From The Touchlines

Even as we try to make sense of what happened in Virginia Tech and mourn with those who have lost loved ones, let us also not forget the other incidents that have not only shaken this place called America, but also sent shockwaves around the world. A moment’s silence for the lives that were lost to gun violence.

1. August 1, 1966 - University of Texas student Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, known as the “Texas Tower Sniper”, shot and killed 15 people, and wounded 31 others from the university’s 27-storey tower in a mass killing before he was shot dead by Austin police. He had killed his mother and his wife the night before.
2. March 24, 1998 – Two armed middle school boys – Mitchell Johnson, 22 (then 13)and Andrew Golden, 20 (then 11) – shot and killed four female students and teacher, plus wounding nine other students and another teacher in Craighead County, Arkansas, near northwestern Jonesboro. On the morning of the massacre, the boys, both dressed in army-style camouflaged clothes, stole a van from Johnson’s home, and after loading it with camping supplies, food, and seven weapons (two semi-automatic rifles, one bolt-action rifle and four handguns) which had been stolen from Golden’s grandfather’s house. Both were charged with murder, the youngest ever in America’s history. But because of their ages, they were spared capital punishment. In August 1998, they were both sentenced to confinement until they reached the age of 21, the maximum sentence available under Arkansas law. They would have served until only 18 had federal authorities not added additional confinement for weapons charges. Mitchell Johnson was released from custody on August 11, 2005, his 21st birthday. Andrew Golden will follow on May 25, 2007. The two will have “clean slates” with no legal restrictions placed upon them and clean criminal records. Many members of the Jonesboro community have since expressed outrage, citing the facts that they will not be placed under any supervision and will be able to legally purchase firearms (Source: Wikipedia)
3. April 20, 1999 – Just over a year after the Jonesboro massacre, Americans were shocked into disbelief as another wave of shootings shattered their peace and quiet – this time Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. In this particular incident, two teenage students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a shooting rampage, killing twelve students and a teacher, as well as wounding twenty-four others, before committing suicide. It is the third-deadliest school shooting in United States history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 1966 University of Texas massacre. They shot and killed 13 students and teachers, as well as injuring 24 others, before eventually taking their own lives. They were apparently part of a cult known as the Trenchcoat Mafia.
4. October 2, 2006 – Five girls, aged between six and 13, studying in an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, were shot dead by Charles Roberts IV, who later committed suicide. But one thing stood out of this incident. The Amish were not vindictive towards Roberts or pointed fingers at anyone. They, instead, attended his funeral. To them, vengeance and revenge are to be left to God.
5. April 16, 2007 – Just four days before the eighth anniversary of the Columbine shootings, America yet again bore witness to another carnage - this time in the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Thirty-three students and lecturers perished in this latest round of shootings, including the gunman himself, which Virginia state police have identified as 23-year-old Korean-American student Cho Seung-hui. This incident sent reverberations around the globe, with world leaders expressing their shock and condolences over an unthinkable act such as this. The latest round of shootings has yet again sparked the debate over gun laws.

This song, by Boyz-II-Men, is a dedication to those who have lost their loved ones. Hopefully, with God’s help, they can pick up the remnants and start over again, no matter how difficult. My heart goes out to you. God bless.

It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad.

I thought we’d get to see forever
But forever’s gone away
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

I don’t know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we’ve been
And what we’ve been through.

If we get to see tomorrow
I hope it’s worth all the wait
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

And I’ll take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

And I’ll take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.