1 Killed in Shootings at Virginia Tech

[ssuchidelt]

In response to people trying to place blame on police, the school and anyone else they can find a finger to point at is terrible. No one except the man who pulled the trigger is to blame. No one forced him physically to pull that trigger and take 30+ lives, it was him and only him.

No one knows exactly how they will react in a time of crisis, and to call the police cowards and so forth is completely uncalled for. Those police officers, EMTs, and school officials, regardless of what we saw or heard on television, risked their lives that day and did the best they could to protect and save as many lives as possible. It's unfair to criticize what you've seen or heard with out having actually been there. It was a terrible scene and no doubt adrenaline, and fear ran rampant.

I think instead of criticizing and focusing so heavily on what happened, which we can't change, we should focus on how we can prevent such a tragedy from occuring again.

[Buttonz]

[QUOTE=texas*princess;1432698]

Originally Posted by Buttonz

Nothing wrong at all with all of theme covering it, but do the pictures of the killer holding guns, etc have to be shown????


I'm not saying it's right, but the media has the right to do it. Anything controversial sells. (or gets ratings)

Personally I think that the media should not have shown the pictures, or clips of the video tape. That stuff could have easily been found on the internet for people who really wanted to see it.

Unfortunately, that's not my call.

Like someone said earlier - I think it was Denise_DPhiE or Heather, the media just focuses on the 'big story of the moment'.... I don't know about your area, but I haven't heard much about Anna Nicole, Britney, or any of the other huge controversial stories that were the topic of every newscast even if it was just repeat info.

I agree with what your saying...which is more or less what I've been saying.

No, I haven't heard a work about Anna Nicole or Britney up here either.

Originally Posted by ssuchidelt

In response to people trying to place blame on police, the school and anyone else they can find a finger to point at is terrible. No one except the man who pulled the trigger is to blame. No one forced him physically to pull that trigger and take 30+ lives, it was him and only him.

No one knows exactly how they will react in a time of crisis, and to call the police cowards and so forth is completely uncalled for. Those police officers, EMTs, and school officials, regardless of what we saw or heard on television, risked their lives that day and did the best they could to protect and save as many lives as possible. It's unfair to criticize what you've seen or heard with out having actually been there. It was a terrible scene and no doubt adrenaline, and fear ran rampant.

I think instead of criticizing and focusing so heavily on what happened, which we can't change, we should focus on how we can prevent such a tragedy from occuring again.

Agreed 100%

[jon1856]

Va. Shootings: What the World is Saying
What the rest of the world is saying about the Virginia Tech shootings.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Newsweek
Updated: 4:29 p.m. ET April 18, 2007

April 18, 2007 - The Virginia Tech shootings have not just resonated inside the United States. Around the world, politicians and analysts have watched the headlines with interest, filtering their commentary through their own national prisms. Many non-Americans remain bewildered by the nation's gun laws; others found themselves surprised by the diversity of students and professors at a college in a town few could have found on a map. Some of the international reaction:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18181477/site/newsweek/

[jon1856]

Moved to new thread.
Sorry.

[alum]

Regarding the celebrity news being bumped for the Virginia Tech coverage:

In the spring of '01, a young master's degree candidate/intern went missing in DC right before she was scheduled to return to CA. At least in the DC area, we had daily coverage of Chandra Levy's disappearance for over 3 months. Then September 11 occurred and her story was old news and was put on a back burner.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by jon1856

"Many non-Americans remain bewildered by the nation's gun laws; others found themselves surprised by the diversity of students and professors at a college in a town few could have found on a map.

The diversity of the victims is really remarkable to me, also. Different nationalities and races, religions, ages, passions...it's such a tragic event and yet the very diversity exhibited in those classrooms is one of the reasons that many of them probably decided to study there or in the United States.

The shooter's ramblings went on assailing Christianity, wealth and spoiled white kids, but it sure appears that most of the people he murdered were the very opposite. They all sound like remarkable people that had so much promise and so much to give to the rest of the world.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by jon1856

Va. Shootings: What the World is Saying
What the rest of the world is saying about the Virginia Tech shootings.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Newsweek
Updated: 4:29 p.m. ET April 18, 2007

April 18, 2007 - The Virginia Tech shootings have not just resonated inside the United States. Around the world, politicians and analysts have watched the headlines with interest, filtering their commentary through their own national prisms. Many non-Americans remain bewildered by the nation's gun laws; others found themselves surprised by the diversity of students and professors at a college in a town few could have found on a map. Some of the international reaction:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18181477/site/newsweek/

One of the quotes in that story had me going:

"Why can people bring guns to campus? How is it possible that so many innocent people could be killed? How could it happen?"

At both schools I went to, guns or anything that could be considered a weapon was absolutely forbidden on campus grounds and in the dormitories.

I don't really like that this quote makes it sound like any student can bring a gun to campus and it's OK, because it's not. (At least at the schools I went to... although I doubt that is much different at other schools??)

[ZTABullwinkle]

In regard to the post about the police behind a tree in the news footage...

When I was a member of the rescue squad, the first thing was always your personal safety. I guess the best way to describe it is this: if I was to run in the middle of an active shooting with no regard to my personal safety, then get shot, now I have two patients and need another medic to come hlep. Basically, you are helping no one by getting yourself injured. Make sense?