent for speaking tactless truth to tacky tyranny, I predicted that the Democrats would take back Congress in 2006, would founder pathetically in their efforts to accomplish any meaningful socioeconomic change, and would then cut a win-win deal with the Bush Regime to impose forcible disarmament and further subvert the Bill of Rights in general, thereby enabling each side to claim accomplishments dearest to its ideologues' alleged hearts. Though the onslaught is not developing exactly the way I imagined it would, there is no doubt such an offensive is underway. But just as I foresaw the betrayal of our electoral hopes for Medicare reform and the restoration of labor rights, I can no longer doubt this new Democrat/Republican collaboration to abolish the presumption of innocence and grant the Homeland Security apparatus the ultimate power of approval or disapproval over all individual civilian firearms purchases is (A) the beginning of the final assault on the Constitution by representatives of the corporate ruling class and (B) the beginning of a Bush Regime effort to co-opt public reaction to the Virginia Tech massacre and thus rehabilitate its public image by launching its own forcible disarmament campaign — not out of the craven hoplophobia that so agitates the Democrats and alienates so many voters, but in the name of the same self-proclaimed robust patriotism that seduced us into cheering the (failed) conquest of Iraq. I can hear it now: "if y'all love your country, you'll give us the common-sense power to determine who's politically reliable enough to have a gun." The last time the politicians said something like that, the language was German. ********* NOTES: The text of HR 297 and the unfolding details of S 1237 are available through the excellent and superbly useful Thomas legislative search engine: http://thomas.loc.gov/ I am posting this same essay on my blog, Wolfgang von Skeptik, http://wolfgangvonskeptik.mu.nu/ -- Original Source: http://www.midwest-populistamerica.com/articles/threats-to-civil-liberties-arising-from-virginia-tech/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5.
Sometimes I'm just amazed at the ignorance of people. I've come across many blog entries that are outright idiotic but usually chalk it up to 'that's where they're coming from' or 'everyone's entitled to their opinion'. However, some Erie bloggers recently have been spewing forth complete garbage that needs to be addressed. The gist is this: those students killed at Virginia Tech were partly to blame for their death by not fighting back. Underlying this is the premise that American's have been lulled into submission and taught not to self-defend. I reject this in all of its absurdity and callousness. I was absolutely furious this morning after reading these two Erie bloggers, Sassafrassin and Kodera, for their statements. To try and disguise their comments as intellectual or serious commentary would be disingenuous. Flat out, they are out of line and need to be called out on their statements and insinuations. Disregarding the fact that no one really knows what was going on in the minds of those who were murdered, but to turn around and somehow place the blame on them is reprehensible. It's disgusting. It's obscene. Although part of me realizes that what is going on here are people trying to understand and give meaning to what is completely senseless and without explanation, these kinds of statements reveal underlying problems of our society. Not only does it reveal a deeper violent tendency, but a lack of ability for compassion and understanding--both of which are essential to Peace in this world. To these two bloggers, who seem to be professedly conservative (and at least one has expressed he is Christian), Jesus Christ would be considered a liberal pansy for allowing himself to be executed and for making the statement, "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." Instead we're all expected to be like warriors in some Hollywood flick, living up to superficial ideals. You know, part of my response and anger to these two bloggers has to do with the fact that I'm confused and angry about what happened as well. But I hope that I have enough sense to step back and to see the humanity of it all but more importantly God in all of this. While working out at the gym, I was randomly watching the overhead television sets when a particular segment on Good Morning America caught my eye. A young woman who almost found herself killed and even lost a friend in the massacre said this: "I lost, I lost a friend. I lost one of the girls in my Bible study. And I know, I know, I know that she's already forgiven him. I know she was probably praying for him when he was in her classroom and when he was shooting people." I was shocked when I saw that she said this and also said herself that she wants to forgive as well. Instead of placing blame or expressing hatred, this young woman has a sense clarity and perspective that those of us could only hope to have. Also, if you watch the video of her accounting of what happened, I think you'll see how ridiculous these two bloggers suggestions are. We should be trying to do more good in this world, not talk about how if we would be in the situation of those students at Virginia Tech how we would beat our chest and smash someone's skull in. Violence begets violence and this kind of discourse only sustains the miserable status quo. Instead of trying to blame one another, we should be supporting each other through prayer and solace. Here's something you can do if you're feeling helpless after this tragic event: do something nice for a complete stranger this week if the opportunity arises--hold the door longer than you normally would, resist flipping off that driver who cut you off, or buy that homeless guy a cup of coffee or a sandwich. Your act doesn't have to raise to the level of heroic--just human. It's all that we can expect of each other. Posted by RichardZ.com on April 19, 2007 11:46 AM | Permalink -- Original Source: RichardZ.com http://richardz.com/blog_archive/2007/04/virginia_tech_massacrefinding_peace.php Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
Virginia Tech massacre an unbelievably sad event
Friday, April 20, 2007 - The China Post A total of 32 people were killed Monday in a Virginia Tech campus building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history. The gunman, a student from South Korea, took down his victims in two attacks that were spread two hours apart. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves around the world. We wish to express our sympathy to the victims' families and hope they will get all the help they need to make it through this very difficult time. The other students at the university should also be assisted so they can overcome the shock and grief they are suffering. U.S. President George W. Bush has ordered flags flown at half staff across the nation. Speaking at a memorial service on the Virginia Tech campus, Bush said "it's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering." "Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate," the president said. "They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation." At first it was reported that the alleged killer was a student from China. Later, however, police found the gunman was a fourth-year student from South Korea, described in the media as a "loner." Authorities said he was a legal resident of the United States. The suspect committed suicide after the attacks. Police said there was no evidence of any accomplice at either of the two attacks, but are exploring the possibility. The shocking incident has prompted debate and discussion about the prevalence of gun ownership in the United States. An Indonesian mother, according to a news report, bemoaned the availability of guns in the United States after learning her son was among those killed in the massacre, while South Koreans expressed shame and shock that the gunman came from their country. "Why can people bring guns to campus?" the Indonesian mother said, recalling third-year doctoral student Partahi Lumbantoruan, who had such a promising future. The family had sold property and a car to finance his civil engineering studies. The lax gun-control legislation in the U.S. is something on which people in many parts of the world don't agree. Here in Taiwan, gun control legislation is tough and gun possession is generally confined to law-enforcement personnel. The local Gun Control Act even bans the production of toy guns that could be converted into life-threatening firearms, or those bearing similarities to real guns in appearance, material, structure and trigger device. The strict gun-control legislation here has without a doubt played an important role in preventing violent crime from rising rapidly. In the United States, there is a powerful gun lobby, and legislators fear that advocacating stricter gun control would result in a loss of votes. Another reason why guns are readily available is the common American belief that in a free country, citizens should be free to own guns. The slogan of the lobbyists is: "Guns don't kill people, people do." Well, that's like saying, "Bombs don't kill people, people do." If restrictions on gun possession in the United States were stricter, the Virginia Tech shooting rampage -- and many other campus shootings that have occurred in the past -- might not have occurred. Hopefully, this tragic event will lead to vigorous efforts in the U.S. to pass some sensible gun control legislation. -- Original Source: The China Post http://www.chinapost.com.tw/archive/detail.asp?cat=1&id=107654&d=2007420