WTF!!!!!! - Virginia Tech

[Dacalo]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: richardycc
not sure if anyone asked already or know, were there any asian among the victims?

I thought one of the females looked Asian.

One of them is Korean, but he wasn't fatally shot.

 

[chuckywang]

My dad was a graduate student at Virgina Tech for eight years during the mid 1980's to the early 1990's. A year after he came over from China to study at Virginia Tech, he brought my mom to the US as well. A year after that, I came over. It is with fondness that I remember Blacksburg during my youth, for I went there from pre-school to 4th grade. I had a lot of friends who were also sons of students, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything the campus had to offer.

My dad was a student in the Engineering Science and Mechanics department, whose main department building was Norris Hall. My mom also worked part-time at Norris Hall drafting for various professors while my dad was there. Occasionally, I used to hang out in the basement where my mom worked or in the second floor where my dad's lab was located. As all students do, my dad became acquainted with other ESM faculty, and one of the professors he had come to know was a Romanian man named Liviu Librescu, for they both came to Virginia Tech in the same year (1985). They kept in touch even after my dad graduated in 1993 with his post-doctorate. Librescu's wife gave our family a bunch of clothes when our family moved due to my dad being hired as a professor at Michigan Tech. He asked my dad to help him with a few of his projects years later while my dad worked at GE. And just two years ago, Librescu asked my dad to be a co-chair at an ESM conference that he presides over.

Understandably, both my mom and my dad are upset at the news that he was one of the 30 people gunned down at Norris Hall. It is such a tragedy that a person who is one of the leading researchers in his field was a victim of such senseless violence. By now, everyone must have heard that he held the door shut so the shooter could not enter his classroom while telling his students to flee through the windows. A number of students have said that he personally saved their lives. Although I do not remember the man, I am sure that our paths have crossed before and we have met, and that makes this all the more chilling. It will be a long night of reflection and prayer for me.

 

[Farang]

At 76, at least Librescu did more than his share for the world and went out a hero. We can look at his life as a complete book, but unfortunately that only reminds us that the others had yet to begin the first chapter.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: RichardE

Name:
In memory of Professor Liviu Librescu who saved his students at Virginia T.
Type:
Student Groups - General
Description:
As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 76-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech College that left 32 dead and over two dozen wounded.

Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter, who had attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, but all the students lived - because of him.

He blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee, Joe Librescu (his son) said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."

Professor Librescu and his wife, immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 and then moved to Virginia in 1985 for his sabbatical, but had stayed since then.

Thanks to his heroic effort almost the whole class has survived.

Please spread the word, among your friends, about this great man.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2326642623

They need to erect a statue of this man on the VT campus.

Bio

Wow

A true hero in every sense of the word.

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: KeypoX

Originally posted by: roguerower
Within the past two weeks my college has had two (2) bomb threats and classes in those and surrounding buildings were all cancelled. I just found out that there was a shooting in one of the dorms just a couple of minutes ago.

One complete side of campus is locked down with cops, I just had a cop with a loaded shotgun walk into my class and tell us to stay put.

EDIT: Thankyou for editting the post ATOT Mod

Holy crap i can't believe you said this was awesome...

In a finer note ... we need better police what we have now is so fcking pointless. Our cops are pointless. They are fat and not trained to do anything but write tickets. This should be a wake up call for all americans that your fat ass brother in law that is a cop should not be one. He is pointless and gets paid for doing nothing. I feel so bad for these families that have dead children. I feel so terrible for the families involved. If the cops would have moved in faster, if the campus wasnt so stupid and done nothing about a killing on campus and allowing the students to be in harms way. Nearly 3 hours of murder in a isolated location ... wow incredible. Our police force and anyone in charge of this type of thing need way way more training.


I am very upset about the little punk involved in this it is his fault but i think some of the murders could

You are a complete idiot. Basing your entire viewpoint of police on what you see in cartoons proves your ignorance. I personally know many police officers, and can guarantee each and every one is in 10x better shape than you will ever be in. If anything, this could be blamed on the school for allowing students to go to class. The police did all they could. I don?t know what you would expect, but they cannot predict where/when horrible events like this will occur.

Sorry for replying to this late, but placing blame on people who risk their lives for morons like you pisses me off.

VT

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Isn't the latter the most sensible option?

Wouldn't the 'nutjobs' be able to buy one of the few hundred million existing firearms on the black market?

Nobody knows the exact number, but there are upwards of 200 million firearms in the US, and that increases by 5 million each year.

How do you eliminate something so revered, so deeply rooted, and so prevalent? You can't.

I totally agree. I didn't say that either option was even possible. Just that the latter was logically more sound, when you consider the typical pro-gun argument that everyone armed is always better (if based on pure logic: that's simply, fundamentally, wrong)

One option that works (sorta...) stop manufacturing bullets. Yeah, people will make their own; but do you expect the true nutjobs, the ones that are actually a threat to society to be capable of making their own bullets? Eventually, the supply would thin to such a point where the average criminal simply wouldn't have bullets. (I doubt the responsible gun owners that are trained and capable of making their own bullets would gladly take pay for making ammunition to criminals, right? It would kinda be...hypocrisy?)

 

[uhohs]

i'm hearing now that the shooter's dad killed himself and his mom attempted. any verification?

edit: fake rumors it seems.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: uhohs
i'm hearing now that the shooter's dad killed himself and his mom attempted. any verification?

This was debunked about 12 hours ago.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: uhohs
i'm hearing now that the shooter's dad killed himself and his mom attempted. any verification?

Not true.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=261805

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Think about it this way: relax the concealed gun laws, and allow everyone to carry, meaning the sane, rational people as well as the nutjobs. At least the rational cool people are there to take control once the nutjobs pop offf a few. Meaning: casualties are minimum.

Or: No one can carry guns. The rational cool people, or the nutjobs. When the nutjobs go off, no one gets shot (injured maybe, but certainly not shot to death). The rational cool people are there to pound them into the ground, and still--limiting death.

Relaxed gun laws: Minimal casualties (one might hope)
No guns: little to no casualties.

Isn't the latter the most sensible option?

I don't think rational people will carry a gun. I think I'm quite rational yet I'm not readily going out to file a gun license and buying one now, so how is relaxing the law going to make any different?

Nevertheless please leave the gun law issue outside the thread. The media and even the presidential candidates will make big issues out of it for the year anyways.

Oh, I agree...I was just responding to other posts that had brought it up well before I...now fighting insomnia...

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: exdeath

Originally posted by: Mill

Would you shut the hell up already? There is a thread in P&N for the gun talk.

My my... don't forget to take your meds.

I will pounce illogical and irrational judgments in this or the other thread wherever people happen to make them, esp slimy people in here that think they are being sneaky by regurgitating their propaganda at the end of their 'condolences'

I will not allow an assault on myself and my country by a few mentally handicapped overly sensitive people who forgot to take their Prozac this morning to go unchallenged, because of the actions of one messed of piece of crap.

And that particular post was a scenario that could occur with or without guns, to illustrate my point that we simply have messed up people in our society that will stop at nothing in their quest to harm others, not 'gun talk'

and your slimy propaganda is immune to criticism? You would make me laugh, If I thought you weren't serious with some of your comments...

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: exdeath

Originally posted by: Mill

Would you shut the hell up already? There is a thread in P&N for the gun talk.

My my... don't forget to take your meds.

I will pounce illogical and irrational judgments in this or the other thread wherever people happen to make them, esp slimy people in here that think they are being sneaky by regurgitating their propaganda at the end of their 'condolences'

I will not allow an assault on myself and my country by a few mentally handicapped overly sensitive people who forgot to take their Prozac this morning to go unchallenged, because of the actions of one messed of piece of crap.

And that particular post was a scenario that could occur with or without guns, to illustrate my point that we simply have messed up people in our society that will stop at nothing in their quest to harm others, not 'gun talk'

and your slimy propaganda is immune to criticism? You would make me laugh, If I thought you weren't serious with some of your comments...

The hilarious thing is that I'm a pro-gun person who owns several guns. I just think this thread wasn't the place when P&N had a nice thread already going.

 

[Soybomb]

One option that works (sorta...) stop manufacturing bullets. Yeah, people will make their own; but do you expect the true nutjobs, the ones that are actually a threat to society to be capable of making their own bullets? Eventually, the supply would thin to such a point where the average criminal simply wouldn't have bullets. (I doubt the responsible gun owners that are trained and capable of making their own bullets would gladly take pay for making ammunition to criminals, right? It would kinda be...hypocrisy?)

You talk about broken logic and then come up with this? There are so many things wrong with this. First what are you doing about the people that need guns for self defense? It sounds great to say no one needs a gun if no one has a gun but the honest truth is my older father can't hold his own in a fight, my friend isn't strong enough to fight off a rapist. Heck I'm a big guy but a guy with a knife or a couple guys could do a number on me. They and countless others need guns, they need ammunition to level the physical playing field, this won't change. Next you're making legislation based on the odd instances of what a nut does? That hardly seems like a sound way to make and justify laws. And then of course we come to the average criminal. They either smuggle drugs in from out of country or set up labs in homes to make drugs, but something as simple as a shaped piece of lead would be past their expertise or desire to smuggle or make? Casting bullets is sooooo much easier than making drugs.

Your heart is in the right place. No one wants these terrible things to happen. Legislation and bans will not do anything to stop things like this from happening though.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Farang
At 76, at least Librescu did more than his share for the world and went out a hero. We can look at his life as a complete book, but unfortunately that only reminds us that the others had yet to begin the first chapter.

:thumbsup:

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Soybomb

One option that works (sorta...) stop manufacturing bullets. Yeah, people will make their own; but do you expect the true nutjobs, the ones that are actually a threat to society to be capable of making their own bullets? Eventually, the supply would thin to such a point where the average criminal simply wouldn't have bullets. (I doubt the responsible gun owners that are trained and capable of making their own bullets would gladly take pay for making ammunition to criminals, right? It would kinda be...hypocrisy?)

You talk about broken logic and then come up with this? There are so many things wrong with this. First what are you doing about the people that need guns for self defense? It sounds great to say no one needs a gun if no one has a gun but the honest truth is my older father can't hold his own in a fight, my friend isn't strong enough to fight off a rapist. Heck I'm a big guy but a guy with a knife or a couple guys could do a number on me. They and countless others need guns, they need ammunition to level the physical playing field, this won't change. Next you're making legislation based on the odd instances of what a nut does? That hardly seems like a sound way to make and justify laws. And then of course we come to the average criminal. They either smuggle drugs in from out of country or set up labs in homes to make drugs, but something as simple as a shaped piece of lead would be past their expertise or desire to smuggle or make? Casting bullets is sooooo much easier than making drugs.

Your heart is in the right place. No one wants these terrible things to happen. Legislation and bans will not do anything to stop things like this from happening though.

again, my initial point is that the proposal, in any manner, is impossible. I was simply thinking out loud about the only other option that seemed "feesible"; and yes, quite a bit of it is hard to imagine as being possible. (By the way...the "ban the bullet" idea is movement started by none other than Ken Kesey; your average pro-gun, compound-inhabiting, "liberal wacko" ---and yes, he is all of these things.)

Either way, this discussion really needs to get out of this thread.
I don't think any of us want to be associated with the inane banter spewing from Exdeath's mouth today, and certainly not here

 

[Imaginer]

I am shocked and saddend that this tragedy has occured to the people at VT, students and faculty alike. I really can't express any more words than what was already expressed here about what has went on and it wouldn't change what has already been done...



I would like to say this about the event. In my opinion, I hope our society will come to the conclusion that at the core of the problem, at the core of the cause of the event, is an individual who was an outcast like what the reports said. That being said, it is very crucial that even if each and every one of us does not feel like they are responsible, we all have an influence, one way or another.

We each should have a sense of seeing someone in the pits and not make light of it. Even though its up to the person themselves to ultimately change, even though there are counselors that probably already are helping out, it is still a good idea to try and take part if someone is distraught. I am sure the guy had a few contacts amongst his classes and classmates that he has worked with that surely noticed something.

Second, in the current situation now with people touting anti gun stuff and concealed carry amongst students, I feel that it maybe a good idea. Keep in mind those that do oppose concealed carry are thinking in the terms that it lis like getting a driver's license. I do hope that getting a CCW involves rigorous testing on the individual's mentality and wheather or not a person is MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY stable to hold that right. I hope that such a mechanism is in place so that in the light of it, it is more stringent to even hold a permit. Altough, if an individual has the evil mindset, nothing, or no law in the world or policy in the world can stop them.... hence going back to my third paragraph.

If we can all look out for one another and ensure that we at least positively contribute those around us and those we meet, I am sure that it will at least slightly help out. I fear our society will dwindled downhill even more if we are able to have some people with an unhealthy mind. But then again, with statistics, it may ultimately be inevitable....

Again, my condolences to those who have fallen and they should honor the professor that has sacrificed himself for his students. He was truely a great individual.

 

[Imaginer]

Edit... It was inappropriate.

 

[KingofCamelot]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Isn't the latter the most sensible option?

Wouldn't the 'nutjobs' be able to buy one of the few hundred million existing firearms on the black market?

Nobody knows the exact number, but there are upwards of 200 million firearms in the US, and that increases by 5 million each year.

How do you eliminate something so revered, so deeply rooted, and so prevalent? You can't.

I totally agree. I didn't say that either option was even possible. Just that the latter was logically more sound, when you consider the typical pro-gun argument that everyone armed is always better (if based on pure logic: that's simply, fundamentally, wrong)

One option that works (sorta...) stop manufacturing bullets. Yeah, people will make their own; but do you expect the true nutjobs, the ones that are actually a threat to society to be capable of making their own bullets? Eventually, the supply would thin to such a point where the average criminal simply wouldn't have bullets. (I doubt the responsible gun owners that are trained and capable of making their own bullets would gladly take pay for making ammunition to criminals, right? It would kinda be...hypocrisy?)

That would just cause a black market for ammunition, which could be smuggled into the country or perhaps manufactured underground if you had a well structured criminal ring working on it.

Basically, since its impossible to stop everyone from having guns (would end up with only bad guys with illegal guns), the next best option would be to give everyone a gun, because then no one can get very far.

I think about it like fists. Everyone has them, and for the most part there isn't rampant fighting because the average person can fight back. Most of the time someone will try to get the upper hand by using weapons or multiple people. Giving everyone a gun would take it back down to the fair playing ground where no one has a real advantage.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: exdeath

Originally posted by: msi1337
whether or not each Anandtech's opinion on gun control is valid is not the point here. The point is that many people lost thier lives in this event and we should grieve for them. Guns or no guns, people will be killed and die each day..it's how we can learn from it that matters. Stop arguing politics in OT and maybe add some sympathy?

I don't grieve. People die, that is a fact of life, even when it is unjust and uncalled for. What I will do is investigate the weapons policies on my campus and take active measures to educate people around me on topics such as self defense, responsibility as a citizen of a free society, etc. and do my small part to undo the sheep herding that has crippled our societies livelihood. This whole 'hide under your desk and hope he goes away' thing just doesn't cut it for me. I refuse to take a bullet to the back from some psychopath because some of you here feeeeeeeel that its the preferable thing to do.

When we stop crying 24/7 and grow a little spine we can start taking measures to directly address and deter these kinds of problems instead of pointing fingers and implementing the kinds of social policies that have proven to be failures at decreasing this sort of thing since the 1960s. The thought of some cross eyed bug eyed liberal kindergarten teacher high on Prozac sending little kid to therapy because he punched a bully that roughed him up for lunch money for the 3rd and final time makes me want to puke. It's not the kid who punches the bully that grows up and upgrades to guns to be a murderer. It's the bully, who lacks checks and balances, who does that. Why don't people understand this? Liberalism and pacifism = SIV (societal immunodeficiency virus). I think it's pretty sick that in a country with 200 million guns, 99% of these students didn't even know what gunfire sounded like and described it as 'loud popping' or a 'loud hammer'.

I could die tomorrow. We are all dead the moment we begin to live. But I'm not going to grieve about it 24/7 and hold candle light vigils every night. Excessive grieving achieves nothing. I'm also sick of seeing flags at half mast every day for any reason. Mass shooting at a school, half mast. Bomb explodes on a train in Spain, half mast. Elderly woman falls off a bus, half mast. I was late for work this morning, half mast! Good grief. So sick of empty symbolic gestures and self righteous self back patting.

My sympathies towards the people who have been directly affected by this event and have a right to grieve for a short time.

The rest of you on the other hand, I can think of more productive things you could be doing in honor of those who were murdered. I know where I will be this weekend.

Does anybody believe in this sort of thing anymore:

"We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

One person by the name of Liviu Librescu did on Monday when he stood in front of that door. I still believe it as well. I bought my first handgun years ago and started carrying daily, not out of fear or need for personal protection, but after someone I knew indirectly though friends of family members who was beaten and left for dead in an alley for hours due to something as personal and trivial as his sexual orientation. It was said there were witnesses and people passing by couldn't be bothered to help. How does that moral go that says something like "it wasn't me, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me and there was nobody left to speak."

I don't even know the guy nor do I care about his personal issues. But I started asking myself, if I saw three potentially armed men beating a man on the ground to death, what could I possibly do that would make a difference? Even with my size and extensive martial arts experience, what could I do against three potentially armed thugs with an agenda?

I witnessed a family I really didn't even care about torn apart by senseless violence because nobody wanted to stand up and make a difference because people are selfish spineless animals that will watch another human being prey on others and do nothing because it's not them or someone they care about. And these are the first people who will grieve and offer their worthless condolences. *puke* *spit*

I made a vow to myself, my fellow human beings, and my country that I would do my small part to never allow anything like that to happen again. I will not stand idly by while enemies of my country within its own borders push an agenda that will undermine my ability to uphold that vow.

Yeah, uh, I pretty much agree with everything you just said.

 

[MillionaireNextDoor]

God must surely be weeping right now...

Why does an all-powerful God allow evil to occur?

 

[Number1]

Originally posted by: exdeath

Originally posted by: msi1337
whether or not each Anandtech's opinion on gun control is valid is not the point here. The point is that many people lost thier lives in this event and we should grieve for them. Guns or no guns, people will be killed and die each day..it's how we can learn from it that matters. Stop arguing politics in OT and maybe add some sympathy?

I don't grieve. People die, that is a fact of life, even when it is unjust and uncalled for. What I will do is investigate the weapons policies on my campus and take active measures to educate people around me on topics such as self defense, responsibility as a citizen of a free society, etc. and do my small part to undo the sheep herding that has crippled our societies livelihood. This whole 'hide under your desk and hope he goes away' thing just doesn't cut it for me. I refuse to take a bullet to the back from some psychopath because some of you here feeeeeeeel that its the preferable thing to do.

When we stop crying 24/7 and grow a little spine we can start taking measures to directly address and deter these kinds of problems instead of pointing fingers and implementing the kinds of social policies that have proven to be failures at decreasing this sort of thing since the 1960s. The thought of some cross eyed bug eyed liberal kindergarten teacher high on Prozac sending little kid to therapy because he punched a bully that roughed him up for lunch money for the 3rd and final time makes me want to puke. It's not the kid who punches the bully that grows up and upgrades to guns to be a murderer. It's the bully, who lacks checks and balances, who does that. Why don't people understand this? Liberalism and pacifism = SIV (societal immunodeficiency virus). I think it's pretty sick that in a country with 200 million guns, 99% of these students didn't even know what gunfire sounded like and described it as 'loud popping' or a 'loud hammer'.

I could die tomorrow. We are all dead the moment we begin to live. But I'm not going to grieve about it 24/7 and hold candle light vigils every night. Excessive grieving achieves nothing. I'm also sick of seeing flags at half mast every day for any reason. Mass shooting at a school, half mast. Bomb explodes on a train in Spain, half mast. Elderly woman falls off a bus, half mast. I was late for work this morning, half mast! Good grief. So sick of empty symbolic gestures and self righteous self patting on the back patty cake bullsht.

My sympathies towards the people who have been directly affected by this event and have a right to grieve for a short time.

The rest of you on the other hand, I can think of more productive things you could be doing in honor of those who were murdered. I know where I will be this weekend.

Does anybody believe in this sort of thing anymore:

"We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

One person by the name of Liviu Librescu did on Monday when he stood in front of that door. I still believe it as well. I bought my first handgun years ago and started carrying daily, not out of fear or need for personal protection, but after someone I knew indirectly though friends of family members who was beaten and left for dead in an alley for hours due to something as personal and trivial as his sexual orientation. It was said there were witnesses and people passing by couldn't be bothered to help. How does that moral go that says something like "it wasn't me, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me and there was nobody left to speak."

I don't even know the guy nor do I care about his personal issues. But I started asking myself, if I saw three potentially armed men beating a man on the ground to death, what could I possibly do that would make a difference? Even with my size and extensive martial arts experience, what could I do against three potentially armed thugs with an agenda?

I witnessed a family I really didn't even care about torn apart by senseless violence because nobody wanted to stand up and make a difference because people are selfish spineless animals that will watch another human being prey on others and do nothing because it's not them or someone they care about, or because they don't want to risk getting blood on their Gap clothes or get their RAZR scratched. And these are the first people who will grieve in sympathy and offer their worthless condolences. *puke* *spit*

I made a vow to myself, my fellow human beings, and my country that I would do my small part to never allow anything like that to happen again. I don't want to be a police officer and work 50 hours a week for a crappy $30k a year salary to make a difference. I just want to be an ordinary citizen who minds my own business pursuing my own dreams... and still be able to make that difference when life calls upon me to do so. I will not stand idly by while enemies of my country within its own borders push an agenda that will undermine my ability to uphold that vow.

What an exercise in pointless retoric. Spare me the lecturing and get yourself a gun if that's the way you feel.
and uphold the vow :roll:

 

[Luthien]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Muse
You eliminate the guns, and homicide in the USA will be a fraction of what it is today.

That is a myth.

QFT

 

[Luthien]

Originally posted by: MillionaireNextDoor
God must surely be weeping right now...

Why does an all-powerful God allow evil to occur?

shens

 

[Luthien]

Something about Nikki Giovanni doesnt sit well with me. Grandstanding with the tentative disclosure about the shooter. I don't know but something seems off to me. Just a gut feeling. Maybe nothing but I get a weird feeling about her. I may be completely wrong though and admit that.

 

[bucwylde23]

Not that it means anything, it's just a strange coincidence, but this is the second killer from Centreville in the last year.
There was another kid who drove into the police station and killed two Fairfax county police officers in the parking lot.
Both that kid, Cho Seung-Hui and one of the VT victims all attended Westfields High school here in Chantilly.

It's sometimes hard for me to relate to things like this that I see on the news, but when it hits this close to home you really get a different perspective on things. There are a lot of people that I know that attend VT as well as many people in my town and other local areas that have been affected. I don't think anything I've ever seen has affected me like this except for 9/11.