History Lesson:  It's unfortunately a part of human nature to commit these types of acts against other humans and has been since the first humans walked the earth.  The number of deaths is actually less now but people don't realize it because each small attack becomes hyped-up news instantly available to the bulk of the world's population.  As Stalin said, "One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic."  Any one remember Hitler, Pol Pot, Edi Amin or Genghis Khan (to name just a very few)?  Feel free to add in any "ethnic cleansing" (cowboys and indians?) or any political or religious organization/movement/gang that has killed to promote their cause. 

So, who's to blame?  Everyone and no one.

What should you do?  Deal with it however you can, support the survivors and participate more in your own communities to help youth realize that life HAS value which will help reduce future occurances.

What should you not do?  Use it to promote whatever actual or purely nonsensical narrow view you happen to have about why it happened and how to prevent it.  I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the latest generation's feeling that they are entitled to get things without earning them, since that only fosters a lack of self-worth which they then project on everyone else.

My thoughts go out to the parents and the members of the community.

Sincerely, Craig B (ITRMN) - Prior target of the (in)famous Brenda Spencer school shooting and close resident to the Clackamas Mall shooting of a couple of days ago.

Terrible, horrible, awful...

The thing that sickens me even more is that worldwide, I believe it is going to get worse, and possibly much worse.  The type of personal moral solution required is something we have said a very strong collective "no!" to, and indeed to even post my real thoughts about how twisted human nature can be, and its causes, would violate the forum rules (in part due to the cultural "no"!).

Morality involves real restraint, first on a personal level, but also on a cultural level as well.  Collectively we have said we want to be "free" to do whatever we want.  That sounds seductively "liberating" on a surface level, but it has implications...

We have also made choices that have very negatively impacted the value of human life, on multiple levels. 

We are reaping the consequences... and not just in the U.S.  Consider the gang wars in Mexico, human kidnapping for the sex trade...
 
Note that I live not all that far from the Clackamas Mall.

This guy got up this morning and shot him mother in the face then went to her school and executed the kids in her class. That is VERY personal. I do not pertend to understand it but I know enough to realize that his actions were totally against his mother an everything she loved... he really wanted to hurt her, even after she was dead. There is something much deeper here than any society, culture, music, gun, or game. There was something deep and dark in him regarding his mother.

We will learn more in the next days.

J

My heart breaks at the news.

Everybody has to ask, what is the cause of these horrific school shootings? How did a 20 year old "KID" get his hands on those guns? Why would his mother buy a bushmaster AR-15? Why would the shooter kill his mother and her class full of kids? How did the shooter get into a school that requires a buzz in entry wearing black battle fatigues and carrieing guns? How can so many screwups happen all at once? 20 dead kids, who was watching?

Guys... sometimes there are no answers to be had. Don't bend your brains trying to find one. 

Be good. Stay safe.

Turns out the shooter was "mentally disabled." 

Little kids.
Get 'em up, feed 'em breakfast, pack a lunch, and send them off to school.
"See you when you get home. I love you".

Except . . . . . .  they are never coming home . . . . . . . . . . . .  ever.

I can't even wrap my head around that.
I've lost plenty of family members, as have most people.
Some were expected (disease, old age), and we were able to mentally prepare, but it still hurt.
Some were active duty military. We knew the risk, and were prepared for that possibility. But it still hurt.
I was working near Columbine when that happened. We saw the helicopters, and heard the sirens, and figured something really big must be up. I only found out when I got home that night.
I had friends who had kids there. Fortunately, theirs got out ok.
My daughter would have been at the theater in Aurora, but decided not to go at the last minute.
I have attended church at Wedgewood with Reece. The congregation there was clearly touched by that event.
Today, I was at a customers' house on a service call. As I was adjusting his TV, the news of today was on.
As we watched, he told me that his son had been killed at Wedgewood.
The world got very, very small.
We sat there quietly for a few moments.
While I struggled to comprehend it, I knew this man knows exactly what those parents in Connecticut are feeling.
Sorry if I am rambling. This just hits too close to home.
Hug your kids, and say a prayer for those who can't.

tragic is all I can say at this time...my heart reaches out to those who lost loved ones ...


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I'll say this one thing... and it applies to ALL nations. Pour as much funding as necessary into psychiatric care and outreach programs. Also don't make every godamned waking minute of everyones lives miserable because they are fighting over a couple measly dollars.

It is unnecessary in the modern age with all we know and all we have. It is the few who wish to control the many who do this to us. Expose them, ignore them, beat them at their own game and render them impotent.

Then... we will see true change.