I would like to add to this discussion: an acronym for ELITE says it: Educated Literate Intelligent Truthful Effective. What does the bashing of Elites or hayseeds, for that matter, have to do with the state of this nation and the world? What is missing from all of these discussions is the aspect of Personal Accountability. While we spend our time and energy blaming and accusing others of failing to fulfill our expectations(BLAME=Big Lie About My Expectations), we are neglecting our own Response-ability for our own lives. Each of us is born into a world which challenges us on many different levels. What if we were to devote our time and energy to creating a life that is better for ourselves than what we came in with? Would this not benefit others by association? I know that many will come up with excuses and reasons that they or their peers or the "world" is the way it is and that there is no way to change it given our limited resources and power. There are too many examples of people who have risen from "nothing" to greatness, by taking personal responsiblity for their conditions. There are no victims, only volunteers. What do you choose to be? The late, great Rev. Ike once said that the greatest thing you can do for the poor is to not be one of them. The "Elite" are those who have freed themselves from the mundane tasks of survival in order to be of service to others. You fill in the blanks of your "elite" heroes.

St. John

The shootings were the result of inadequate gun control laws; or more liberal access to guns could have prevented some of the carnage.

More and better trained campus security would have responded more effectively; or individuals need to be more aware of their surroundings and take precautionary measures for their own safety.

The level of violence perpetrated by our own country against real or imagined enemies is a model for many to follow, especially those with mental and emotional imbalances. I would imagine that people who commit the actions this shooter and others have committed, if they could be examined, would reveal that they felt justified in their actions, and were so angry or mentally deranged that no logic could be applied to their actions.

I believe that there will be many such incidents over the next few years as the returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and other "war zones" created by this country, find themselves unable to cope with their lives: the physically, chemically and emotionally wounded, multiple amputees, homeless and in desperation, unable to be cared for by the VA and other Federal programs or their families, will lash out without provocation against any target that shows up when they snap. Whose fault is it? Maybe, rather than trying to place blame, we begin a radical inquiry into the real causes of violence and dis-ease in our communities. One of the posters mentioned poverty, but what are the casues of poverty? Poor education, poor parenting, inadequate social and medical services because resources are diverted toward war and Homeland Security, which does not include human services. The creation of divisions between social, ethnic, gender, religious and political classes sets up situations in which tensions are manufactured to prevent the unification of diverse groups for a common good. I believe once we as humans begin to recognize our common needs and desire, we will cease isolating ourselves from each other into ghettos of separation. As long as we seek to separate ourselves into closed units in search of security, we will never have it, because we and those from whom we separate will always be on the lookout for breaches of our security and feel the need to defend ourselves, sometimes using preemptive assaults to insure we get them there before they get us here. OOPS! A little political snipe slipped out. I may have wandered off topic a little, but until we broaden our perspective to include our total environment, we will live in constant fear of "the other" who may even become an enemy, in the extreme.

May Peace Prevail on Earth,

St. John

All these holier-than-thou characters, preaching abstinence and denying birth control to those who desire to use it, make me puke. No one ever mentions this directly. Do Wolfowitz and Riza fornicate with each other? If she is of childbearing age and not sterilized, and he still has viable sperm, do they use some form of "illegal" birth control? Now, maybe I am naive, but when a man in a position of power has a girlfriend, I assume that means there is sex involved. If they are not married, that is fornication, which is expressly damned in the Holy Bible, which is used to slam those of us who are not "Christian" and "saved". There is nothing "wrong" with having sexual relations with someone not your spouse, unless you condemn others for the same behavior. This self-righteous crowd whose major support derives from the religio-fascists are hypocrites of the most obscene immensity. I could go on, but would like to see a response from the readers of this post. Who in the administration is not married and having sexual relations with someone, male or female, who may or may not be married to someone else? Fornication and adultery. Who gets a free pass on this one? General Pace?

That fact that Dennis Kucinich is not a part of this discussion is quite telling. He is the only Democrat and only recognizable name in the "race" that offers a true alternative to the current office holder and his enablers. He is intelligent and articulate and has done his homework on all topics, including the human/spiritual aspects. Forget the numbers. They do not come from an informed populace and thus do not truly reflect how people feel about the issues. They do not know about the issues.

Peace,

St. John