America has a dangerous combination of poor mental health services, a disintegrating family structure and a high-stress work environment. Combine that with easy access to firearms and you have a recipe for spectacular disaster.

So I was shocked, but not surprised at the recent church shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church in Knoxville, Tenn. On Sunday, Jim Adkisson, an unemployed truck driver, walked into a Unitarian church, and opened fire on parishioners leaving two dead and seven people injured. Even more disturbing was his rationale. Usually killers turn against their families and co-workers, but Adkisson lashed out against a group who he thought was responsible for his problems - liberals.

There is something sadly ironic about this whole situation. The gunman was upset by his lack of employment and the fact that his unemployment benefits were soon going to run out. But he vented his rage on a group of people who probably would have been the most sympathetic to his cause.

Adkisson was mad at liberals because he felt that their causes, gay rights and civil rights for ethnic groups, were tearing America apart. However I am pretty sure that gays and people of color were not responsible for Adkisson's predicatment.

The people who laid him off and cut off his benefits were most likely white conservative men, people who Adkisson identified with. Even though he was a blue-collar worker, with little education or wealth, Adkisson probably thought he was just like his conservative icons. That's pretty twisted logic, but it explains one of the mysteries of the American political system.

The genius of the American right-wing is that it has always exploited the fears of blue-collar and middle class Americans to keep them voting against their own interests. In the 1960s, the GOP won the South by exploiting white Southerners fears of racial integration. However more than 40 years later poor white Southerners still don't have health care or decent employment opportunities.

However as blacks became more integrated into society, conservatives had to add to their list of enemies. Latinos, brown-skinned, non-English speaking, and threatening to out breed white people, became the new public enemy. This fear is still alive in the minds of many conservatives. Pat Buchanan recently penned an article on MSNBC decrying how the days of the white majority are numbered. Commentator John Gibson said on FOX News that “white people need to start having more babies.”

Conservatives also attacked gay people, branding them as a threat to the American family and the institution of marriage, even though conservative Southerners often have more divorces and less stable relationships than long-lasting gay couples. (Case in point Oklahoma, the buckle of the Bible Belt, has the second highest divorce rate next to Nevada and a major problem with teen pregnancy.)

Unfortunately gullible Middle Americans swallowed this propaganda and voted Republicans into power. And what did they get in return? Poorer working conditions, no healthcare and vanishing benefits. No wonder their frustration turns into anger, as it did with Adkisson. They feel they have done the right thing, but still end up getting screwed over.

It seems many Middle Americans do not understand how the political game is played. They are looking at the game of political chess in two dimensions, when it really played in three, if not, four dimensions. Red staters see gays and brown people as the enemy, but what about the right-wing politicians who have voted down their interests, shipped their jobs abroad, and whittled away their benefits?

Incidentally, the brown people and the gays are not doing much better, so who is really benefiting from the game? Doesn't the old adage say, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

There are many reasons why the rage of Middle Americans is kept directed in the wrong place. Religion, always a powerful tool of mental oppression, has been used to keep minds chained. The GOP has portrayed itself as the party of God, even though its policies, which ignore the poor and deny basic healthcare are very unchristian. In the minds of church-going Southerners, God's word is not to be questioned. By using Evangelical buzz words and manipulating End Time theories, President George W. Bush came to be seen as ordained by God, and so Evangelicals supported him en masse, without taking a closer look at his policies. Eight years later, the scales are beginning to fall from their eyes.

But apart from politicizing Christianity, the Conservative movement has also created a powerful propaganda machine which pumps out lies and misinformation disguised as patriotism and right-wing opinion. However it was not enough to keep the unwashed masses stupid, and voting against their interests, conservative propagandists also had to target new enemies to serve as a scape goat for all of America's political and economic problems.

The last 10 years has seen a wave of vicious hate speech disguised as right-wing opinion. It would be bad enough if the right-wing media just criticized left-wing policies, but they have also succeeded in demonizing liberals and calling for their extermination. Liberals have been branded as effeminate, perverted, godless America haters who are worthy of death. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter has regularly called for violence against liberals and other undesirables such as Middle Easterners and Jews. (She once said that The New York Times building needed to be blown up). On the home of the right-wing news media, FOX News, pundits regular joke about the execution of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Other commentators such as Bill O'Reilly compare liberals to Nazis and the KKK.

I suspect that Adkisson regularly filled his brain with the kind of poisonous bile spewed by FOX News and its ilk. It's no wonder that after years of having violent ideas pumped into his brain, he decided to point his gun at subhuman liberals.

Ironically conservative icons Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, have both recently signed multi-million deals which keep them insulated against the economic unrest face by most Americans. They laugh in the face of the struggles of blue-collar and middle-class Americans. To them, anyone having financial woes is either stupid or lazy.

To Americans who still buy what the right-wing propaganda machine is selling, I quote them Denzel Washington from the movie “X,”: “We been bamboozled! Hoodwinked! Run amok!”

There were people running around everywhere outside. Some jumped out of windows, even from upper-floors, to avoid being shot. While doing this many people broke their legs or backbones. A few lucky students managed to land safely on bushes without getting hurt. The ones that were injured lay helplessly there until police and ambulances arrived later.

The gunman seemed to know exactly what he was doing, like he had everything planned out. He killed ruthlessly and silently, never saying a single command or remark. The weapons he used were a 9mm Glock and a .22 caliber pistol. When the killer got into Norris Hall, he chained all the doors shut, so police wouldn't be able to get in. He then attacked a French class in Room 211, a German class in Room 207, a hydrology class in Room 206, and an solid mechanics class in Room 204. In one class, he shot the professor first before firing at the front row students. Most ducked for cover immediately. A few students tried to throw him down, but they were unsuccessful and got bullet holes instead. Some classrooms tried to block the door and keep him out. Students stacked desks and chairs against the door. In other cases, they were forced to hold the doors close with their feet while lying on the ground.

In the Scientific Computing classroom, the students succeeded in keeping the gunman out, so he shot through the door twice, hitting a podium and a window. None of the students were hit that time. In several situations, students pretended to be dead in order to avoid being shot or shot again by the gunman. Many survivors question why the suspect wasn't in custody after the first shooting and why the university wasn't put on lockdown. People should have been alerted of what happened in West Ambler Johnston, but they weren't. Over two hour had passed before the university sent out emails warning the students about the first shooting. By then, it was to late, and the gunman had started his shooting again. University officials said that they thought the first shooting only involved West Amble Johnston Hall and that the killer had left the campus.

They hadn't predicted that the killer would continue killing again two hours later. They put the dormitory on lockdown, but they didn't feel the need to disturb the entire school because of a single incident in one part of the school. This misjudgment led to the deaths of over thirty students and the injury of a couple dozen of others. Because so many victims died in such a short period of time, this attack has been considered by many as the biggest massacre in American history. In regards to the tragedy at Virginia Tech University, President Bush responded Monday, "Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community."

The Case and Verdict

The police claimed that they were in danger of the three men when they shot at them. They thought they heard one of them shout out that he had a gun. I find that really hard to believe since they were unarmed at the time of the shooting. The defense tried to convince the judge that the victims were the ones to blame in what happened. I wonder why the police didn't just fire warning shots if they felt that they were in real danger of getting killed themselves. Anyway, the prosecution was trying to prove that the cops didn't have to shoot them the way they did. Unfortunately, the judge didn't feel that way because he didn't find the defendants guilty of the shootings. The judge claimed that the witnesses weren't credible enough for him to find the cops responsible for what they did to Sean Bell and his friends.

Needless to say, Sean Bell's family is completely outraged by the verdict. I am not surprised that they are. There was no real justice served in this case at all. Now Reverend Al Sharpton wants to continue to fight for what happened. He wants to start a peaceful rally about it. I guess he wants to make sure that Justice will be served. I have a bad feeling that the rally is going to be anything, but peaceful. I really do hope that there aren't any more people who end up dying because of this incident.

My Thoughts

I was shocked but not really surprised that the three detectives were let off the hook. Was that really justice for them to walk away without really being punished? They were even suspended with pay so they weren't even suffering for what they did to the young men. I guess in all fairness, the cops did apologize for what they did, but it doesn't bring Sean Bell back to his child as well as his family. It's a shame that Sean Bell was gunned down when he was so young and had his life ahead of him. For those of you who didn't know, he was on 23 years old when he died. He also had a young child as well as a fiancée that he has to leave behind. He also leaves behind his other family members as well. To be fair, I don't know why he chose to be out that late at night when he was getting married the next day. I do think that he should have the right to stay out if he wants without worrying about being gunned down by the police.

This was reminiscent of the killing of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant who was shot with 41 bullets by the police in 1999. The police mistook his wallet for a gun. Those officers were also acquitted. Is this going to be a pattern that is developing? Are people going to have to stay indoors in order to avoid being shot for no reason? I am not saying that all police officers are bad people because that's not true. There are some that are out there that are really making the other good police officers look really bad. How many more people have to die by the police before anyone does something to stop it?

A weapon testing on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:49:53.231 508S real time.

This electromagnetic rail gun uses an electromagnetic energy instead of the chemical explosives to shoot. It can shoot faster and farther. Its speed can reach to seven times the speed of sound (equivalent to 2,500 meters per second). The furthest hitting distance can attain to as far as 370 kilometers. Its ammunition fired from 0 to 21,000km/h, with the timing as short as 0.2 seconds. This powerful weapon is also equipped with a satellite positioning system, which enables the shooter to target accurately and timely, with its positioning error less than 5 meters. The shell generally, flies within the atmosphere in a distance of 200km, and its total time is recorded at 6 minutes. In contrast, the American Navy MK 45 gun has a shooting range of less than 37 kilometers.

This was launched on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:49:53.236 261S real time.

The testing of this weapon was launched on January 31, 2008, and the United States military experts were satisfied with its powerful performance. They said that as this weapon required only the use of electromagnetic energy and thus the warships do not need ammunition depots which helps save in the space. Nevertheless, the shortcoming of its usage is that the weapon's engineers need to produce more tremendous powerful devices.

The testing was completed on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:49:53.236 886S real time.

We can clearly see that this weapon used mainly a futuristic technology. Its power undoubtedly is an alarming explosion than the weapon's power we come across in any science fiction movies. It was allegedly that this weapon accommodated many characteristics of the weapons displaying in the science fiction movies. Its destruction power is deadliest and scariest.

Harold Read, who lives about a mile from the home, said he was awakened by what he thought was thunder around 4 a.m. Saturday. At that time an emergency call was placed by Tommy and Helen Gaston. Terry Caffey was shot 4 times and left a bloody wake as he dragged himself over 300 yards to the Gaston's for help. His wife Penny (37) and oldest son Matthew (13) had been shot and stabbed and his youngest son Tyler (8) had been stabbed. His daughter, Erin (16) was found hiding in another suspect's mobile home after allegedly participating in the grisly attack on her family. “They were wonderful people,” Kay Smith, the Gaston's' daughter, said “My parents sort of took them in like their children. The Caffey's called them, "Mom and Pop." Her parents are still shaken by the tragedy that exploded on their family friends next door.

By the time police reached the home it had been mostly burned down along with the family van. Emory volunteer firefighters arrived at about 4:20 a.m. to find “a crazy scene,” Terry Caffey's medical supply van carrying oxygen tanks caught fire and exploded in the driveway just after they arrived. Penny, Matthew and Tyler were found dead in the ashes. Helen Gaston rode in the ambulance with Terry to the East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. He said to her “Don't leave me Mom.” Terry was reported Sunday evening in stable but critical condition and was going into surgery to have the five bullets removed including two in his head and two in his back. The bodies of Penny Caffey and her two sons were sent to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas for autopsies. Rains County Sheriff David Traylor said investigators haven't been able to determine whether the fire or gunshots caused their deaths because "the bodies have been so badly burned." “It's terrible, that someone could wipe out that family like that.” said firefighter Johnny Spikes.

Carl Johnson (75), a family friend, drove to the site early Saturday. It seemed all that remained on the 20 acre property was the family's black Labrador retriever and a plaque nailed to a tree that read. The Caffey's Jer 24:15 (“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”) "I just thought the whole world of the family," said Johnson, "They were good Christian people. [The father] was like a son of my own." "It was just like losing one of my kids when I found out about it, Erin, Bubba, Tyler, I knew everyone of them since they were just kids."

Penny was a Meals On Wheels driver, delivering meals to the Emory community. She was known for her cooking. Terry was about to be ordained as a Baptist minister. Family friends Jeanie and Diane Dunlap say Penny was also a piano player at Miracle Faith Baptist Church. The Dunlap's last saw the Caffey's at the Wednesday night service. Jeanie says on Saturday Penny would have been busy cooking something to bring to church on Sunday. The kids were also involved. Matthew and Tyler played guitar and harmonica and Carl Johnson often told Erin that he wanted her soft voice to sing at his funeral. Pastor Todd McGahee told his congregation "God has a purpose for Terry's life. God has a reason. God gave him the strength to get out."

Johnson said Terry and Penny told Erin that she was to break up with her boyfriend, Charlie as they did not like him and believed that the relationship was not good for her. Investigators believe that the girl was angry and wanted to kill her family for not accepting the relationship. Along with the teenager, and her boyfriend, two friends from Emory were involved. Erin took part in stabbing, shooting and burning her family to death. All four suspects face 3 charges of capitol murder and are each being held on a $1.5 million dollar bond. The two men, Charlie James Wilkinson, 19, and Charles Allen Waid, 20 and one woman Bobbi Gale Johnson, 18, are being held at the Rains County jail. The Caffy's daughter Erin is being held at Hunt County's juvenile detention center in Greenville.

Over the next several hours, updates flashed. They fell into an all too familiar pattern:

• Eight known dead
• Several wounded
• The shooter killed himself before the police arrived

More bits and pieces were reported, adding to the story. By the following morning, the news channels and the main-stream media had their whole standard template filled with the specifics, allowing this latest mass murder to be the lead feature, hour after hour, show after show.

The killer had been positively identified. Was anyone surprised to learn it was another young man, a loner, a loser, a misfit? An outsider, a quiet kid who kept to himself, a little lost, just trying to find himself. Like thousand of kids in every city and town, in every state.

His weapon was variously reported as, an assault rifle, an AK47, or a Russian SKS. The description was embellished with phrases like, thirty-round clip, military style, or high-powered, as if those specifics really mattered.

The killer's family and friends were contacted. Those that wanted ended up on the tube telling the world how surprised they were, how they never thought something like this was possible, how the killer had gone through a tough time, how the killer was confused, they talk as if an irrational act can be rationalized. .

In the aftermath, the usual talking heads each posed their own version of the usual questions:

• What drove this unfortunate young man to this terrible act?
• Are stricter gun laws the answer?
• Who is to blame?

Who is to blame?

Think about it.

There have been thousands of confused kids living lives of quiet desperation for as long as there have been kids. In this country, guns have been a part of our culture from day one; they came over with the pilgrims. In the past, there were occasional acts as terrible as this, but they were usually separated by decades, not months or weeks.

Anyone old enough to have voted for, or against, George Bush Forty One, can remember when schools, college campuses, shopping malls, and churches were all safe places. Safe enough that being shot didn't make a parent's top ten list of worries when the kids were away from home.

What's changed in just a few years?

One thing that is new, a recent addition to American life, is cable news channels and the twenty-four hour news cycle.

Want to know what's going on, any time, every day, just tune in. When it comes to a story like the Omaha shootings, the choice of channels doesn't really matter. With the news media locked in to a constant struggle for ratings, all the outlets seem to follow the old adage, if it bleeds, it leads. The more it bleeds, the longer it leads, at least until something bloodier comes along.

The Omaha killer's suicide note explains the connection. He had seen the coverage of the recent mass murders, probably beginning with the Colorado school shootings. He knew what would happen. “I'm going to be famous,” his note said.

Since the beginning, fame has had a fatal attraction for losers. When asked how to become famous, the ancient Greek oracle is said to have answered, “kill the most famous man of your time.” Both John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald proved the oracle was right.

So for thousands of years, the rich and famous have had to be protected by retainers, bodyguards, or Secret Service Agents from crazies out to get their name in the history books.

Now the media has changed the equation, taking all the work out of gaining fame. There's no longer any need for an elaborate plan or to schedule travel to be at a certain place at a certain. All the crazy has to do is adopt the right look, the long Matrix style coat or urban camo, and go to almost any public place with a lot of targets and shock value. Kill more than a couple completely innocent people, on an otherwise slow news day, and the media will do the rest.

The killer will get more than his fifteen minutes. His name will be reported over and over. Pictures, the more normal the better, will be shown repeatedly every hour until the image is ingrained into the minds of millions.

How many lost, confused, kids, among those millions will have the seed planted. Sometime, maybe next week, or next month, or next year, when things just aren't working out, will those images return and this time as the solution. After all, fame is the name of the game.

So, who is to blame?

Is it the media for making these poor, pathetic kids into cultural icons, or is it us for watching silently, and letting the media do it.

An officer said that the gunman left a suicide note that was discovered by a relative. It is not said at this moment what was said in the note but witnesses do say that the gunman entered the store and started firing shots from the third floor and aiming at people who were on the lower level of the store.

People who fell victim to the shots were found on the second and third floors. The Shooter was found dead and the cause of death was suicide.

Witnesses also say that from out of no where they heard fifteen to twenty shots fired. Someone called 911 from within the store and people remained hidden until the police showed up and told everyone to come out with their hands up and moved them to a safe spot.

In my previous article, I mentioned how two of the suspects were caught. Now I will write about the other suspects who were caught.

Another 15-year-old was caught. His name was withheld because of his age. He was taken into custody on August 10. He lived in Morristown with his mother and her boyfriend. He lived in the Ivy Hill Park apartments at one time. Residents of the Ivy Hill complex thought that he was troublesome. He also went to Mount Vernon School with the other 15-year-old suspect.

Rodolfo Godinez, 24, is the cousin of the first 15-year-old suspect. He was arrested on August 18. He was hiding inside the Oxon Hill, MD. The police arrived at 1 a.m. to arrest him. He was caught because Detective Rasheen Peppers found him on myspace. The detective set up a myspace account and saw their pictures on the website. His brother's profile had clues. If you're in a gang, which they all were, would it be wise to put that type of information on the Internet? That wasn't very smart of them.

Alexander Alfaro, 16, is Rodolfo's half-brother. He as well as all of the other suspects lived in the Ivy Hill Park apartments. He also attended Mount Vernon School with the other 15-year-old suspects. He was caught on August 18 too. He was arrested within an hour after his brother was arrested. He was arrested in Woodbridge, VA. He had been hiding in a ground-floor apartment. Rodolfo and Alexander were planning to escape to El Salvador before they were arrested.

Melvin Jovel, 18, was arrested on August 19. He was hiding a few miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Elizabeth, NJ. He's being held on $2 million bail. He was raised in Newark and attended Mount Vernon School, Vailsburg Middle School, and West Side High School. He was often seen hanging around the murder scene with Alfaro and one of the other juvenile defendants. According to his old classmates, other kids in school pushed him around.

The Investigation

At the start of the investigation, the police didn't seem to think the shootings were gang-related. It turns out that it's possible that the shootings may be gang-related after all. The suspects are all in a Latino street gang called MS-13. There's also a strong possibility that they sexually assaulted the girls. The police plan on continuing the investigation even though the suspects are caught. They want to make sure that there aren't more suspects involved.

Final Thoughts

I am glad that the police caught the six suspects right away. Hopefully if there are any more suspects, they will be caught fast too. If they are guilty, I hope they are properly punished for this crime. There's no way that they should get off that easily for what they have done.

This is very sad; Sifu have do research, and learn that little-known actress Lana Clarkson was hungry for fame, once quote as say “If you’re not famous by forty, you might as well shoot yourself.”

Almost prophetic statement; in 2003, Lana Clarkson is killed by gunshot to the mouth at the home of music producer Phil Spector. It is allege, (Sifu say allege), that Miss Clarkson come to Mr Spector house for to talk about movie roll. Case has take three years to get to court, and Mr Spector is protest him innocence. Phil Spector chauffer say him hear gunshot, see MR Spector right after. Mr. Spector holding gun, and say “I think I shot someone.”

When police are arrive to take Mr Spector away, him is say “What are you doing? It was an accident, I didn’t mean to shoot her!” These quotes Sifu is get from Guardian Newspaper on-line. Once him get to court however, Mr Spector is deny everything. Prosecution is interview many Mr Spector ex-girlfriends; many report that him have gun fetish and threaten them with gun during relationship. This Sifu is hear on news, watch court footage, see Mr Spector sit in dock while him ex-girlfriends all line up to give evidence. Prosecution is say that Mr Spector put gun in Ms Clarkson mouth and shoot her; that is what prosecution say.

Case for the defence say that Miss Clarkson is put the gun in her own mouth and pull the trigger; Lana Clarkson quote above suggest she maybe suicidal; she was 41 at time of death. However, friends and associates say Lana Clarkson not suicidal. Depress, yes; hungry for fame, yes; reduce to working in cheap bar for $9 and hour plus tips, yes… but still she find her way to big music producer house to discuss career. Sifu cannot speculate; three option seem probable for what really happen. Remember, for lawyer and litigant, Sifu is expound on the evidence, not make empty conjecture. Here we go.

Case swings on who was holding gun; both Mr Spector and Miss Clarkson DNA found on weapon. Therefore, Sifu say; maybe it just possible Mr Spector take out gun for to ‘show’ it to Miss Clarkson; him was gun fetishist, think it perfectly natural people want look at guns, probably pleased to find girl who interested too. Miss Clarkson is then take the gun and shoot herself. Second scenario; Mr Spector is take out gun, put it in Miss Clarkson mouth and shoot her. Simple, straightforward, and what prosecution is going for. Sifu have third theory; remember, both people DNA found on murder weapon.

Perhaps, Miss Clarkson is come to take turn on casting couch. She was experience actress, work in B-movies for years, do soft porn and things like that; she is know her way around the casting couch. Mr Spector is into guns; maybe him show her gun, and then want to see her kiss gun. It kinda kinky, but it take all sort to make a world; some women maybe think whole idea kinda sick, but remember that Lana Clarkson also do kinky stuff on film, bondage and non-consensual sex scene.

It not too much stretch imagination to think maybe she put gun in mouth willingly, for to make Mr Spector happy. Somehow, Miss Clarkson is take a shot in the mouth, and not in a good way. Did him shoot her or did she shoot herself? Sifu is not know; think it swings and roundabouts, to be honest.

Lana Clarkson very beautiful woman, incredible body; it not often woman can be describe as statuesque. The world have lose very beautiful woman, but it is not this that make Lana Clarkson stick in Sifu mind. Sifu is watch Barbarian Queen, cheap swords & sorcery film starring Lana Clarkson as angry sword-swinging Amazon type woman. It is Lana Clarkson swinging sword that Sifu remember; B Movie soft porn actress is not known for incredible fighting skill, but Miss Clarkson is make up for lack of skill by give it plenty of wellie! (For US Laui, ‘wellie’ is a kind of English boot, made of rubber. To ‘give it plenty of wellie’ is saying come from bizarre English sport of wellie-wangling, which involve throwing rubber boots across muddy field. Seriously. But Sifu is digress….)

Lana Clarkson is swing sword with gusto, really get into roll and have right go at sword-wielding stunt men. There is one fight where Lana Clarkson is jump off roof, haul man into river and fight him in waist-deep water. Stunt men is famous for be brave and know no fear, but watch this movie for to see stunt man looking very scared; Lana Clarkson is all over him with sword, splashing and snarling and look like she really mean it.

Director is give her sword and she is go to work, terrify stunt men all over set, make them plead for them lives without any acting at all! Oh yeah, Sifu love it, watch scene again and again while eating pop corn; ignore sex scenes in film just to see Lana Clarkson giving it laldy with big sword! (Laldy is Scottish word, mean… energetic, plenty of energy and aggression.) It so sad Lana Clarkson never make it really big. Very sad she die the way she did, very sad that people only find out four years later… it is sad that beautiful woman spend her whole life hungry for fame, and never be filled, except by greedy Hollywood executives who not make her famous like them promise.

It is sad that she maybe ready to shoot herself the moment she is handed gun. It is even more sad to think that such beautiful woman was so broke-down and depress, she would put gun in her mouth as part of kinky sex game; it is sad to think of professional actress who work all her life for chosen career, reduce to working in cheap club, so miserable she do anything for man who promise make her star. It arouse Sifu compassion, Laui, and make him sad.

This is trap of fame Laui; maybe you hear about plenty famous people today, but if you think on famous people from history, them have one thing in common; most people you have ever hear of were dead long before them was famous. So in that at least, Lana Clarkson join ranks of super-famous, historical folks who still remember long after them dead. Who knows, maybe when modern civilisation collapse and everyone live in Mad Max post-apocalypse nightmare world, Barbarian Queen DVD will survive and cult of Lana Clarkson become world religion.

Hah, that would be funny, Laui; Lana Clarkson ghost be happy, and Sifu be happy too, so long as Scientology long forgotten… hmm, maybe Sifu start cult of Lana Clarkson himself, encourage Laui to revere her as some kinda god? Maybe Miss Clarkson should have think of this herself, long ago, and enlist fans to make her cult icon, rather than pursue lonely path to fame that end in her death.

Sifu is reserve final word for give him condolences Miss Clarkson family. Sifu is only comedy Chinaman, make people laugh, and maybe him self-expression upsetting for bereaved relatives, but Sifu is very sad to hear of Lana Clarkson death. It such a shame; Sifu hope American courts come to right decision, whatever that might be.

The World Shall Hear From Me Again!

It is that phrase-worst school shooting-which disturbs me the most. Since the events of Columbine, which have burned into our collective consciousness this terrible trend. The very plurality that it brings to mind stains the soul. To imagine the horror of hearing that a child had completely lost control and massacred so many in a place that is supposed to house our future minds, and then to have that horror compounded by the unforeseeable frequency of these attacks in other schools, is enough to make a hardened soldier weep.

And yet, since these offenses have been occurring, I have seen no concrete visible steps being taken to assuage the fears of those within these hallowed, now-bloodstained halls. Metal detectors are quite laughable, as college campuses are so large (and regarding high schools, the teens who are determined find ways to get by them or around them to smuggle contraband in). Searches of random students may turn up various and sundry illegal items, but overall, is but a band-aid to the problem.

What should we do, then? Would a ban on firearms do the trick? Well, on the surface of it, it sounds like a logical step, but then you have to look at all the illegal weapons currently flooding our country, as well as countries abroad that find their way here into unstable hands. People who want guns will find a way to get them, it's as simple as that.

A law against people mentally deficient owning firearms is currently in the books, but a mere glimpse into the workings of how this tragedy occurred will tell you exactly how well it's enforced.

We should also take into consideration that guns are not the only way to terrorize and kill. I remember seeing recently on Headline News that there was a California man who threatened to copy Cho's example, using various weapons, including bombs, knives, poison, as well as a rifle, an AK47.

So again, what should we do? I have many ideas in my own mind, such as screening those who need mental guidance and providing it, placing those with social problems in a mentoring program, providing school activities designed to appeal to those who feel like outcasts, and so on. So what's the problem with these ideas?

The problem is people. It always has been. We, as a people, have become increasingly numb, turning blind eyes to those we see as "strange". We, as a people, would rather not associate with those that are not of our race, class structure, like mind, faith, or any other superficial dissimilarity. We don't go out of our way to make friends anymore.

That is the true tragedy. Until we deal with that, and truly become the United States of America, the demon of indifference and outcasting will claim yet another hopeless soul.

And another tragedy will make us weep.