Blacksburg, VA

It seems as though every time a mass killing occurs, the question always arises: ‘How could this have happened?’ Even our good President conveyed such sentiments: "It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701034.html

Now admittedly, I am stealing Air America Radio host, Rachel Maddow’s thunder when I cite this particular quotation and I will likely do the same in some of my reflections, but Ms. Maddow rightly questions Bush’s authenticity when he says "it’s impossible…" The statement should not be taken out of context, as Bush was speaking to a grieving, shell-shocked audience and he was no doubt trying to empathize with them and ‘feel their pain’ (if you will). However, Bush does represent a constituency of people who take a great deal of pride in being gun-toting Americans and treat the second amendment as though it is more of a right than a privilege. If shooting sprees like this keep up though, it’s not going to be either; you listenin’ Charlton Heston?!

Actually, I retract that statement – this should really and truly be the last straw. People need to start getting hip to the fact that guns are bad, pure and simple. Most people who own guns do so because they feel inadequate or insecure in some way or another – kinda like people who own Hummers or those other Sport Utility Monstrosities (SUMs). I have always felt that a potential owner should have to provide substantial cause for requiring a SUM, and such cause should be even more substantial when owning an even deadlier weapon (a firearm).

The ever über-liberal Wall Street Journal poses the question: "Should Colleges Ban Firearms?"

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB117685710194073363,00.html?mod=todays_free_feature

Because heaven forbid we should even mention the idea of banning firearms in this country! I didn’t even know there were colleges where you can have firearms on campus! I know Hunter S. Thompson is rolling in his grave as I write these words (wait, he had his ashes shot out of a cannon), but we must start looking at other democracies in the world, see what has worked (and not worked) for them and stop holding ourselves up as the supreme example, as we are clearly not.

The Washington Post called President Bush "The Consoler in Chief" as he once again takes on this role of comforting Papa Bear (Bill O’Reilly a la Steven Colbert reference) after a national tragedy; but I am tired of allowing him to don this sweet and sensitive side. Just because something horrible goes down, it should not be forgotten even for a moment that HE is responsible for the deaths of just a tad more than 32 deaths and a few sympathetic words every now and again by this mass murderer cannot change that!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702103.html

"When life at Virginia Tech [returns to normal]," I sincerely hope that the people in this country and especially those who govern us will take into stronger consideration what all a nation able to bear arms entails and if we want to continue having such nightmarish events on such a frequent basis.