Run Like a Mother
Wow, Linda, all day long they've been reporting that the shooters mother was a K teacher at the school and that she was shot there. Just heard the first news report agreeing with your inside info. So sad.
I assumed the same thing all day long too! The news had not definitively said, but they've been implying, that the mother was shot at the school. It was logical that that is what would have happened since she was a teacher there, but they were not giving the identity of the person they found dead at the nearby house either.
I was talking with my husband about this tonight, about how when our kids (now 19 and 20) were in elementary school you were supposed to go to the office to get a visitor pass, but that there wasn't anything preventing you from just walking in and going wherever you wanted until someone noticed you. But at this particular school visitors are viewed on closed circuit tv and have to be buzzed in once they knew who you were. But this was a situation where they probably knew this guy because he was the son of a teacher and so he was let in without question. Not all things can be prevented with good security unfortunately.
Linda
Sickening.
With no immediate motive, we're faced with the stark reality that humans can do great evil, and that no amount of security is a guarantee of safety.
No bettering of society or answers will come of this either, so all I can really hope is that there's a special place in hell for the murderer of innocent children.
I am of the opposite view. Not that I know anything about the man who did this today and neither does anyone else at this point, I assume. But I can only imagine that it's a person who snapped and went insane. Like I said before, mental illness. That, I can understand. I find it terrible and of course, when someone is found capable of such acts, before or after the act itself, society must be protected at all cost and the person must be locked up in a mental facility. But that insane person is innocent and also a victim, because mental illness is an illness like any other body illnesses. NOW, terrorists are another story in my opinion. Sure, they may have their own reasons to be very angry, but if they are of sane mind, there really is no excuse for taking the lives of innocent people, especially children.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
^^THIS is what I was trying to say earlier. I also believe that the mentally ill who commit crimes such as this are victims too. It is often difficult to identify mental illnesses and nobody knows why it causes someone to kill people. I pray for him and his family too.
Mental illness? In Quebec, there was a recently divorced father of three, a heart surgeon, who killed his children while his ex-wife was on a weekend getaway with her lover. He was arrested. They claimed it was a temporary moment of insanity. He's out of jail now, after 2 years. And he's back practicing in a hospital... Nice system...
Mental illness?
In Quebec, there was a recently divorced father of three, a heart surgeon, who killed his children while his ex-wife was on a weekend getaway with her lover. He was arrested. They claimed it was a temporary moment of insanity. He's out of jail now, after 2 years. And he's back practicing in a hospital... Nice system...
Close but not quite the same thing. There, you have a guy doing something specifically designed to cause his ex pain. Won't comment on the Quebecois criminal justice system.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Not a dude
I want to be careful how I phrase this. I can admire the efficiency of the German Army post-1939 without condoning the morality of the German government. Similarly, I can understand the cold calculation of doing something specifically designed to a) avoid direct confrontation with stronger entity's military while b) scaring the shit out of the stronger entity's population. Carl von Clausewitz divined the trinity of war involving passion (the people), reason (the government) and chance (the military). What Clausewitz understood was that this trinity was like a three legged stool; all you need do is attack one leg of the trinity to cause the stool to collapse. Terrorists attack the passion. It is quite sensible to attack the passion when you lack the ability to attack the reason or the chance.
I can feel for those that have mental illnesses. But I'm waiting to hear an explaination about how someone as troubled as this kid seemed got access to 3 assault type weapons and a bullet proof vest. Early reports say the guns were registered to Mom (but so much info has been erroneous in this case)
And everytime one of these shooting sprees occurs, I just wish that the shooter had put his own name on the top of his "To kill" list, instead of the bottom.
Wickedly Average
LTH, I can strongly appreciate what you're saying, even if I can't relate government to reason. Personally I think that in this case, it was just a deranged bastard that did this, with no logical goal in mind. I think someone snapped, basically.
Tom (formerly known as PhotogTom)
5K - 25:16, 10K - 55:31, 15K - 1:20:55, HM - 1:54:54
By "reason", you have to understand a bit more about Clausewitz. "War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means." Clausewitz is clear that war is not something that stands on its own. Rather, wars are fought to achieve political objectives. These objectives are the "reason" of which Clausewitz speaks.
Misty
I don't feel sorry for the bastard at all. Hell yeah he was sick in the head, you'd have to be to do something so vile. But a victim of mental illnes that couldn't help but kill those 20 babies? Sorry, no. As much as I believe in the innate goodness of most people, I believe in the innate evil of a few.
Bless your heart.
Beer-and-waffle Powered
Yea as a parent hard to read
Even as being a long way for parents this is hard to read. My friend said she heard there'd been a shooting last night but I didn't think much of it until I read the news this morning.
Devastating.
In the words of my late-coach : Just hang in there, relax... and at the end of a race anyone you see.....just pass them
Feets don't fail me now
The story here is mental illness. Look at the people responsible just recently for the Colorado movie theater, Gabby Giffords speech, the VA tech shooting. These young men were all untreated for mental illness. Some had been recognized as having instability - the VA tech kid was supposed to be in some sort of program. Gun control etc etc have no bearing on these tragedies. These kids need to be identified, diagnosed, treated, and then FOLLOWED. Teachers/parents/community members need to not just label a kid as antisocial or a loner - there needs to be a protocol in place to get these kids into treatment and then followed. Heck, maybe once a kid is diagnosed as having mental illness or signs of pre-mental illness, they need to go into some kind of pool like someone on parole - have to check in weekly or every other week to a case officer to insure they are still receiving treatment. It is just devastating.
It is quite sensible to attack the passion when you lack the ability to attack the reason or the chance.
It is not at all sensible or logical to terroristically attack and thereby anger, unite and motivate people who are capable of striking back with a multiple of military force against you. Look at the Palestinians or the Taliban or al Qaeda and ask yourself whether their tactics furthered their cause or set them back. Or for that matter look at the tactics of the German military and ask yourself the same question.