A Reuters cameraman films students walking across the drillfield. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldoj/463566473/in/set-72157600088262276/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
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There are always a trio of TVs running next to the information desk in Squires, tuned to three different news channels. All three were reporting on Virginia Tech. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldoj/463568953/in/set-72157600088262276/ Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
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I work at a University on the west coast. I was the first to arrive in our hallway on April 16th. I had left my apt at 7a.m., which would have been 10 a.m. on the east coast and there had been no mention of the first shootings. Fifty minutes later when I arrived on campus it was on CNN.com. As the hours passed the death count kept rising. What was going on? Finally by the afternoon the news media had been able to get a handle on what had happened and so did we, thousands of miles away. I notice security making frequent passes, which always makes me nervous. I thought of Columbine and those that had lost their lives and the survivors that had and will always struggle with what happened. Here we go again. Over the past couple of weeks as more unfolds, praise has been given to the heroes and criticism to the administration on how they dealt with the emergency. I feel the administration did the best they could that day with the information they had. Hind-sight is 20/20! The faculty and students who raised several previous red flags about Cho did the best they could. People died that day. In honor of them let's not point fingers, instead lets learn something and make some rational and educated changes. Most importantly communicate these changes. I have suggested to our Dean that there be a mandatory on line disaster/emergency course to be taken on line. Its impossible to cover all scenarios, but lets try and get everybody on the same page. If we have to do it for financial procedures and HIPAA, why not something that could save a life and possibly many. I realize that dealing with mentally ill people is a very complicated problem because it deals with civil liberties. People in the mental health profession are afraid any changes might alienate people from getting any help. I hope that things do change and that things become a little less gray when it come to being able to do something about seriously troubled individuals especially on college campuses. Faculty administrators and students should be able to protect themselves with out the fear of getting sued, threatening to quit or drop a class all because of one individual. Perhaps one thing that might help mental health professionals receive fewer patients in the future is to seriously address bullying. Teachers need to be educated on what to look for. Currently they are noticing 25% of what is actually happening. Students need be taught that it is a horrible thing to do that has consequences. If not immediate then down the road and is Cho's case. I went to the on-line blogs on April 17th and was very surprised to see that all the conversation was around gun control instead of the actually tragedy that had happened. I am glad to see that this week VA has change the gun laws that will not let anyone who has been found to be dangerous and ordered to undergo involuntary mental health treatment to be able to purchase a gun. That should become a national law! 60 minutes aired a piece titled "Armed and Dangerous". Steve Kroft interviewed Gun Owners of America, its former president, Michael Faenza. I was dumbfounded by Faenza's point of view. "If we want to be serious about handguns, targeting people with mental illness is not the place to start," Faenza said. "It seems like the perfect place to start if you know that somebody is psychotic and delusional and may not know the difference between right and wrong," Kroft remarks. "But when we're talking about intruding on the medical privacy of a class of people in this country that are already discriminated against, that is really a step in the wrong direction," Faenza replied. "As a matter of common sense, it seems like a good idea to try and keep firearms out of the hands of people who don't know the difference between right and wrong. Call me crazy, call me irresponsible," Kroft said. There is also the topic of violence, which actually I haven't heard much about. Personally I think there is too much violence on TV and especially in regard to video games. There is no denying although you might try that people get desensitized. If you see enough blood your mind just learns to deal with it. It's human nature. I am not saying we need to go back to the 1950 and "Leave It Too Beaver", but we don't need video games where the entire point is to see how many 'people' you can kill'. A horrific event happened in our country on April 16, 2007, but there is a lot of positive change that can happen. Lets make those changes in the memory of those who died and survived that day.
For Tommy Edwards, Things Come Full Circle
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com General Manager and Managing Editor Apr 17, 2008 The events of April 16th, 2007 touched many people. Lives were changed and altered in various ways, from the victims to the survivors to the first responders to the university community. For former Virginia Tech running back Tommy Edwards, the aftermath of the tragedy was a call to action, to return to a place he had left years ago, to try to make a difference. Hokie fans who have come on board in the last 12 years, since the 1995 Sugar Bowl, may not know who Tommy Edwards is. In nearby Radford, Virginia, Edwards had a storied high school career that saw him amass 57 rushing touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards in just two years of high school football. A decorated recruit, he followed his father (Kenny Edwards, a VT running back from the early 1970s) to Virginia Tech in 1992. In the 1993 season, as a redshirt freshman, Edwards scored nine touchdowns, and his future was bright. By 1995, though, he was gone, transferred out to Division 1-AA Boise State, where his college football career ended quickly. It was the pre-Internet age, and the large majority of Hokie fans were in the dark, wondering what had happened to "Touchdown Tommy" Edwards to cause him to flame out so quickly. Tommy Edwards's story is not the story of a prima donna unhappy over playing time, nor is it the story of a smalltown athlete who wasn't talented enough to make the big time. His story is about mental illness and the effects it can have, how it can derail the most promising of lives and careers. The story of Tommy Edwards not only answers the question, "Whatever happened to Tommy Edwards?" It tells you what the events of April 16th mean to him, and why he is inspired to do what he's doing today. A Promising Start As a child, Edwards struggled academically due to dyslexia, but as he matured and started to excel in track and football at Radford High School, athletics helped him gain acceptance. "I always felt like somewhat of an outcast, somewhere outside the circle," he says. "But I began to gain some recognition through track and football, and all of a sudden that opened a lot of doors, socially, for me." It also opened the way to a football scholarship at Virginia Tech. After a decorated high school career (detailed above), Edwards enrolled at Tech in the fall of 1992 and redshirted. That's when things started to take a turn for the worse. Edwards was already fragile psychologically when he entered Tech. "Some things happened to me when I was pre-school age, or even pre pre-school age, just some emotional and psychological trauma. I dealt with a number of issues when I was growing up," he says. While he was redshirting, he was stricken with mononucleosis, which was misdiagnosed at first as strep throat. When the correct diagnosis was finally made, Edwards had to quit practicing and training, and he dropped the weight he had put on. By the time spring football rolled around, though, he was back up to 215 pounds and was ready to practice. Still, the physical illness had taken an unseen toll. "I think during that period of time, my brain chemistry was just really stressed." Add in a traumatic event towards the end of the year ("I had a girl threaten to commit suicide in my room my freshman year the night before my final biology exam"), and Edwards's mental health started to decline. "That summer (1993) I was an orientation leader at Tech. I was just starting to deal with depression, and it got pretty bad at different periods that summer. I didn't have the same get up and go that I had had my whole life. I slept a lot more, and I rationalized this as going through the after affects of really pushing my body through the mono and not really giving myself a chance to really heal and get over it. I had a real desire to get back into the weight room early, and the doctors okayed it. I really wanted to get my weight back up to be competitive and try to win a spot." He was successful, and he wound up third on the depth chart entering the 1993 season, behind Dwayne Thomas and Ranall White. Edwards blew up in the first two games, scoring two touchdowns against Bowling Green (a 33-16 win), and four more against Pittsburgh (a landmark 63-21 victory). "All of a sudden I was leading the nation in scoring and was in the national headlines and all eyes were on me. That created some added pressures and things that I hadn't anticipated," Edwards remembers. The world is full of people who would handle that stardom just fine, but Tommy Edwards wasn't one of those people. "I started experiencing some anxiety. I didn't have any idea just how public my life had become at that point, and how scrutinized every move I made would be." He went on to score 11 touchdowns that season, including Tech's Independence Bowl win, but it was mostly as a goal-line specialist. The limited role wasn't what Edwards nor many people around him wanted. "There was a lot of outside influence, people just speculating why I wasn't playing, and it just became frustrating. My mental state, my emotional state, at the time was somewhat ... not perfect. Having people speculate and create negative ideas really weighed into my mental health and really caused me to start questioning the loyalty of my coaches, when they were doing the best job that they could. "Looking back on it, there were just too many influences, and I kind of got swept into it. I've known Frank Beamer and Billy Hite for most of my life, and we've been friends, but I had people drive a wedge between me and the people I put my trust in." The mounting pressures of college football, sudden stardom, and second-guessers exposed Edwards's emotional frailty, and his mental health started to steadily decline. "At the end of that year, I got into a fight at a fraternity house. One of my friends got jumped by a bunch of guys. I ended up getting arrested. I had always kind of prided myself on being a pacifist, and I just reacted and tried to help my friend. All those years in the weight room, and all those years on the field learning to react kind of took over, and I kinda banged some heads. "I was charged with malicious wounding, which was grossly exaggerated. The charges were eventually dropped, and I had to do some community service, but it was just really publicly embarrassing. That really sent me into a spiral that summer, and I started drinking more and more to try to cope with the embarrassment and anxiety. I really started to question who I could trust around me, and I started drinking more, and that contributed to the depression and anxiety. I just became more and more unhappy. The Last Year at Virginia Tech "Going into my redshirt sophomore year [1994], things just got worse. My depression got worse, my anxiety got worse, and I was throwing up every day before practice and during practice, like it was uncontrollable, like a gag reflex. I was really embarrassed, because P.J. Preston had gone through basically the same thing and had left the team over it. There was all kinds of speculation as to whether he was on drugs, and I didn't want to be scrutinized in the same way, so I just didn't say anything to anybody." In addition, the Hokies had a change of offensive coordinators, going from Rickey Bustle, who had orchestrated the high-scoring 1993 Hokie offense, to Gary Tranquill, who disrupted everything from strategy to play calling to team chemistry. Tranquill's regime at Tech was short (one year) and unsuccessful, and according to Edwards, it negatively impacted the players he coached, to say the least. Edwards, by his own words, became more of a recluse that season, and his depression worsened. He started having suicidal thoughts, and more than one night, he sat on the edge of his bed with a shotgun in his hands. After finishing as Tech's second-leading rusher in 1994 (115 carries, 396 yards, 3 TDs) for the second season in a row, it call came crashing down. Edwards's aunt intervened, forcing him to get therapy, but he struggled to make the appointments, or to do much of anything else. "I was incapacitated to the point where all I wanted to do was sleep 24 hours a day and do nothing. I pretty much stopped going to class. I took some incompletes and I failed a couple of classes. My family practitioner prescribed me some anti-depressants, which actually made the situation worse." Edwards knows now, having been diagnosed years later, that he was bi-polar. His mood swung back and forth from depressed to manic. While manic, "I just acted irrationally. My party antics sort of took on a legendary kind of status. I was 'Touchdown Tommy,' and that in a way took on its own alter-ego. "I didn't feel like that person inside. I've always been an artist and a very creative person, with intellectual pursuits and interests. But I had become this kind of cartoon character in people's minds. When I was in a public setting, especially when I was manic, I lived that, and I really pushed that to the extreme. I just wasn't right. I was sick. "I can remember after one game in either my freshman or sophomore year, and a bunch of kids were lined up to get my autograph. I really hadn't done much during the game except play special teams. I didn't even get a snap at tailback. My personal self worth was so diminished at that point that I didn't feel worthy of the attention of these kids. I felt that my life off the field was in such disorder and disarray that I didn't feel like they should respect me, or that they should want my autograph. I just wanted to crawl in a corner and die." In the spring of 1995, he quit going to practice, and he asked Frank Beamer if he could take some time off to sort things out. "I was incapacitated to the point where there were times where I just couldn't get out of bed. I tried to explain the best I could what was going on, and I told him I needed some time to try to figure things out. I was told that wasn't an option." Edwards looked for other ways out, and transferring became his focus. He looked at Boise State, the 1-AA national runners-up in 1994, and decided to go there, aided by the presence of some relatives in Boise. His family and friends were pressuring him to stick with football, and he felt a change of venue would improve things. It didn't. "The whole summer leading up to my transfer, I went through more depression swings. It was exacerbated by drinking too much and partying. "I got out there, and we were going through two-a-days, and I had an emotional breakdown after a practice. I was trying to talk to my coach and try and communicate what I was going through, and that I was having an anxiety attack. I thought I was having a heart attack at one point. He didn't know what to do or how to react to somebody just breaking down and crying on the field." Edwards was prescribed Prozac and sleeping pills. "The Prozac made me feel like a zombie, and the sleeping pills made me feel like I was on speed. When I called to tell them what was going on, they told me to just take two. That didn't work." Edwards stuck with it, but he suffered a shoulder injury that fall, and by the time spring rolled around, he gave up football forever. Life After Football He returned home, but home was a place where he was still "Touchdown Tommy," and where everyone thought he should be playing football. His depression worsened, and he abused drugs and alcohol and had several run-ins with the law. He finally gave up drug and alcohol abuse in 1999, got married in 2001, and moved to California, so his wife could work toward her doctorate at Pacifica Graduate Institute. The marriage failed, but while in California, Edwards's life blossomed. He developed a skateboard company, Sasquatch Skateboards, and his music career also took off. He opened for high profile artists and performed on television a number of times. Just as things were taking off for Edwards, he had a serious skateboard accident in 2003 and suffered a brain injury. The injury brought on extreme brain chemistry fluctuations, resulting in hyper-mania, and within six months, he had lost his business, his home, and most of his friends. In our interview with Edwards, he didn't go into great detail about these events. "I've still had to deal with the chemical fluctuations as an adult, and sometimes they've been more detrimental than others," he sums up. "Especially after my head injury, some things really came to light. I kind of understood myself better, as far as what's good for me and what's not. "A couple of years ago, I met a retired psychiatrist who became a friend of mine and became my mentor. He basically diagnosed me, and we worked towards non-pharmaceutical treatments through nutrition and activities. It's been an amazing journey. Difficult at times, but it's really helped me understand myself, my life, and what's valuable in my life." April 16th and The Heart of Virginia Edwards rebuilt his life in San Diego, and then came the fateful events of April 16th, 2007. He was visiting family back on the East Coast when the shootings at Virginia Tech happened. "I was visiting in Christiansburg [on April 16]. We had heard the sirens, and we thought maybe there had been an explosion at the [Radford] arsenal or something. I turned on the TV at lunch, and it said '33 dead at VT.' I immediately got sick. I didn't know how to respond. "I just wanted to help somehow. I just wanted to help ease the pain. I wanted to help raise money in some way, and that's where the idea of a benefit concert came from." That idea grew into something more, and Edwards founded "The Heart of Virginia Foundation." Edwards was greatly affected by the story of Seung-Hui Cho, and how an obviously mentally ill young man had slipped through the cracks and hadn't found treatment. From his own life experiences struggling with mental illness, Edwards settled on the mission of The Heart of Virginia: to raise awareness of mental health issues. "I made the decision to drop what I was doing in San Diego and pack everything and move across the country to start this," he says. "I started calling up all my contacts, and I felt there was enough interest from the entertainment world and the folks that I knew to help me feel like it was a legitimate idea, and that there would be some support behind it." Edwards's goal is to raise $2 million by April 2009 for his foundation, which will in turn donate the money to mental health services to develop, expand and coordinate programs that promote physical and mental health. As written on his web site, theheartofva.org, Edwards hopes to "create an event that changes the way we, as Americans, deal with the escalation of violence and the deterioration of mental well-being in our country. And to show the world that this senseless tragedy will not pass quietly as one in a string of violent acts, but call for change." The centerpiece of his efforts, that "event," would be a benefit concert in Lane Stadium. "If Tech doesn't want it to be in Lane Stadium," Edwards says, "we're looking at doing it in Scott Stadium at UVa, or Richmond International Speedway or Bristol ... but we'd really like to do it in Blacksburg, because it's the epicenter of the tragedy." Edwards wants create something positive and long-lasting from the tragedy, something that is an ongoing force for change. He saw too much negativity from the outside world after the tragedy. "We want to create a positive perspective for the world of what Virginia means to us, especially after the negative aspects and controversy were placed by the national media. That's a trend in our society that actually contributes to more school shootings and more acts of violence." Starting The Heart of Virginia Foundation has been an arduous, complicated, exhausting task, from the very beginning. "Initially when we went out and tried to gain support, there was a lot of skepticism in what we were doing. Even moving across the country, my car broke down ten times and cost me something like $6,000, which was $6,000 more than I had planned on. It took me almost five weeks to drive from San Diego to Virginia." But he believes in what he's doing, and he relishes the challenge. "It's been an amazing process, having to surrender my own timeframe schedule. Sometimes I try to force things to happen, but then I have to stop and take a break, and let it come to me. And it has." It has been a long, hard road for the former high school star and hotshot recruit, but he has found his calling, and he's determined to see it through. This Saturday, April 19th, High Point Coffee in Roanoke will be hosting The Heart Of Virginia fund raising event with former Hokie football player Tommy Edwards. There will be live music from 4-10 pm featuring local talent such as, Kristi Emmons, Ben Hurt, Jess Pillmore, Red Mahna, Brad Archer and Donna Pearson, Randy Walker (of the Aardvarks) and the host, Tommy Edwards. In addition there will be door prizes all day and a silent auction. How can you help? Please stop by and/or spread the word. For more information, visit The Heart Of Virginia web site. -- Original Source: http://www.techsideline.com/news_archive/showArticle-3630.php
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 in the freedom that our nation was founded on. As such, where do we draw the line? I just don't have the answers and I'm heartbroken about the entire event. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if we are for gun control or banning violent video games. Neither will bring back the students that lost their lives today. It's just all too ugly! What an unfortunate day! Once again, my heart and my prayers go out to the families. God Bless Them All! William Bishop (Bill) Technorati Tags: school_violence, shooting, videogames, virginiatech, lostjohns posted by WBishop at 4/16/2007 07:21:00 PM -- Original Source: http://lostjohns.blogspot.com/2007/04/virginia-tech-massacre.html Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
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From Out of the City for April 22, 2007: Death and Memory (April 22, 2007)
128Kbps MP3 12.5M The poet presents three works; the poem "April 16, Blacksburg, Virginia" about the Virginia Tech shootings; the poem "at a former lover's graveside" about the death of those we have loved and "the taste" a new song by his band, the Gods of Love. This item is part of the collection: Open Source Audio Author: William F. DeVault Date: 2007-04-22 -- Original Source: http://www.archive.org/details/City20070422 Creative Commons license: Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0
Kevin Granata, PhD (December 29, 1961–April 16, 2007) [Obituary]
(PDF, 172KB; Full text below.) Kevin Granata, PhD (December 29, 1961-April 16, 2007) [Obituary] Marras, William S. PhD; Stokes, Ian A. F. PhD; Abel, Mark F. MD Address correspondence to William S. Marras, PhD, E-mail: marras.1@osu.edu; Ian A. F. Stokes, PhD, E-mail: istokes@uvm.edu; and/or Mark F. Abel, MD, E-mail: MFA2M@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu Kevin Granata, PhD, died tragically at the age of 45 on April 16, 2007 on the campus of Virginia Tech where he had worked since 2003. He had started the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics lab at Virginia Tech and held the rank of Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics. Dr. Granata was a prolific and innovative contributor to the field of spinal biomechanics. Dr. Granata earned a PhD in biomechanics in the Biodynamics Laboratory at Ohio State University in 1993, where he used both analytical models and experiments with human subjects to determine the magnitude of muscle forces around the lumbar spine in the work place. His early contributions in this area dealt with integrating electromyographic (EMG) data into analytical models, reflex responses to loads, and the relationship to trunk stability. He also expanded understanding of how brain injury in children with cerebral palsy interferes with balance and movement, using his training in dynamics and control theory. Dr. Granata was one of the most gifted engineers in the field of biomechanics. His scientific achievements are documented in 66 peer-reviewed articles published in a broad range of scientific journals, including Spine. His extraordinary productivity in his tragically shortened career was directed especially at two areas of control theory applied to neuromuscular control of movement—movement impairments in people with cerebral palsy and dynamic aspects of trunk stability. He introduced new and challenging concepts, questioning the accepted paradigms. He pioneered the idea of reflex dynamics in trunk stability, representing the trunk as a multi-joint system stabilized by muscles having activation dependent stiffness and reflex delays with variable gain. This was tested in critical experiments involving pseudo-random perturbations of human subjects, with the data subjected to nonlinear systems-identification analyses. His most recent paper establishes the necessity for having reflex muscle responses in the control of spinal stability. He was extraordinarily talented in his thinking, in attracting the best students, and tenacious in obtaining funding and pursuing rigorous peer-reviewed publications for his work. Visiting his lab was exhilarating. In all areas of his research, he combined innovative theoretical models and tested them in cunningly designed experiments using human subjects. He undertook ambitious clinical gait studies, including pre- and postoperative comparisons, to identify interactions between gait patterns and recruitment of multi-joint limb muscles. These theories are now making their way into clinical practice. Dr. Granata was extremely logical and had a keen intellect. He was a big picture thinker and possessed a "moral intellect;" he always tried to do the right thing. He was a gifted lecturer and teacher, and a great mentor to his students whom he respected, and from whom he commanded respect. While he delved into complex concepts to spinal stability, he was able to make these concepts understandable to everyone; he loved to use simple models to clarify complex theoretical ideas. Like most successful people, Kevin Granata was determined, tough, disciplined, and highly educated. His Ohio upbringing included farm work, carpentry, athletics, and of course academics. Kevin was clearly a whole person; he was a consummate educator, a man of action, and a compassionate family man. His immediate family that survives him includes his wife, Linda, and three beautiful, bright children to whom he was devoted. It is estimated that Kevin Granata's memorial service was attended by nearly 1000 people; he touched the lives of so many. He will be sorely missed by numerous colleagues around the country, around the world, and by the generations of students whom he has mentored. -- Archived with permission of publisher. Original Source: Spine, Volume 32(16), 15 July 2007, p 1699 http://www.spinejournal.com/pt/re/spine/abstract.00007632-200707150-00002.htm;jsessionid=GSpb6WnRHjhjVGPCh7MRpZJ1pL1GG6YHGZ40vRNxnzLcQntGSlB3!-79285651!181195629!8091!-1
William S. Marras, Ian A. F. Stokes, and Mark F. Abel
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EDITORIAL Published Apr 17, 2007 11:36 PM Yet another rampage has occurred at a school, this time leaving 33 people dead at Virginia Tech—the worst such incident ever at a U.S. college campus. The news media seem stunned and surprised, yet their coverage sounds so similar to the stories about Columbine eight years ago. They dwell on the personality of the young man the police say did the shooting, before killing himself. They talk about him being a "loner," depressed, perhaps angry at women. But aren't there lonely and depressed people all over the world? Many countries have high suicide rates. Why is it that here some become mass murderers? The U.S. is the world leader in seemingly random acts of violence by individuals. Why? President George W. Bush rushed to Virginia to speak at a large convocation the day after the killings and tried to set the tone for what could be said about them. "It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering," he said. Don't ask why, don't try to understand. It makes no sense. "Have faith" instead, was Bush's message. But there ARE reasons these things happen here, and they are pretty clear to the rest of the world. It's just in the United States that no one is supposed to talk about the reasons. What distinguishes this country from the rest of the world? It is neither the most affluent nor the poorest. It is neither the most secular nor the most religious. It is not the most culturally homogeneous nor is it the most diverse. But in one area, it stands virtually alone. It has the biggest arsenal of high-tech weaponry in the world, way surpassing every other country. It has military bases spread all over; most countries have no troops outside their borders. It is conducting two hot wars at the moment, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has sent hundreds of thousands of troops abroad over the last few years. Every day, the public here is supposed to identify with soldiers who burst into homes in Baghdad, round up the people and take them away for "interrogation"—which everyone knows now can mean torture and indefinite detainment. It also sends heavily armed "special ops" on secret missions to countless other countries, like the ones who just facilitated the invasion and bombing of Somalia, or the ones who have been trying to stir up opposition in Iran. This is documented in the news media. The immense brutality of these colonial wars, as well as earlier ones, is praised from the White House on down as the best, the ONLY way to achieve what the political leaders and their influential, rich backers decide is necessary to protect their world empire. Do lots of people get killed? "Stuff happens," said former war secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "Collateral damage," says the Pentagon. At home, the U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Over 2 million people are locked up in the prison system each year, most of them people of color. When commercial armed security guards are also taken into consideration, the U.S. has millions of employees who use guns and other coercive paraphernalia in their jobs. In the final analysis, the military and the police—the "armed bodies of men," as Marxists used to define them before women were added to their ranks—exist to perpetuate and protect this present unjust system of capitalist inequality, where a few can claim personal ownership over a vast economy built by the sweat and blood of hundreds of millions of workers. And the more divided, the more polarized the society becomes, the higher the level of coercion and violence. Assault weapons are now everywhere in this society, as are Tasers, handcuffs, clubs and tear gas. They most often start out in the hands of the police, the military and other agents of the state, and can then turn up anywhere. Violence is a big money maker in the mass culture. Television, films, pulp novels, Internet sites, video games—all dwell on "sociopaths" while glorifying the state's use of violence, often supplemented by a lone vigilante. By the time children reach their teens, they have already seen thousands of murders and killings on television. And these days even more suspense is added in countless programs that involve stalking and terror against women—and increasingly children. As the Duke rape case and so many "escort service" ads show, women of color are particularly subject to exploitation and have little recourse to any justice. And as the murders along the border show, immigrants of color are fair game for racist killers. The social soil of capitalism can alienate and enrage an unstable and miserable person who should be getting help but can't find it. If, as reports are saying, the young man accused of these killings was on anti-depressant medication, it is all the more evidence that, at a time when hospitals are closing and health care is unavailable for tens of millions, treating mental health problems requires more from society than just prescribing dubious chemicals. Many liberal commentators are taking this occasion to renew the demand for tougher gun laws. Yes, assault weapons are horrible, but so are bunker buster bombs, helicopters that fire thousands of rounds a minute, and the ultimate—nuclear weapons. Disarming the people is not the answer, especially when the capitalist state is armed to the teeth and uses brutality and coercion daily. The best antidote to these tragedies is to build a movement for profound social change, for replacing capitalism with socialism, so that people's energies can be directed at solving the great problems depressing so much of humanity today, whether they be wars or global climate change or the loneliness of the dog-eat-dog society. -- Copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011 Email: ww@workers.org Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php -- Original Source: http://www.workers.org/2007/editorials/virginia-tech-0426/
Copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Fastest Presidential answer to a citizen request
[May 17] Fastest Presidential answer to a citizen request Miami, FL, US / (Press Release) The record for the World's "Fastest Presidential answer to a citizen request" has just been accepted by the World Records Academy. The new record holder is President Traian Basescu (Romania), who promptly answered to an emergency citizen request on April 18 and has issued in less than two hours a Presidential Decree conferring of the National Order „The Star of Romania" to Mr. Professor Liviu Librescu. Also as requested, two days later, in Israel, a special envoy of the Romanian president presented to his widow and two sons the Star of Romania medal in recognition of his courage and contribution to science. Romanian born Professor Liviu Librescu is the hero "who, at the cost of his own life, saved the lives of his students during the massacre at Virginia Tech." -according to Jewish War veterans of the USA. The Certificate for this new world record will reach President Basescu during the next days and his record will be listed in the 2008 edition of the World Records Book, the official publication of the World Records Academy. "The main point of this story which convinced us to recognize this somehow unusual (but very human-appealling) world record was that a President which knew he has only few hours left before being suspended by the Parliament, a President which has to approve and sign tons of documents during his last few hours as President, left everything behind -as requested by an ordinary citizen (a 23 years old girl, a marketing student!)- and did what a President always has to do in the first instance: served his Country, above anything else, even above his own personal political problems", said Tom Howard, Head of Records for World Records Academy. He also added "We all have dreamed about changing the World in better, some still hopes, aren't we? If the young generation still has this dream, it's encouraging, especially when somebody like...a President, does fulfill their dreams." "It's kind of 'It could happen to you' story, but this time it wasn't anything material involved, only the noble desire to pay respects to a Hero, and pay them on time! In that movie, during the evening before loosing their restaurant, the goodhearted couple still have the patience and heart to open their cafe and handle a last bowl of soup to a street man (an undercover journalist). This time, possibly being just a-step-to-his-career's end, a President left everything behind and did a notable gesture." "No wonder why this President has become so popular among regular citizens in his country, Romania, and why the younger generation widely supports him: if you write a message (in a matter of National Interest) to a President and he do what he was asked to do, simply because the request was right, that's the President I think anybody would LOVE to have!" -- Original Source: http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/amazing/fastest_presidential_answer_to_a_citizen_request_70180.htm
By: WSN Staff Posted: 4/17/07 The shooting yesterday at Virginia Tech was shocking, particularly because of its enormous death toll - 33 students were killed in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Our condolences go out to Virginia Tech and the friends and families of the victims. While it was an isolated incident that took place far away from NYU, Public Safety is nonetheless beefing up security in response, doubling and tripling up on patrols, with all officers advised to be on "high alert." This in turn prompts us to ask, "How would NYU respond to a similar event?" From the few details that have emerged from Virginia Tech, it appears that the assailant shot and killed two people in a dormitory before moving on to another part of campus, where two hours later he killed 30 others, then himself. It's important to note that the gunman was not a student. So, from that larger question comes two others: Would a shooter still be on the loose two hours later? And would current security policies limit the ability of a nonstudent to commit such a crime? Clearly, having students flash their IDs poses no deterrent for a rampaging gunman - but there's little that can be done about that. Public safety officers at NYU are equipped with a red button on their walkie-talkies that sends an emergency signal to the central station - should central station determine that an emergency is taking place, the New York Police Department would be notified. Direct intervention by campus security officers is frowned upon, and for good reason - without the proper equipment, they too could easily become victims. But the inherent lag time in this emergency system is somewhat disconcerting, given that the packed halls of the Silver Center could produce dozens of victims in just a few moments. That said, given the nature of our Washington Square "campus," it's unlikely a gunman would be able to continue on his way two hours later. Though this sort of event is seemingly random, we'd like to think that they're at least somewhat preventable, which is why we appreciate that the Wellness Exchange is making itself more visible in response. While it's not a perfect solution - especially when the perpetrator's not a student and unable to take advantage - offering these services to the students who need them is a good step toward making students happier and safer. -- Original Source:Washington Square News - April 17, 2007
What a relief, the killer turned out not to be a Chinese. What a relief, no members of ACSS were killed. - However, it is the same. The same horror, the same grief. The killer, a sick person went extreme to the extreme. He didn't do what he did because he was Korean. Anyone in that mental state, with easy access to weapons could have done it. The grief over the lost innocent lives is equally unbearable. I am thrilled to know that I can still see the smiles in Beibei's beautiful bright eyes because Haiyan and her students did what they did. I am relieved to know my employee will brighten up again soon since his best buddy was one of the luck two in the whole classroom. But some other children's eyes are dimmed forever. Some other friends' heart will be heavy for their loss forever. In this small town, it is easy to find links to some of the victims. A colleague, a friend's friend, a child's friend's parent, a neighbor ... Dr. L, he was always so gentle, so friendly when he used to shop at Oasis with his wife and daughters. He always said humbly "Thank you so much!", emphasis on "so much". My heart ache for his tragedy. Jocelyne, the French instructor, she was like a beam of sunshine every time I saw her. I never knew who she was or what she did until tonight. Last time I saw her, she cheerfully offered to help me organize a cooking class so she can learn to cook the "wonderful" international foods. My heart ache for her tragedy. Jamie used to always stop by our side after shopping at Eats, always wearing a smile. I will always miss the meat skewers cooked by the Indonesian guy. I will always miss the dances by the Lebanese girl. Ultimately, we are all linked as human beings. Imagine the horror and pain they suffered; imagine the shock and agony that the families and friends of the victims when they receive the news of such horrid deaths of their loved ones. You will feel the pain of those other human-beings. It is a tragedy of the human race. It is time to mourn. It is time to live,not only for ourselves, but also for the not-living. Do something, as many of us in our ACSS community are doing quietly in their own personal ways. Do something that keeps the spirit up for the Hokies, for the Chinese Community in this far-from-home little town, for all the Blacksburg people. Considering the scale of the tragedy, living as survivors is hard. Give them space and peace. Help them heal. Go to vigils. Donate to Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund or similar funds. Or just be a supportive citizen of Blacksburg and VT. Everyone at VT and in Blacksburg are in this together, you be it yellow or black or white. Let's heal ourselves and help heal each other. Let's live the best we can. Sincerely, Xiaojin
US reports on 'Chinese killer' criticized
The Foreign Ministry yesterday criticized some US media for "irresponsible reports" claiming that the killer in the Virginia Tech shootings was Chinese. Spokesman Liu Jianchao said it was a terrible mistake and a violation of professional ethics to publish reports before checking the facts. Before it was revealed that the gunman who killed 32 people on the Virginia campus on Monday was a student from South Korea, Michael Sneed, a columnist for Chicago Sun-Times, wrote that the shooter was a 24-year-old man from China. MSNBC, which cited Sneed's story on its website, said he went to the US last year on a student visa issued in Shanghai. Some reports even made public the blog of "Chinese shooter" Jiang Wei'en. But the US police later identified the killer as Cho Seung-hui; and university officials said he was a "troubled" young man on medication for depression. He is believed to have killed himself. Sneed's story was immediately picked up by other media in the United States and Jiang's blog had more than 37,000 visits in a few hours. For those checking the blog hoping to find out the motive behind the shooting spree, Jiang decided to speak up. "Everybody was talking about me as a criminal. I just want to prove my innocence," Jiang told ABC in an interview widely quoted by Chinese websites. "Yes, I am an Asian; I live in a school dorm; I am a student of Virginia Tech; I just broke up with my girlfriend and I love guns. But I am NOT the murderer," he said. Jiang said he received death threats till the time the South Korean student was identified as the killer. Many Chinese students at Virginia Tech are also angered by the US media reports and some said they would write a letter of protest to the Chicago Sun-Times. They pointed specifically to Sneed's story. "The reckless report put pressure on, and tarnished the image of, the Chinese community here in Blacksburg as well as in the US," said the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Virginia Tech (VT-ACSS) in an email to China Daily. VT-ACSS is the largest international organization on campus. There are over 900 Chinese studying in Virginia Tech or working in neighbouring towns. -- Original Source: Xinhua - China Daily http://english.people.com.cn/200704/19/eng20070419_367784.html
By Yang Yang Thursday, April 19, 2007 Some found out when they checked the morning news, only to be greeted with horror; others learned about it when concerned parents began calling. The rest discovered the gruesome news when fellow students began discussing it. By lunchtime Monday, every student at Caltech was well aware of the two shootings which left 33 dead that occurred earlier that day at Virginia Tech. "I first found out about this when my friend began talking about it at lunch," junior Henna Kermani said. "At first I couldn't believe it." For Ricketts RA Amy Eastwood, a Virginia native, the shootings struck a little closer to home. "My initial reaction was shock. I kept checking back [and] the number of casualties kept increasing and increasing. It was so sad, an RA was killed. He was a triple major, member of the band, 4.0 kind of guy. Why?" she asked. Inevitably, some began to wonder about whether such a massacre could happen at Caltech. "Obviously, I imagined whether or not it could happen here," sophomore Cliff Chang said. "It's the same as the reaction to Columbine, [you wonder] if any of the other students you don't really talk to is thinking about [shooting everyone]." To address potential concern, a campus-wide gathering was held on Tuesday. There, chief of security Gregg Henderson and director of counseling Kevin Austin addressed the handful of people who showed. Security looks to expand immediate notification list According to Henderson, Caltech is one of the safest schools in the U.S. The campus has rarely seen violence, much less deadly shootings. The last fatal incident on campus occurred in April 1994; no students were involved or harmed in the event. The Institute has emergency response plans for shooter situations, but Henderson could not disclose any details. Coincidentally, Caltech emergency dispatchers underwent training two weeks ago for emergency conditions such as a shooter on campus. "We just went through training with our dispatchers on those exact things, gathering information, making sure proper notifications [are made] to agencies outside of Caltech that we may need to bring in," Henderson said. New mass notification system being put in place A major concern raised by the Virginia Tech shootings is timely notification of crimes in hopes of preventing more harm. The Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, better known as the Clery Act, mandates that universities "shall make timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to other students and employees ... that are reported to campus security or local law police agencies. Such reports shall be provided to students and employees in a manner that is timely and that will aid in the prevention of similar occurrences." In the case of Virginia Tech, mass emails were sent to students two hours after the first shooting, some argue that time gap was too long. Caltech recently began subscribing to a mass notification system called ConnectEd, which is capable of sending alerts through email, phone and text message. However, currently the system only sends notifications to members of the crisis management committee, a "representation from across the campus, from student affairs to faculty, to counseling," according to Henderson. Members include Dean John Hall, Assistant VP of student affairs Erica O'Neal, and Assistant VP of Campus Life Tom Mannion. There has been talk of adding the rest of Caltech to the ConnectEd system. "We anticipate beginning to populate ConnectEd with the entire campus, students, faculty, and staff in the near future," Henderson said. "[To do so] we will need community members to submit the various methods that ConnectEd uses for communication, including e-mail, home and campus phones, cell phones, and text to us. More information about the system will be provided as we move forward with the project." The best course of action when one suspects a shooter is to inform security, not trying to intervene, according to Henderson. "We are a very secure campus, I can provide security," he said. "I can put people out there to patrol the grounds... [but] people need to communicate with us, if you have something that feels suspicious, [if] your initial reaction is [that] something's not right, call us immediately, let us come in and figure out what's going on." Counseling center emphasizes help, not fear for mentally ill Austin emphasized prevention at the campus gathering on Tuesday. By identifying troubled individuals and getting them counseling and professional help, he said, violent incidents with trouble individuals can be prevented. Changes in one's behavior may highlight deeper issues. "It's easiest [to notice change] when you already have a relationship with a person, because you have a baseline of what's normal for them," Austin said. "Perhaps the person stopped going to class, stopped going to dinner, they seem much more pessimistic, quieter, less responsive [and] less interested than what they used to be." The counseling center regularly handles students, 20% of the undergraduate population has been seen by the center, according to Austin. Most go to just talk about their issues, but three to 10 students a year are hospitalized for their own safety. People with mental illnesses are not predisposed to violence and should not be treated like threats, Austin strongly stressed. These individuals need care, not fear. "If you look at the Virginia Tech shooter, he was a loner and had a mental illness," Austin said. "Those two things alone don't predispose people to violence... [Things which may cause violent tendencies] are extreme trauma: witnessing something horrific, being an object of abuse or [the person is] subjected to violence themselves." To reach out to someone who may be having trouble, Austin recommended opening a friendly conversation. Rather than trying to evaluate the person's mindset, just describe the changes the person is undergoing and express concern about the shift in behavior. Although one might think it's meddling to do so, the conversation may help immensely. "The strength of this place is that students look out for one another, they should continue to do so," he said. "But sometimes there is reluctance to draw attention to someone needing help, encourage them to take the next step." -- Original Source: The California Tech - April 19, 2007
Permissions: Marissa Cevallos <tech@caltech.edu> editor-in-chief, The California Daily
Israeli VA Tech massacre victim laid to rest
Hundreds of mourners accompany Prof Librescu to his final resting place. 'After surviving the Holocaust and Nicolae Ceausescu's regime in Romania, he ended up being shot in Virginia,' friend says Ines Ehrlich Published: 04.20.07, 12:44 / Israel News Professor Liviu Librescu, who was murdered in the Virginia Tech shooting this week, was buried Friday morning at the Ra'anana cemetery. Hundreds of mourners accompanied Librescu to his final resting place. Among those who came to pay their respects was the head of Jewish Agency Zeev Bielski who was also the former Mayor of Ra'anana, the Romanian consulate general, friends, relatives and media from all over the world. Shmulik Moyal, a neighbor and friend of Professor Librescu for twenty years, spoke of how one can never know how life will turn out. "After the professor survived the Holocaust and Nicolae Ceausescu's regime in Romania, he ended up being shot in Virginia." "He died in the place he most loved; he stopped the killer with his own body so that students could live," Moyal said. 'Never gave up on his dream' Choked by tears, the professor's wife, Marlena, thanked her husband for the two sons he gave her, saying that she hoped he would look after them from above. The professor's two sons, Joe and Arieh, eulogized their father in Romanian, English and Hebrew, saying that their father had always taught them to be good people, but he never taught them how to become heroes. In his eulogy Bielski said that it seems that the way Librescu met his death reflects more than anything his personal life story. "As a Holocaust survivor he managed to rehabilitate his life, to raise a warm and loving family with his wife Marilena who had also been through the Holocaust," Bielski said. "He struggled to come to Israel, never giving up his dream of living a meaningful Jewish life; he realized his dream of coming to Israel in 1978 thanks to the personal intervention of Menachem Begin with Romania's leader at the time Ceausescu; he became part of the academic world in Israel; he taught and made important achievements as a researcher and a scientist at the Technion, the Tel Aviv University and later at Virginia Tech, where he lectured and researched during the past 20 years." Gheorghe Angelescu, adviser to the president of Romania, presented Marlena Librescu with the Star of Romania - the country's highest civilian honor, which was previously granted to the prime ministers of France and Italy. Among the Chabad representatives present was Rabbi Motti Seligson, who told ynetnews how they had taken care of the burial arrangements, and accompanied the family with the coffin on their way back to Israel. Seligson said that the professor's wife had asked Chabad to organize the lighting of Shabbat candles at the university campus in memory of her husband, who cherished this tradition -- Original Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3390258,00.html
Efrat Yaari,Marketing Manager,Ynetnews (Efrat-ya@y-i.co.il)
One of victims in Virginia Tech shooting rampage Monday is Prof Liviu Librescu, senior researcher at university. Librescu was killed after he stayed behind his class to block door and protect students. Massacre claimed lives of 32 people Yitzhak Benhorin Latest Update: 04.17.07, 17:04 / Israel News WASHINGTON - Prof Liviu Librescu, a senior researcher and lecturer at Virginia Tech, is among the 32 people who were killed during a shooting rampage at the university Monday. His wife, Marlina, and two sons, Arieh and Joe, have already begun making arrangements for his burial in Israel. The Virginia Tech Police Department identified the campus gunman as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a student and native of South Korea. An official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that it could not rule out that the shooter was from South Korea but said it had not received any such notification from the US Embassy. One of Prof Librescu's students, Alec Calhoun, who was with him at the classroom when the shooting started, told AP that at about 9:05 am, he and classmates heard "a thunderous sound from the classroom next door, what sounded like an enormous hammer." When students realized the sounds were gunshots, Calhoun said, they started flipping over desks for hiding places. Others dashed to the windows of the second-floor classroom, kicking out the screens and jumping from the ledge of the room. Calhoun said that just before he climbed out the window, he turned to look at the professor (Librescu), who had stayed behind to block the door. Librescu's wife drove him to work on Monday, and he was killed about an hour later. His daughter-in-law Ayala, who is married to his son, Joe, told Ynet: "I heard he blocked the door of the classroom he was teaching... he must have realized that the murderer was approaching. He saved his students and was killed by gunshots." "He has been teaching there for 20 years, and was a senior, world-renowned lecturer. He is the professor with the highest number of publications in the history of Virginia Tech. In the past, he taught at Tel Aviv University and the Technion," she added. Ayala said that her father-in-law was passionate about his research and a dedicated family man. A true gentleman Prof Librescu and his wife are both Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978. Librescu was an accomplished scientist in Romania, and the Communist regime had tried to prevent him from making aliyah to Israel. He was allowed to leave the country only after the Israeli prime minister at the time Menachem Begin appealed the matter to President Nicolae Ceausescu. Several years later, Librescu left for a sabbatical in the United States and has remained there since. His first son, Arieh, lives in Israel, while his other son, Joe, resides in the US. "I understand from friends that my father was a hero," the son Joe told Ynet. "In fact, by blocking the door with his body he saved all the students who were in the classroom." Joe said that his parents were very happy in the United States, where they have been living since 1984. "He and my mom led a simple life, at a pastoral place in West Virginia, between hills and mountains, and he loved the school in which he taught." "He is scientist who did not work for money, but for the pleasure he got from his occupation," he added. AP contributed to the report First Published: 04.17.07, 07:17 -- Original Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3388753,00.html
Bush honors Israeli professor killed in Virginia Tech shooting
'This Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others may live,' US president says during Shoah memorial service in Washington. On Iran: You who have survived evil know that the only way to defeat it is to look it in the face and not back down Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 04.18.07, 20:24 / Israel News WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Wednesday honored Professor Liviu Librescu, an Israeli Holocaust survivor who died trying to keep a gunman from shooting his students in a killing spree at Virginia Tech University. Librescu, an aeronautics engineer and teacher at the school for 20 years, saved the lives of several students by using his body to barricade a classroom door before he was gunned down in Monday's massacre. "That day we saw horror, but we also saw quiet acts of courage," Bush said at a memorial service held at the US Holocaust Museum to a crowd that included many survivors. "We saw this courage in a teacher named Liviu Librescu. With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety. On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others may live. And this morning we honor his memory and we take strength from his example. 'You who have found refuge in a Jewish homeland' President Bush continued to say that, "This is a place devoted to memory. Inside this building are etched the words of the prophet Isaiah: You are my witness. As part of this witness, these walls show how one of the world's most advanced nations embraced a policy aimed at the annihilation of the Jewish people." Turning his attention to the Iranian nuclear threat, the American president said, "You who bear the tattoos of death camps hear the leader of Iran declare that the Holocaust is a myth. You who have found refuge in a Jewish homeland know that tyrants and terrorists have vowed to wipe it from the map. And you who have survived evil know that the only way to defeat it is to look it in the face and not back down." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and newly appointed US ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, were also on hand for the Holocaust memorial service. Associated Press contributed to the report -- Original Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3389555,00.html
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