Inquiring Minds @ MyFoxAustin

Shocking is the news of the killings and woundings found at Virginia Tech this morning from a gunman that went on a rampage and killed 31 and wounded 29 with his shootings at two different buildings on campus two hours apart -- a dormitory and some classrooms in another building. This sends chills as we all remember the
Columbine High School and University of Texas massacres in the past. More information will be divulged in due time; it is my understanding that the gunman has been killed -- either by the fire of the police or through taking of his own life. We may never know the whole story; but, rest assured, it will be marked in history as one of the most tragic events in US History. At this time, I understand that this may be a domestic violence issue because he was seeking out his girlfriend. Nothing has been said so far, to my knowledge, whether or not his girlfriend was among those killed, wounded, or witnessed the tragic series of events today.

Another blogger stated, "It seems, even at this early hour, the Virginia Tech shooting seems to have been triggered (um), by domestic violence. We shouldnt take domestic violence lightly, and I dont think this is an issue that has to do with "bad" men, because women are just as likely to commit acts of violence. Just the other week there was a shooting at the University of Washington that also involved a domestic dispute, in this case, stalking. Unfortunately, it takes a public incident like today's shooting to highlight the brutality of personal violence." I agree.

In my email, I have also received communication about the pro-life/abortion issues. They seem to want to pinpoint the fault of the abortion laws being pushed actively by Nancy Pelosi, Teddy Kennedy, and Hilary Clinton to allow for funding under Medicaid for abortions, etc. Whoever is to blame is not the point. Pro-life activists state:

"Both Pelosi and Clinton are getting stronger and stronger as the weeks and months go by. Every week they are in power, over 26,040 abortions are performed in our United States. Every month they are in power, over 111,600 babies die in abortion. That’s one baby every 25 seconds. Since 1973, that’s over 47 million babies. Babies who were going to be named Jack, Sara, Timmy, Adam, Claire, Ben, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary, Abraham, Daniel, David, Michael, Salvatore and so many more….We cannot let Pelosi and Clinton set the agenda in congress for the next 2 years and stand idly by when over 2.6 million babies will die during abortions!"

No matter what your viewpoint on abortion/pro-life, those are some staggering numbers indeed. One can't help but feel how future generations will be affected by the availability of more abortions. If you go by the adages of the survival of the fittest, it would seem that these potential children of the world are not given the opportunity to survive; they are not given a choice and many children who could be the future leaders of their generation are lost. Just think it is so very sad to think about.

On a brighter note today, this week is "National Volunteer Week". I would certainly go read my posting about this week and look to the right column for some ideas of resources where you can look to do your part in today's society to make it a better place for living for all concerned. At least, find a volunteer and hug them this week, letting them know that you appreciate all that they do to help make your community a better place to live, if you do nothing else!

Sometimes, out of the madness of events, can come some good. Austinite, Lawrence Wright (previously a staff writer for the New York Times), has provided a prime example of this. After the 9/11 tragedy, he went on a pursuit to find out what had happened and wrote a book called, "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11." Today, he was notified that he has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work endured to create and write the book. Many kudos to his deligence and hard work!

Blessings for all the victims and their families, as well as all the volunteers. May this Nation see some semblance of normacy in their lives, whatever normalcy may mean to them.