First of all let me say that I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that took place at Virginia Tech yesterday and that my prayers go out to all involved. The following is in no way meant to demean anything that happened yesterday, but is a commentary on what our society has become.
While watching the events unfold yesterday I was struck by the notion that our media has become the single biggest threat to our way of life today. As soon as the news of the killings began to break, the press was there. What is wrong with this you may ask? Nothing if they are there to cover the breaking news, however, while the bullets were still flying there are already reporters asking why? How? Who’s fault? And Why wasn’t something done to prevent this from happening? Some of these are legitimate new questions, at least how and why, but when did it become the medias job to investigate a crime and place blame on someone? The key issue here being placing blame on SOMEONE, and the someone being a person/persons or organization other than the shooter! If I heard the question “why were the students not notified sooner?” once, I heard it a thousand times. Why do we need to blame someone other than the pos gunman that did the killing? Would it have been nice to be able to warn everyone? Yes. Could it have been done? I do not think so. VT has 26,000 students, 5000+ employees, and 2000 daily visitors. Of the 26,000 students, 9000 live on campus. Will someone please explain to me exactly how you would go about notifying over 30,000 people about something that happens as fast as a shooting, even one that takes an extended amount of time? I have seen numerous reporters ask why officials did not “lock the campus down”. I would think most reporters had to attend college and should realize that this is not an elementary school that has a chain link fence around it and 200 students inside. I have not been to VT, but I have been on many other campuses and all that I have been too are very much like a small town. How would you lock down something such as this? Why can’t the press just point the finger where blame belongs, at the shooter?
I watched Matt Lauer (sic?) this morning grilling the president of VT about the above questions. Why didn’t you do more? Why was this allowed to happen? I had a hard time keeping my breakfast down. Last week we got to watch as the media destroyed the career of a man for simplify doing what he has done forever (Don Imus). I am not saying he was right or wrong, just that he was tried and convicted in the media. Imus broke no laws and in fact was fired for exercising his freedom of speech. I am quite sure it is not against the law to say “nappy headed hos” on the radio or anywhere else for that matter. I can tell you from the cars that pull up beside me blaring rap music that it is not even against the law to say ******. Had the media not picked up on what he said (several days later I might ad) and played it on every news outlet in the country the man would still be doing what he always had been (argue that him not doing what he does is a good thing if you wish, but again freedom of speech is something you have no control over and you are always free to switch stations and not listen). I do not like a lot of things that are said by a lot of people and I just don’t listen. I don’t waste my time trying to force my beliefs or morals on the people that say or listen to things I do not like. Lets see how much heat the VT president takes from this event and if the press can try and convict this man for not doing enough. My prediction is that the president and others will be forced to resign over this. What a shame that we have become a country that cannot think for ourselves and have to rely on sensationalist to tell us what we should be outraged about.
Below are a couple of headlines that are out there today that illustrate the medias witch-hunt attitude that is standard operating procedure for the press these days.
WP: Would more have survived if campus officials acted sooner?
More on Shootings
• Newsweek: Campus was fearful, even before Monday
Search for answers after rampage
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Police and university authorities faced pressure Tuesday to explain how a gunman apparently evaded detection after killing two people and then went on to kill 30 others two hours later in America’s worst shooting rampage.
Mindless flock of sheep regards.
While watching the events unfold yesterday I was struck by the notion that our media has become the single biggest threat to our way of life today. As soon as the news of the killings began to break, the press was there. What is wrong with this you may ask? Nothing if they are there to cover the breaking news, however, while the bullets were still flying there are already reporters asking why? How? Who’s fault? And Why wasn’t something done to prevent this from happening? Some of these are legitimate new questions, at least how and why, but when did it become the medias job to investigate a crime and place blame on someone? The key issue here being placing blame on SOMEONE, and the someone being a person/persons or organization other than the shooter! If I heard the question “why were the students not notified sooner?” once, I heard it a thousand times. Why do we need to blame someone other than the pos gunman that did the killing? Would it have been nice to be able to warn everyone? Yes. Could it have been done? I do not think so. VT has 26,000 students, 5000+ employees, and 2000 daily visitors. Of the 26,000 students, 9000 live on campus. Will someone please explain to me exactly how you would go about notifying over 30,000 people about something that happens as fast as a shooting, even one that takes an extended amount of time? I have seen numerous reporters ask why officials did not “lock the campus down”. I would think most reporters had to attend college and should realize that this is not an elementary school that has a chain link fence around it and 200 students inside. I have not been to VT, but I have been on many other campuses and all that I have been too are very much like a small town. How would you lock down something such as this? Why can’t the press just point the finger where blame belongs, at the shooter?
I watched Matt Lauer (sic?) this morning grilling the president of VT about the above questions. Why didn’t you do more? Why was this allowed to happen? I had a hard time keeping my breakfast down. Last week we got to watch as the media destroyed the career of a man for simplify doing what he has done forever (Don Imus). I am not saying he was right or wrong, just that he was tried and convicted in the media. Imus broke no laws and in fact was fired for exercising his freedom of speech. I am quite sure it is not against the law to say “nappy headed hos” on the radio or anywhere else for that matter. I can tell you from the cars that pull up beside me blaring rap music that it is not even against the law to say ******. Had the media not picked up on what he said (several days later I might ad) and played it on every news outlet in the country the man would still be doing what he always had been (argue that him not doing what he does is a good thing if you wish, but again freedom of speech is something you have no control over and you are always free to switch stations and not listen). I do not like a lot of things that are said by a lot of people and I just don’t listen. I don’t waste my time trying to force my beliefs or morals on the people that say or listen to things I do not like. Lets see how much heat the VT president takes from this event and if the press can try and convict this man for not doing enough. My prediction is that the president and others will be forced to resign over this. What a shame that we have become a country that cannot think for ourselves and have to rely on sensationalist to tell us what we should be outraged about.
Below are a couple of headlines that are out there today that illustrate the medias witch-hunt attitude that is standard operating procedure for the press these days.
WP: Would more have survived if campus officials acted sooner?
More on Shootings
• Newsweek: Campus was fearful, even before Monday
Search for answers after rampage
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Police and university authorities faced pressure Tuesday to explain how a gunman apparently evaded detection after killing two people and then went on to kill 30 others two hours later in America’s worst shooting rampage.
Mindless flock of sheep regards.
