[chroot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif how hard is it to enter VTech from high school? Is it easy or hard to get into such a college?

When I attended 10 years ago, they accepted something like 60%-70% of applicants. The university has received a lot more attention (and applications) since I graduated -- due to impressive research and a great football team -- and its acceptance rate has dropped down into 30%-40% range, IIRC. It's not a terribly difficult school to attend, but it's a world-class institution, with one of the top 10 or 15 engineering programs in the US.

- Warren

 

[jowille]

D

T

Given the fact at the time (and I think even WITH hindsight), there is nothing more they could've done. The only thing they could've stopped that is if they had at around 8 stormed EVERY single building with SWOT teams and disarm everyone. The guy was going to kill lots of people, locking down the university makes no difference.




Most "active shooter" teams should consist of five officers, go to the sound of the shooting and eliminate the theat. The police response was appropriate in terms of manpower as they responded. The deranged gunman "offed" himself before police had the chance to engage him. The response was hampered in the fact that the suspect chained the doors.

It is a sad day for VA TEch community, and a sad day for the nation. We can try to second guess the responses by law enforcement or the administration, but our thoughts should be with the victims, families, and members of the VA Tech community.

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nibiyabi /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's wrong with just leaving condolences, thoughts, wishes, etc.? We don't have to discuss the pitfalls of American society here.

Strange choice of words. IMO this is a world-wide phenomenon.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY I'm surprised though that he was an English major. The writing is awful for a senior English major at a real school. It's pretty clear along with his personality and emotional problems, he had some learning problems or a low level of general intelligence.

I'm not too sure about that. Plenty of reasonably intelligent people do horrible in school when they don't expend the effort to succeed. Reading the TSG writings, it's fairly obviously he only tried hard enough to piss off the professors teaching the class.

My bet would be that he's reasonably intelligent. Just nowhere near as smart as his sister, and his parents never let him forget it.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SayNoToPistons /img/forum/go_quote.gif I doubt that was real. His grades and papers were never released.

His plays were available on Blackboard because that playwriting class is structured so classmates can review each other's work. It seems totally legit to me.

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not too sure about that. Plenty of reasonably intelligent people do horrible in school when they don't expend the effort to succeed. Reading the TSG writings, it's fairly obviously he only tried hard enough to piss off the professors teaching the class. My bet would be that he's reasonably intelligent. Just nowhere near as smart as his sister, and his parents never let him forget it.

so do you know what happened to his sister? is she still a student too? and where did you find that his parents commited suicide?

 

[mikeg]

I think that the rules are being misapplied in this thread. While some suggestions of methods whereby to prevent such future slaughter of innocents are tolerated, all discussion of other methods is prohibited. That's not sensible IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter /img/forum/go_quote.gif no. you don't cancel the game because one of the players doesn't like the rules. you want to be in this game, play by the rules or get ejected. it is simple. i know you are eager to get some things off your chest, but this just is not the place for it.

 

[tyrion]

Please keep the religion, racism, politics and ignorance out of the thread. This topic should probably be closed because of how volatile it is. However, it seems like a good thing for people to talk about since we all seem to be affected in one way or another. I think we can all do it and be respectful of each other and the rules of the site. If you want to discuss the topic without censorship it will have to be somewhere else.

I've deleted some posts for violating the rules and others for quoting those posts. I probably missed some or the I may have left them as there were part of the post that were on topic and I didn't have the time to edit them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that the rules are being misapplied in this thread. While some suggestions of methods whereby to prevent such future slaughter of innocents are tolerated, all discussion of other methods is prohibited. That's not sensible IMO.

Mike, I disagree. To allow this discussion without moderation would be a disaster. There are plenty here that could handle it and have an interesting discussion, there are others that couldn't and it's because of them that the rules exist, imo.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif so do you know what happened to his sister? is she still a student too? and where did you find that his parents commited suicide?

Don't know what happened to his sister. Didn't say his parents committed suicide.

/Most surreal post ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion Mike, I disagree. To allow this discussion without moderation would be a disaster. There are plenty here that could handle it and have an interesting discussion, there are others that couldn't and it's because of them that the rules exist, imo.

True, but this thread is being heavily moderated either way. Can't see why it couldn't be moderated to just remove the uncivil posts, instead of just all the leaning political posts.

Then again, the workload from this one thread would probably be killer for you mods if you ran it that way.

 

[mikeg]

Perhaps a separate moderated discussion of the entire issue would be best, but it clearly can't occur on this site. As for the thread's original context being solely a tribute to the tragedy, the thread has occasionally evolved beyond that. Methods for preventing recurrence of this tragedy have been discussed repeatedly, although discussion of some preventive methods is prohibited. That's what concerns me regarding the application of HeadFi's editorial policy to this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a lot to say too and I agree that a moderated discussion could be very good. I think it's safe to say that we all have strong feelings about this and would like to vent about it. There is, however, a lot to be said about leaving the thread in it's original context as a tribute to the tragedy. Sorry for getting hot earlier.

 

[AlanY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't know what happened to his sister. Didn't say his parents committed suicide. /Most surreal post ever.

The parents committing suicide thing was a rumor from last night that turned out to be false.

Marvin, interesting comments about his level of intelligence. You may be right.

After thinking about the two plays again and his general silence punctuated by bursts of rage, I think he was probably physically abused by his father, perhaps for underperforming in school, but not sexually abused. One can't hold the parents responsible for the actions of their children, unless they're negligent (like the parents of Klebold from Columbine) and abuse is negligence in my mind. We probably won't have a real window into his home life of course until the civil suits start flying, or his note(s) are released.

 

[Veniogenesis]

I just realized that I live within a few minutes of where the killer and a number of the victims are from. I also have a dozen or so high school friends who now attend VTech.

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mike, I disagree. To allow this discussion without moderation would be a disaster. There are plenty here that could handle it and have an interesting discussion, there are others that couldn't and it's because of them that the rules exist, imo.

Thanks Mike, I understand, and I appreciate your response.

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that the rules are being misapplied in this thread. While some suggestions of methods whereby to prevent such future slaughter of innocents are tolerated, all discussion of other methods is prohibited. That's not sensible IMO.

mike, you are coming at this with the misconception that any reasonable discussion of gun control here will stay that way. it will not. i would bet money on it.

 

[swt61]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mike, I disagree. To allow this discussion without moderation would be a disaster. There are plenty here that could handle it and have an interesting discussion, there are others that couldn't and it's because of them that the rules exist, imo.

Very well said.

I personaly would encourage people to discuss and debate this issue, as I believe that's the path to a more enlightened perspective. This is not the right place to do that IMO however. Too many times these type of discussions turn into an all out slander fest here. Sometimes in our computer driven world we forget that some things are better discussed in front of a group face to face with immediate feedback generating a more balanced dispersion of ideas.