In the aftermath of the shooting in Tuscon the irony looms: those who tout the 2nd Amendment usually insist that ready access to handguns, possibly concealed, will limit the probability of gun violence. A Second Amendment "solution" yesterday would have meant a crowd armed and hair-triggered enough to be ready to defend the Congresswoman when her assailant aimed at her - as the pro-gun pundits vociferously insisted might have prevented deaths in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, for example. One could only hope they'd all have the talent to aim very carefully in such crowded conditions that even a trained sharp-shooter might feel tested, since the deaths and injuries at a grocery store in Tuscon were arguably incited by the implied acceptability of such "2nd Amendment solutions."
I'd surely hate to be Jesse Kelly, Gifford's opponent in the recent election who tied defeating her to coming to shoot a "fully automatic M-16" to remove her from office, or Sarah Palin (who used a gun-sight rendering to target 20 candidates she wanted defeated, including Giffords) right now. It must be distracting for them both to work out ways to not feel guilty about this travesty.
So, while it's true that guns don't kill people, (people kill people) it does behoove us to consider culpability for incitement; there's more to being an American patriot than whipping up media ratings in support of your particular political agenda - or at the very least, we should agree that their ought to be. If we can agree that yelling fire in a crowded, darkened theater is unacceptable, then surely we can agree that inciting to violence is not responsible public discourse, much less a valid means to attain elected office.
This was an assault on the best system of government the world has ever brought to life. With all due respect to the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment, violence is not a solution - it's a symptom. If you don't like how our system works, that's fine with me - feel free to move to Somalia, or anywhere else that doesn't use elections to determine what the government can do and who represents us. If you're staying, though, buy in.
In the aftermath of the late-night arrest of BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, a planned Oakland City Hall-based protest went ahead as scheduled Sunday but with a less-angry energy than existed last week, when over 100 people were arrested and many downtown Oakland buildings were damaged in a night of rampaging protests against both Officer Mehserle's actions and the overall response of BART and elected officials.
In today's event, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums took the microphone and really talked to the crowd about how their voice led to change. Then I talked with Mayor Dellums about his call for change and if that would lead to reforms within the Oakland Police Department.
This goes to show that you can't hide, even on the Internet. They got him.
Cops say East Coast teen admits MySpace threats
Warnings about shooting people at Petaluma High School keep 2/3 of students away
Jim Herron Zamora and Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writers Wednesday, May 9, 2007
(05-09) 19:55 PDT PETALUMA -- Petaluma police said a 17-year-old boy from the East Coast admitted to posting prank MySpace messages -- threatening to shoot people at Petaluma High School -- that caused about two thirds of students to miss classes Wednesday. Police said that the boy, who was not named, admitted using a stolen password to hack into the MySpace page of at least one Petaluma High School student and using the account to send prank messages on Tuesday night vowing to bring a gun to school Wednesday to shoot enough people to exceed the 33 deaths at Virginia Tech last month. Late Tuesday, investigators traced the threats to a person 3,000 miles away, but police and school officials still took the matter seriously and warned parents. Educators decided not to cancel classes but they did beef up security and lock down the campus. The message said:"Listen up you people, I'm sick of all your s -- . Tomorrow I'm going to school strapped and none of you can do anything to stop me. I'm beating the high score of 33 thanks to you f -- ." Police said that the prankster, who was not arrested but will likely face criminal charges, is one of several internet users who have obtained passwords "for a variety of MySpace accounts." Police said the prankster told them that a number of other internet users have used the passwords to "post inappropriate and possibly criminal data" on the popular social networking site. The prankster's threats were posted and re-posted to about 300 other Petaluma students with MySpace accounts, school administrators said. The East Coast boy has no connection to Petaluma, police said in a statement, "and he had no intention of carrying out any violence." Police declined to discuss what criminal charges the youth may face. He could possibly be prosecuted under federal or state law. School administrators said they had to take the threats seriously and enacted an emergency plan. "The police let us know (Tuesday) night that they had some leads that linked this to the East Coast, but we had to respect the police investigation and treat this as a potentially serious threat," said Dave Rose, head of student services for Petaluma City Schools. "Had this been clearly a threat we would have closed down the school totally." Police and school officials posted several alerts on the school's web-site on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Administrators also received nearly 400 phone calls from concerned parents before school Wednesday. As a result, only about half of the 1,650 students showed up for first-period classes. That dwindled to about 35 percent by second period because many parents pulled their children out of school because of the threats.
This goes to show that you can't hide, even on the Internet. They got him.
Cops say East Coast teen admits MySpace threats Warnings about shooting people at Petaluma High School keep 2/3 of students away Jim Herron Zamora and Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writers Wednesday, May 9, 2007
(05-09) 19:55 PDT PETALUMA -- Petaluma police said a 17-year-old boy from the East Coast admitted to posting prank MySpace messages -- threatening to shoot people at Petaluma High School -- that caused about two thirds of students to miss classes Wednesday. Police said that the boy, who was not named, admitted using a stolen password to hack into the MySpace page of at least one Petaluma High School student and using the account to send prank messages on Tuesday night vowing to bring a gun to school Wednesday to shoot enough people to exceed the 33 deaths at Virginia Tech last month. Late Tuesday, investigators traced the threats to a person 3,000 miles away, but police and school officials still took the matter seriously and warned parents. Educators decided not to cancel classes but they did beef up security and lock down the campus. The message said:"Listen up you people, I'm sick of all your s -- . Tomorrow I'm going to school strapped and none of you can do anything to stop me. I'm beating the high score of 33 thanks to you f -- ." Police said that the prankster, who was not arrested but will likely face criminal charges, is one of several internet users who have obtained passwords "for a variety of MySpace accounts." Police said the prankster told them that a number of other internet users have used the passwords to "post inappropriate and possibly criminal data" on the popular social networking site. The prankster's threats were posted and re-posted to about 300 other Petaluma students with MySpace accounts, school administrators said. The East Coast boy has no connection to Petaluma, police said in a statement, "and he had no intention of carrying out any violence." Police declined to discuss what criminal charges the youth may face. He could possibly be prosecuted under federal or state law. School administrators said they had to take the threats seriously and enacted an emergency plan. "The police let us know (Tuesday) night that they had some leads that linked this to the East Coast, but we had to respect the police investigation and treat this as a potentially serious threat," said Dave Rose, head of student services for Petaluma City Schools. "Had this been clearly a threat we would have closed down the school totally." Police and school officials posted several alerts on the school's web-site on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Administrators also received nearly 400 phone calls from concerned parents before school Wednesday. As a result, only about half of the 1,650 students showed up for first-period classes. That dwindled to about 35 percent by second period because many parents pulled their children out of school because of the threats.
I found this interesting post on a forum called Asians, Inc. that speaks for itself. It's a demonstration of why it's good to have different racial and ethnic points of view, something all but forgotten by the mainstream news media.
Hey all. I'm usually posting about positive stuff but I just felt compelled to write about the Va Tech shooting from the perspective of an asian male.
First thing I like to say is that I feel for the victims and their families and I've posted my condolences on other sites. That was my first reaction. My second reaction was that guns should not be in the hands of lunatics leading to the deaths of great people. Which led to my third reaction was how great these people are and that they deserved better.
Then as I continued to watch and learn more about the madman I kept seeing his picture. I don't get on the media for covering this madman for however long they want to. I just get the feeling that subliminally the viewers will have a link between this madman's profile and other asian men. I was kind of hoping that the reporters would interview a few asian men who attend Va Tech just to show that we are not like this madman in any way shape or form.
I also watched 360 on CNN when they interview his roommates. They talked about his unusual behavior and how they tried to get him to be more social. I thought those were good roommates since they were very patient with him. They also described him as being shy and quiet. When they said that, an alarm went off in my head as a natural reaction. I too am shy and quiet but in no way as sick as that madman. They also mentioned that he was a loner and didn't talk to many people. That also describes me but that's only because I feel more at peace not always being around people all the time.
I also listened on WWOR, a radio station in NYC, the Joey Reynolds show. He had on a Korean comedian who is running for councilwoman in New Jersey I believe. When the Rabbi who was also a guest on the show mentioned that the Va Tech shooting happens partly due to the madman not being able to get out his frustration in a positive way the Korean lady said that all Korean men are like that. Then the Rabbi totally shot down her prejudice about Korean men by saying that men of all backgrounds are usually non communicative. I'm Vietnamese but I know plenty of Korean guys who are very communicative and as pleasant as can be.
In conclusion(not that this is some college essay), I feel the media should give more positive news not just about asian men but in general. I know I'm going to continue to be myself and not change too much about how I behave.
Please feel free to comment on what I wrote and keep it intellectual.
• Police ID shooter as 23-year-old resident alien, English major • Police say one of the guns recovered was used in both shooting incidents • At least two professors among the dead in Virginia Tech massacre • Officials: 33 dead, including gunman, in Norris Hall and dormitory shootings Adjust font size:
BLACKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- The gunman who killed 30 people at Virginia Tech's Norris Hall before turning the gun on himself was student Cho Seung-hui, university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said Tuesday.
University officials said they were still trying to determine whether Cho was responsible for an earlier shooting at a dormitory that left two dead.
However, Flinchum said ballistics tests show that one of the two guns recovered at Norris Hall was used at Norris and at the dorm, both located on the 26,000-student campus. (Watch police disclose new information about the shooter )
Authorities are still investigating whether Cho had any accomplices in planning or executing Monday's rampage, Col. Steven Flaherty of the Virginia State Police said.
"It certainly is reasonable for us to assume that Cho was the shooter in both places, but we don't have the evidence to take us there at this particular point in time," Flaherty said.
Cho, a 23-year-old South Korean and resident alien, lived at the university's Harper Hall, Flinchum said. He was an English major, the chief said.
Cho was a loner and authorities are having a hard time finding information about him, said Larry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations.
A department of Homeland Security official said Cho came to the United States in 1992, through Detroit, Michigan. He had lawful permanent residence, via his parents, and renewed his green card in October 2003, the official said.
His residence was listed as Centreville, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
The university and police are still in the process of releasing the names of the 32 people killed in Monday's shootings. (Watch how some are asking why warnings weren't issued sooner )
"What went on during that incident certainly caused tremendous chaos and panic in Norris Hall," Flaherty said, describing how victims were found in four classrooms and in the stairwell of the school's engineering science and mechanics building.
This is the most terrible thing I've ever been alive to be aware of. There's more news. The video's below.
Gunman Kills 32 in Virginia Tech Rampage SUE LINDSEY | AP | April 16, 2007 11:32 PM EST
BLACKSBURG, Va. — A gunman massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history Monday, cutting down his victims in two attacks two hours apart before the university could grasp what was happening and warn students. The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy, perhaps forever.
Investigators gave no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known whether he was a student.
"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."
But he was also faced with difficult questions about the university's handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained they got no warning from the university until an e-mail that arrived more than two hours after the first shots rang out.
Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman. Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 15 people were hurt, some seriously. Students jumped from windows in panic.
Alec Calhoun, a 20-year-old junior, said he was in a 9:05 a.m. mechanics class when he and classmates heard a thunderous sound from the classroom next door _ "what sounded like an enormous hammer."
Screams followed an instant later, and the banging continued. When students realized the sounds were gunshots, Calhoun said, he started flipping over desks for hiding places. Others dashed to the windows of the second-floor classroom, kicking out the screens and jumping from the ledge of Room 204, he said.
"I must've been the eighth or ninth person who jumped, and I think I was the last," said Calhoun, of Waynesboro, Va. He landed in a bush and ran.
Calhoun said that the two students behind him were shot, but that he believed they survived. Just before he climbed out the window, Calhoun said, he turned to look at the professor, who had stayed behind, perhaps to block the door.
The instructor was killed, he said.
At an evening news conference, Police Chief Wendell Flinchum refused to dismiss the possibility that a co-conspirator or second shooter was involved. He said police had interviewed a male who was a "person of interest" in the dorm shooting who knew one of the victims, but he declined to give details.
"I'm not saying there's a gunman on the loose," Flinchum said. Ballistics tests will help explain what happened, he said.
Sheree Mixell, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the evidence was being moved to the agency's national lab in Annandale. At least one firearm was turned over, she said.
Mixell would not comment on what types of weapons were used or whether the gunman was a student.
Young people and faculty members carried out some of the wounded themselves, without waiting for ambulances to arrive. Many found themselves trapped behind chained and padlocked doors. SWAT team members with helmets, flak jackets and assault rifles swarmed over the campus. A student used his cell-phone camera to record the sound of bullets echoing through a stone building.
Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a German class in Norris Hall, told The Washington Post that the gunman barged into the room at about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire for about a minute and a half, squeezing off about 30 shots.
The gunman first shot the professor in the head and then fired on the students, Perkins said. The gunman was about 19 years old and had a "very serious but very calm look on his face," he said.
"Everyone hit the floor at that moment," said Perkins, 20, of Yorktown, Va., a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. "And the shots seemed like it lasted forever."
Erin Sheehan, who was also in the German class, told the student newspaper, the Collegiate Times, that she was one of only four of about two dozen people in the class to walk out of the room. The rest were dead or wounded, she said.
She said the gunman "was just a normal-looking kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout-type outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something."
Students said that there were no public-address announcements after the first shots. Many said they learned of the first shooting in an e-mail that arrived shortly before the gunman struck again.
"I think the university has blood on their hands because of their lack of action after the first incident," said Billy Bason, 18, who lives on the seventh floor of the dorm.
Steger defended the university's conduct, saying authorities believed that the shooting at the dorm was a domestic dispute and mistakenly thought the gunman had fled the campus.
"We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur," he said.
Steger emphasized that the university closed off the dorm after the first attack and decided to rely on e-mail and other electronic means to spread the word, but said that with 11,000 people driving onto campus first thing in the morning, it was difficult to get the word out.
He said that before the e-mail went out, the university began telephoning resident advisers in the dorms and sent people to knock on doors. Students were warned to stay inside and away from the windows.
"We can only make decisions based on the information you had at the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it," Steger said.
Some students and Laura Wedin, a student programs manager at Virginia Tech, said their first notification came in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m., more than two hours after the first shooting.
The e-mail had few details. It read: "A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating." The message warned students to be cautious and contact police about anything suspicious.
Edmund Henneke, associate dean of engineering, said that he was in the classroom building and that he and colleagues had just read the e-mail advisory and were discussing it when he heard gunfire. He said that moments later SWAT team members rushed them downstairs, but that the doors were chained and padlocked from the inside. They left the building through an unlocked construction area.
Until Monday, the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history was in Killeen, Texas, in 1991, when George Hennard plowed his pickup truck into a Luby's Cafeteria and shot 23 people to death, then himself.
The massacre Monday took place almost eight years to the day after the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo. On April 20, 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.
Previously, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history was a rampage in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where Charles Whitman climbed the clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before police shot him to death.
Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is about 160 miles west of Richmond. With more than 25,000 full-time students, it has the state's largest full-time student population. It is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse Hokies football team.
The campus is centered on the Drill Field, a grassy field where military cadets practice. The dorm and the classroom building are on opposites sides of the Drill Field.
President Bush offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia, saying the tragedy would be felt in every community in the country.
After the shootings, all campus entrances were closed, and classes were canceled through Tuesday. The university set up a spot for families to reunite with their children. It also made counselors available and planned an assembly Tuesday.
Police said there had been bomb threats on campus over the past two weeks but said they had not determined a link to the shootings.
It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.
In August, the opening day of classes was canceled when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy was killed just off campus. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.
Among Monday's dead was Ryan Clark, a student from Martinez, Ga., with several majors who carried a 4.0 grade-point average, said Vernon Collins, coroner in Columbia County, Ga.
At a hastily arranged service Monday night at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Susan Verbrugge gazed out at about 150 bowed heads.
"Death has come trundling into our life, a sudden and savage entity laying waste to our hearts and making desolate our minds," Verbrugge said during a prayer. "We need now the consolation only you can give."
After the service, Clark's friend Gregory Walton, a 25-year-old who graduated last year, said he feared his nightmare had just begun.
"I knew when the number was so large that I would know at least one person on that list," said Walton, a banquet manager. "I don't want to look at that list. I don't want to.
"It's just, it's going to be horrible, and it's going to get worse before it gets better."
defend the Congresswoman when her assailant aimed at her - as the pro-gun pundits vociferously insisted might have prevented deaths in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, for example. One could only hope they'd all have the talent to aim very carefully in such crowded conditions that even a trained sharp-shooter might feel tested, since the deaths and injuries at a grocery store in Tuscon were arguably incited by the implied acceptability of such "2nd Amendment solutions."
I'd surely hate to be Jesse Kelly, Gifford's opponent in the recent election who tied defeating her to coming to shoot a "fully automatic M-16" to remove her from office, or Sarah Palin (who used a gun-sight rendering to target 20 candidates she wanted defeated, including Giffords) right now. It must be distracting for them both to work out ways to not feel guilty about this travesty.
I'd surely hate to be Jesse Kelly, Gifford's opponent in the recent election who tied defeating her to coming to shoot a "fully automatic M-16" to remove her from office, or Sarah Palin (who used a gun-sight rendering to target 20 candidates she wanted defeated, including Giffords) right now. It must be distracting for them both to work out ways to not feel guilty about this travesty.
