Thoughts on Virginia Tech Massacre

I work at a college paper. Tonight I went to a candlelight vigil in memory of those who died at Virginia Tech.

Hmm.

I guess I haven't really given it much thought. I hate to sound uncaring, but I think most people around here pretty much feel the same way. This affected almost no one around here directly. There was a good showing at the vigil, but there were no tears in evidence. Everyone showed up, did their moment of silence, prayers or whatever, then they left.

I took a few pictures for the paper. Then I left.

I gave it some thought on the way home.

To feel this sort of tragedy one needs to get into the victims. Needs to see them, hear them, feel them. Otherwise they're just characters in a tv show. Something that happened to other people. It loses it's reality.


Liviu Librescu and G.V. Loganathan


Ross Alameddine



Jamie Bishop


Maxine Turner



Professor Jocelyne Couture-Nowak


Nicole White


Henry J. Lee


There were many others. These people died. They're gone.

I kind of needed to put a face to these people. Make them real in some way. They look like people I might see, might know. They were having a good time when these pictures were taken. That's all I'll ever know of them.

They had parents, sisters and brothers, Husbands and wives, lovers and friends. Those people said goodbye to them that morning, that weekend, or even a month earlier and and knew with some certainty that they would see them again. They never will.

That sucks.

A lot.

Do you recognize this picture?



Lori Lewis-Rivera

She was the little sister of my first girlfriend. She was a little brat, like little sisters can be, but I remember her fondly. I used to hang out at her house constantly. I watched Labyrinth for the first time with her. She said I had to watch it, it was so good. It was...

She was killed by the Beltway Sniper in October of 2003. These things can hit home sometimes...