Virginia Tech & Columbine documents
The assertion of this group of people that releasing the Columbine tapes and documents to the public would have prevented the Virginia shootings has no basis in fact. Apparently, the murderer in Virginia fueled his own hatred, by what had already been released to the public about the murderers in Littleton. The Columbine tapes, had they been released, would only have added fuel to his fire.
People already knew the murderer in Virginia was seriously troubled. They were trying to get him to accept help. I am not in a position to say what more they could or should have done.
The release of such tapes over the airwaves, which belong to the public, is harmful to that public because they glorify the murderer. This further harms the psyches of the victims’ families and the young people that have been wounded and traumatized. I daresay that if the Columbine tapes had been released without the consent of the ‘Columbine dads’ right after the shooting at Columbine High School, they would not be making this argument, but another one.
I believe it was obscene for NBC to release that tape in Virginia. It would be just as obscene to release the Columbine tapes, even now. Good for Sheriff Mink for standing on principle.
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I fully agree that the degree of publicity given to the VT killer's writings and tapes bordered on the obscene, I do think such information should be made available to the proper authorities, and, for example, to organizations which are trying to find a way to avoid such incidents. If we avoid awareness of the terrible minds that perpetrate such tragedies it will be more difficult to try to prevent uncover them.
Posted by Truth on April 28, 2007 02:50 PM