Good lord, not again. At this writing, at least 20 dead, some students, one shooter caught.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html

Why is that so often in the United States?

It's all over the news...it's bad, really bad. The worst ever! Holy crap..pyschopaths!

What is it about April that brings out the people wanting to get their names in the paper?

Harris and Klebold hit in April--now, their "record" has been obliterated.

And it won't be very long before a new record's set, no doubt.

Dzerod, it happens here because we have lots of guns, and too many people thinking firing into a classroom will solve the world's problems and ensure themselves eternal fame.

...and we talk about suicide bombers around the world...we got it just as bad..

Unfortunatly once ago some maniac is killing Americans children.I wonder how many times this has to happen before stricter gun control is introduced.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/newt1.vatech.mon.14.ap.jpg

CNN is now reporting that atleast 21 are killed and 20 more wounded. Two students jumped from their dorm windows to escape.

Now at least 31... how sad..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134671/?GT1=9246

From what Ive seen on US tv, the police seemed slow to react, and a lot of them standing around,will be interesting to see what response times we're talking.
Seems the selfish fucker killed themselves.

This story has the police around Iowa State on high alert, beings it's the beginning of Veishea Week.

A tragic, horrifying story indeed.

Sorry Silver, I dont know what you mean by Veishea week.

It's a terrible tragedy but Dzerod is wrong when he says it always happens in the United States. Nuts have gone on rampages in many countries of the world.

I cannot imagine the fear of all the parents who have children attending Virginia Tech.

Yes, its a parents worst nightmare.
I remember a long time ago, my oldest kid was in his first year at school and a bomb went off outside it, showering a lot of kids with glass, there was sheer pandemonium, Ill never forget it.
My prayers are with these familys.

Frogger, i don't think Dzerod said it always happens in the US, or only happens in the US.

But there's no doubt, we have a preponderance of these kinds of mass killings here--single lone gunmen, sometimes two, no terroristic or nationalist ties, many times zero history of violence. Next to impossible to track or apprehend.

Seems the selfish fucker killed themselves.

Oh, they always do that--bigger headlines, don't you know, more speculation about their true motives.

Ren, this is true, virtually impossable to apprehend these people before hand.
Whats needed is for ALL schools in America to step back and have a serious look at they're evacuation drills.

Good idea--we have 3 kids in college.

It's been a frightening and sickening day.

Yes I can understand that, I know youll be glad when they're home safe and sound.
I will leave my ideas for tackleing this sort of thing until another day.
Today is for reflection on so many young lives wasted.

anyone have a name on the shooter yet?

Police on tv now,
cant see the point of these interviews that say fuck all

This is just awful. It is a parent's worst nightmare thinking your kids are in a safe place and then have something like this happen. This is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

the guy killed 31 people with a 9mm and a .22? Must have been a hell of a shot. Probably ex military, or else has the name Mohammed in there somewhere.

the guy killed 31 people with a 9mm and a .22? Must have been a hell of a shot. Probably ex military, or else has the name Mohammed in there somewhere.
or both...

Are people named Mohammed natural sharpshooters.
I dont think this is the time or thread for that T.

Are people named Mohammed natural sharpshooters.
I dont think this is the time or thread for that T.
moving targets in a crowded room with a pistol and sniping are two different games all together.

Police on tv now,
cant see the point of these interviews that say fuck all

No shit. Already they have started with the finger pointing. Why was the campus not locked down after the first shooting? Like you can lock a small city down with people streaming in. Already I can't listen to the hysteria of blame. Parents don't even know if their children whom they haven't heard from are dead, yet there is energy for blame?

According to what I read he lined them up before he shot them. You don't have to be much of a marksman to kill people in that situation.

Yes I was thinking execution style myself.
Real fucking hero.

Originally posted by paulc
Sorry Silver, I dont know what you mean by Veishea week.
Veishea is a week long, student-led festival (the largest in the U.S.) that attracts, on average, just shy of 80,000 people. It's a pretty high-profile event for many midwest college students. and now that this VT shooting has happened, campus and city police are on their guard.

According to what I read he lined them up before he shot them. You don't have to be much of a marksman to kill people in that situation.

Horrifyingly repulsive.

According to what I read he lined them up before he shot them. You don't have to be much of a marksman to kill people in that situation.
who wants to bet avatars for a week that it was a muzzie?



....and the FBI denies that was his motivation:@@:

Veishea is a week long, student-led festival (the largest in the U.S.) that attracts, on average, just shy of 80,000 people. It's a pretty high-profile event for many midwest college students. and now that this VT shooting has happened, campus and city police are on their guard.
Thanks man, never heard of that one before.

He wuz obvusly a faggy athe-usst commie who listn'd to that there Maryland Mansion and played those violent vidja games, like them Quakes er tha Halos.

Thanks man, never heard of that one before.
i didn't either until i wiki'd it:@@:

People have died, yet some seem to only be concerned with getting the top story and creating another one. Like they said, when you have masses of people in transit whiel a shooting is occurring, there isn't much you can do until they arrive. One reporter even mentioned why there weren't any radio announcements; apparently thinking that students still jam out to the morning news on their way to classes.

Some people just aren't in tune with today's world. Let this tragedy be taken in and grieved over by people who have lost more than just the lead scoop to a headline-breaking story...save the finger pointing for later.

i didn't either until i wiki'd it:@@:
And theres me thought you knew everything about the US, drat.

Yea during the cop interview the media were fucking obsene, these victums relatives watch this.

And theres me thought you knew everything about the US, drat.
no one can know everything. what i don't know, i have sources for...:thumbs:

the guy killed 31 people with a 9mm and a .22? Must have been a hell of a shot. Probably ex military, or else has the name Mohammed in there somewhere. I heard he lined them up and shot them, execution style.

Whoops, Frogger got there first.

no one can know everything.
You've obviously never met me.

Lucky him

I doubt he was a terrorist or was named Mohammed.

He was probably mid to late twenties, white, fairly well educated, maybe a student there or former student, seemingly "normal" looking and acting but with few close friends.

Probably broke up with his girlfriend just before all this, or was fired from a menial job.

I''d bet money he kept scrapbooks on Columbine.

I heard on CNN he was in his twenties, and asian. Also heard something about a girlfriend.

I see youve started your psychological profiling then.

Asian?
Hadn't heard that. that's kinda unusual.

I see youve started your psychological profiling then.

I hate these people.

I admit I am not up to speed on the whole thing, but even knowing he lined them up, 31 still seems like a high number for small caliber hand guns. Unless the shootings were coupled with slow response by paramedics.

How in the world did he control a large group of people all by himself?

same way one SS man with an MG 42 controlled 10,000 jews. no one wants to be the first to get shot

Definitely no slow response, but they say the guy was strapped, loaded down with belts of ammo. This guy was a real piece of work.

My prayers go out to the families of the 32 victims we know of so far.

.

same way one SS man with an MG 42 controlled 10,000 jews.
It is physically impossible for that to happen.

I would suggest that the victums were more than likely lying face down when shot, possably hands tied, may have conned them into thinking it would be ok if they played along.

An eyewitness to the shootings has verified an Asian male as the shooter, about 6 feet tall, dressed in a black coat, who said nothing as he emptied his gun into the students. No word as yet that he lined them up--I guess he just burst into the classroom and started firing.

I imagine the guns were automatic or at best semi dont you think?


A few of the newstations (Fox and MSNBC that I've seen personally) have thrown around hypotheticals regarding the chances that the two sets of killings may have not been connected what do you all think about that?

At first, I thought there wasnt a chance but thinking about the one piece of info that they have regarding motive (that he was looking for his girlfriend) - could it be that his girlfriend had either been killed or involved in the first killing and his psyco breakdown was a result. The one thing that makes that seem unlikely is the fact that he had the amo, guns, and bulletproof vest.

I would place money on the fact that he is military or has been.

who wants to bet avatars for a week that it was a muzzie?



....and the FBI denies that was his motivation:@@:
bet's off...asian male looking for his girlfriend.

it's still possiable, just not as likely.

bet's off...asian male looking for his girlfriend.

it's still possiable, just not as likely.

Yeah - its extremely possible. When RFK was shot they reported he was Mexican. We all know Sirhan Sirhan didnt originate south of the border.

I don't know, jere--there's so little we all know at this time.

all we can do is speculate--like the news people.

Wonder if his girlfriend is one of the victims?

Wonder if his girlfriend is one of the victims?


I wonder how much stock we can actually put into that he was even looking for his girlfriend.

How many people died in Sudan today? Iraq?

At this point, probably not a lot.

How many people died in Sudan today? Iraq?
at an American University? none.

At this point, probably not a lot.
Okay, then the last 24 hours. The last 48 even.
at an American University? none.
Yes, because there are plenty of American universities that exist in Sudan, and in Iraq. What a salient point!

who wants to bet avatars for a week that it was a muzzie?
....and the FBI denies that was his motivation

I just now got to this thread and began reading it; if I'd been here before you backed out of the bet, I would have wagered you avatars for a year that when he was identified it would turn out to be a male who was religious, was not a Muslim, and who had a decidedly rightwing worldview.

Okay, then the last 24 hours. The last 48 even.

Yes, because there are plenty of American universities that exist in Sudan, and in Iraq. What a salient point!
read the name of the thread, and try to stay on topic, 'k?

We have yet to see whether he was religious OR rightwing. I doubt the first one and the second I don't think matters.

Sorry evak, was responding to jere's post about the guys' girlfriend and if we can even buy that story at this time.

read the name of the thread, and try to stay on topic, 'k?
He was just trying to put it into perspective. We care so much about 32 people dying in VA, but not about hundreds of thousands in other countries.

ALWAYS a mistake to go into a crime scene with your theory set already.

We know NOTHING about this guy.

Evak, it's an American crime.

It is physically impossible for that to happen.

it is? what are you one of those holocaust doubters? maybe you should try reading some books about it. Jews outnumbered their captors 500 to 1 at the camps.

I just now got to this thread and began reading it; if I'd been here before you backed out of the bet, I would have wagered you avatars for a year that when he was identified it would turn out to be a male who was religious, was not a Muslim, and who had a decidedly rightwing worldview.
but how are you going to decide if he has a "rightwing worldview"...from your perspective, Lenin was the 1st neo-con:@@:

it is? what are you one of those holocaust doubters? maybe you should try reading some books about it. Jews outnumbered their captors 500 to 1 at the camps.
500 to one is not 10,000 to one.

He was just trying to put it into perspective. We care so much about 32 people dying in VA, but not about hundreds of thousands in other countries.
i'm more concerned about polar bears than i am about Iraqis blowing each other up in open air markets.

The Rightwing faction in this country never ceases to amaze me.

Tell them that 30 something Americans were killed in Virginia and they are aghast with sorrow and regret.

Tell them that their government, that they staunchly support, killed 650,000 people in another country, and their response is something along the lines of -- "Awww...so what? Big deal. They're all evil, and besides, they were squatting on top of our oil."

_____________________________

Cheney and Bush are so wrong in their world view that it will take at least a generation to clean up the mistakes they've made and the messes they've created. As true absurdists, they are oblivious to the monstrosity of their failures. They lied, and used phony intelligence to create the illusion of an imminent "threat" posed to us by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and now 650,000 Iraqis and over 3100 Americans are dead. That occupied nation remains in chaotic insurrection. The Iraq war bill is projected to be well over a trillion dollars before it's over and we are not one bit more secure as a result.

it is? what are you one of those holocaust doubters? maybe you should try reading some books about it. Jews outnumbered their captors 500 to 1 at the camps.
1 person cannot control a crowd that stretches as far as the eye (10,000 people) can see with one rifle.

read the name of the thread, and try to stay on topic, 'k?
Not while hundreds of thousands suffer in Chad and Sudan due to violence and displacement, and you ignore that.

The Rightwing faction in this country never ceases to amaze me.
Tell them that 30 something Americans were killed in Virginia and they are aghast with sorrow and regret.
Tell them that their government, that they staunchly support, killed 650,000 people in another country, That's more human nature than right wing.

i'm more concerned about polar bears than i am about Iraqis blowing each other up in open air markets.

That is so ignorant. I am not even going to tactfully sidestep this. I'm straitforward telling you that you are ignorant. I could possibly understand if you had some natural connection to polar bears and put them before man - but to say that you care about them before a group of people because of where they live? Pure igorance. Nothing worse.


Now getting back on topic - I am begining now to wonder about the precautions that will come as a result of this. I hope each university takes a look at their safety measurs and does whatever they can to strengthen them.

i'm more concerned about polar bears than i am about Iraqis blowing each other up in open air markets.

That is so ignorant. I am not even going to tactfully sidestep this. I'm straitforward telling you that you are ignorant. I could possibly understand if you had some natural connection to polar bears and put them before man - but to say that you care about them before a group of people because of where they live? Pure igorance. Nothing worse.


Now getting back on topic - I am begining now to wonder about the precautions that will come as a result of this. I hope each university takes a look at their safety measurs and does whatever they can to strengthen them.

I hope each university takes a look at their safety measurs and does whatever they can to strengthen them.
I hope the universities allow more guns on campus, because that would cause more shootings of the liberal college wieners, a 1 rightwinger to 32 leftwinger death ratio. Only good things can come out of that for our country.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/rumsfeld3.jpg

This is the worst single shooting in american history.

A person doesn't need to be a rightwing drone to be sickened and appalled by this event--American college students gunned down at their desks, still holding their pencils, their only wrongdoing to be in a particular classroom that day.

And it's been happening with depressing regularity anymore.

That is so ignorant. I am not even going to tactfully sidestep this. I'm straitforward telling you that you are ignorant. I could possibly understand if you had some natural connection to polar bears and put them before man - but to say that you care about them before a group of people because of where they live? Pure igorance. Nothing worse.
but it's all connected.
less fish=less seals=starving polar bears. why fish stocks diwindling? over fishing? climate change? man made polution? it doesn't matter. it's the smoke. and if it's not corrected, there will be fire.

as for Iraqis blowing each other up, that's bad, but it's not as bad as the end of life on the planet. they been doing it since Cain slew Able, and there's no end in sight.

Now getting back on topic - I am begining now to wonder about the precautions that will come as a result of this. I hope each university takes a look at their safety measurs and does whatever they can to strengthen them.
metal detectors at building enterances is only thing practical and would be effective.

metal detectors at building enterances is only thing practical and would be effective.

Who is the biggest manufacturer of metal detectors?

Might be a good idea to invest in them now.

metal detectors at building enterances is only thing practical and would be effective.
They're costly and require monitoring and operation by manpower. Colleges won't do that because it is anything but practical.

welcome back jerejerebinks. Long time -- good to see you posting again.

I usually don't armchair quarterback, but I don't understand why the school wasn't shutdown after the first shooting at 7:15am.

Hi, as you all might know that I moved from Pittsburgh to Dubai about 2 years ago for business reasons. Many times I have asked some engineers from our Pittsburgh office to make a visit to Dubai for some meetings or discussions with client. On each occassion the engineers in Pittsburgh told me they want to stay away from the "middle east" because it is unsafe, which is so ignorant and close-minded view.

As most of you know there has been virtually no gun crime in UAE, no suicide bombers, etc. etc. It is really a safe place. ON top of that I rarely see any cops anywhere. Americans, Europeans, Asians, etc. are all living in peace here.

Now this VT thing happens, does it mean the whole US unsafe? Maybe.
Will many parents pull out thier kids from the dorms?

Actually it was VA

Actually it was VA

I mean VT as in Virginia Tech

I mean VT as in Virginia Tech

Ah, gotcha. Misunderstanding.

Whenever something like this happens, we ask what the motives were, why things like this happen, and what can be done to prevent future incidents. While the first two questions are often answered, I feel that the third question unfortunately has no answer. I simply don't believe that there is a large-scale solution to mass shootings like this. Perhaps we need to accept that these occurences are inevitable, much like murder and robbery, though thankfully not as frequent.

Now this VT thing happens, does it mean the whole US unsafe? Maybe.
I beg your ignorant pardon? "Maybe"? One shooting "maybe" makes an entire country of 300 million unsafe? You are suffering from a severe inability to grasp scale, it seems.

They're costly and require monitoring and operation by manpower. Colleges won't do that because it is anything but practical.
you're right...i should have written "closest to practical". it's wouldn't be cheap, but it would be a lot cheaper than a 25 foot wall around the campus.

1 person cannot control a crowd that stretches as far as the eye (10,000 people) can see with one rifle.

MG 42 is not a rifle, it is a machine gun, hence MG. and who said they were all single file? they were in enclosed camps.

This is the worst single shooting in american history.

A person doesn't need to be a rightwing drone to be sickened and appalled by this event---

Nope. No one said a person did have to be one to be appalled by it.

But my point was more to the effect that you seemingly do have to be a rightwing drone to not be sickened by the 650,000 people --who were every bit as much human beings as the 33 in VA were--- who've been killed in Iraq for the sake of the control of oil.

But my point was more to the effect that you seemingly do have to be a rightwing drone to not be sickened by the 650,000 people --who were every bit as much human beings as the 33 in VA were--- who've been killed in Iraq for the sake of the control of oil.

No, I think it is merely a tribal mindset. It is a limited way of viewing the world and it is nothing more than base human nature. Once one gets beyond a tribal mentality one can understand that we are all just one large group of individuals within the human family. However, the majority of people are not on a level to grasp that.

Update--

Police say they have an ID but aren't releasing it.

Addendum:

Red state, blue state--as noted on another thread about this shooting in Politics--has nothing to do with this crime. Absolutely nothing, and it somehow implies that the victims were somehow responsible for their own deaths. Crap,

What we are seeing here is a phenomenon known as a copycat.

Ever since school shootings burst into the news in the early 90's--and they take place in red states, blue states, and overseas, the copycats have come out of the wooodwork, all of them seeking the spectacular press coverage these shootings all receive.

A simple solution to thses kinds of mass shootings, and it won't eliminate them all because nothing will do that--is to, and this may sound callous, just stop giving these crimes an overload of press coverage.

ATTENTION is what these killers crave. Don't give it to them.

MG 42 is not a rifle, it is a machine gun, hence MG. and who said they were all single file? they were in enclosed camps.
http://blog.com.np/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/human%20sea.JPG
This isn't even 10,000 people. One man is supposed to control them with one weapon?