Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Tragedy in Blacksburg

As of early this morning, the public doesn’t know the shooter’s motivation, where he got his weapons, or even his name. So many lives, filled with promise, snuffed in an instant. The global village mourns.

The subjects of debate are easily foreseen: more gun control (obvious), campus security (equally obvious), more guns in people’s hands (if everyone were armed, this could have been stopped a lot sooner), immigration policy (the killer may be a student from China), and the wounded male psyche. The presidential candidates no doubt have already staked out their positions.

Once again a topic that was unimportant to most people rises to the top of the national consciousness; think global war on terror, Hurricane Katrina, Terri Schiavo, and climate change. Well, there’s only so much room at the top. Our capacity for worry has long since been overwhelmed.

My church may have its flaws, but it does respond well to tragedies such as these. Episcopal Relief and Development will shortly be aiding the families of victims in the area, and I’ll be sending along a check. I can’t do much, but I can do something. © 2007 Stephen Yuen

[Update from Yahoo news: Police identified the classroom shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior from South Korea]

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