It’s not us

In one page, Time magazine columnist David von Drehle takes a swing at the troubling “why” of the Virginia Tech mass murder last week, and hits the sweet spot.

Von Drehle points out that it’s all about him – the shooter. He acted out of extreme narcissism, which is the hallmark of killers far and wide. Guns aren’t the issue here, so the NRA and the gun control folks are just flapping their gums for no good reason.

Full column is below the fold in case Time deletes it from the archives.

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Newest JibJab video: what we call the news

Too true and too funny. Check it out: http://www.jibjab.com/what_we_call_the_news

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Chairs

There are 168 chairs. The transparent base of each chair is lighted at night. I was there yesterday midday and noticed before I read it, that some are a smaller size because 19 of those killed were children.

There were a few ducks floating around on the moving sheet of water.

The twin portals at either end of the reflecting pond are marked 9:01 and 9:03. The first denotes the last moment of a community’s innocence and the second the first full moment in which so much had changed forever. A beautiful old tree survives on the site. Remnants of the bomber’s target building are there, and the back wall of the building across the way has been preserved with its scars showing.

The helpful park ranger answered questions and handed me a brochure. “You may walk among the chairs,” he said.

I walked among the chairs on a perfect day. The stubborn wind was a mild spring kiss. I stood before a chair bearing the name of a woman and her baby.

The museum on the site provided an intense emotional roller coaster. I cried before I went in, walking among the chairs. After experiencing the museum I needed a long drive down sunny highways, so I took it.

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