Sunday, April 22, 2007

The Lesson of Virginia Tech


See Alexander Cockburn's "Bring Back the Posse."


Presto said...

What most gun control advocates fail to understand is that most dangerous incidents are over in seconds. Unless you have a police officer or armed security guard right next to you, they more than likely won't be able to do you any good.

Matt said...

From the Wall Street Journal.

Bedlam Revisited
Why the Virginia Tech shooter was not committed.

Takes a shot at Thomas Szasz.

Sheldon Richman said...

I saw it. Typical. First, he doesn't even try to rebut Szasz's case. Second, he assumes Szasz and a few others had the power and influence to abolish commitment. Where does he get that idea? Szasz was never accepted into the mainstream.

Sheldon Richman said...

BTW, why must evil be reduced to disease? Can't we accept that there are bad people in the world?

Matt said...

I find it amazing that the author dismisses Szasz because he is on a commission backed by Scientologist. It's like, oh he must be a complete nut job because he is on this commission.

Even schizophrenics know the difference between right and wrong. Their may have damaged nerve endings, but they know that murder is wrong.

I agree, evil is evil. I read some place and I am having trouble finding it, maybe you wrote it. But no one is to blame, but Cho himself. It was not the gun, it was not those who he "believed" harmed him, it was the action of the individual. I wish I could find it because that individual said it much better than I have.

Sheldon Richman said...

See Szasz's take at the FEE website today: