I agree with you that Fox doesn't have a point.
This is one case where all the news stations are going with this tripe.
It isn't like a high school but that's how the news media is trying to address it. Asking over and over why there wasn't some 'lockdown' after the first shooting. It's a shame too because there are some legit things that would be more useful to give attention to.
For example, survival issues in such a situation.
People delay reacting. Granted everyone doesn't know what gunshots sound like, but once you realize that's what's going on you can't sit there dumbfounded. You don't have time.
Several students climbed out windows and others wouldn't follow. It will be real sad if any that wouldn't follow were killed.
And if anything, I'd be asking why you couldn't lock the door from the inside. A couple students held one door while the shooter tried to get back in. Exit doors are supposed to open out for fire escape. I believe doors into hallways open in to keep the hall clear. They were lucky they were holding a door that opened in. If you were going to have a school plan for this kind of emergency, being able to barricade the doors would be a key element.
Was there any system to alert people in the classrooms? An intercom or room phone could have given professors an extra minute to secure their rooms. One professor said she got an email or something and locked herself in her office. Not that this woman could have done anything else, we don't know the circumstances, but it makes me wonder if these teachers have any kind of plan or training. And I'm sure they didn't in this case since the university president told the news media they had no established procedure.
How many of you have been in an actual fire in a large building? Probably very few yet there are alarms, plans, drills, and marked escape routes. Maybe every one of these large facilities should consider a plan for more than just earthquakes and fires. These mass shootings are rare enough perhaps it isn't practical for every McDonald's, but for a college campus or large office building, it seems to me like it's worth the time and expense to establish some kind of plan that could be implemented when something like this starts.
Maybe the guy would have just gone outside and found alternate victims if the people in the building were able to lock him out of their rooms, but that's still a few extra minutes for police to arrive and maybe less people together in one location.
The news coverage was its usual garbage. First there's continual coverage when reporters have nothing to report. They start filling in the time with any psychologist or ex-cop or some poor person who has gone through it before. I am so sick of the phrase, "walk us through.....". The shooting wasn't even over and they were already ask the audience to imagine these events in their minds. Do we really need these idiots "walking us through..." ?
So predictable. Next we go to the press conference where every question is hunting for that scandal. Why wasn't the university locked down after the first shooting? Because from the sound of it that would have been an asinine over reaction. Someone murdered his girlfriend and the dorm monitor then fled the scene. Maybe there's a chance a gunman is running around but honestly, why should the police suspect this guy's next step was to go on a shooting rampage 2 hours later?
Then every medic or police officer interviewed we have the reporter thanking them for all their help. Good grief, you'd think it was the reporter's kid who was saved or something. Maybe it's just me but those "thank yous" just seem so ridiculous. These folks were doing their job. That's what they are supposed to do. Family members thank rescue people. Reporters sound like idiots when they do it.
And now for the next however amount of time until some other news tops this or this fades away we get the news summaries. The time line, the clips, the sound bites. Relive the events, all with some accompanying narrative and catchy musical score.
Of course in these times we have all the religious and political nonsense to listen to as well. First thing from the White House spokesperson, "The President doesn't think gun control is the answer". Can you believe it? It so just wasn't the time to bring that up. Probably was what the reporters asked and probably the one sound bite or quote out of several they chose to repeat over and over.
Then Bush comes on and has to throw in, "we have a loving god" into his speech. So absurd!
Scarborough in his religious fervor interviewed some pastor asking what does he say to people to explain why 'God' let's this happen. I couldn't believe the guy's reply. He said "there is evil in the world" and "this was not the time for blame, this was the time to give comfort to the families". Now we have pastors adopting the political language of the dodge. What? No, "God moves in mysterious ways"? Apparently information flows both ways in the marriage between the Evangelicals and politics.
Well I'm sorry to subject you to this vent/rant. I almost put it in the "I'm depressed about VA Tech" thread. Seems we have about 6 threads open on this event. I may just post this in more than one thread so if you see it elsewhere, it is the same post.
This is just so sad, so sad. My son's going to college this fall, taking engineering of all things and living in the dorm. I guess the librarian at his high school had a nephew who was one of the wounded but it wasn't critical. It's a small world.
. I wish there was more that could be done to prevent sick people from resorting to violence. But I don't know if that is possible.
