This Just Irritates Me!

[KarenK]

Just how much value do we place on a human life? Those of us who have lost our spouse, child, parent, sibling or anyone else we loved know that there is no real answer. Still, shouldn't there be a certain amount of respect shown for a life lost.

Reading the news this morning, a freshman at NAU was shot and killed and 3 of his classmates wounded during an altercation on campus early this morning. The statement that caught me off guard is "School officials say that classes will go on as scheduled today". Did we just sweep this young man under the carpet like a dead roach? This was a PERSON. I know this continues to happen at our schools, but for Heaven's sake, where is the respect.

[debi.williams]

I honestly don't know when the world began to harden. That each soul lost "every death diminishes us" seems to be ignored now. The horror for the parents we can only imagine. That so many events like this happen seems to have changed society. Rather than shock and horror it has become 'another day at the office' for many. In some sense it is understandable when a country is at war, I remember reading about the Blitz in London during World War 2 and how - despite whole streets being bombed - London continued, because it had to if there was any hope of survival  BUT this is not a war situation. Shame on the school officials. Shame on them.

[kayc]

At Umqua Community College where there were nine lives lost and nine injured nine days ago, they closed the college for a week and it was definitely NOT "life going on".  Oregon has shown an outpouring of support to Roseburg, and President Obama even came and spoke to the families of the victims yesterday.  This has hit us all.  However, today a person told me, "Well we already went through this with Kip Kinkel at Thurston High a few years ago, so this is nothing new."  I took the statement as very callous and insensitive.

[debi.williams]

Umqua got it right. The statement that the person made to you Kayc is outrageous.To say 'it is nothing new' is one thing to feel no horror, outrage and utter shame at it being repeated is quite another. Every death is someone's son, someone's daughter.