Important Lessons Never Learned

One cowardly waste of human flesh terrorized thecomfort and convenience of "fashion".
campus of Virginia Tech. Hoping to avoid being heldIt is a shame that so many are dead. But what is of
accountable, Cho Seung-Hui eventually took his ownequal shame is that many are dead because they and
life. Only he forgot that there is a higher power thantheir fellow citizens never learned the important
any court of law to which he will answer. And as hislessons. Instead they were taught and forced to
special place in Hell was being warmed up, the bodieslearn the unimportant and the meaningless in pursuit
of his victims were being counted; over thirty peopleof God only knows what goal.
dead and many more were injured.They never learned that our rights as citizens are
It is easy to lay the blame for the carnage at theinsoluble even by the arbitrary whims of public
feet of yet another lunatic. It was his actions, hisofficials and bureaucrats. They never learned that our
choice, his evil that terrorized the campus after all.rights as citizens are to be embraced and carried in
And for this act, yes he bears all responsibility.our hearts proudly and without fear of reprisal by
But others are not blameless. Because there arethose in power who would seek to erode them.
others that created the situation in which this horrificThey never learned that when one attempts to
event occurred. There are still others thatrevoke their rights, it is their responsibility to stand up
perpetuated the situation once it began because theyand defy those men who would be tyrants and defy
were more concerned about perceptions, feelingsthem by force if necessary. They never learned that
and even laying down their own rights than theywhen they choose to wilt before unconstitutional
were about protecting themselves, their fellowinfringements of their rights eventually good people
citizens, and the students in their charge.get hurt or sadly even killed. They never learned that
There is plenty of blame to go around. Blame goeswaiting for others to protect them is a fatal decision
to the school administrators and elected officials whoin many cases. They never learned that the lawless
ignorantly thought that with the magical wave of aand the evil will not be assuaged by pieces of paper
pen they could make criminals and evil people obeyand talk of "feelings" of safety.
"codes of conduct" and create safe workplaces byInstead they proudly tout to the criminal that they
mandate. Blame goes to every person that camehave no means of defending themselves and invite
face to face with this coward who themselves wasevil upon them. Instead they lie down like lambs to
not armed and laid down their rights hoping forbe slaughtered by wolves. Instead they allow their
someone else to save them.rights to be usurped. Instead they scratch their
Hundreds of people had the chance to end theseheads wondering how this madman got a gun on
tragic events and save lives. Hundreds of peoplecampus.
stared into the face of evil and cowered or evenDidn't he read the policy?!? Didn't he understand that
fled rather than confront it. And because of theirthe campus had been decreed as "safe"?!? Why
choices, actions and inactions thirty-some studentswould he ignore that?!?
and faculty lay dead.Because he was evil; that's why.
That is not to say that the day was not without itsHow much of the carnage must be put in hands of
heroes. Liviu Librescu, who survived the Holocaust,those that set such policies in motion? How much of
knew evil when he saw it. He sacrificed his own lifethe carnage must be laid at the feet of those that
to barricade the door to his class room as a cowardobeyed insane regulations and were unable to
shot him. He allowed his students a chance to flee.confront evil? And how much of the carnage that will
But sadly there were not many more heroes. Saddlyhappen in the future in similar and sadly tragic passion
there were far too few Librescu's.plays put on by the wicked will be placed in the laps
All it would have taken was for one person to standof those that will continue to think that paper and
up and react to the warning signs given off by awords will stop the next massacre?
troubled student that had a history of unfit conduct.How many more criminals must break your precious
All it would have taken was for one, just one, persondecrees of "safety" before you realize that
to reject the belief that policy and pieces of paperdocuments do not make you safe and that only
can stop evil. All it would have taken was just onestrong and decisive action, vigilance and courage will
person to defy the insanity and refuse to lay downsucceed in securing your liberty and rights?
their own responsibility and their own rights. All itMany innocents and one lunatic are dead. Those who
would have taken was one man or woman bravehave as their motive controlling we the citizenry will
enough to embrace their own power and their ownsay that it is because there were "too many" guns
obligation to be armed as article I, Section 13 of theon campus the morning of April 16th, 2007. But the
Virginia State Constitution so allows:truth is that the reason so many are dead is because
"That a well regulated militia, composed of the bodythere were far, far too few.
of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural,Innocent lives could have been spared. But they could
and safe defense of a free state, therefore, thenot have been spared by papers, policies and
right of the people to keep and bear arms shall notdecrees. They could have been spared if only
be infringed"law-abiding and noble citizens would have embraced
Where was that brave soul?their liberties and defied unjust laws and rules.
The State Constitution clearly says "shall not beHow many lives would have been saved if but one
infringed". However those words ring hollow with thecourageous citizen would have had the valor to defy
documents of a state run and publicly fundedtheir abridgement of liberty? If it was but only one, it
university that expressly prohibited students andwould have been worth it.
other law abiding citizens from carrying guns openlyIt would have been worth it to watch the politicos
and freely to defend themselves and others. Thosewringing their hands today over the horror that
words ring hollow as thousands of students, facultysomeone would have dared to defy their policy. It
and visitors willfully laid down their rights because ofwould have been worth it to watch these same
the threats of punishment that would be leviedpeople debate whether or not that brave soul should
against them should they defy these unconstitutionalbe thrown off campus for saving lives despite being
rules.against the glorious rules. It would have been worth it
Certainly it has never been fashionable to blameto try and watch them justify their own insanity in
victims of tragedy. But then again, I have never beenthe face of the facts. Because in the end what
one to be fashionable. Fashion has throughout historystopped this horrible situation? It was a gun.
lead to the destruction of common sense and theYes, it was the lunatic's own gun, but it was a gun
rise of injustice after injustice and the needlessnone-the-less. But it could have been the gun of a
suffering of innocents. I have always preferredlaw-abiding citizen. That is, if there were any brave
reason and truth to whatever those that seek tosouls willing to defy their incompetent masters. In the
deflect blame may claim as being "fashionable" inlasting words of General John Stark, "Live free or die:
order to shield themselves from deserved scrutiny. ItDeath is not the worst of evils."
takes a lot more courage to prefer this to theThat is the lesson that needs to be learned.