CHP Reflections on Virginia Tech
Title
CHP Reflections on Virginia Tech
Description
Words do not come easily at a time like this, but for a tragedy of this magnitude, it is important to take a step back and observe the world we live in.
On Monday, Apr. 16, 2007, 33 people lost their lives on a campus a lot like this one, 2,700 miles away at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Their loss is a tragic one, and we at City on a Hill Press put our support, our condolences, and our deepest sympathy out for our brothers and sisters in education, their families, and the community that will never be the same.
Apr. 16, 2007, a day that now marks what has been called the deadliest shooting in American history, is a day of suffering and sorrow. It is also Holocaust Remembrance Day, and just four days before the eighth anniversary of the Columbine massacre on April 20.
This is a time for all to reflect upon our own lives, to tell our friends we love them, to honor our parents and family, and to be grateful for those things in life that it takes a tragedy for us to appreciate.
This is not a time for politicking. The vultures that are circling, waiting to take their turn at spin, would do well to wait. Already we hear the rising crescendos of the pundits, each with a story to tell and an axe to grind, ready to milk this tragedy for every salty tear and heart wrench they can dig up.
We at City on a Hill Press have chosen not to follow suit. We have chosen not to sensationalize the stories of these students, invade their privacy and harass a quote from them, simply to hype a point or sell ads. We feel that it is the people's right to know what happened, and it is our responsibility to tell. We will perform these tasks with the proper respect for this tragedy, providing an informed description based on police reports and research. We will afford the Virginia Tech community every shred of dignity entitled to them, by giving them the only thing we can at this point: time.
Over the following days, weeks, months and years, there will be more than enough time to look at the issue, and seek some insight into the minds and the hearts of the people involved.
For now, this is a time to grieve, and the people of the Virginia Tech community should be given the space, the respect, and the freedom to spend these next solemn days in peace, with our support.
--
Original Source:<a href=http://www.cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=553>City On A Hill Press - April 19, 2007</a>
On Monday, Apr. 16, 2007, 33 people lost their lives on a campus a lot like this one, 2,700 miles away at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Their loss is a tragic one, and we at City on a Hill Press put our support, our condolences, and our deepest sympathy out for our brothers and sisters in education, their families, and the community that will never be the same.
Apr. 16, 2007, a day that now marks what has been called the deadliest shooting in American history, is a day of suffering and sorrow. It is also Holocaust Remembrance Day, and just four days before the eighth anniversary of the Columbine massacre on April 20.
This is a time for all to reflect upon our own lives, to tell our friends we love them, to honor our parents and family, and to be grateful for those things in life that it takes a tragedy for us to appreciate.
This is not a time for politicking. The vultures that are circling, waiting to take their turn at spin, would do well to wait. Already we hear the rising crescendos of the pundits, each with a story to tell and an axe to grind, ready to milk this tragedy for every salty tear and heart wrench they can dig up.
We at City on a Hill Press have chosen not to follow suit. We have chosen not to sensationalize the stories of these students, invade their privacy and harass a quote from them, simply to hype a point or sell ads. We feel that it is the people's right to know what happened, and it is our responsibility to tell. We will perform these tasks with the proper respect for this tragedy, providing an informed description based on police reports and research. We will afford the Virginia Tech community every shred of dignity entitled to them, by giving them the only thing we can at this point: time.
Over the following days, weeks, months and years, there will be more than enough time to look at the issue, and seek some insight into the minds and the hearts of the people involved.
For now, this is a time to grieve, and the people of the Virginia Tech community should be given the space, the respect, and the freedom to spend these next solemn days in peace, with our support.
--
Original Source:<a href=http://www.cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=553>City On A Hill Press - April 19, 2007</a>
Creator
Op/Ed
Publisher
City On A Hill Press
Date
2007-08-24
Contributor
Sara AA Hood
Rights
Claire Walla <cityonahillpress@gmail.com>
Language
eng
Citation
Op/Ed, “CHP Reflections on Virginia Tech,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 24, 2024, https://april16archive.org/index.php/items/show/1227.