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Post by ouchy on Apr 16, 2007 22:02:50 GMT -5
Janet (vatechgrad), I hope you are unharmed physically from what happened today. I also hope that you do not have any friends or family who were there. I'm sure psychologically, everyone will be a bit shaken up for quite a while if not forever.
One of my best friends told me that his fiance was in the VA Tech library when all this happened today. She received the e-mail from the school notifying everyone that there had been a shooting in the dorms, but she said that no one really thought much of it because someone got shot by the dorms last year.
I think that if a shooting happens anywhere on school property, classes should NOT be in session, regardless of whether or not it was inside a dorm and not in a classroom. This is so sad.
***This thread is NOT to become a debate over gun control!***
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Post by JackMcFarland on Apr 16, 2007 22:41:38 GMT -5
I saw that a few hours ago at work. So sad I cannot believe that many students suffered. My prayers are with their families.
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Post by cherry on Apr 17, 2007 3:32:55 GMT -5
I'm dreading what will come out of it, you really realise how twisted some people are when the details of the shooter's background comes out. So many people suffer cos of the messed view of the world a small minority have, it's so so sad. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected, our newsreaders here spoke to a Nickolas Macko and he could hardly speak, luckily his class were able to barricade themselves in. I still can't get over the fact that these things happen xx
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Post by chloelouise on Apr 17, 2007 4:44:24 GMT -5
Hi, Im so sorry to hear this, what actually happened? Our news didnt cover it.
My prayers are with those invovled, Im guessing there has been a college shooting, which is just horrific but as I say Im not sure becase the news didnt cover it.
I think its just horrible that things like this happen. It seems so cruel and unjust.
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Post by chloelouise on Apr 17, 2007 4:53:03 GMT -5
I have just been on to an America news website and am shocked, this evil baffles me, my thoughts prayers and heart goes out to all those involved. I also pray for the quick recovery of those victims who were injured.
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Post by ouchy on Apr 17, 2007 9:20:17 GMT -5
I read that the gunman was actually a foreign national on a student visa. I also read that he chained the doors shut from the inside!
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Post by chloelouise on Apr 17, 2007 9:27:29 GMT -5
Yeah I heard that too ouchy, it was covered on the lunch time news today, its just horrific those poor students invovled.
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Post by ouchy on Apr 17, 2007 13:00:39 GMT -5
Apparently, he was actually here as a permanent resident, not on a student visa as previously thought. Here is the most complete write-up I have read so far. It talks about him being referred to a counselor due to his disturbed creative writing, he lived in the dorms, he left a note before he did all of this, had recently been in trouble for setting a fire in his dorm room, and he had also recently been stalking some girls. news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070417/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_shooting
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Post by ouchy on Apr 17, 2007 14:49:38 GMT -5
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Post by kb on Apr 17, 2007 22:59:22 GMT -5
Is horrible what happened, hadnt heard about it at all actually cept on here.
I just dont get it though, theres disturbed students all over the world, why do we only ever hear about school shootings in the US? Not starting a debate at all, just a comment.
I must say after reading that article u posted Ouchy, no surprise really. How do kids get so screwed up? Why take other lives?
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Post by ouchy on Apr 17, 2007 23:18:20 GMT -5
^I think it has a lot to do with our media. People in third world countries even followed the stupid stuff about Anna Nicole! If stuff like that here makes it to little, nasty streets far off, then I'm sure something like a shooting here would make it to every corner of the earth. It's actually fun to find English versions of foreign newspapers and read some of the same bad stuff that goes on over there. The only difference? No one here gives a bleep about stuff in a nasty little hole in the wall.
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Post by kb on Apr 18, 2007 10:49:40 GMT -5
Thats a really good point Ouchy. It is bizarre the way the world seems to follow all that happens in the US, yet we hear nothing about major events in other countries.
I think sometimes the media likes to report on things in the US coz its the powerhouse, lets face it. Also, there is a tendency for the media to encourage the idea that the US is evil, not true obviously, but its not a terribly uncommon belief unfortunately.
I know im going off topic here, but i remember being horrified when i heard a report on a radio program a while ago about racism against Americans in australia, students kinda copping the blame for things done by the American government. The media also commonly will do things that make Americans look stupid which only further inflames peoples racism and ridiculous beliefs. Why do this? Because the US is the powerhouse, and the country to hate, so of course it makes sense to cover stories like school shootings so there is a belief its commonplace.
This is why i tend to hate the media, and miss alot of major things coz i often choose to avoid it rather than be influenced by sensationalised stories.
Sorry very off topic, but the influence of the media on peoples beliefs is incredible, even effects me no matter how much i try not to let it happen.
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Post by ouchy on Apr 18, 2007 10:50:34 GMT -5
I completely agree, kb.
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Post by cherry on Apr 18, 2007 11:23:29 GMT -5
Special mention to the professor who lost his life blocking the door of the classroom so his students had a chance to escape, Liviu Librescu. A lot of the students have written to his family saying he saved their lives. As a holocaust survivor too, he died on Holocaust Remembrance Day. I cried when I read about him, it was like the opposite of the gunman, a shining act of goodness in the face of the twisted hatred in that boy's heart. A truly brave man, I hope something is done to remember him especially although I'm sure more heroic acts of that day will come to light. What happened that day is nothing to do with America, but more about how easily overlooked these things are until it ends in tragedy. The shooter is coming to light as a very messed up, ill young man. I feel for his family I really do. People can point the finger at gun laws but here was a reminder of how these laws make no difference, unfortunately where there's a will there's a way. I'm thinking of the Dunblane Massacre, mid 90s quiet place up in Scotland where a psychotic paedophile walked into a school and shot dead most of a class of 5 and 6 year old children along with their teacher who tried to save them. He was licensed for firearms despite the authorities wanting to take this away from him, so it goes to show that laws alone cannot stop this. It's nothing to do with attitudes to firearms, these are very sick twisted people who carry out these attacks. I hate that people seem to forget the tragedy and jump on bandwagons to blame this or that, you feel like telling them to remember somebody died that day xx
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Post by ouchy on Apr 18, 2007 11:33:10 GMT -5
Well said, cherry. It is very sad. I cried when I read about that, too. It's all just so sad. The entire thing.
My mom told me that one teacher was actually so scared of this kid that she had a code word to allert someone to come for help!?! I dont' know how true that is. I haven't read it yet, but that is wild! This guy was a cooky guy!
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