Well Prager may have gotten it right in this written article, but I was not impressed with his commentary around the lunch hour on the radio yesterday...
Mr. Prager, you cannot have it both ways...You may come across as fairly compelling and insightful, but balancing across a razors edge can hurt you over time...
Sure this is a tragedy, and one that can be confidently laid at the dead feet of the person responsible for taking all of these lives...And that the periferal actions and inactions by the VT administration and its staff are responsible for fixing it...
Mr Heckler (on your VT staff) can be fired right now...Do it today for the remarks he is on record for openly supporting the fight against the legislation that would have saved lives in this incident...
Anyone who says that it “might have” saved lives if the students and staff had had the ability to “choose” to carry a firearm for self defensive purposes are in denial...
The only way to counter people like this is to be aggressive against it...Barring doors, and cowering in the corners is passive, and irresponsible teachings...If you don’t have the guts to stand up and fight, fine...
The people on Flight 93 eventually got the idea...And with the knowledge that they might not make it...They saved lives in their sacrifice...
Thats the kind of teaching that needs to be honored and ingrained into the filiments of our being from day one...It is not a fatalistic doomsday type of life or existance, it is a way of life that says I honor life, and will sacrifice my own if I can save another...
But alas, we will once again (till the next “tragedy”) see the lines of candle-lit tears stream across our TV’s for the next few days, then a one year anniversary...then...then...
I really feel for the victims here, and their families...This hurts more than anything, but to know that it could have been lessened, is the true tragedy...
I have no pity, concern for the shooter, his family or friends, and to those who could have had and encouraged a system in place, a mindset of self-determination, resposibility and a value for the preservation of life that might have very well made a difference in avoiding the tremendous loss of life yesterday...
But for now...We light candles...
It is a huge disservice to continue to teach our young people that “someone else” will protect them. It is wrong to believe so, because it is not true.
School security and response could have been much better, but then the leaders themselves seem to think “someone else” is the protector.
And, believe it or not, there are posters on this forum seeking “understanding” and showing sympathy for the murderer....