Followers

14 February 2008

Tonight we are all Huskies

Another campus shooting, this time in my home state of Illinois.

At 3:15 Central time this afternoon a former NIU grad student stormed into a lecture hall with multiple weapons and started firing. His last shot was to himself on the podium at the front of the lecture hall.

Including the gunman as of 9:00 p.m. there are 6 dead, 14 wounded.

Northern Illinois University is in DeKalb, IL about 60 miles south of Chicago.

No motive or identity of the gunman has been released.

Strangely, last night I just added to my blogsite sidebar the poem written and delivered by Nikki Giovanni at the memorial service for the students gunned down April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech. My kids had friends at VT who were shot. I lived in Richmond, VA for 12 years and the Virginia Tech Hokies were well known to all.
We were all Hokies.

April 16, 2007 everyone became Hokies in support of the tragedy at VT.

And tonight, the nightmare has returned.

A week ago tonight 6 people were murdered at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, MO. The last of the funerals was held this afternoon.

Our nation is a very scary place.

This could happen at any college campus or mall or gathering.

I am simply heartsick.

What is wrong with our nation?

Our world?

Tonight I ask for your thoughts and prayers for the students, faculty, family and friends of NIU as once again we support another college campus that has been turned into hell on earth.

Tonight we are all Northern Illinois University Huskies.

5 comments:

Unknown said...
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Anonymous said...

very well said, Ness. it is so sad, so tragic. so senseless. all my prayers with the college and their families.

Have a great weekend, my dear.

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

My heart aches...

They are all in my prayers.

Hallie

Steph said...

My heart is sad for the lose of life of people who are just starting to fill their potential. My prayers are with them all.

Steph

Unknown said...

Best of wishes to everyone who has been touched by yet another sign of a world gone wrong.