If anyone comes down that chimney Virgina, shoot 'em!
ST LUKE'S: I must preface this with my feelings of sympathy for the family, friends and fellow students of those killed in Virginia. However, as the American people go through their grieving process it's worth pointing out that post-Columbine the nation weighed its love of firearms against the potential danger of school massacres and decided the right to bear arms was more important. Those are the facts.
And it's a little rich hearing the Bush Administration describe the tragedy as being of "unimaginable" proportions. Sadly the deaths of 33 innocent people is easily imaginable thanks to the invasion of Iraq. That's 33 innocent people blown to bits in a marketplace on a good day. If Empress Rice described the bombing of Lebanon by Israeli forces, which the US refused to stop, as the "birth pangs" of democracy perhaps it's worth considering this current tragedy as little more than an itch on the left forearm of American society.
Again my sympathy for all those directly effected by the tragedy. But this will change nothing.
posted by liam79 @ 7:26 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Hi Liam. My name is Ivan and I work with your wonderful mother @QTU. I have dipped into your blog from time to time and thought I might chip in a tuppence worth or two if thats ok
The Virginia tragedy has spurred me to tap the keypad.
My knee jerk reaction to the news is "stoopid Americans" . The reality of course is that this kind of tragedy can happen anywhere. As a Scot I know this only too well, as the Dunblane horror was very close to home. Living in Australia I can still feel the ripples of Port Arthur shootings (my wife refuses to go there). These events affect so many people and taint a location for generations.
The difference is in the aftermath and blame game. It would have been unimaginable in the wake of the Port Arthur shooting for someone to have stood up and suggested that "if everyone had guns then someone would have been able to stop Martin Bryant".
Logic tells us that more guns on campus could have only one possible outcome. More crazy people with guns shooting people!
The most depressing thing is that where Dunblane and Port Arthur can be seen as turning points where political leadership and public attitudes to guns changed resulted in hope for the future. With the latest incident there is no hope for the future. The best they have is that next time it happens maybe the "good guys" will draw first.
As Robin Williams would say "we have the right to bear arms and the right to arm bears".
God help them.
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