It's been more than eight years since the Columbine High School massacre. On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went on a shooting rampage, killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 24 others, before committing suicide.
From the Wikipedia entry on this massacre...
"On the fifth anniversary of Columbine, the FBI's lead Columbine investigator and several psychiatrists went public with their conclusions in a news article. They argued Harris was a clinical psychopath and Klebold was depressive. They believed the plan was masterminded by Harris, who they thought had a messianic-level superiority complex and hoped to illustrate his massive superiority to the world."
You can read Slate magazine's April 2004 article about this here.
I was drawn to this very sad moment in American history by today's article in The Guardian, "Bush Threatens to Confront Iran Over Alleged Support for Iraqi Insurgents". (Thanks, TruthOut.org for the heads up.)
The Guardian reports that in a speech he gave yesterday, President Bush said "Iran has long been a source of trouble in the region. Iran's active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust." It further reports that Bush's speech "also contained the implicit desire on Mr Bush's part for regime change, calling for "an Iran whose government is accountable to its people, instead of to leaders who promote terror and pursue the technology that could be used to develop nuclear weapons.""
One can debate whether or not there were signs that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were planning to massacre their fellow classmates. One can also debate whether or not their were signs that they were mentally ill in the first place. But I am of the opinion that one CANNOT debate that a precautionary, proactive approach on the part of Eric and Dylan's family and teachers - and, yes, even fellow students - would have likely prevented that tragedy from occurring. Passively "letting Eric and Dylan be Eric and Dylan" in the misguided belief that they would never do anything really terrible contributed to the deaths and injuries on that day in 1999 as much as Eric and Dylan's actions did. They were not an island unto themselves. They were part of a community... a community which did not see their violent behavior coming.
But we here today - the politicians, civic leaders, media commentators, nightly news anchors (Charlie, Brian, and Katie), friends of George H. W. Bush, current and former leaders of our European allies, Council on Foreign Relations members, and others (in other words, the equivalent to Eric and Dylan's parents, teachers, and fellow students) - already know what George Bush is capable of doing, especially when egged on by Dick Cheney (see January 2005 article for when Cheney's efforts to do so first became known and this July 2007 article for more recent information.)
People like Hillary Clinton say "If I had known now what I knew then, I would have never..." ...well, you get my point.
We know A LOT now, my friends. And by "we" I hope to God I'm right in thinking that includes Charlie, Brian, and Katie... and Colin Powell.. and George Tenet. (Gee, this would be a GREAT way for Colin and George to redeem themselves. Will they come out publicly - soon - and say something to stop this insanity? Only time will tell.)
Going back to Columbine, when I read the FBI "...believed the plan was masterminded by Harris, who they thought had a messianic-level superiority complex and hoped to illustrate his massive superiority to the world." I got a chill up my spine...
Because I thought about reading that George Bush has said "I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." (quoted by Bob Woodward in "Bush At War" - thanks for the help, rwe2late!) and "The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear. I'm a commander guy." -- Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 When I think that George Bush has called The Constitution "...just a goddamned piece of paper!"... that he joked about how great it would be to be a dictator. When I think about all the people he executed as Governor of Texas, including Karla Faye Tucker...
When I think about him blowing up live frogs when he was a child (and please, don't give me that "boys will be boys" stuff. I blew things up with firecrackers once when I was a boy. But they were model airplanes, when I was paying "war", not living creatures)... And, lastly, when I read that George Bush's younger sister, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953 when she was three (and when George was only seven), I get very sad... as well as scared.
If you are a seven year old boy and your three year old sister suddenly dies, what does that do to your sense of the value of life? Or, for that matter, of your belief that God is good and wants us to all live healthy and happy lives?
I know that when I was seven I went on a class trip to the UN that sowed the seeds for who I am today. I have no doubt that the death of George Bush's sister had a lasting - and in this case very negative - effect on him. "Life matters? Really? Well, look at what happened to my baby sister!", I can imagine him thinking. Why else would he goof off at school, basically be a drunk until he was 40 years old, put ? (The circumstances of her death - including how George wasn't told she was sick and wasn't allowed to attend her funeral - are discussed here.)
Having suffered through my own childhood traumas, I have compassion for George Bush. But on matters pertaining to the security of the American people and the world, my compassion translates into today's CALL FOR ACTION... action to prevent the massacre of untold thousands of people in Iran... as well as the massacre of the hopes and dreams for the millions of people who - like Rodney King said in 1992 - wish we could all... all of the peoples on Earth... "just learn to get along."
I will leave you with a something I watched on YouTube this morning. It's a 7-minute highlights video from a 33 minute speech that Al Gore gave this year regarding The Assault on Reason (his latest book). In this video he speaks passionately about the need for people to act on what they know, even if those actions go against the grain of public opinion... even if they might lower your ratings (if you're a TV new anchor). I swear, I feel like Al is calling to all of us to "do something!". Well, I'm doing my part. Will anyone with the ability to do more than I can now step up to the plate?
Oh... and Hillary... she wrote a book once about how "It Takes A Village..." Well, we are the village, my friends.
Thanks for doing your part. Here's Al Gore on doing the right thing...
This essay has been re-posted from my web site on the future of society, Trimtab Management Systems.
Follow Steven G. Brant on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SteveBrant
Bush's threat of nuclear genocide is an international crime
http://www.iranaffairs.com/iran_affairs/2006/04/bush_threatens_.html
Liberals are laughable!
If you only loved Bush enough to want to protect him from himself, you'd be doing your country and him a real service.
Truth: The USA has long been a source of trouble in the region.
Bob Woodward is the source of the Bush quote.
http://www.rense.com/general74/dumbest.htm
Bush is only a sociopath (so far)