I left the last post up for a week because I knew it would generate conversation, and I think conversation is important after events like this. I knew I would be criticized. I knew there would be a lot of tsk-tsking. But that doesn't change the facts of the situation.

I appreciate those who proposed their own ideas. I think bringing campuses under city police jurisdiction is a good idea. And I also believe that students with mental illnesses, especially those deemed dangerous, have no business living in a college dorm. Thanks for the ideas and the input.

And as for the "bad things happen" theory...well, I'm sorry but I don't buy it. I refuse to shake my head and say 'that's a shame' and 'oh well, life sucks' whenever something of this magnitude happens. That's the kind of attitude I take when I get a flat tire. When a student once declared mentally ill buys a gun legally and blows away over thirty of his classmates, then that signals to me the presence of a serious problem that should be fixed. I'm not going to just shrug my shoulders and say there's nothing I can do.

We are now nearly 6 years since 9-11. We are engaged in a global war on terror. Many of you may not believe that or share that sentiment, but you can bet our enemies do. They've been at war with us much longer than we've been at war with them. And so, 6 years after 9-11, a terrorist walks into an American college classroom and commits mass murder, and no one (save for one) acts to stop him. Yes, that bothers me.

If Katrina didn't teach us, then Virginia Tech hopefully will. The government, whether it's the police, the Dept of Defense, Homeland Security, FBI, CIA or anyone else with a badge and a title, they can't protect all of us all the time. There is a chance that at some point in our lives we will come face to face with evil, and there will be no allies around to help, no government aid, no FEMA. And evil will never just go away. At some point we're gonna have to fight back. At some point we must say enough is enough. That's what I believe and, yes, that's what my children will be taught. If enough people felt the same, then those who do evil would have few places to hide and, although they may prosper for a time, that prosperity would always be short-lived.