Replies

But I have to ask, has *anyone* blamed the murderer? Has anyone shown an interest in his parents and their stewardship as parents? Being the father is in the movie industry I automatically made the assumption that they are lefties, usually pretty good betting odds.

Plenty of people are blaming him. There is plenty of evidence that he had some sort of psychotic illness, which manifested at a very young age. Dr. Ablow over at Fox News (predictably) blamed the broken mental health system for the fact that this kid was not prevented from this act, despite giving all kinds of warning beforehand.

I do not know how much blame his parents really deserve. Yes, he came from a broken home--but so have millions of others (including myself) who never commit a crime. His childhood was somewhat privileged (usually, poverty is blamed for criminal behavior). Judging by news reports, his parents did try to do what they could, but the laws regarding mentally ill persons probably tied their hands. It is extremely difficult to commit someone indefinitely to a mental institution; in the past, people with psychotic illnesses were committed as children and lived their lives institutionalized so they never had the chance to act out their violent desires. Today, the mentally ill are almost never institutionalized.