You've got to be kidding me

While many of us are shaken to the core by the VT shootings, plenty of media corps are lining up to take advantage. My vote for most sensationalist bleat so far goes to Inside Edition:

INSIDE EDITION has obtained court documents showing Cho had several run-ins with the law. He was pulled over twice for speeding, the latest offense taking place April 7th, just 9 days before the massacre.

He was charged with speeding, driving 44 mph in a 25 mph zone, and was scheduled to appear in court on May 23rd.

Come on, now. We are all desperate to know why. The media lie when they promise us easy answers.

RIP to all the fallen, and comfort to their survivors.

"We" are Muslim, Too

Dear Editor
It was a shame to open the DNR and read a letter suggesting that "We are at war with Islam." What could that "we" have meant? Certainly it could not refer to Americans. A war with Islam would threaten millions of Americans who profess the Islamic faith, and destroy the religious freedom that has been claimed as an American core value since the nation's founding.
The letter-writer suggests that we remember 9/11, and it is good if we do. Muslims died that day who were not hijackers. Muslim Americans died at work in the twin towers, whether waiting tables or managing large-scale financial transactions. Muslims were among the innocent passengers on the planes that were turned into bombs. There were also Muslims in the ranks of the emergency responders who died trying to rescue people, and who are rightly remembered as the heroes of that grim day.
Recently a farm in this area was damaged by fire. Members of Harrisonburg's Islamic community were at the front of the line to offer whatever help they could. The spirit of cooperation and mutual aid among people of different faiths went far beyond "tolerance." It was an example of a kind of "we" to be proud of and to cultivate: we in America help each other in a crisis. I hope this sense of community among neighbors can't be injured by a few hateful words in a newspaper.
Sincerely,
Ben Chappell
Harrisonburg