NICKEL MINES, Pa. - Whatever motivated 32 year-old Charles Carl Roberts, IV act of carnage happened when he was 12 years old. Roberts directed his revenge in a community of absolute pacifists that would never use any form of self-defense to survive even a deadly attack. Roberts, a married father of three apparently wanted to kill himself and take innocent little girls with him. This local Amish school just didn't present even a minimal security challenge. This evil attack was truly like shooting ducks in a barrel.
The Amish people involved will write this sad chapter off as, God’s will and move on with their grief.
In a country with a population of 300 million people there are bound to be some highly disturbed people as well as too many violent criminals. Thanks to today’s media communications, these events are widely broadcast and published. The incidents of copycat assaults are a sad reality.
We’ve become a snitch society calling authorities on anyone who seems odd. Perhaps we need to lean more about empathy for angry people rather than scorn. Perhaps the simplest concern for Roberts by a co-worker or acquaintance could have prevented this horrible event.
It could have been much worse. Instead of using his gun, Roberts could have used a one-gallon can filled with gasoline after jamming the doors closed. There would have been no survivors.
I never considered being a truck driver because of that lifestyle of endless long and lonely shifts in some truck cab. Roberts drove his truck during long friendless nights. Perhaps Roberts had too many lonesome hours to brood about that 20 year-old event.
2 comments:
Good take on that, Paul.
You know, and you might not agree with me on this, but I think that a lot of school violence could be prevented by stopping bullying. I'm talking extreme disciplinary action including expulsion.
When I was a kid I was fat (as I have been since I was a fetus) and I was picked on. In high school I will admit I considered responding to the VERY mean actions in a violent way.
I don't believe that anyone is naturally evil. I think all evil acts are the result of upbringing and/or environment.
This is why I feel that we as a society need to abandon the cheerful way we look at bullying; 'Boys will be boys!', 'Kids can be so mean!'; and the such.
Columbine, Springfield, OR, and the other school shootings (for the most part) have gone to show that the phrase 'Sticks and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me' is utter bullsh!t.
Perhaps if the bullying was under control there would be fewer weapons in schools.
Many weapons are broght to schools for protection from bullys.
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