Virginia Tech honors its dead

ImediNews - Virginia Tech honors its dead: "The students shot dead in a dorm and classroom building received honorary degrees and their families got class rings, The New York Times reported. Pictures of the victims were shown on a large screen."

As Virginia Tech grieves, little anger expressed toward gunman

As Virginia Tech grieves, little anger expressed toward gunman: "Campus leaders, experts and those touched by the tragedy say there are several reasons for the spirit of forgiveness. Many people are too overcome by grief to think about anything else. The fact that Cho killed himself provided enough retribution, some say. Others say the forgiveness is rooted in the strong Christian values of this area.

And there's also the loyalty to the 'Hokie Nation.'

After a student organization placed the stone memorials in a semicircle last week on the main campus lawn, senior Katelynn L. Johnson added a 33rd stone for Cho. Johnson said she told almost no one about the stone because she feared a backlash.

She came forward after someone took it away, because she was outraged by the brief removal of the rock. She says she accepts all 'fellow students, faculty and alumni as Hokies' no matter what problems they have.

'I believe his life had value no matter what he did,' she said. 'We lost 33 people.'"

Virginia Tech shootings show flaws in federal database system

Virginia Tech shootings show flaws in federal database system: "Since 1968, federal law has prohibited the sale of guns to anyone adjudged mentally ill. But more than half of the states cannot - or will not - supply the necessary mental-health records to the FBI database that is used to conduct background checks on potential gun buyers.

That could change after last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech. The U.S. House is considering a bill that would encourage states to share mental-health records with the federal government by giving them more than $1 billion in grants to help cover the costs."

Virginia Tech: The futility of anger - Viewpoints

Virginia Tech: The futility of anger - Viewpoints: "Calling Seung-Hui Cho a victim is not merely a comment on his death, but also on his life. Why was his mental health not addressed more carefully? Why did Cho apparently never receive his court-mandated outpatient counseling? Why was he declared 'mentally sound' and allowed to buy a firearm after those around him suspected him of suicidal tendencies? Are these not incidences of victimization?"

Queen Elizabeth Will Pay Special Tribute To Virginia Tech Victims During U.S. Visit | April 25, 2007

Queen Elizabeth Will Pay Special Tribute To Virginia Tech Victims During U.S. Visit | April 25, 2007: "A palace spokeswoman said: 'As the queen is visiting so shortly after the tragedy, it is important that it be recognized. It's a significant and terrible tragedy.''"

Lobbyist for World's Largest Small Arms Manufacturer, Ammo Distributor Is Slated to Address Confederate Group

Lobbyist for World's Largest Small Arms Manufacturer, Ammo Distributor Is Slated to Address Confederate Group: "The bullets used by the killer at the recent Virginia Tech massacre and displayed on his DVD were also designed to explode in flesh."

Classes resume a week after Virgina Tech massacre - Nation

Classes resume a week after Virgina Tech massacre - Nation: "The memorial bell rang at 9:45 a.m., around the time when Cho killed 30 students and faculty members in a classroom building before committing suicide. The tribute lasted 11 minutes, as the bell rang for each of the victims and Cho.

'It's only been a week, but it seems so long ago,' said Marc Hamel, 43, a political science student. 'Getting back into class is really going to help.'

As the crowd broke up, people started to chant, 'Let's Go Hokies' several times.

A moment of silence was also observed at about 7:15 a.m., near the dormitory where Cho's first victims, Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher, were killed."

News - Cho's motive may be in email

News - Cho's motive may be in email: "'Seung-Hui Cho is known to have communicated by cellular telephone and may have communicated with others concerning his plans to carry out attacks on students and faculty at Virginia Tech,' police wrote Friday in an affidavit seeking records from Verizon Wireless."

'Looking Back . . . We Should Have Done Something':
"'Question Mark' was getting to be an aggravation.

The whole thing with the imaginary girlfriend, Jelly, the supermodel he'd say he was making out with in his locked room. The weird faceless picture he posted on Facebook that was supposed to be him.

Andy Koch shared a suite with Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho and others in 2005. When he heard that Cho had committed the murders, Koch recalled occasional incidents that by themselves had seemed odd but not necessarily threatening at the time. (By Charles Dharapak -- Associated Press)

Family of Virginia Tech Killer says he 'Made the World Weep'

Family of Virginia Tech Killer says he 'Made the World Weep': "The family of Cho Seung-hui, the man who killed 32 people during a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University, says 'he has made the world weep.'

In a written statement released late Friday, Sun-Kyung Cho, the gunman's sister, says her family is heartbroken over the tragedy, and apologized to the families of her brother's victims. She says the family never knew he was capable of such actions, which she described as 'unspeakable.'"

Bloody South Korean movie inspires Virginia Tech massacre - Pravda.Ru

Bloody South Korean movie inspires Virginia Tech massacre - Pravda.Ru: "It added to the debate over the influence of pop culture on heinous crimes that one of the photographs in the Virginia Tech killer's 'multimedia manifesto' may have been inspired by a bloody South Korean movie."

"'Oldboy', from the respected director Chan-woo Park, is about a man mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. After escaping, he goes on a rampage against his captor. In one stylized and plainly unrealistic scene, he dispatches more than a dozen henchmen with the aid of a hammer."