What Would Lincoln Do?
Local officials say they are as prepared as they can be in the event of a mass-victim tragedy like the one at Virginia Tech yesterday. That’s probably true. But it’s also probably true that despite everybody’s best preparations, many people could be hurt or killed long before police would have a chance to do anything about it.
Events like yesterday’s really make you think about the question of “What if it happened here?” We don’t know, of course, and hopefully we never find out. Still, today is as good a time as any to ensure that your emergency plans—for your family, business, organization, or whatever—are up-to-date. You can be sure UNL, LPS, and other local agencies are doing just that right now.
The Comments
foxspit April 17, 2007 at 8:29am
It’s so hard to protect yourself against someone who has no regard for their own life. The best you can do is have procedures in place to be as safe as possible. I hope those procedures are being re-evaluated.
CP April 17, 2007 at 11:21am
My 2ยข
I don’t believe any human could do this to a community that they felt a part of. I think the best protection against this is not gun control, not security check-points, not SWAT teams or media censorship.
I believe the best defense against this is friendly neighbors, churches, schools that teach and model character, smiles, waves, and pauses to ask how people are doing.
I feel cheesy for saying it, but I believe it is true.
Fletch April 17, 2007 at 3:57pm
The whole gun control argument rings kind of hollow to me. It’s not like he followed all the other laws. Someone with no regard for life or laws could still have a gun even if that was against the law, too. Can these families and community grieve for at least a day or two before the politics and talking heads come rushing in?
I was also amazed at the stupidity of the reporter questions during the press conference yesterday afternoon. How do you “lock down” 2600 acres? It’s hard enough to lock down one building or secure it with metal detectors. Have these people never seen an operating college campus? How do u secure the thousands already walking on the campus or nearby? Or on bikes? Or cars? Or buses? Or still at home in the shower? 26,000 students is a lot. I can understand locking down a building or buildings, but you can’t secure an entire campus all at once.