While this country wipes the tears from its brow from what is now being called the worst mass-shooting in U.S. history, I want to take a moment to share my grief as well as point out a few things I’ve noticed.
The nation seems almost dumbfounded by this latest catastrophe. Living in a docile state of severe confusion, trying to reconcile this absolutely pointless and horrible act with the increasing levels of violence that are surrounding us. What’s worse, this shooting spree was not a wake up call or a warning or anything that can be turned positive. It is an awful tragedy that claimed 32 lives because a mentally unstable South Korean student couldn’t find content in his life and blamed it on rich kids.
Is it fair that one distressed boy can take out his anger on more than 50 people? Of course not. This time however, there is no one to blame. The killer is gone, no justice will be dealt. All we are left with is hurt, sorrow and confusion.
The politicians jumped into the ring as usual. President Bush is of course at the forefront. Presidents often make political capital from tragedy, Reagan, the challenger, Clinton, Oklahoma City, and Bush is not only no exception, he’s painfully obvious. From the passing out water after one Florida hurricane to the posed political portraits in New Orleans while the citizens were dying, is it any wonder you see him leading the services and offering out farewell to the souls of the lost?
Larry C. Johnson wonders why the media isn’t asking these questions:
* “Bush is going to attend services for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting today. When was the last time Bush did that for the troops?
* Bush has ordered the nation’s flags flown at half-staff until Sunday. Did Bush order flags lowered after Katrina’s devastation and the deaths of hundreds of people?
* It was astonishing to watch news reporters rabidly attack Virginia Tech’s president and chief of police. Why don’t news reporters regularly attack Bush and Cheney like that?
All good points. I got another: What ever happened to journalism?
Oh and of course the gun control debate has begun, even though the Democratic leadership will unlikely push the issue. The lobbies like the NRA are gearing up for a big fight, the opportunistic gun control wing of the Democratic party is revving up its engines as well, and the White House is denying that we should be talking about gun control, which means they actually ARE talking about gun control, pandering to their base in an attempt to change the dialog of the American press from war and scandal to a heroic Bush standing up for the rights of gun owners. What a bunch of BS.
It is despicable that politicians use tragedy to their advantage but that’s politics. If they aren’t doing that, they aren’t doing their job. This recent trend of people actually wanting to drink a beer with their leaders is a farce. They’re all scum, pure and simple. It doesn’t mean we have to be fooled by it.
Don’t get me started on the Right-Wing bloggers. They are obviously salivating, since they finally have something besides abortion, why Hilary Clinton is behind all the Bush scandals and how the liberal media is distorting our success in Iraq. God what a bunch of tools!
All they are trying to do is change the subject so that we forget all about the horror that is going on in the name of the U.S. these days, and distracting us from the real issues at hand, which right now, one of which should be the grief of these poor families who are now without sons and daughters.
My heart goes out to the victims of this catastrophe. It is they who will still be left grieving and coping with loss long after the media finds another story to exploit and the politicians are off in power hungry land talking tough about keeping Americans safe while walking down K Street handing out nice gifts to corporate America.
Many will begin talking about keeping our children safe, and gladly offer up our liberty in exchange, just as they did after 9-11. Please be warned America by the words of Benjamin Franklin for the umpteenth time: They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Meanwhile, America looks away from the scandals and the war. The politics of distraction wins yet again!
Lets not let it happen this time. Now that we see the personal horrors of the death of 32 people, can we for a moment try to understand that in Iraq, 85 people were found killed today? Can we even ponder that tragedies like the Virginia Tech shooting are on par with an average day in Iraq? Can we understand that these tragedies that happen on a daily basis are happening in the name of the United States? Why don’t we bring those responsible for such violence to justice?
With all the anger, confusion and shock that came out of this pointless shooting, why can’t America give the same weight to the deaths of Iraqis? They are humans after all and most of the people that are dying are innocent civilians. What makes it so different that when Iraqis die by the numbers we see them as numbers, and when affluent white Virginians die we see them as human?
I read a statement today that I thought was very appropriate:
“How much of America is in shock and tears at the report from Afghanistan that U.S. marines used ‘excessive force’ last month, in a machine-gun rampage that covered 10 miles of highway and left 12 civilians dead, including an infant and three elderly men? …
“We have a government of old men who turn guns and bombs into Idols for the worship of their own power. Is it surprising when young men in Afghanistan or Virginia use such guns to worship their own power?
“Certainly these killers bear personal responsibility for their actions. Whatever nightmares, fears, and rage haunted the Virginia or the Afghanistan killers are not excuses for their murders. Neither is the official arrogance that for no legitimate reason sent armies to shatter Iraq…
We are a nation gripped by tragedy while amidst great tragedy. War and violence abroad are threatening to bring no rewards to this country but for those who have money invested in the war. Americans are bringing death and destruction to innocent families, when we finally get a taste of how utterly pointless and awful it is all we can think about is ourselves, or at least all the media tells us to think about is ourselves. Unfortunately the greatest tragedy of all is that we don’t see that.
Perhaps this horrible event is a wakeup call after all.