Posted by
RedHispanic on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 12:51:48 PM
It's a sad day in the news today, and the entire Townhall.com blogging
community is in shock at the terrible news
from Blacksburg. (Updates at the end of the post)
Today your author sat in shock as the media updated the customer with
the violent shootings that took place at Virginia Tech. The final count
is 33 dead, including the shooter and many more injured. Your author
extends a sincere prayer for those who lost their lives and the
grieving families.
Fox news has reported that in honor of the lives lost at
Virginia Tech, President Bush has instructed the American People that flags are to be
flown at half-mast until Sunday evening.
American Yank writes about what many conservatives know is coming -- more calls for tougher gun control.
The American Left will use these events, as bad as they are, to cite
the need for tougher gun laws. While your author agrees that background
checks and responsible gun ownership is a must; how would tougher laws
better serve society? What the media machine won’t say in blunt terms
is that the shootings at Virginia Tech, the massacre at Columbine or
any other spree killing are perpetrated by mentally and emotionally
deranged individuals. If they could not have obtained a gun another
means of destruction would have been used. However it is the arrogance
of the Left that always believes they can dictate social behavior to a
finite formula through taxpayer funded legislation and full compliance
will create a nirvana. They are delusional.
Catmman at
Rounds Out highlights a story of heroism that is coming out of the tragedy,
In the Face of Tragedy, Hope – Three Stories and highlights similar stories that came out of Columbine and the flight 93 tradgedy.
Three incidents (including yesterday’s shooting) offer evidence that
not all Americans are willing to go quietly into that good night
without trying to save others, assert their faith, or fight back in the
face of overwhelming odds.
Even in this tradgedy, we can see a glimmer of hope.
Douglas Gibbs at
A Right Angle in a Left Turn World attacks the left for their typical approach to gun violence, and points to the error in that thinking.
Fact is, by placing gun-control laws upon us that essentially takes
weapons away from law-abiding citizens unconstitutionally, you place
the citizen, and this nation, at a disadvantage. The criminal and
violent element in this nation will always find a way to get its hands
on guns. Fact is, robbers don't enter homes if they know the owner is
armed, and shooters don't shoot at somebody with a gun pointed at them.
And if they do, they deserve to go down.
Maudie reports on the British newspaper, Daily Mail, and their coverage of the tragedy and, what else, gun control.
A British newspaper, the Daily Mail, carried the headline, "What price the right to bear arms?" As they say, "Right back at ya.
Florida's
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen released a statement through her Townhall.com blog.
"Ros-Lehtinen Expresses Sadness and Shock Over Virginia Tech Tragedy"
Adam from The Idaho Conservative has released the latest episode of his podcast, included here.
Trying to come to an understanding of the Virginia Tech. massacre.
Click here to download. Click here to add my podcast to your I-tunes.
Katie has a valuable link round up of important news sources, and had these comments.
I was happy to hear that
the presidential candidates have cancelled most of their plans for
today out of respect for the tragedy. Likewise, it just wouldn't be right to make a round-up of political links this
morning, so I've put together a few important blog posts, a column, and
a video all about Virginia Tech instead.
From Bert, at Conservative Librarian:
I share the horror others feel at yesterday's Virginia Tech tragedy and
my prayers are with the victims, their families, and friends.
Additional details about this tragedy will undoubtedly be revealed in
the days and weeks to come. It's clear the university's administration
did an abominable job in informing students of the first incident.
Relying on email to communicate to the student body and community is
absolutely pathetic! Were university administrators stupid enough to
think that all members of their community are looking at their email
24/7? A campus wide system of loud speakers would have been a much
more intelligent and effective warning mechanism. Va. Tech's president
has now revealed that it was a student who was the perpetrator. It's
to early to say what are the best procedures to implement to prevent
the occurrence of other tragedies on campuses.
Scott Ott at
ScrappleFace: News Fairly Unbalanced uses satire to express his views on yesterday's events. The headline gives you a clue:
Pelosi, Reid Call for Arming All College Students?
Over at
hopefully onesimus,
Trespassers William has this quote to share with his readers:
...."weep with those who weep,..."
He provides some insight into
our human nature and our desire to know more about what is going on at Virginia Tech.
I just finished reading
another article and cried. i read and listen not because i have some
morose fascination with death or some masochistic /sadistic tendency
that enjoys other peoples tragedies. i read and listened because i am
human and i want to know what has happened to my fellow man (especially
in the case of a tragedy such as this).
Thaale of Anticontrarian reacts to the use of the "lockdown" word yesterday.
It’s a meaningless buzzword. Obviously if the cops or campus security
had a magic Lockdown button that would actually achieve anything, they
would have pushed it. But even if you could effectively “lock down”
every building, how do you know who you’re locking in and who you’re
locking out?
I thought this was a good end to this link round up. Heath at
O Theophilus reminds everyone that the fact is
guns are not the problem,
I submit that the problem is not with guns and their control. The
problem, according to our Creator is in the desperately wicked human
heart. Jesus Christ said "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders . . ." (Matthew 15:19) How could this tragedy been prevented? I do not know
We are a fallen race, desperately in need of redemption.
***
1:12 PM -- More heartfelt thoughts from
ARandomGuy at Young Conservative.
...this should be a time to remember those who have fallen. 32 innocent
people lost their lives yesterday, and there will be plenty of time to
argue and debate about the relevant issues in the future. For now, let
us simply try to remember those who have fallen, pray for their
families, and wish them the best through this difficult time.