Apologies for the cut&paste, but this comment on Wonkette is appropriate for your Worst person in the World... WIDTAP says: * Placing hands upon John Derbyshire * May God grant you the opportunity to rush a gunman with an automatic with an extended clip.

Keith, Thank you, thank you, thank you. You took the words right out of my mouth. My husband is in the military and has been overseas. He and I were just talking about how it seems that lives in Iraq lost are less important than those lost here. We have become numb to those deaths. Just another blip on the ticker after the Imus and Anna Nicole stories. Why is it that our flags are not at a permanent state of half staff? Where is the outrage? Where is the President at these memorials?

If we want to stop as many gun crimes as possible, we should have automated listening posts that listen for and then triangulate the sound of gunshots (or cries for help) so that the police can be alerted automatically! Such systems are already used in high-crime areas of LA and can be mounted on cell phone towers. Other systems actually turn a camera in the direction of a shot to see who fired the bullet. There is also the decided need to provide our police units with lightly armored squad cars that can protect them against small arms fire. Instead of hiding behind trees as shots rang out, such armored vehicles could have allow them to storm the grounds and even drive through the barricaded doors. Our country may not be ripe with turmoil like Ireland was, but a lone sniper can - at will - pin down emergency personnel anytime or during any event they wish. Several acting together could be catastrophic! It's just not proportional to put so much capability and specialized equipment into such restricted and vulnerable emergency response vehicles. Police officers should never have to feel intimidated while driving around in an unprotected squad car! Taking everyone's fingerprint and placing it on their photo-id might also be just as effective and a deterrent! Home schooling (where possible - perhaps using telecommunications) is also a potential solution to school violence, bullying, and drugs. P.S. I do think the parallel you drew between Iraq and Virginia Tech was important and politely done. I personally feel for the Iraqi civilian deaths as well. The night NBC news showed Richard Engel go into a bread shop moments after the owners where murdered – laying there dead on the floor as the smell of freshly backed bread filled the room – was horrific to me, yet the only thing bloggers spoke about that night was some other trivial news event like "how's the weather." The disconnect in war never seems to hit home until it is thrust upon us personally.

The most dangerous week of the year April 20 Birthday curse of Hitler The legacy of hate --- more hate Revenge Retaliation Explosions Spectacular crimes as Troubled souls worshiping demented devils past exit the earth Innocent lives snuffed out Shattering all illusions of innocence. Dreams and hopes gone. Families wrecked. Another plaque Marking tragedy. Waco Oklahoma City Columbine Virgina Tech The insanity of massacre on Holocaust Memorial Day. The grand irony as a President laments the deaths And sends other young to die In the insanity of war. Ruth Grunberg 4-17-07

Keith, the show hit just the right note tonight, and I thank you. You covered the Virginia Tech news as it deserved to be covered and still found time to ask why we've become so inured to the deaths in Iraq...both our own and of the Iraqis. And to catch us up on Gonzo-gate and to deliver some well-deserved smackdowns in Worst Person in the World. Why in heaven's name is it that people always think that if THEY were the ones being shot at or if THEY were there with a gun, they would be heroes and rescuers and saviors? I doubt it...besides which, the wisest course of action if someone is shooting wildly is usually to DUCK and GET AWAY if you can...not to try to play the hero. The bottom line? None of us who was not professionally trained for a particular emergency situation knows how we would react in it unless and until we face it. And even then, there are always unexpected factors and the horror of realizing it is for real this time and not just a rehearsal. If we pretend we would know exactly what to do, we are just kidding ourselves. And to condemn and criticize and ridicule those who were in it is the sign of the truly ignorant and boorish. Must be nice to critique people's reaction to a deadly shooting from the comfort of your computer chair! Unbelievable. Great show tonight from all concerned, Countdowners...keep them coming, and "great thanks."

Keith, As usual, your reporting on this tragic matter is and has been the apex of compassion.I appreciate how you have brought back some focus on the carnage in Iraq. God forbid that we should forget these gallant warriors. I am also grateful to you for exposing the sick hate mongers that won the dubious honors of being the Worst People in the World. Please American listen to what these people are saying. We have the power to silence them. All we have to do is turn that dial.

I do not blame the students. They are not "action movie heroes." I would like to think in that situation that I too would rush my attacker rather than sit and take it. I hope I never have to find out. United 93, Real people, they really died, they are Real Heroes.

What will the immigration zealots say now that we learn that the shooter has been here legally since the first Bush administration (1992)? What will the gun zealots say now that the conventional wisdom bubble has burst and it turns out that both guns were obtained legally? How would enforcement of existing gun laws have helped here? How do you go about catching someone who files serial numbers off guns he got legally, carries them concealed, and brings them onto campus under cover? How could this have been prevented if the counselors and the police wouldn't act when they were repeatedly told about this kid, as his professor reports? I'll tell you how. It still comes down to this: if that poor tortured kid doesn't have those guns in the first place, in all probability most, if not all, of the victims would still be alive.

Regarding the president's statement today that the VT victims "were in the wrong place at the wrong time" - please know that those people were in the right place at the right time, it was the shooter who was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing at the wrong time!! This is such a terrible tragedy and the survivors need not hear that the victims were in any way responsible for their fate by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not true! They were going about their normal, daily lives.

Keith, the Va Tech massacare was a shock, Americans thoughts & prayers are with the victims, families and friends. Our fellow Americans dying in Iraq, Are dying at the hands of American Voters, who put this Lazy, Ignorant, Incompetent Clown in office to play Prez. Alot of Americans mourn our Americans dying in Iraq, but I bet the people who voted for this clown the second time could careless about our military. Dee, Columia, Ms.

What is truly deplorable is the behavior and sickening sensationalism by many of the media outlets jumping on the first thing said and scrambling to make news first with the headlines. You are not innocent either Keith, as you announced on Monday night that the gunman was a Chinese national who entered the country from San Francisco. Sure, reporters are human, reporters make mistakes. But what absolutely sickens me and others in this country, are people that call themselves journalists and can't follow the simple rules all journalists must do....listen and verify. The press conferences have been nothing more than a boisterus and obnoxius circus featuring reporters, who for lack of a better sense, feel that they have to shout louder than Katie Couric to be recognized by media big shots. The media coverage by some outlets has been nothing short of pathetic, sensationalized and "pornographic". This is certainly a tragedy that will echo for decades to come. So will the deplorable and sensationalized news coverage and rush to suddenh judgement of what could have been done in regard to preventing this event. It's the media's job to report verified facts and information or has the constitution added the news media outlets now into the Balance of Powers, the Three Highly Respected Branches of the US Government?

LA Seattle - You are so correct, and my prayers are with your husband, your family and you. God bless you and may God give you strength during this terrible time in our country. I am outraged at the lack of outrage; in addition to what has transpired during this war. While I have not become "numb", you are correct that prior to the horrible state of affairs we are in, when “one” military death occurred overseas or elsewhere, it was reported continuously throughout the day and evening. Now, we get "statistics", and this is deplorable. These are human beings that have lost their lives. So many people have suffered, to include our brave men and women then have served overseas and their families left behind. I promise you this, I will never become "numb" and will continue to be "outraged" until each of our brave men and women return home safely to their families. God bless you and you will be in my prayers from this point on.

Dear Mr. Olbermann: I wanted to applaud your brazen approach to paralleling the Iraqi war deaths to the deaths in Virginia. It seems to me that the word "soldier" has the meaning of expendable in the White House; not to mention all the civilians that lose their lives to a shameful cause. I am certainly not taking away from the devastation of the situation in Virginia, but It scares me that we are living in a society that allows the media to sweep Iraqi and American soldier's deaths under the carpet. I think the solution it to force everyone, including our illustrious leader to watch a whole season of M*A*S*H.

Keith...I agree we have become immune to the faceless soldiers dying everyday in Iraq...We never hear their names; We rarely see their faces. I was amazed at the media attention given to Anna Nicole's death...A strung out ex-stripper who offered the world exactly what? While day after day, soldiers kept dying as Judge Larry performed...Soldiers died with no media fanfare...Just another number in the total body count...At least blogs like this keep the soldiers in mind...The students at Virginia Tech will have their names, faces, and stories told...As well they should...They were not soldiers...Armed and able to fight back...They were students in classrooms...But we should not forget the soldiers dying day after day either...I was one of the few people even against going into Afghanistan let alone Iraq...Neither country crashed airplanes into our buildings and consciousness...I am for a war on terror, an aggressive war on terror, but not fighting a civil war in Iraq...I hope we grieve for the students at Virginia Tech and continue to grieve the soldiers who continue to die in Afghanistan and Iraq...

I think the attempt to draw a parallel between the loss of innocent lives in the VA Tech tragedy with the US soldiers in the war zones, as well as the hundreds of thousands innocent civilians around the world, is the best talked about the events unfolding in the Va Teach massacre. It simply does not seem real grieving of human loss to ignore so many dying innocently by the dingbat ego of politicians and their roundly panned mean-spirit.

I would like to make one last point or at least try. I still disagree that guns kill people... And before I get attacked again, I have never owned a gun, never shot a gun, and I have campaigned for the Brady Bill and the banning of assault weapons. The statement guns kill people is too simplistic. Guns are the means for people to kill, but something snaps in their minds before they reach for the gun. Before a trigger is pulled, a mind finds a reason, a twisted reason, to end life and pick up the gun...My point is we need to find a way to stop people before they can pull a trigger. But how? How do we defuse the internal time bombs ticking in people's minds? How can we stop the time bombs? There are reports the killer blamed the victims, saying something to the affect "you made me do this"...The killer wrote a note railing against "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans." My point is the 23 year old snapped. What happen, what experiences made him devalue life? What made him blame the victims for his rage? Guns played a part, the end game, but the killer's time bomb is the reason he pulled the trigger, set the events into action. Tightening the gun laws will help, but it appears he obtained the guns legally. His weapons of choice were two handguns. If he strapped a bomb to his chest and walked into the building or dorm or cafeteria and killed innocent people, would the crime be less heinous? We couldn't blame lack of gun control or the NRA for the bombing. My point is after years of studying human behavior, no one knows or can predict what will make an individual person snap and go on a killing spree, gun or bomb in hand...Jeffery Dahmer didn't use a gun. Another tortured mind, a ticking time bomb. Timothy McVeigh used explosives to make his statement. People can kill in many ways. We have done so for centuries. The invention of gunpowder was the beginning of the end. I detest our gun culture, using guns to solve problems, but gun control is only one part of the solution. I wish guns were the sole reason the student killed, but before his rampage, a series of events happened causing a mind to snap before he bought and used the guns. His mind exploded; life no longer mattered. How can we change that mind set? Can we? If the massacre at Virginia helps to tighten gun control laws, keeping ticking time bombs from getting guns, maybe the students' deaths won't be in vain. But the larger question is how to detect minds ticking on the brink...The killer displayed signs. One professor tried to intervene. The police said they couldn’t do anything. I wish I had an answer. Guns are only one way for killers to kill...I detest the NRA, always will. But if the killer used dynamite, poison, or fire, whom would we blame? My heart goes out to all the victims at Virginia Tech and all the victims of violent crime across the country. I would prefer a gun-less America, but the second amendment won’t be repealed. The first and fourth amendments can get repealed, just not the second. More importantly, I would prefer a world where everyone values life no matter the static in their lives..."There is always madness in love, but there is also always a reason in madness." Nietzsche

Hokies would be the last to forget about fellow Americans in Iraq. I am aware of 3 Virginia Tech Alumni killed in Iraq. Don't forget: over the years seven VA Tech alumni have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

As someone who owns guns and am familiar with them, I would not suggest that anyone rush a gunman. Mr. Derbyshire obviously has never been confronted by someone with a gun. Nor has Mr. Blake. To rush someone with a gun is foolish even under the best of circumstances. I had seen on Media Matters that a guest on one of the shows had suggested that if one of the students or the professor had a gun, they could have taken out the gunman. I would say to anyone who believes this, "leave the heroics on the movie screen." These students and this professor were probably not equipped to deal with this situation. If one or the other had a gun, a lot more people could have died. It is shamefull that any of these people died at all. The police are better able to deal with those situations and are trained to deal with the rush of adrennaline that comes with having to use deadly force.

Bravo, Mr. Olbermann, and staff. I agree with the lady from Seattle, and applaude your honoring of the troops and the citizens of Iraq, as well as the profiles of some of the shooting victims. I was particularly informed by the criminologist and the way he put a lot of this situation into perspective. -Great show.

Yes LA of Seattle I agree with you totally and am glad MR. Olbermann did his aware,kind,and non forgetting news story, "What About Iraq" along with the discussion with his friend Richard Wolffe of Newsweek.I do not want to discredit those deaths of the children/young men and women of families who will never forget.Nor do I wish to criticize their tremendous courage and acts of heroism. I have family from that are of the country,ancestors,and kin.My son went to war with some troops from back there and served as their medic. So my deepest sympathies to the families of the students. Now to try and emphasize my point daily we send men and women to a pointless mission,the President and his Boy's make up some crap to tell them as to why they are going on the mission less mission,you know limbo football,no yard markers no goal lines,just dead and injured players. So we keep getting 30 or more killed monthly,and countless others wounded.Oh I almost forgot their PTSD seems to be a little more insignificant than the kid and and kin of VT.Now that's not on the kids and kin thats on our government not paying attention,just like Walter Reed.Now I have a good Friend who just got back.He is a Corpsman,a kind have adopted as a pen pal and a Friend of my Son's.Now he was blown up either 3 or 4 times in a Hum Vee by IE'Ds taking wounded back up and down roads in Western Iraq.I think he will get to have seen his new wife all of about 10 weeks.He has some serious PTSD but still hides it with that courage shallow laugh like its all right Bob. Bodies blown to hell everyday,almost loosing his live daily,he will be going back in November,yep it's alright W go sign another WT sign. I wonder how many our kids and Fathers,Mothers,Sisters,Bothers,will be hurt or die today,how many Iraqi kids,will,die,Mothers,Fathers,Sisters,Bothers will die today.Almost forgot my son went also,he is very quiet they gave him a Purple Heart and helped saved some Marines lives and some Iraqi soldiers lives.He saw all the horrors of war as well and now has that 1000 meter stare into space.Now I am crying and I am crying for the whole Country,for the whole world,Iraq,Dafur,Afghanistan,Africa and the list just goes on and on. So Mr. President the next time the next time your out in the Rose Garden chit chatting with God or Rove/the Devil Incarnate if the got a little Koi pond or something back there there go over and take a look at the reflection and maybe God can finally reveal to you the immediate problem with Iraq.As for Rove he's a disease,kinda like the Alien Liar Movie,Or the Herpes Liar Movie,hard to get rid of like a computer email eating virus. But or Troops and Kids ,Men and Women are the Finest in the world. So to All of you Familes and Students and Students of VT and in VT I'll be praying for you,You Men and Women oversees I am always Praying for you,my friend who was blown up four times said Bob thanks those are working,to the citizens of Iraq I will be praying for you,as to those of Dafur,and the orphans of Africa, I better close this because I can feel the presence of my wife sneeking up on me who says I say grace like "Ricky Bobby".

Hey, what's with the not linking the clips thing? I don't have a TV! This is the only way I can get my Olbermann fix!

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/ http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html http://www.antiwar.com/doverimages/gallery.htm Please take a miniute to take this in. Not to throw it in your faces but this is everyday for us and after the VT horror ends we'll still be here, thousands of men and women. Someone will die but it won't amount to the news/media attention. The dead are not the top story or any story these days unless it comes with political gain. No side seems as if they care genuinely until a camera is rolling. At which point the outrage is seen world wide. Some high ranking someone is at funerals for the fallen sometimes or they were. At the begining it was protocol but that went out of the window. To many fallen and not enough time. So we were given 400,000 for life insurance instead of the 250,000 that was in place up until '05. More money for dying! Excuse my excitement but it's sold to the military like that. "Hurry sign up, look what we're doing for you!!!" The front page of the stars and stripes may echo the story from VT but on page three you'll see a break down of deaths and if there are any new ones to report.

Why don't the rest of us go berserk? That is the missing issue. Most men can kill(wars, but 99.99% never do anything like this. Why not? What is the significant difference? We will never rid the US of the 230 million guns here, but can we someday change the behavior patterns of 4th-grade bullies, and eliminate the isolation and torture that millions of children face daily? That is the only solution.

Does the need to fill column space outweigh one's sense of decency and common sense at times like this? My mind is officially boggled.

LA Seattle: Many in this country are outraged at the deaths of American military personnel in Iraq and want these brave young men and women brought home. Many of these soldiers are of the same age as those students brutally killed at Virginia Tech. and who also deserve a long and rewarding life in their future. But GW Bush and those on the right wish to "stay the course". They do not see our military personnel as individuals with their own personal stories and personal dreams and aspirations. They see them as a collective. And when they say they support the troops and ask congress for money to support the troops they speak in terms of the collective body and do not consider how staying the course will impact each and every individual soldier sent to Iraq. Where are the stories of each solider that has died in Iraq, their pictures on the news with a biography of what they had accomplished before their death in Iraq. And where has the President been when these soldiers are brought home to various airports in flag draped coffins? How many funerals of these soldiers has the President attended? I am saddened for the loss those families have experienced at Virginia Tech. But I am also saddened by the loss of each and every American soldier who has died in Iraq. I want to know who they were and what their dreams had been. I want to see them coming home and greeted at the airports with full military honors while hundreds wave flags and pay homage to their sacrafice. A TV pundit has said that the decision not to show returning soldiers killed in Iraq has been a self-imposed restriction so as to give the families of these soldiers privacy. I don't believe this is the case. This is something that this administration has pursued and demanded from the beginning so Americans would not see the returning coffins of the brave American soldiers who fought and died in this senseless and immoral war of GW Bush. GW Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Rice and all right wing TV pundits as self-loving Shawn Hannity and Fat Ass Rush Limbaugh and Nut Case Ann Coulter need to get their asses in their cars, drive, locate and stop at every single gravesite of those soldiers killed in Iraq, and pay homage to all those this administration has sent to their deaths. There is a class difference here too and everyone knows it. Those on the right are quite aware of it but don't want to admit it. And it impacts the lack of importance given to the death of these soldiers. If you were a football star we hear about you, but many of the soldiers killed in Iraq are volunteers who were not football stars and who come from low-socio economic backgrounds where college due to grades or money was out of the question. We need to bring back the draft with no deferments or exceptions allowed, period. Then we shall see how important the American soldier is to this country and these right wing administrations.

Keith...You hit the ball out of the park again!!! You are so right. We have become "numb" to ALL the tragic deaths in Iraq. Both American and Iraqi. It's a scary thought to think that we are becoming "comfortable" with war and death....unless it touches us personally. Please stay on this. If it makes some uncomfortable...that is a GOOD thing.. Bring on the discomfort, keith!!!! p.s. Your courage combined with your empathy is really beautiful.

I was just watching the coverage of the most recent violence in Iraq which has left at least 127 people dead and had this thought. People in this country are completely horrified about the 32 people dead at Virginia Tech. to the point that it's about the only thing on the news. In Iraq a number of dead like that would be considered a light day. Maybe this could finally bring home to the American people just what we have done to that country when we see a small example of what they have been faced with almost every day for four years.

Thanks KO for the way you have been handeling the Virginia Tech story. In Bush's defense, he did show up for the Convocation with Mrs. Bush. I am not a Bush supporter but the facts are, he could have sent the VP. That would be like sending Casper the Friendly Ghost. It doesnt take away from not showing up in Iraq and supporting our troops there. I also wanted just commend you KO on your new endeavors with announcing football on, who else, NBC.You are very deservant of these wonderful accolades. I know you were pretty low key on this due to the circumstances, but it should not unnoticed either. Your worst person of the week should lay off the comments, once again open mouth, insert foot. What is wrong with these peole who can't let a Nation mourn, and a college town mourn without harsh criticism of what he would have done. That is a crock, no one knows how they would respond if they were caught up in that situation. Speculation and assumptions only make you one thing, an ***! In time to come, we will all heal, but we as a Nation need to let the healing process start now. Thank you again for your on point reporting and masterfully and maturely covering this horrific topic. Denise

The comments by the Worst Person "Men" make Imus's gaffe look like nothing. These two should not be given a forum, unless it is on the campus of Virginia Tech. Let them try to float their "Wusses" theory there, and see how it is taken. It seems to me they have a twisted admiration for the Murderer, himself.

The idiots at Westboro Baptist Church are already planning to picket the funerals.

Thanks KO for the way you have been handeling the Virginia Tech story. In Bush's defense, he did show up for the Convocation with Mrs. Bush. I am not a Bush supporter but the facts are, he could have sent the VP. That would be like sending Casper the Friendly Ghost. It doesnt take away from not showing up in Iraq and supporting our troops there. I also wanted just commend you KO on your new endeavors with announcing football on, who else, NBC.You are very deservant of these wonderful accolades. I know you were pretty low key on this due to the circumstances, but it should not unnoticed either. Your worst person of the week should lay off the comments, once again open mouth, insert foot. What is wrong with these peole who can't let a Nation mourn, and a college town mourn without harsh criticism of what he would have done. That is a crock, no one knows how they would respond if they were caught up in that situation. Speculation and assumptions only make you one thing, an ***! In time to come, we will all heal, but we as a Nation need to let the healing process start now. Thank you again for your on point reporting and masterfully and maturely covering this horrific topic. Denise

Just in from the Associated Press "BAGHDAD - Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 157 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago." This is devastating beyond comprehension, and how John McCain can continues to parrot George W. Bush's lies is incomprehensible to me. How many more innocent lives will be lost before "we the people" via our Congressional Representatives & Senators demand action- and NOW!! This carnage, along with the lies spouting from George W. Bush's mouth must be stopped or God help us all!!

I've wondered myself why most Americans don't mourn the deaths of the young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why more attention isn't paid to those losses because they are such a great loss to us all. It seems that our flag should remain at half staff until all of the soldiers are home. How very sad that these deaths have gone so unnoticed.

Keith, add me to the list of those who wonder why the lives of our American soldiers and the lives of innocent Iraqis seem unimportant. THIS WAR IS UNJUST! Where is the justice here? Peace 'n' luv to all. :)

Update from the Associated Press "Baghdad death toll rises to at least 160. Attacks mark sharp escalation in violence" - How can mass murderer and war criminal George W. Bush live with himself. Not only has he destroyed an entire nation, and is personally responsible for hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths; his arrogance and incompetence rages on. As he spews his lies, standing there glassy-eyed, absolutely clueless and with his smirk of arrogance, it is a very telling story of a man absent any conscience, and without question, has no soul. I only wish I could personally order him to The Hague, where justice can be handed down to this horrid murderer!!

Where are the "good" Revs Al and Jessie when real suffering is happening for everyone regarding Va Tech?

OK, so we can't control guns. But, could the warnings about deranged individuals AT LEAST be posted to the ATF watch list, can't we better control who can buy a gun? If there had been a reasonable outlet for the warnings from VT profs, the disaster might have been averted. As a prof in a similar institution, I have expected something of this type for a long time.

The reason why those lives lost in Iraq seem "less important" is that they are not reported on fully and we don't see images of them on the news. They are ignored by the MSM, or mentioned in passing. Although the majority of Americans are now "against" the war, there is no widespread outrage. Until the MSM start showing the flag-draped coffins, and the thousands more maimed and mutilated (American as well as Iraqi), and truly reporting on the human toll of this war in terms of American lives affected, not just lost, there will be no outrage. Minutes ago, when a co-worker yelled out the daily "160 killed in a Bagdad blast today" there was little response, although there was some sadness and head shaking. I think a lot of this is that those lives are Iraqi, mostly, and people don't think of it in terms of the humanity. We need not only the "count" but the images and the real toll this takes on the soldiers killed and injured and their families. I'm NOT saying its just because the lives lost in the daily bombings are presumed to be Iraqis that we don't care. I'm just saying that when we hear the daily bombing headline, its "Ho hum, another day in Bagdad." Its too far away, literally and figuratively to become outraged. There's more talk in my office about Dancing with the Stars and American Idol than about the dead and maimed in the war.... And, LA in Seattle: the President can't come to the soldiers' memorials because that would be an acknowledgement of what's really happening. Better photo op to show up at VA Tech a day after his FIRST COMMENT to the tradgedy contained a bone to the NRA about gun ownership.

BLACKSBURG The blackbird dropped her bright red wing here today. Blacksburg, black crow, black hawk Down. Bloody Bush with his forked foot, Blackdad, Blagdad, Badman, Baghdad. Beastly Bush to wipe the tears from bloody blacksburg, with his own stained hand, his cloven tongue. He mourns 32 here, not the 33rd, age of our lord, 333000 and more Dead in Baghdad, lives out of mind, out of Time, but these, he grieves. The wonder is The deaf, dumb and blind man noticed. Perhaps Dick Shamey, or Carved Roe told him of a photo op, nearby. Another bloody feather in his flocked cap. don't mention the politics of mutually assured hypocrisy, dear mothers, or gun control, the love that dares not speak its name. 4/17/07 austin texas

Keeping the VT tragedy in perspective... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18169833/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18054335/ With the loss of a single innocent life touching so many and causing such sorrow, how you suppose the average Iraqi copes with more than 100 civilian deaths per Day, Every Day? Over 3,000 per Month? It boggles the mind.

I'm gonna scream! Repeatedly hearing Bush & Cheney lament what they perceive as America lacking a stomach for a fight is the height of hypocrisy and is truly sickening! You remember George "I avoided Vietnam providing air cover for the Alamo" Bush, and Dick "I ducked service with 5 college deferments" Cheney, don't you? The truth and facts of the matter are when these two were of "fightin' age" they didn't have the stomach for America's fight. They dodged service at all cost, avoiding it like the plague. When asked then & now, they profess their total support for the Vietnam War, but ironically used all their's and their daddys' power to avoid actual involvement therein. Having the stomach now to commit our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, husbands & wives to a bloody, overpriced perpetual war initiated on false premises does not change these facts. Bush & Cheney were chicken hawks then and remain so today. This wasting of precious Patriot Blood is criminal! With US causalities fast approaching thirty thousand, if one's support for the Iraq War doesn't extend beyond tough talk or placing a flag & yellow ribbon magnet on the back of your vehicle, it's likely long past time for you to put up or shut up! Enlist, and encourage your kids to enlist. Invest something personal in this mess! Looks like no price is too high as long as someone else is payin'.

It's hard to cope with having your son's & daughters killed for nothing and I've angered some other Viet Nam Vets with my views but it is true. Unless they died saving a buddy's life, they died for Absolutely Nothing. We went there to help prevent the North from taking over the South. Fourteen years and over 58,000 American lives later, the North took over the South. We got nothing out of Viet Nam except over 58,000 names on a black granite wall in Washington DC. Had I died there, mine would have been just one more name; nothing more. Are we more or less free as a result? Hell No! How different might things be had they not been sacrificed? It's the "they died for our freedom" BS that's so disheartening. If folks say it fast and often enough they can convince themselves those thousands of Dead & Wounded American Military personnel is the price we HAVE to pay for our Freedom then & now. It ain't so. Iraq is exactly the same as Viet Nam in that regard. In the end, I'm afraid we'll be erecting another granite wall with nothing to show but tears & sorrow. Some things are worth fighting for. This was a fight we didn't need to start.

Every hard core Iraq war hawk, including and Especially the current White House administration should enlist and encourage their spouses & kids to enlist. Invest something personal in this mess. Bush could take his whole cabinet. They could make up for all that service avoided in Vietnam. We know Cheney can shoot quail & lawyers. Give him an M-16 and drop him off in Baghdad as a Marine Private. Nope, reckon hhe couldn't be a Marine. No guts, ya know!

The news coming out of Iraq today is horrendous, truly horrendous, and Congress doesn't know how to handle this situation anymore than the President and Vice President know how to. There is no genuine leadership in this country.

Major props to Keith for having the guts to ask -- in a way that took nothing away from the tragic loss at Virginia Tech -- why there is no corresponding public outcry over the continual flow of American blood in Iraq. I'd be surprised if there wasn't some major right wing name-calling over last night's show. Perhaps we've sunk to the level of Orwell's '1984'. Recall: Endless war, against the enemy du jour, as mere background noise. Could it be that is what our own fearless leader is really after? Our government certainly has embraced the trifold motto of Big Brother: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength!

As I stated in a comment this morning that has not been posted many in Iraq are forgotten or less important because there remains a class distinction in this country and don't anyone here try to deny it. Not all but the majority of those kids being killed in Iraq were not football stars. Nor did they possess the grades or the money to attend a college before joining the military. Many come from the lower socio-economic level in this country and many volunteered to seek a purpose in life and to get the hell out of dodge. Some will attend college if they get home but most will find work in the non-professional trades, construction and manufacturing plants, etc. They were the backbone of this military and they will be the backbone of the hardworking middle class of this country when they return. But while fighting in Iraq they are our grunts and they are dispensable. You know this is how this administration views them, I know it, and most of this country knows it. This country needs a draft where there are no exemptions (0) except for those found physically and mentally incapable of participating in the military. Then let's see how many wars the right wing war mongers wish to take us into. God bless the grunt. You kids are the true Americans and I wouldn't want anyone else watching my back.

Pat-Boston: How right you are. No one has the slightest idea what to do to end this mess. Bush does not want too because he knows he will go down in history as a war monger who started and lost a senseless war. The Dems are too scared to cut his funding. And all worry what will happen to Iraq and the middle east if we just pack up and come home. My vote - just pack up and come home.

Looking for the outrage in Missouri - You are so correct; however both sadly and appallingly, George Herbert Walker Bush passed a law, stating no photos of flag-draped coffins returned with our brave soldiers could be taken. This law has remained in effect. His rationale was that he felt the "country would lose support and that moral would be affected during 'Operation Desert Storm' “ .This cowardly act makes it quite evident that his son learned “compassion and loyalty” from his father. Both Bush's loyalty is directly solely at themselves, and this is truly a disgrace.

CW. We had a saying in Vietnam, to cope with the pain. "It don't mean nothin'." A million years from now, who will know the difference?

What a great, although somewhat somber, show last night. As anyone can see from reading the above, at least those of us who blog here haven't forgotten for a moment about Iraq. But most of us are "just folks" sitting here helplessly waiting for the Congress we elected with such hope to please, please, please, please, please show some courage. Pat from Boston is correct. Sadly, there appears to be no real leadership in Congress. Maybe Mr. Olbermann should apply to be war czar. I hear the job's still open, and I'm thinking that things would probably change in a hurry.

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