Harrumph. The death toll climbed after my intial posting, and I do not like it. I have not particularly paid attention to the matter, primarily because there is only sorrow there.
Conversation with an emergency medical professional indicated that the casualty list may have increased due to high winds plaguing the area. If this is true, then it may have complicated rotary-wing approaches to the VPI area, forcing the evacuation to be performed solely by ambulance. Given the spaghetti-bowl nature of VPI's streets (or so it seemed to me the last time I was there) valuable time may have been lost.
From a religious standpoint, I always hate these sorts of things. Given my personal nature, I usually wind up cursing the perpetrator of the crime. This is in direct contravention of the generally accepted Christian doctrine of praying for those who do harm to you. I've only managed to pull that off once, and it was nearly a physical effort to do so---it was at the non-denominational service held at my graduate institution shortly after 11 September 2001. I remember most clearly that the words would not come. Then, as now. I have not yet managed to get beyond growling, "I hope he's screaming in Hell about right now." I hope the fires around him are being fed by anthracite coal---I hear it burns nice and hot.
Yet, in the midst of pointless slaughter, beauty. Jesus Christ remarked in the thirteenth verse of the fifteenth book of St. John that, "Greater love hath no man than this, that lay down his life for his friends." It is safe to say that Professor Liviu Librescu conclusively demonstrated that greater love. I don't know much of anything about Jewish concepts of the afterlife etc., but if I had my way about, his arrival in Heaven would have been something on the order of the scene from Return of the Jedi where Emperor Palpatine arrives aboard the second Death Star. Blocking a door so others may escape, buying their lives with yours? That is a man. I can only hope that I could be so brave in the face of death.
Nnnh. I do not look forward to the politico-legal response to this circumstance.
In a meaningless statement of solidarity with those murdered by this Korean loser, an ersatz graphic taken from the Cold Spring Shops has been posted in the right margin and will remain for some time.
Posted by Country Pundit at April 17, 2007 03:16 PM | TrackBack