This report was sketchy to say the least. A bomb threat note was found somewhere. It may have been found with the shooters stuff in his room. More as the story develops.
Juan Cole, a Michigan University, professor and blogger mentioned that 32 people get gunned down or bombed every day in Iraq.
As I suspected, the students and professors who died at Virgina Tech were from a variety of backgrounds. I was really struck but the death of a Holocaust survivor. One would think that after you survived the Holocaust you were pretty save in Virginia. Very Sad.
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From CNN.com:
Liviu Librescu, 76, was a Holocaust survivor, who his son said, will be remembered as a hero. He “blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee,” Joe Librescu told AP. “Students started opening windows and jumping out.” The elder Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was recognized internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering, the head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech told AP. He was born and received his advanced degrees in Romania.
Professor Edward Smith of Penn State University wrote:
“Professor Librescu was well known in the aerospace engineering community. I have known professor Librescu for the past 18 years, ever since I was in graduate school. We attended the same annual conferences and working in the same research area (composite structures). He was a true gentleman. [He was] always very professional and ‘formal,’ dressed in a business suit and very serious about his work. Professor Librescu had a good sense of humor and had many friends in the aerospace community. We are all deeply saddened by this tragic loss.” (more on other victims…)
I posted an OpEd that Gwen Ifill wrote on Tuesday of last week. She is on Meet the Press with Tim Russert earlier today. She and Eugene Robinson ask a simple question, where was the outrage from Tim Russert or Katie Couric or Charles Gibson or Brian Williams. These are the leading journalists in the country and we, the American public, heard nothing from them. Why? Where was Newsweek and other major magazines? They didn’t say squat until Imus was fired.
I’ll post video of MTP later. (I’m in O’Hare airport. Not the best place to edit video.)
Update: Took me forever to get back home. High winds in Asheville (gusting to 50 - 60 mph) cancelled my connecting flight from Atlanta to Asheville. I rented a car and drove home. When I got home, the electricity was off because of downed powerlines. Still working on the video.
Update II: I think that this MTP discussion is so good that I re-posted this post.
As a trauma surgeon, I felt that I really don’t need to post anything on this shooting. I wanted my blog to be about politics. Well, politics is about people and nothing was more important yesterday than the shooting of dozens and the killing of 33 in Virginia. Gun control isn’t the answer although I’m all for removing assault rifles and Saturday night specials from the streets. The answer is to reduce the stress in the lives of the middle class. The answer is better security on campus. The answer is finally better detection of people who are not handling stress.
Crooks and Liars originally posted this a couple of days ago. I don’t routinely watch Bloomberg TV but they interviewed Jim Webb. Senator Webb is one of my favorite senators. He speaks his mind. He analyzes problems with the clarity of a college professor. He articulates his answer in such a way that everyone understands where he is coming from.
Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, fulltime sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats...
