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« Reply #165 on: April 16, 2007, 10:20:30 PM » |
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Interestingly, threefive, it never seems to work that way, even with god knows how many "registered" concealed carry gun owners out there. Go to the CDC stats site and take a look at how many times more likely you are to be killed by your own gun than to "get a bad guy". I'm not sure why that is, but it is. If the numbers were not so consistently alarming, OR if any gun ban nations had these sorts of rampages, I would not be agitating for gun ownership reform. However, 31 lives lost is more than enough to convince me that bullets should only be sold to police officers and soldiers.
If you have an alternate plan to end gun violence on a policy level, I'd read it with interest.
Exactly. To reformulate the age-old expression.Guns don't kill people; bullets do. |
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case_insensitive
Indefatigable Maverick Giver of Gold Stars and Ever-So Slightly
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Triumvirate of Evil and PA Thread's Evil Temptress
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« Reply #166 on: April 16, 2007, 10:24:35 PM » |
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Just curious: Have any of you had any notification from your campus PR about this: like this could never happen here, or keep your eyes open, or anything? Nothing at ours--just stuff about closed freeways and upcoming training seminars. Wierd. Our students are a little jumpy but functioning as normal. We have talked about it all day in class. We ALL notice sirens and helicopters going overhead though.....
I teach on a campus that is near a huge military installation. At one time, our city was in the top five of target U.S. cities for soviet ICBMs because of the sort of military research done here. With that history, and the more recent 9-11 events and the fact that tornados are common here... we have pretty elaborate safety issues here. All faculty and staff are asked to attend a safety briefing once a year. Each dept has a designated person in charge of emergency procedures. I forget what they are called. Each building has a person in charge in case of emergency. The office doors of every person who has been trained in CPR/AED are marked with a certain type of sticker. Never, in all the safety discussions, has anyone ever mentioned the sort of emergency we saw happen today at Virginia Tech. However, bombs, terrorist attacks and such have been discussed. Has this sort of thing been adequately addressed? No. Mostly the safety procedures address fire and tornado... I bet next fall's safety briefing will be VERY different... :o( |
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« Last Edit: April 16, 2007, 10:26:32 PM by case_insensitive »
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Director of the CHE MYOB Professional Development Program,
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diana_prince
The Lasso of Truth is a woman's greatest weapon.
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« Reply #167 on: April 16, 2007, 10:25:53 PM » |
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I have questions about how the shooter was here in the U.S. on a student visa -- did we not make more stringent policies about issuing student visas after one of the 9/11 hijackers was here on a student visa? Have we forgotten about that? Was there a connection between the bomb threats the week prior to these shootings? Did the school administrators respond appropriately after the first shooting? The people in charge will have to answer these questions.
Did I miss something? I heard the shooter described as "Asian" but didn't hear that he was an international student. I'm confused too - all I've heard on the news is that the shooter was described as "of Asian descent." I saw a news report that the shooter was identified as a student here in the U.S. with a student visa issued in Shanghai. On CNN, I just heard that the school hasn't officially identified the shooter as a student. The reporters have all been "hinting" that yes, the shooter is a student. I'm sure the school officials and other witnesses are now able to identify the shooter. |
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diana_prince
The Lasso of Truth is a woman's greatest weapon.
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« Reply #168 on: April 16, 2007, 10:29:02 PM » |
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Just curious: Have any of you had any notification from your campus PR about this: like this could never happen here, or keep your eyes open, or anything? Nothing at ours--just stuff about closed freeways and upcoming training seminars. Wierd. Our students are a little jumpy but functioning as normal. We have talked about it all day in class. We ALL notice sirens and helicopters going overhead though.....
I teach on a campus that is near a huge military installation. At one time, our city was in the top five of target U.S. cities for soviet ICBMs because of the sort of military research done here. With that history, and the more recent 9-11 events and the fact that tornados are common here... we have pretty elaborate safety issues here. All faculty and staff are asked to attend a safety briefing once a year. Each dept has a designated person in charge of emergency procedures. I forget what they are called. Each building has a person in charge in case of emergency. The office doors of every person who has been trained in CPR/AED are marked with a certain type of sticker. Never, in all the safety discussions, has anyone ever mentioned the sort of emergency we saw happen today at Virginia Tech. However, bombs, terrorist attacks and such have been discussed. Has this sort of thing been adequately addressed? No. Mostly the safety procedures address fire and tornado... I bet next fall's safety briefing will be VERY different... :o( Hopefully, the staff and faculty won't have short-term memory and will accept and be willing to implement a safety program that includes shooter drills. People sometimes forget the lessons learned from these tragedies, and start believing that it couldn't happen on their campus or in their school. |
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notaprof
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« Reply #169 on: April 16, 2007, 10:34:23 PM » |
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This is so horrible. And I wish CNN and all the other news outlets would stop airing the tape... Stop watching the network news on this. Stop now, especially Fox and CNN. It is not good for anyone to see horrible things replayed over and over. It doesn't help, it only helps to hypnotize and eventually anesthetize us to the horror of it all after a while. The news folks will not be saying anything new with any intelligence, they will only try to be the first with the next sensational revelation that will just be proved wrong in time. They will start to shove microphones into the faces of the grieving families and do what they can to play on our emotions, all in the name of ratings. This media travesty will be our fault if we continue to watch and boost their ratings. IMHO, the replaying of the 9/11 plane crashes over and over and over helped to turn our country into zombies and led us to the place we are now, involved in an never-ending, lose-lose situation in Iraq. It's a form of mind control. Save your sanity and stop watching. Read about it on the news websites but don't watch the talking heads in times like this. |
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Tag, you're it. I should try to keep my mind from wandering, but I like the things it brings back from its travels.
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latis
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« Reply #170 on: April 16, 2007, 10:36:55 PM » |
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I've been away from TV and radio all day. I have to watch Nightline. (no cable tv)
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« Last Edit: April 16, 2007, 10:37:52 PM by perdita »
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case_insensitive
Indefatigable Maverick Giver of Gold Stars and Ever-So Slightly
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Triumvirate of Evil and PA Thread's Evil Temptress
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« Reply #171 on: April 16, 2007, 10:41:53 PM » |
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This is so horrible. And I wish CNN and all the other news outlets would stop airing the tape... Stop watching the network news on this. Stop now, especially Fox and CNN. It is not good for anyone to see horrible things replayed over and over. It doesn't help, it only helps to hypnotize and eventually anesthetize us to the horror of it all after a while. The news folks will not be saying anything new with any intelligence, they will only try to be the first with the next sensational revelation that will just be proved wrong in time. They will start to shove microphones into the faces of the grieving families and do what they can to play on our emotions, all in the name of ratings. This media travesty will be our fault if we continue to watch and boost their ratings. IMHO, the replaying of the 9/11 plane crashes over and over and over helped to turn our country into zombies and led us to the place we are now, involved in an never-ending, lose-lose situation in Iraq. It's a form of mind control. Save your sanity and stop watching. Read about it on the news websites but don't watch the talking heads in times like this. I agree with notaprof that watching the news over and over is not going to help us heal or move on or make intelligent decisions about the future. I once was a news junkie. It's just not good for your mental/emotional/spiritual health and good sense to immerse yourself in this sort of repetition. |
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Director of the CHE MYOB Professional Development Program,
An initiative of the CHE STFU Center for Professional Development.
Chairperson of the GAB CPE Series.
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« Reply #172 on: April 16, 2007, 11:06:25 PM » |
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yes, i am a "hokie." and i am really upset. really distraught. i am ...speechless.
yes, the VA Tech president is a good man. and the pr dept is working overtime, i know.
how about not descending into petty arguments and instead offer support and wishes.????
what is YOUR university going to to memorilize or recognize this terrible act?
and when are we going to speak out against domestic violence, the purported cause of the shooting was an angry xbf searching for the gf who left him...
if not, then When???????
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cynical
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« Reply #173 on: April 16, 2007, 11:06:31 PM » |
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The effects will be too numerous to calculate: A long long time ago I met a young woman who had lost her fiancé in the UT shootings of 1966. She was damaged; so damaged she could barely breathe or look at anyone. Her face was haunting and haunted.
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latis
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« Reply #174 on: April 16, 2007, 11:22:47 PM » |
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and when are we going to speak out against domestic violence, the purported cause of the shooting was an angry xbf searching for the gf who left him...
if not, then When???????
I wonder if the day would have ended differently if the domestic violence in the dorm had been considered more seriously. |
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untenured
Still One Really Busy
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Riding the RU/VH tenure track in New England
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« Reply #175 on: April 16, 2007, 11:26:25 PM » |
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The "petty" arguments started when our dear President decided to politicize this by citing the second amendment even before expressing sorrow for the tragedy. The blame for the gun control debate, like many things, rests with him.
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You are among the Pure and Truthful, however small their Number.
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kaysixteen
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« Reply #176 on: April 16, 2007, 11:35:56 PM » |
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Random thoughts:
1)Stupid people will always draw false conclusions from tragedy
2)People with agendas will always attempt to use tragedies, and the lack of clearheaded thinking that results in their immediate aftermath, as an excuse for pushing those agendas
3)Gun control legislation began in the US in 1865, in Md., as a specific attempt to prevent freedmen from arming for possible revenge against their ex-masters
4)There will always be nuts and loons and psychos and just plain bad dudes because, well, people are basically evil. This sort of incident just reminds me why I embraced Calvinism.
5)WRT not having cable so one 'has to watch Nightline'-- why? Why does anyone have to watch any coverage of this nightmare? I have heard about it, and since I have no personal connections to VT, I know all I need to know. I pray for the victims' families, but I can and must do nothing else, and nothing includes polluting my mind with additional video images of these nightmares.
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gloxinia
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« Reply #177 on: April 17, 2007, 12:06:06 AM » |
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yes, i am a "hokie." and i am really upset. really distraught. i am ...speechless.
I am sorry for your loss and the loss of the sense of safety in community that VT has experienced today. I am so profoundly saddened by all of this, and I was amazed to find that to some here at my U this was not even a blip on their radar so to speak. How have we become so desensitized to the loss of human life? My thoughts and prayers go to all that have been impacted by this terrible event. What an awful day. gloxinia |
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maddy
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« Reply #178 on: April 17, 2007, 12:20:28 AM » |
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Just a comment about CNN's coverage. I suffered through Paula Zahn, and was amazed by her stubborn determination to "manufacture outrage" over administrative mishandling. Many reporters and bystanders were describing a spontaneous vigil on campus as an outpouring of grief and sympathy, but Zahn kept asking, if not begging, each of them...
"Is there outrage on campus?"
"Are the students outraged?"
"Was there much outrage?"
She was fishing for a predetermined frame, even though her sources were not biting. Such is news for profit.
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cslacker
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« Reply #179 on: April 17, 2007, 12:26:22 AM » |
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If universities cared about students, it would invest more in the student affairs resources - students need more staff to work with them. This situation might have been prevented if there were more student affairs staff.
How much do universities spend on "diversity" programs every year? How much do they spend on safety (and training for incidents like this)?
Which do we value more - safety or diversity?
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