Second Nature

The Virginia Tech tragedy (like all others like it) brought some of the past back to me again this evening.



Toni and David, along with an adolescent family friend, were kidnapped from their Mother's home and murdered by their father. I believe that it happened over Christmas Vacation, 1973; but it has been such a very long time since the tragedy, that I may now be remembering things wrongly.

I'll never forget the pain lancing through me when I learned what happened, the empty seat in Mr. Slatt's shop class, of knowing that I would not see Toni at Colton High the following year.

Suffice it to say that we lost two very good friends that year, and learned a very hard lesson of life: Parts of life lack an explanation we can understand. For those times which defy understanding, the pain that is left inside us is ineffable; and we carry it with us the rest of our days.

Who, out there, remembers Toni and David Sanchez?

And, if anybody has managed to make sense of it all since then, do me a favor and call me.

Mr. Hubbs' words are appropriate through the passage of the years:

None of us knows why something like this happens, or what could have been done to prevent it, but I do know that each one of us has the responsibility to try to make this world a better place to live for those of us who still have the privilege of living. You are very near to assuming your role in the world as responsible adults, and if the world does not please you now, it will be up to you to set things right through your ideas and actions.

I just read this story after my wife mentioned the matter to me, just now. Bill had also mentioned this, this morning; and I just saw this, as well.

There is no way to prevent things like this, and that includes banning all hand guns. It simply will not prevent such occurrences, and will probably cost more innocent lives in the long run.

The only effective way to deal with such societal ills, is to make handgun ownership mandatory for all non-criminal citizens (with certain training and qualifying provisos) and encourage all American citizens to carry their side arms at all times.

In such a society, Cho Seung-hui would have only had the chance to kill one person, 30 human beings would still be alive today, and > 15 people would never have been injured.

...and the anti-gunners say that the Pro-Gun contingent doesn't value human life? Sheesh!

Sorry folks, it's quite the other way-around.