It seems that the Virginia Tech massacre began with the gunman killing his girlfriend. Isn't this what is called for in gansta rap....shoot the ho...kill the police?

We have to realize that words are weapons...and can lead to the use of deadlier weapons.

The rhythmic mantra of slap, shoot, kill...what are we thinking to allow this deadly decay in standards on our air waves?

During the Imus issue, excuses were made...for him and for the Hip Hop industry. In the name of free speech, artistic expression, comedy, entertainment..this filth is being excused!

How many of us even know what lyrics are feeding the minds of our kids through their ipods?

How many of us have seriously thought about the effect of a steady stream of this language into the minds of troubled kids or kids who can become troubled?

How many of us, in our quest for youth, are trying to live through our kids...to the extent that we accept whatever is labeled as popular culture?

This world needs more responsible adults.

Yesterday soon after word of this tragedy broke, I received a phone call from my 21 yr old, a senior and RA at her Arkansas college. She is miles from VT, yet the events stirred feelings of shock, fear and sympathy. Although she is an independent and mature young woman, she needed to talk to her Mom; and I needed to talk to her. The tranquility of lazy spring days leading up to the end of the school year was crushed, not just at VT, but at every college in our nation. We comforted each other, silently saying a prayer for the students, friends and family members of those killed, wounded and emotionally scarred by the events. Today we learned the name of the "shooter", someone else's son, a 23 year old senior and loner on a campus that prides itself in being a "family". I'm struck by the absence of students coming forward to express shock that their friend could do this. But it seems this boy had few friends. When entering a cafeteria and seeing a student eating alone, I hope more students will befriend the lonely.

My son is a sophmore at Virginia Tech, and sadly he lost his best friend and one friend was shot in the arm. My heart goes out to the parents of those who have lost a son or daughter in this madness. My heart also goes out to the faculty and family and students of the professors who were hurt or killed as well. As a parent of a student there I'm so glad he is safe. Now will be the time to help him heal. These students need to show everyone that one act of random insanity can't kill their dreams for a top-notch education which Virginia Tech has always given them. Go Hokies! Proud of the way your handling this tragedy.

Virginia Tech is precious grounds to us Virginians. I spent 3 years there when my ex boyfriend attended Vet School. I remember the campus as being wide, open, fresh, and an uncomplicated place to buckle down and learn. We will not be able to ever forget what has happened here but we need to preserve the spirit of this wonderful school in any way we can. I don't know how we can do this. All of America is scarred and our lives are truly forever changed and I just don't know how we can recapture or preserve our innocence in living a primarily safe day to day existence. Terrorism seems here to stay and how in the world can we avoid it? Will more terrible copycat crimes occur? Have mothers and fathers forever lost the innocent and hopeful feelings that we had about sending our kids off to college - was this all lost a couple of days ago? It is deeply sad, but yes, I believe it is true. Things are forever forever changed on our planet and in America.

I am so angry about what happened. We need to ban all automatic and semi-automatic assault weapons in this country. These weapons are banned in other countries and they don't have any of the gun violence that we have in the US. I feel that unless you are in the armed forces or in law enforcement, NO ONE NEEDS an ASSAULT WEAPON. I have no problems with people using rifles for hunting, but no average citizen really needs these kinds of weapons. Granted, the kid was on a death mission and probably would have gotten his hands on some other kind of weapon, and would have caused harm either way, but still this should be a wake up call to the US. I also am angry at the university. Why on earth didn't they lock down the school after the first shooting? There are reports that students in the dorm next door had NO WORD that there was a shooting and went about their business, so many other lives could have been saved.

First of all my prayers and condonlences goes out to all the students, victims, faculty and families. As a mother of a son who is a Junior in college, I immediatly had to call him and hear his voice. Just to let him know that I loved him. We talked about this tragedy in VT, and how it can happen anywhere and at any time.
As I followed the initial media coverage of the tragedy, I was astounded how people go on television and start pointing fingers on how the school should have prevented lives to be lost, or how the school should have done this or done that. Or how the police should have stopped the gunman.It's easy for people to criticise others when things have already happened. I think that all the media should leave VT and let time help heal all the broken hearts in that community, and help the students, faculty move forward.

My deepest sympathys go out to the family of VT and all the families that lost their love ones. I find it amazing that we pay all this money for our children and ourselves to go to college but yet have we are not safe there. WHY?

Please correct me if I am wrong, but was it not the Kennedy administration that finally took God out of schools?

Our founding fathers, God fearing men who wrote the declaration of independance. In God We Trust. However now, today a different time and age when God has been taken out of almost everything including our daily teachings. For what? To be politically correct! Well there's your news, unfortunately sometimes daily news of shootings. From people without a conscience or regard for human life.

Conscience, now there is word you do not hear often. If we as a society continue to have a population without a conscience we will be breeding animals not people. There will be no difference between the neanderthals of the past and the human race of the future. No conscience = disaster. Why is there such a need for rules, laws and enforcement...because people (the hunman race) has no CONSCIENCE. Because if they did we would not need the law, the rules or the enforcement. Only for the few who rebel! (few not majority) Think about it, if people respected one another and had the compassionate conscience WOW! No senseless shootings, imagine that.

People..... look at the big picture. For those who read this, you have, know or are sending children, nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, brothers or sisters to a college in this country. What can we expect? Even if we teach morals to our own, what can we expect from those who prey on our loved ones like a wolf preys on innocent lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Yes, we can stop this! You know the answer! The question is are you affraid of truth and absolutes that do not change even with time?

I want to know?

Ana Hereu
aggeion@bellsouth.net

Let family and students grieve and keep those microphones out of their faces! Prayers do wonders. Let them heal.

I am a proud Virginia Tech alum, as is my husband. We have strong ties to that community as we have much family in and near Blacksburg, Virginia. Our hearts are broken by what has happened. We, and those we know, knew some of the victims, too, so we feel the loss close to the heart. We love this school, and it is a second home to us, so this is particularly heartwrenching.

I think this tragedy shows that mental illness does not care about ethnicity. I think it also demonstrates that there are weaknesses in our processes that allowed this very troubled person to get to this awful point. And also there are gaps in the processes to deal with such situations once started. But the folks in Blacksburg did the best they could on Monday. It's likely that if not Norris Hall on Monday, it would have been another location on another day. There are systemic problems that go beyond the borders of Virginia Tech, and we as a community of concerned citizens need to figure out how to address them.

I think one of the saddest things it that it took something this tragic to make the world stop reporting about Anna Nicole.

I first want to say that my prayers are with the familys and friends of everyone that was affected by what happenend monday. I keep seeing things and hearing things about what could have been done to prevent this horrible tragedy....my answer would be that there is nothing that anyone could have done to prevent what happened...even if the school went on lockdown, if cho wanted to get in he would have found a way. And whose to say that the school did go on lock down and Cho was in his room in his dorm...people in that dorm could have been dead as well.
It all boils down to we need to stop looking as hind sight is 20/20 and start helping those that need it. There are many that are still here that need our help getting through this time.

The same days this happened, a body was found in the country club pool a block from my college. Today they announced it was the body of the kid who went missing 7 months ago, and had been in there the whole time, and no one ever thought to check there during the search. This came a week after the kid's family made a u-tube video begging their son to come home. It's a messed up world.

I don't know alot of what happened because I think the media just goes wild with this stuff, but I will say I think that the music these kids listen to has alot to do with the way they act out things. I know from experience my son listens to rap and the language used is horrific. Even they way they portray how you should treat women has affected his relationship with me. I am hoping that one day he will see the light and realize that killing and selling drugs and abusing women is not a career!

I do not think that music had anything to do with this, as some people have implied. Many people listen to rap and rock and do not kill as a result. This tragedy occurred because of a mentally unstable individual whose warning signs were not taken seriously. Perhaps that is what needs to be examined; why, after various shootings throughout the nation, peculiar and disturbing behaviors are ignored. We need to stop mindlessly blaming the media and the music industry and actually try to understand what is going on with our nation's youth so that it can be prevented. I myself am a young college student, and my heart goes out to the victims of the shooting and their loved ones. I can't imagine their pain. What I do understand, however, is the anxiety that this has caused in college students and parents throughout the country. I hope that in the future the proper authorities will act appropriately and prevent a tragedy such as this from occurring again.

I am sick of ideologues taking advantage of tragedies such as this to promote their own agendas. Whether it is gun control advocates, gun nuts, rap music opponents, or Born-again Christians, it is disgusting.

I think we need a constitutional amendment. In times of national tragedy, all parties, political, religious,or otherwise, must wait at least one week after the last corpse is recovered before they can start exploiting it.

I farted twice!!!! Iam so happy!'''

PTSD feels like a hungry wide-eyed wild cat hiding in the cracks of the mind, eating away at violent trauma victims. Hollywood is even taking note of PTSD as depicted in the recent release, Reign Over Me. The shooting incident at Virginia Tech is the latest tragedy leaving behind a wake of post trauma victims. But will they be given the information in the immediate aftermath when they need it most? Sadly, in many cases the answer is no.

I know the agony of PTSD first hand. My seven-year-old daughter, Breea, and I were victims of a violent crime in the year 2000. Kidnapped and held hostage at gunpoint for fourteen hours while strapped with explosives, I was than forced to rob the bank I managed. These events are covered in my first book, Held Hostage: The True Story of a Mother and Daughter’s Kidnapping.
So how do we as adults and parents become our child’s hero and find peace of mind for our children and ourselves after we have experienced violent trauma? Michelle says we do it together, as a team. To survive the isolation and terror of the aftermath of trauma we must first re-connect with ourselves and then with our children and stay focused on being the best role models we can be as we move through and beyond violent trauma.

Jesus Christ! So many comments and only one about the real reason of the tragedy or at least about things that made it easier to happen - guns!!! What is wrong with you americans, you write about rap music, prayers and helping lonely students - but if the guy couldn't get a gun so easily this tragedy probably wouldn't have happened at all! like many others before that! how many kids and students must be killed before yr government finally understands that???
And i don't care about people writing here about exploiting the tragedy - i live in Europe and am a simple student without any ambitious goals to "promote my agenda". but i'm just sick of people who say with pathos that "its people who kill people& not guns that kill people". with such an attitude they could as well defend the sale of cocaine and heroin - because its not the sellers who kill people& its addiction! Wake up America! Do something about it!

This is scary but we can not dwell on the evil that does exist in this world or we will destroy our spirits and the light from within. The best way to fight evil is with goodness. I am not blaming anyone for this it is a sad combination of the many people and things that affected this sick individual’s life.
The best thing we can do besides pray to God and limit gun availability is to simply be kind. Treat all people and things with love and kindness and maybe today’s youth will not grow up so messed up with no values or hopes or dreams. Maybe then can value non material things and genuinely be happy for others who have things that they don’t instead of jealous and envious. Too many young adults today think the world owes them something without working hard for it. Maybe we can all help prevent this by each being good citizens and caring and loving people. Maybe be a little nicer to the lonely little boy or girl. Do it back in kindergarten before they have so many available evil things to choose from. I know life is hard but parents need to make time for their children and teach them to have good self esteem and teach them good values. Spend time with them and teach them what is right and what is wrong. I believe someone mentioned conscience. Raise your children to have one. It is really important. I know you’re tired and you need to work and do a hundred other things everyday but none are more important then spending time with today’s youth. Not even a lot. Just a little good quality time will make a difference. Family values, Love of God{any God} and Country and Community and Good Self Esteem will go a long way to prevent these things maybe more then the other things everyone is talking about. Maybe none of us want to admit that we are all a part of this problem to some degree. I have three sons two in college, do I want to hate Chow, absolutely but deep down can I, No! He is a product of the sad shape this world is in today. America is wonderful and no one is prouder then I am but we are losing our moral character daily. Remember the children they are our hope our future and our most sacred resource. Love one another do it now!
Look for a rainbow in a tear!!!!

Since this was a story about Panic Attacks, I would like to address them. I have PA and thought this piece was very informative and very good. I hope it will help others.

About the Virginia incident - just watching all the stuff on TV has increased my anxiety. I'm not going to watch any more.

Also, this student was very ill and I feel terrible that he slipped through the cracks and didn't get the help he needed. It could have prevented this unfortunate incident. There were many clues that were dismissed. I also feel that his family is a victim, as they lost their son.

Don't let mental illness continue to be a stigma or something that people are afraid to get help for - let's learn and help one another.

First, heartfelt condolences to the tragic losses at VT. Do you know what vid games your kids or friends play??? You should. Case in point; columbinegame.com displays a vehemently distasteful violent vid that basically gives horrifying lessons on "how to' hunt and mow down classmates and not get caught. Informing students and parents is the key to defeating this type of game. Help boycott, and publically stake a stand against this evil. I'd like to sue the pants off them myself, hold them accountable and put them out of business. Obviously some people aren't stable enough to differentiate between realworld and a game--this tool could certainly put them over the edge and we need it off the internet before others do harm. Why hasn't homeland defense pulled it due to its terrorist-tactics content??? People in the professional counselling field can do a lot to join forces against violent vids like this.

I am a bipolar with borderline mental organization. Sounds awful, no? Yet, it is a disease, much like any other. Admittedly, any mental illness, especially this one, can affect the judgment and taint the behavior in socially unacceptable ways. Linking it to a propensity for violence, and fomenting the atmosphere of a witch hunt is, in my opinion, much akin to the way in which acts of sexual violence committed by African Americans were once linked to their ethnicity. Sure, there may be a connection in some instances, but one must bear in mind that CORRELATION DOES NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY CAUSALITY. Cho's crime should not be an excuse to create the kind of legal framework that could ultimately be used to oppress us all. Should Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill have been removed from office because they were mentally ill? Yet, who would vote for them now?

Correct. Problems with mood and other psychological effects are created to a large extent, by the content of news broadcasts.

Bruce