Virginia Tech: It's Not About Gun Control, and You're a Fool or a Monster If You Say It Is
description: Apr. 18th, 2007 at 12:02 AM Virginia is, if memory serves, one of the states that had a particularly malevolently horrible 2004 national election, one marked by substantial Republican chicanery and vicious suppression of the minority vote, so the last thing on earth that I could ever have imagined myself doing was cheering for Virginia's Republican governor, Tim Kaine. But Tuesday afternoon I not only cheered out loud over something he said, I was so glad he said it that I was waving my fist over my head and very nearly jumped out of my chair. And it wasn't just what he said, but how he said it; I wish I could find a way to show it to you. But at the end of the Tuesday press conference, some sleazebag in the audience, knowing how pro-gun Kaine is, tossed him what he probably thought was a softball question, namely, did the governor think that some of the deaths could have been averted if Virginia Polytechnic students had been allowed to carry concealed firearms on campus? Instead of the reaction the so-called "reporter" was expecting, what happened was that governor Kaine's face twisted up as if he had bitten into a bug. And with disgust dripping from his voice, he said something to the effect that the only response he had to anybody who would try to use this tragedy to make any kind of a point about gun control was "total loathing." And he's right. So I don't feel good that I've let some of you prod me into having to defend my statement from last night that neither more guns on campus, nor fewer guns, would have made things any better. That some of y'all are sliming up this horrible but essentially random tragedy, that some of you are dragging your muddy political bootprints all over this while the corpses aren't even yet in the ground, that so many of you are so sick as to seek to twist this massacre into proof that your side should win in the literally pointless debate over gun control before even one family can bury their dead in peace, both sickens me and lower…
creator: J. Brad Hicks
date: 2007-05-24
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, ShareAlike 2.5
language: eng

News Coverage of the VA tech Shooting
description: Sunday, April 22, 2007 Topics like these are always hard to approach. For some, the event holds particular weight, either because of their relationship with the victims, with the assailant, with the location where it takes place, or because of the events relationship with another similar incident. The coverage of these events is usually the same. To provide the viewer with context- there is footage of the location from every possible angle, there are reporter stand-ups near the location providing a feeling of being well informed by the people "on the scene", there is video from security cams or other sources that allow an inside view of the event or of the lead up to it, and there is commentary, lots of commentary. In these ways, as is the case with much of news today, the coverage of such events can be compared to the coverage of a sporting event: Heavy on filler, and light on actual content. As of today, it's been almost a week since the incident, and coverage of the shooting takes up a giant share of the programming schedules of networks. With less that four or five (if that) big stories running at the same time, it is in the forefront of the news audiences mind. Like most tragedies, answers are what are sought after most, that and blame. And this is what takes up most of the coverage. There are investigations into the profile of the assailant, interviews by "experts" in the field, with witnesses, with family, with victims of other similar tragedies, with law enforcement, with neighbors, ad nauseam. We watch all of this and assume that somehow there can be meaning found once all the pieces are known. That if enough time is spent on it, answers will be found, that proper blame will be placed, justice will be served. This is a false hope. Tragedies like these happen all the time. Not all of them are covered. Not all of them are given the weight that The Virginia Tech Shooting has been given. This is not to belittle the severity of the situation, nor is it to underm…
creator: Nicholas Whitaker
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License
language: eng

John and Elizabeth Edwards Statement on Virginia Tech Shooting
description: Apr 16, 2007 We are simply heartbroken by the deaths and injuries suffered at Virginia Tech. We know what an unspeakable, life-changing moment this is for these families and how, in this moment, it is hard to feel anything but overwhelming grief, much less the love and support around you. But the love and support is there. We pray that these families, these students, and the entire Virginia Tech community know that they are being embraced by a nation. There is a Methodist hymn that gave us solace in such a moment as this, and we repeat its final verse here, in hopes it will help these families, as it helped us: In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is believing, in our life, eternity, In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. Our dearest wish is that this day could start again, with the promise of these young people alive. Knowing that cannot be, our prayer is for God's grace and whatever measure of peace can be reached on this terrible day. John and Elizabeth Edwards -- Original Source: http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/200700416-vt/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0
creator: John and Elizabeth Edwards / John Edwards for President
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0
language: eng

On the Ethics of Bad News
description: [This is a copy of my initial reaction to the media coverage of the VTech shooting, posted on my Wordpress blog. Unfortunately both links are now defunct - I wish I had saved a page of the "godblessvtech" blog, because it was to me a poignant illustration of the possibilities of the Internet for creating and reaffirming community. At the same time, however, I was disgusted by CNN's use of digital media - particularly video - to create what I saw as a voyeuristic experience of the event.] "On the Ethics of Bad News" Posted April 16, 2007 http://zozer319.wordpress.com/ I didn't really hear about this until late tonight, partly because all the people working out around me at the gym with TVs had them on stupid MTV the whole time. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all two remarkable (for very different reasons) things I found online when doing a search for some overview of the shooting. I send them in particular because they are both temporary postings but say an awful lot: First, a striking example of a good use of the Internet, not only to share information but as a sense of non-physical community. I found this blog (probably just set up today, for this purpose only, so not actually a blog per se) on Wordpress - it's just a list of names and people asking for information on whether the individuals listed are okay. http://godblessvtech.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/hello-world/ Scroll down to read the progression of the information gathering and messages left. Also note the amount of information gleaned from Facebook. Second, a striking example of outright voyeurism disguised as comprehensive journalistic coverage. In browsing CNN's coverage of the story, I was disgusted by the amount of video - not of interviews and re-runs of news stories, but the amount of direct footage of the shootings/events themselves; http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html There is no clear line between information and too much information, but that might be close. Thank go…
creator: Anna Brawley
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Anna Brawley
language: eng

Toal: Sensible gun laws only way to secure a safe future for US
description: This is a piece written by Gerard Toal, the NOVA-based Virginia Tech Professor. It was published in the Irish Times 28/04/07. The Irish Times 28/04/2007 Author: Gerard Toal Title: Sensible gun laws only way to secure a safe future for US The majority of students of Virginia Tech are doing something ordinary yet also remarkable this week: they are studying hard for their final exams. Working through the horrific murders of 27 of their fellow students and 5 of their faculty at the hands of a disturbed class mate, Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech community is refusing to be defined by a violent rampage that has shocked the United States and caused sorrow across the world. Virginia Tech is an institution of higher learning, a place where young people can realize their potential and, as the university slogan puts it, 'invent the future.' The return of students in large numbers after such a terrible crime is re-affirming this to the world. The loss of so many young lives on April 16th has shaken us all. A flotilla of media decamped to our main university campus in Blacksburg and recorded our shock and our tears. It has also encountered, in conversations with our students and faculty, our capacity to rally and persevere. As a Virginia Tech faculty member for eighteen years, I was gratified by two aspects of our response. First, Virginia Tech faculty and students correctly challenged the widespread use of the multi-media images produced by Cho Seung-Hui himself which were integral to enacting his fantasy of heroic 're-masculinization' through brutal violence. The complicity of the media in producing murder as fascinating spectacle is widespread across the globe. Second, amidst our pain, there was also human empathy for Cho's family and for those beyond our campus who suffer from structural and direct violence every day. The death toll in Baghdad last week was horrific. The Iraq war continues to claim the lives of young American soldiers, some tragically former Virginia Tech…
creator: Gerard Toal
date: 2007-05-07
contributor: Nicholas Kiersey
language: eng

We Need Emergency SMS Broadcasting Tools NOW!
description: April 16, 2007 It's been a dizzying day taking in the horrible news from Virginia Tech, just a few hours west of DC, with at least 30 people on campus killed by a lone gunman. I spent a good part of the morning running back and forth between NPR's digital media department, the offices of Talk of the Nation, and the central hub space shared by NPR's news team during emergencies. Now that I've had a chance to sit on the train, head back home from work, and think about what happened today, I'm already angered by one bit of news I hadn't considered earlier in the day: that approximately two hours passed between the first shooting incident and the later massacre in the classrooms. During that time, it appears that almost no communications went out, apart from several mass email informing students of a shooting incident earlier in the day. The first email went out just before 9:30am, just after the final shootings began in the classrooms: Subject: Shooting on campus. "A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating. "The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. Contact Virginia Tech Police at 231-6411 "Stay attuned to the http://www.vt.edu. We will post as soon as we have more information." This was followed by several other emails: Second email sent at 9:50 a.m.: Subject: PLease stay put "A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows" Third email sent at 10:17 a.m.: Subject: All Classes Canceled; Stay where you are "Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where there are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus." Fourth email sent at 10:53 a.m.: Subject: Second Shooting Reported; Police have one gunman in custody "In addition to an earlier shoot…
creator: Andy Carvin
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0
language: eng

Force of Nature
description: Monday, April 16, 2007 I broke down and turned on CNN to check out coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. I see there and elsewhere, without really knowing the details from this morning's mayhem, that the media are turning to the question of what it all means. With the help of sociologists, CNN bloviator in chief Lou Dobbs is going to scrutinize school shootings. It's an unspeakable tragedy, of course, and what will come to distinguish it will be the awful, heartbreaking details to be revealed over the hours and days to come. But really: does this tell us anything about any aspect of our society that we didn't know before this morning? Or before Columbine? Or the Killeen, Texas, massacre? Or Oliver James Huberty's slaughter of the innocents at the San Ysidro McDonald's. Go ahead and jump in -- you can all think of an incident that fits. I'm not sure what any of these killings says, by the way, beyond the obvious: how violent the society is, how efficient firearms are at doing what they're designed to do. But regardless of the meaning, to me, these have come part of the landscape we live in, a little like earthquakes in California. You know they're coming; you know they could be devastating; but you never know when it's going to happen. Of course, unlike earthquakes, in theory, at least, there's the hope we might be able to do something to stop random massacres. After every one, there's lots and lots of talk; Lou Dobbs and his sociologists. Then -- then we move on, till the next time. Posted by Dan Brekke at 03:15 PM -- Original Source: http://infospigot.typepad.com/infospigot_the_chronicles/2007/04/force_of_nature.html Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
creator: Dan Brekke
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
language: eng

Virginia Tech Massacre
description: Monday, April 16, 2007 My heart and prayers go out to all of the families involved in the senseless shootings at Virginia Tech. My understanding is that 33 individuals lost their lives in the massacre. What a tragedy! There is noting I can do or say that will make things any easier for those involved. I'm sure that we will hear gun control advocates ranting and raving about this unfortunate event demanding stricter gun control laws, but the gun(s) didn't do the killing, an individual pulled the trigger. Most likely, a very troubled individual planned and carried out the killings without remorse. I have been keeping up with the reports all day and I have heard various takes on the situation. A lawyer was interviewed and suggested that the person that did the killing probably played games like "Grand Theft Auto." Personally, I don't see the validity of such games in the first place. I have a much easier time justifying gun ownership than I do allowing such games to be sold in mainstream America. What do they teach our children? My wife and I were discussing these type games and she said that she had 4th graders that were already playing them. I can't imagine allowing a 4th grader to play such a game. 4th graders are not mature enough to play them. I'm not mature enough to play them nor do I have the desire. And the really bad thing is that when she asked how they got these games, some said that their parents bought them. I don't understand this. I just think that these violent immoral games hurt our society and as a result individuals place little or no value on human life. How sad! Fantasy games even the violent ones are just that fantasy. They do not resemble any form of true reality. I can justify these fantasy games with magic and dragons. I even like playing some of them. But these fantasy games are a far cry from games like "Hit Man" or "Grand Theft Auto". I don't foresee anyone turning into a dragon and devouring a class of innocent students. But I also believe…
creator: William Bishop
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
language: eng

Case students, community show support for Virginia Tech
description: April 19, 2007 On Friday, April 20, dozens of Case Western Reserve University students and other members of the campus community became honorary "Hokies" in spirit. They wore maroon and orange - the Virginia Tech school colors - in a show of solidarity and support. To remember and honor fellow students, faculty, staff and administrators who lost their lives or were injured at Virginia Tech earlier this week, several of Case Western Reserve's student organizations joined together to create a large "card" and a campus photo. All members of the university community were invited to sign the card, offering heartfelt prayers and words of healing and remembrance to their peers in Blacksburg, Va. In addition to the card, a photographer stood atop Kelvin Smith Library to take a photo of Case Western Reserve community members wearing maroon and orange - forming the letters VT - on Freiberger Field. Both the card and the photo will be sent to the Virginia Tech Student Union with hope that it will be displayed there. Students also redesigned - overnight - the university's large "graffiti" wall behind Thwing Center, the university's own student union. The wall now features a large VT and the words "You are in our thoughts," signed with a university logo. Organizations involved in creating these efforts included: Undergraduate Student Government, University Program Board, Class Officers Collective, Interfraternity Congress, Panhellenic Council, Residence Hall Association and Media Board. Posted by: Paula Baughn, April 19, 2007 02:31 PM -- Original Source: http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2007/04/19/vatechsupport
creator: Case Western Reserve University
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Laura Massie (laura.massie@case.edu)
language: eng

Tragedy at Virginia Tech
description: Posted by Helena Cobban at April 16, 2007 04:33 PM Tragedy has struck the community at Virginia Tech, our state's "other" fine flagship university, which is located around 120 miles southwest of my hometown, Charlottesville. Apparently a single gunman went on a rampage there earlier today and killed at least 30 members of the university community-- most likely, most of them students. Obviously, this is a truly horrible blow for all members of the community there. Equally obviously, we know that communities throughout Iraq have been suffering blows as huge as this one-- or on occasions, even larger blows-- on a daily or almost daily basis throughout the past 3-4 years. Many communities in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from gun violence on this scale, too. And last week, Algeria, in North Africa, was the scene of two extremely lethal suicide bombings... Can we all unite in grief together, and in sad wonder at the senselessness of ultra-lethal weapons and the tragedy of their widespread availability and use in many different parts of the world? Can we unite in sad wonder at the depth of alienation and hopelessness that leads some people to engage in mass killings, even sometimes to the point of throwing their own lives into the project, as well? Can we unite with a commitment to support, help, and try to repair all those bereaved by these and other acts of violence? Can we unite around a strengthened commitment never ourselves to resort to violence, and to redouble our search for the nonviolent ways that always do exist to resolve any differences among us as humans? I have only been to Virginia Tech once. It was a magical half-day I spent there, in the summer of 2005. The Friends General Conference (FGC), which is the main body of 'liberal' north American Quakers, was holding its annual summer gathering in a small part of Tech's beautiful campus, which is built from flinty blue-grey stone in the incredibly beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I wasn't a partici…
creator: Helena Cobban
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0
language: eng

Virginia Tech Vigil on Castle Point
description: The flag at Castle Point flows in the wind as students stand in memory of the dead at Virginia Tech. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bytenik/470838112/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
creator: David Pfeffer
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission Contact: David Pfeffer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bytenik/) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
language: eng

Virginia Tech Vigil on Castle Point II
description: Briana Gilmartin helps a fellow student light a candle in remembrance of the dead at Virginia Tech. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bytenik/470855687/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
creator: David Pfeffer
date: 2007-05-23
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission Contact: David Pfeffer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bytenik/) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/189
description: Case Western Reserve University's students, faculty and staff dressed in maroon and orange and organized into a Virginia Tech logo. Case's student government and others organized this "human logo" on Friday, April 20 in support of the victims and the entire university. Photo courtesy of Case Western Reserve University
creator: Case Western Reserve University
date: 2007-05-22
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Permissions Contact: Laura Massie (laura.massie@case.edu)
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/190
description: Case Western Reserve University's students, faculty and staff dressed in maroon and orange and organized into a Virginia Tech logo. Case's student government and others organized this "human logo" on Friday, April 20 in support of the victims and the entire university. Photo courtesy of Case Western Reserve University
creator: Case Western Reserve University
date: 2007-05-22
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Permissions Contact: Laura Massie (laura.massie@case.edu)
language: eng

UMW Mourns VT
description: By: Elizabeth Nowrouz Posted: 4/19/07 It has been three days since April 16. Three days since maroon and orange became not just a team's colors, but a show of courage and defiance in the face of a national tragedy. While the students, faculty and families struggle to pick up the pieces, schools like UMW are making every effort to just show their support. It has been called the Columbine of college, and international news is still saturated with images of the victims, the shooter and a campus in mourning. Many students at the University of Mary Washington, located just 200 miles from the Blacksburg campus, had personal connections to Virginia Tech. When senior Susan Alexander found out about the shootings, she immediately began contacting her high school classmates at Tech. It was not until the next morning that she discovered a close family friend was one of the victims. "She was in her French class," Alexander said. Reema Samaha was a Virginia Tech freshman attending class in Norris Hall on Monday morning. The two families had known each other for years, Alexander said, and "we would all spend our summers together." Alexander returned to her hometown of Centreville to find it "transformed." "There are signs and banners everywhere, because two of the victims were from there, but so was the shooter," she said. Junior Nicole Halloran, who organized a vigil Monday night and has helped plan another for tonight, had many friends and classmates at the school. "We should show solidarity," Halloran said. "This is one of the best and only ways to do that. This could have happened anywhere." In the hours after the events unfolded, there was already a second vigil planned, this one by senior Jennifer Welsch and junior Jessica Thiel. Thiel did not have any close friends or relatives at Tech, but felt she needed to pay her respects. The girls' Facebook group asked students to meet at the fountain in Palmieri Plaza at 9 p.m. "What if someone walked into my class and started shoot…
creator: Elizabeth Nowrouz
date: 2007-05-21
contributor: Elizabeth Nowrouz
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/188
description: Crime scene tape near Norris Hall that was blown away and then got snagged in a nearby tree.
creator: Stephen Gunter
date: 2007-05-22
contributor: Stephen Gunter
language: eng

https://april16archive.org/items/show/186
description: Salem State College students, staff and others at a vigil on Monday, May 23 for Virginia Tech lined up to form the VT logo. The photo will be sent to the university as a show of support, along with signed banners and wooden VT logo symbols. Original source: http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x109703597 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
creator: Nicole Goodhue Boyd
date: 2007-05-21
contributor: Brent Jesiek
language: eng

Hundreds attend Salem State vigil for Virginia Tech
description: By Meghan Griffin/salem@cnc.com GateHouse Media Wed Apr 25, 2007, 09:36 PM EDT SALEM - The vigil held at Salem State College on Monday began with the most important thing, the reason some 300 students and faculty had assembled: the 32-plus victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. Michael Mitchell, president of the Student Government Association, started the vigil by reading each of the victims' names. "We will keep them in our hearts forever," said Mitchell. The students and staff who congregated on the lawn of Salem State's Central Campus were there to show their compassion and support in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech University massacre. The hundreds who gathered at Salem State held candles, and they were all outfitted in custom made T-shirts displaying the Virginia Tech logo on the front and the phrase, "Today We Are All Hokies," on the back in honor of the university's mascot. Candles lined the walkway leading to Central Campus, and empathetic students stood in groups as they tried to make sense of the tragedy. The disaster unfolded April 16, at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va. The nation was shocked to hear that a student open fired and claimed the lives of 32 innocent victims, including 20-year-old Ross Alameddine of Saugus, before turning the gun on himself. Salem State's commemoration began at 7 p.m., one week after the massacre. Mitchell, who played a large role in organizing the event, extended thanks to all those who helped organize the vigil, and to the Residence Hall Association for producing the T-shirts. President Nancy Harrington, who will retire at the end of the school year, addressed the situation and called the mayhem at Virginia Tech, "immeasurable." It is important for students to remain united in order to stay strong, she told the crowd. The vigil brought forward the realization that a disaster could strike unexpectedly at any time, and that no one is fully protected. "We hope and we pray that this is a safe campus," Harrington s…
creator: Meghan Griffin / GateHouse Media
date: 2007-05-21
contributor: Brent Jesiek
language: eng

G-AHS students reach out to survivors of the the massacre at Virginia Tech
description: By Liz Vargo The Record Herald Published: Monday, May 21, 2007 10:08 AM CDT GREENCASTLE - When Greencastle-Antrim High School sophomore Kristin Reihart saw the massacre unfold at Virginia Tech in April, a chilling realization hit her - it could happen anywhere. "Virginia Tech was one of the colleges I considered going to," Kristin said. "If it happened two to three years in the future, I could be one of the students affected." So Kristin and three of her sophomore friends, Samantha Benson, Ashley Alleman and Tyler Sheeley, took it upon themselves to help. The four developed a plan for donations and presented it to high school administrators. During lunch periods last Friday, today and on Tuesday, the group will collect donations and sell T-shirts to raise money for the victims and relatives affected by the Virginia Tech massacre. "I can't imagine what they're going through," said Samantha. Making donations Any donations will go toward the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Donations will fund grief counseling and communication with victims of the shootings and their families. Those who donate a minimum of $1 will receive a white, orange and maroon ribbon in memory of the lives lost at Virginia Tech. The students plan to make all the ribbons. The group also designed the T-shirts, which can be purchased for $10 apiece. The maroon shirt has orange lettering with the date of the shooting, April 16, 2007, and "Remember Virginia Tech" on the back. Shirts come in small through extra large. Kristin said it will take about a week to get the shirts made. Those who ordered T-shirts and received ribbons will wear them on the same day to honor Virginia Tech students and show support. Creating awareness Several local schools dealt with serious threats following the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16. Kristin and Samantha said it's scary to think about what could happen at home. "We're trying to bring awareness. We share in the pain of that community," Kristin said. "It's scary (when th…
creator: Liz Vargo / The Record Herald
date: 2007-05-21
contributor: Brent Jesiek
language: eng

Debbie Schlussel and the VT shootings
description: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 The Bill Muehlenberg Trophy: Debbie Schlussel and the Virginia Tech Shootings Just when you think the wingnut Right can't possibly get more insane or logic-deprived than it already is, along comes Debbie Schlussel, writing on the Virginia Tech university shootings. First, she blamed the Muzzies without a shred of evidence. Then, updating her blog entry after reports emerged that the suspect was a Chinese national, she wrote: The shooter has now been identified as a Chinese national here on a student visa. Lovely. Yet another reason to stop letting in so many foreign students. When the suspect was later more vaguely described as "Asian," Schlussel saw this as a golden opportunity to revive her "it-was-a-Muzzie-wot-done-it" thesis. (This will take your breath away) Why am I speculating that the "Asian" gunman is a Pakistani Muslim? Because law enforcement and the media strangely won't tell us more specifically who the gunman is. Why? Even if it does not turn out that the shooter is Muslim, this is a demonstration to Muslim jihadists all over that it is extremely easy to shoot and kill multiple American college students. Got that? (Once you've stopped bashing yourself senseless against the keyboard.) Regardless of who is actually responsible for the massacre, it's yet another reason to hate Muslims. Holy dogshit! How are we expected to take that side of politics seriously when it keeps churning out half-wits like Schlussel? (Via Pharyngula) P.S. Compare Schlussel's Islamophobic dribbling to Scott Poynting's thoughtful Perspective piece on Islamophobia and moral panic. UPDATE: It turns out that the gunman was a 23-year old Korean student, acting alone. Not that it makes a lick of difference to Schlussel. Maybe he's a Korean Muslim. Or maybe the Muslim centre of his brain was overstimulated. In any case, he's a foreigner. Foreigner bad. Muslim bad. Rinse. Repeat. UPDATE II: Guess who the creationists are blaming . . . UPDATE III: Guess who's plann…
creator: Arthur Vandelay
date: 2007-05-05
contributor: Arthur Vandelay
language: eng