Like Petain??? People from the 40s are like people from today : depending on their education, wealth, social background, they are courageous or coward.

huh.

i agree with adam, people like my folks, my grand parents suffered through way more adversity than most of us today.

I'd wager that most anyone here with a computer and online access and the luxury to post on a website about nothing more significant than a hobby haven't seen close to the kind of adversity our grandparents did. And those few who have, and have come through it, always seem quick to acknowledge how good they have it now.

huh.

i agree with adam, people like my folks, my grand parents suffered through way more adversity than most of us today.

A few more people like this guy and the body count would have been much lower. The first thing too strike me (after the OhhmyGodOhhmyGodOhhhmyGod) was how a single shooter with a 9mm semi-auto could rack such a body count without being swarmed...

Examples? Kids in my son's class have been told repeatedly, by warious teacher,s guidance councelors, etc, etc.:"If you see bullying taking place-- GO TELL AN ADULT." If someone is bothering you and you tell them to stop but they keep doing it, GO TELL AN ADULT. DON'T hit someone even if they hit you first-- GO TELL AN ADULT.

And it isn't just the kids-- the message is the same for adults, too. If you see anything untoward taking place? Go to autorities. Call 911. Call police. But never step into a brawl. You could get hurt or worse. Stay safe. If you hear gunshots-- duck and stay away from the windows. Etc. etc.

yeah, some of the reports are saying he was just a stone cold killer and that he targeted those physically closest first and that he changed clips with the speed of a pro. A couple survivors have talked about how "professional" he seemed. One kids described it as being like some movie assassin. And he had two guns to switch between.

I think that, as much as we'd all like to think differently, that faced with the same challenge many of us, if not most, would choose hiding or flight over confrontation. Hoping that maybe he'd run out of bullets or that he was just after someone in particular and that your best chance would be in staying low.

Hopefully the rest of us never find out how we'd react.

Monday, April 16, 2007
Virginia Tech Shooting

Oh, Christ, here we go again.

Some maladjusted little bugsnipe gets his mental panties into a bunch and goes flat boiling nutters with a gun in one of the few places where he knows someone isn't going to put him down like a rabid dog during his first magazine.

And -- as usual -- the Mainstream Media is bleating about needing more Gun Control.

Gun Control is a failure. You simply can not expect those who would do murder -- those who would violate the highest law -- you can not expect them to obey a lesser law.

And you can not turn a failure into a success by doubling the failure.

None-the-less, I will be greatly surprised if the Mainstream Media and the political lapdogs don't try to use this tragedy to further their gun control agenda.

You want to be really disgusted? I mean, the down deep nausea kind of disgusted?

The State Government of Virginia had a bill before it which would have allowed college students to exercise their Second Amendment rights on campus earlier this year.

The bill didn't even make it out of committee.

When the bill died, the spokesman for Virginia Tech -- where some college kids really needed to be able to shoot back this morning -- Virgina Tech spokescritter Larry Hincker stated:

"I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

He was happy to hear of the defeat of the bill which would have allowed college kids to carry weapons for self-defence on his college campus.

Happy now, you sodding dacoit? Go tell the dead that they're really safe because the Virginia State Government refuses to allow them to carry for self-defence on campus, you ate-up catamite with delusions of adequacy.

And despite all of that -- despite the senseless death and the smug arrogance that allowed the death to happen -- there is news that sickens me to the very core.

There are reports -- granted unconfirmed at this time -- that several students were forced to line up, kneeling, and executed from behind.

I pray to the old gods -- the gods of war and blood and thunder -- that this is not the case.

I pray that some students went down fighting.

Because as bad as this is -- and this is a horror -- as bad as this is, if fifty some-odd people were injured and killed by one person whilst on their knees begging like so many Eloi, like a herd of sheep -- if no one stood up and fought back, then this is becomes an example of evil.

Not the evil that allows a man to kill other men -- although that is here in abundance. No, I am speaking of the putrescent evil which convinces good men not to fight back; the sordid filth of the soul which allows one bad man to prevail against fifty -- or 25,000 -- good men because good men have been systematically denied the mindset required to meet with, engage and defeat evil -- even if all you have is fingernails and rage.

One man. On a campus of 25,000 people. 25,000 people surrounded by fire extinguishers, book bags, pencils, pens, drafting compasses, chairs, broom handles, power strips, ceramics, chains and everything heavy and/or sharp.

One man managed to gun down fifty people -- or more -- without being stabbed and bludgeoned to death where he stood by the other 24,950 people.

I weep for the dead. I weep for the families who lost their treasured children today.

I weep even more for a land which not only denies the tools required for self-defence, but also denies the very mindset required for self-defence.

LawDog

My kid brothers and sisters have been told to disregard this sort of blatant stupidity and they have. Making kids into sheep should be considered negligence at least, reckless endangerment at worst...

I hear you. I grew up with firm belief that you shouldn't start a fight, but if someone is hitting you or your friends, you hit them and don't hold back. Never had a problem with bullying, despite being the youngest and smallest kid in the class.

But I'm telling you, the "don't ever EVER strike back" message is ever-present now, especially for boys... It seems that when it comes to adults the self-defence argument still stands, but when it comes to kids-- nope. Go to the teacher.

When I have kids, I have the feeling I will be what's fast becoming an "old fashioned" parent. It is ok to fight back, and if you get sent to the principals office for fighting back, I will support you. But if you started the fight for some dumbass reason, prepare to get a second whooping once we get home

When I have kids, I have the feeling I will be what's fast becoming an "old fashioned" parent. It is ok to fight back, and if you get sent to the principals office for fighting back, I will support you. But if you started the fight for some dumbass reason, prepare to get a second whooping once we get home

huh.

i agree with adam, people like my folks, my grand parents suffered through way more adversity than most of us today.

Good for you. Just be prepared to walk the walk. My wife got called to the principal after school because my son had hit another boy. The other boy had repeatedly tried to pull my son's pants off at recess. My son had told him to stop, then simply pushed him away, then pushed him to the ground and then finally punched him in the mouth. My son and wife got to discuss the "incident," the other kid's mother got an apology from the school.

I hear you - at my high school anything more than a shoving match and the teachers phoned the cops. If it was a real deal fist fight, then kids would spend a day in jail, get suspended at least, often expelled, for even a first time offense.

Sometimes people need to have their ass kicked. Sometimes a couple of guys need to just fight it out - often they'll become best friends afterwards - they don't let you do that today.

But, people do seem to take it to far a lot of the time - the person on the losing end coming back with pals or weapons, so I can kind of see it. It sux though, what ever happened to the good old fashioned fist fight you hear about in Johnny Cash songs???

Will