Shooting at Virginia Tech

As I write, reports are still coming in.

The initial confusion and media hysteria has started to subside and, at this writing, the facts ....the gruesome facts....seem to be...

31 Killed
Unknown number wounded.
One gunman
2- 9MM handguns
Assailant apparently killed himself.
Bush to address nation.

These SEEM to be the facts. I suppose the truth will gradually work its way out into the public eye but the coverage and commentary are, even at this early time of the event's cycle, following predictable patterns.

The first reports on the news were only that shootings were going on in one, maybe two buildings, there was at least one (well, duh) and maybe two gunmen. Live phone calls and telephone videos from the scene were being broadcast within minutes and the commentators were already drawing (erroneous) conclusions from the tiny snippets of information.

MSNBC on-line showed early photographs of wounded being carried out and below the sparse details available at the time, there were "sidebars" with comparisons to "other school shootings", notably University of Texas and Columbine.

On some of the blogs there were the predictable responses...from the left and right....

"If they only had guns...."
"This means the dems should push harder on gun control..."
"21 (at the time) deaths? That's nothing compared to what happens in Baghdad everyday."

Soon....if not all ready...people will start hanging their favorite causes on this....

facts?

facts are irrelevant....it's winning your issue that counts....


sigh....

R.I.P Students....I hope your names and faces won't get lost in the carnival of the absurd that is about to follow..