Let the Cry "Remember Virginia Tech" Ring Loud and Clear

This is the last thing I wanted to write about today.

There were other things I was had in mind. There is a book I am reading I wanted to discuss. There are thoughts about other radio and television performers who often make comments worse than those made by Don Imus last week that need to be shared. Yesterday, baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson day.

It all has to be set aside. Today, a man killed our children.

News reports differ. Some say thirty were killed. Others say thirty-three. Almost all use the words “at least”.

I heard about the first shooting of two people early this morning. The story at that time reminded us that on August 20, 2006 there was a shooting at Virginia Tech. At that time the campus was closed to protect the students.

At that time, it was the police doing the shooting. A convict, who escaped from Montgomery County Jail in nearby Christiansburg, close to eight miles away from Blacksburg, was suspected of killing a hospital guard and a sheriff’s deputy. The suspect was shot and killed just off the Virginia Tech campus.

Security was still working, even today, to protect the students of the University. Unfortunately, even with added protection, there were still two sets of shootings.

President George W. Bush got it right when he said today, “Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community.”

Of course, schools are not the only places where there should not be guns and death. Churches, schools, government buildings, grocery stores, shopping malls, hardware stores, amusement parks, parks, parking garages, hospitals, restaurants and I could go on and on.

As citizens of this country, we have a right to protect ourselves, but we also have a right to expect to live our lives without the threat of being harmed at any time by any person. We need to rethink what is happening is this world today.

Today, our President is attempting to spread democracy overseas. It is a nice idea, but look for a moment at what democracy is giving us. There are individuals killing our children. There are no reasons. There are no excuses.

I do not care how today's killer was treated as a child. I do not care if he was abused. I do not want to know this man’s life story.

There are over thirty life stories that need to be celebrated and mourned. There are over thirty people whose promise-filled futures were cut short. Every life is precious. Every life is important.

Today, a co-worker made a joke. He referred to another co-worker as someone capable of pulling a “Virginia Tech” where we work. It was not funny. It will not be funny tomorrow or a month from now.

We need to find solutions. We need to reach out to each other in a spirit of love and friendship.

Instead of talk of weapons and wars, we need to be finding ways to make every citizen feel they count. That is what we all want. As a people, we want to feel we contribute.

Today, I bow my head and close my eyes for a moment for those children we have lost throughout the world. Tears fall for those students from Virginia Tech. Tears fall for those young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tears fall for those in Darfur.

For a middle-aged man from central Illinois, there is not much I can do. I can smile at everyone I see today. I can lend a hand where I see a hand is needed. I can write and hope that as you read this you will do the same.

Thank you for reading. We will talk again soon.