What Can You Say?

I usually try to keep these posts funny or snide or even at times condescending. I've posted a few that were earnest and heartfelt, and they always seem to border on maudlin. That's why I have had a rough time coming up with something to say about the shooting at Virginia Tech.

By now everyone knows the details. With each passing hour more and more specifics are known about the shooter and his victims. In hind sight, a lot of people are coming forward and saying they knew all along that this young man was troubled and perhaps even dangerous. The "experts" and the lawyers will be left to debate what, if any, culpability anyone other than the shooter had in this tragedy. People are also trying to assess blame on school officials and law enforcement, saying they didn't react fast enough. I think that is irresponsible. It seems like the school did what it could with the information it had, and law enforcement acted in the prescribed way. As much as it might comfort folks to place the blame at the feet of various officials, there is only one person to blame. If someone is dead set on committing such a heinous act, there's not much anyone can do to stop it.

This tragedy has affected me on a couple of levels. First, it's always very disturbing when innocent people die. Maybe I'm a little jaded. When I hear news of soldiers being killed, i feel bad. In no way do i mean to diminish their deaths, but I expect soldiers to die in a war. It's no less painful for their loved ones, but it's something that you have had a little chance to mentally prepare for. These students and professors weren't at war. They were just going to school, preparing for the rest of their lives. You can't prepare yourself to die when all your worried about are mid-terms and finding enough change between the couch cushions so you can hit happy hour. I also was affected as a parent. Even though we all know there is no way to keep our kids one hundred percent safe, we figure school is as close as we can get. That bubble has been burst a number of times, but it never ceases to surprise me.

I've been trying to explain what happened to"Daughter" since she hears the news and sees the paper, but there are no answers to some of her questions. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims families and yes, to the family of the shooter also. I hope that the blaming can stop and the healing can begin. Later...Brian