Proof that even broken clocks are correct twice a day, CNN’s populist anchor and "Early Show" contributor Lou Dobbs appeared on the April 17 edition of the CBS show to provide some perspective on the recent Virginia Tech massacre. Dobbs stated that although the shooting at Virginia Tech was a terrible tragedy, it pales in comparison to some of the horrific tragedies that happen on college campuses every day. Suicide and binge drinking kill far more college students than these terrible but very rare incidents, yet the media rarely focuses on them. The transcript is below.
LOU DOBBS: Good morning, Russ, thank you. And good morning to all of you. This morning, we're grieving for the victims of what has turned out to be the deadliest shooting in this country's history and the senseless deaths, the shock of those death, of more than 30 people and the wounding of dozens more on Virginia Tech's campus won't diminish for us soon. My heart goes out to the families and the victims and all those touched by this tragedy. As we try to make sense of this madness, you and I know that in the days and weeks ahead, these horrible murders will dominate our news coverage and our national conversation. And we in the media will most likely lose some perspective and some sense of proportion. We'll be reporting on the worst shooting rampage ever in this country.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓But we will be also unlikely to report that mass shootings in this nation's elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges, as horrific as they are, number just over 200 over the past 80 years. Unfortunately, we'll also not be likely to report that on our college campuses, 1,100 students each and every year will commit suicide. The rate of drug overdoses among teens and young adults is now more than doubled over a recent five-year period. And each year, on average, there are 1,400 binge drinking related deaths among our college students nationwide. The Virginia Tech murders are horrible and senseless. And because they are dramatic, they demand our attention this morning. But for all our sakes, I hope we also ask ourselves why our society is permitting the routine slaughter of a far greater number of our young people on college campuses. We should also ask ourselves why we're doing nothing about these senseless deaths and permitting death to be a rite of passage on our college campuses.
RUSS MITCHELL: Some people are going to see this, Lou, and they're going to ask, is Lou saying that this -- school shootings are not a real issue when you look at the big picture?
DOBBS: Oh, absolutely not. I'm saying that violence on our college campuses is so, so large and so routinely ignored that we have become insensitive, desensitized if you will, to what is a national crisis. The idea that 70,000 students each year are sexually assaulted and raped on our college campuses, as I said, 1,400 dying, 1,100 binge-drinking related deaths. These are horrific numbers. And yet there is no national commission, no national outrage and call to action. And what I'm saying is, this is a great time for us to look honestly at what we're doing as a society and culture.
—Justin McCarthy is a news analyst at Media Research Center.
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I am not surprised to hear
December 17, 2007 - 06:07 ET by GordmanI am not surprised to hear about these things, students have always been more vulnerable to drugs and alcohol, and there were also many victims so far. I am surprised though to see that nobody actually had a serious thought about that, it's more comfortable to let things be, isn't it?
Drug Rehab in California
The VA Tech shooting is NOT t
April 17, 2007 - 11:55 ET by AlgerHissThe VA Tech shooting is NOT the worst mass murder in US history.
The VA Tech shooting is NOT the worst school rampage.
The Bath School Disaster...Bath Township, Michigan...1927: High property taxes caused a farmer and school board member, Andrew Kehoe, to dynamite the local school. 45 killed and 58 injured.
Rochester, Minnesota: A Fem_Leftist City!
Nice point, Alger. Also sh
April 17, 2007 - 12:01 ET by DyneNice point, Alger. Also shows once again how the MSM believes written history began when the Bush Administration took office.
From what I've seen on CNN,
April 17, 2007 - 11:59 ET by DyneFrom what I've seen on CNN, Lou Dobbs is the only one who reports what the people need to know, despite his political stance. He's the only MSM newscaster I know of who's ever tried to bring the North American Union travesty to the knowledge of the American people, stood up for Agents Ramos and Compean, and has given decent air time to Ron Paul. Hopefully what he has to say now will help people not miss the forest for the trees (though it may already be too late for a lot of media outlets).
You don't have to believe conspiracy theories, but it doesn't hurt to at least investigate them. Why? Because the wicked conspire all the time.
"And yet there is no nat
April 17, 2007 - 12:06 ET by KC Mulville"And yet there is no national commission, no national outrage and call to action."
The most frustrating part of democracy is trusting individuals to be responsible for their own behavior. There is no alternative, however. What happened at Virginia Tech was not a failure of some social policy. The response to the massacre at Virginia Tech is not some clever clause inserted into legislation. This was one person (according to reports) who violated the most basic law we already have: do not kill. It's hubris to imagine that some new law would have prevented this.
It's scary. But it's the only reality.
April 17, 2007 - 13:29 ET by Beowulf
Another frustrating point is/
April 17, 2007 - 13:32 ET by BeowulfAnother frustrating point is/will be the calls for more, better, improved, effective, etc. gun "control". It's already started, not surprisingly coming from our European coisins. Speigel Online International posted an article, some of which follows: "Across the continent on Tuesday, European media rubber-neck at Monday's massacre in the United States. Most seem to agree about one thing: The shooting at Virginia Tech is the result of America's woeful lack of serious gun control laws. In the strongest editorialized image of the day, German cable news broadcaster NTV flashed an image of the former head of the National Rifle Association, the US gun lobby: In other words, blame rifle-wielding Charlton Heston for the 33 dead."
They go on to proudly demonstrate their ignorance of even the most basic issues of their talking point, "Papers reserve their sharpest criticism for the 2004 expiration of a 10-year ban on semi-automatic weapons under the then Republican-controlled Congress. " Sorry to break the news, but the firearms used in this case were never included in the Clinton Ban, and the ban itself has been proven to have had no effect on gun crime. But never let facts get in the way of rhetoric. After all, Britain's gun ban has been sooo effective on curbing their violent crime rate, hasn't it? Yet, the British Independent goes on to define our 2nd Amendment for us, using the party line that it is the only right "of the people" that is not and individual right. They even quote some figures, namely that "on any given day about 80 people are killed by firearms" (this number included suicides). In a country of 300,000,000, that's not bad odds in my book. Sounds to me like I'm at more risk of being struck by lightening...
And let's ignore the fact that one of the measures the anti-gun crowd is always screaming for is waiting (read - "cool off) periods before purchasing a gun. Sorry to disappoint, but Virginia has a 30-day waiting period. Didn't seem to work here, did it? And let's ignore the fact that if this guy simply wanted to kill people, for whatever reason, and assuming the SP's had their way and he couldn't have gotten a gun, he could have just used his car, as happened in Chapel Hill North Carolina in 2006 when an Iranian immigrant drove his rented SUV through the local campus coffee shop (yes, he didn't even own the SUV, so a ban on oversized vehicles wouldn't have deterred the crime). While no one was killed, the potential for harm and death was great. It was only this moron's incompetance that saved lives in this case.
And let's ask one question of ourselves that the MSM will never dare ask: what if just one student in this building had been legally carrying a concealed weapon? Could literally dozens of lives have been saved by a gun-weilding, law-abiding citizen shooting this maniac before he finished his business? You decide...
Are you kidding? You can't
April 17, 2007 - 12:18 ET by mattmAre you kidding? You can't compare 2500 alcohol or suicide related college student deaths per year to this shooting. Dobbs may have a point about the media failing in its duty, but there's a big difference - binge drinking related deaths and suicide are self-inflicted.
A student has nothing to fear from a fellow student's suicide, but they have plenty to fear from homocidal lunatics, un-armed campus security and incompetent college administrators.
Dobbs should be fired for this idiotic and outrageous comparison - but he didn't say "nappy-headed ho" so he can keep his job... Sheeesh!
A student has nothing to fe
April 17, 2007 - 12:25 ET by DyneA student has nothing to fear from a fellow student's suicide
I disagree on that one. Have you ever walked into a room and found one of your best friends or roommates dead from an overdose or hanging from the ceiling? Even if his life seemed to be going well? One of my friend's uncles found his son dead in his own room after hanging himself. Just hearing about the account, I knew the first thing to hit the father was fear.
No I haven't, but you seem to
April 17, 2007 - 12:45 ET by mattmNo I haven't, but you seem to be deliberately missing my point. I did, however, have a friend who's college roomate committed suicide. He was emotionally affected by it, but he didn't die from it...as he might have if, instead of suicide, the guy had decided to commit murder... again I say, sheesh!
A student has nothing to fear
April 17, 2007 - 13:05 ET by taznarI'd say this event proves the opposite -before committing suicide, he took out as many fellow students as he could.
When was the last time someone went on a murder bent along these lines and didn't commit suicide? I'd say a student who's suicidal and maybe holds a grudge is indeed a great danger to others.
I didn't say they have nothin
April 17, 2007 - 16:00 ET by mattm<glitch>
I didn't say they have nothin
April 17, 2007 - 16:01 ET by mattmI didn't say they have nothing to fear from a suicidal person with a grudge, I was merely pointing out the obvious difference between a murderous rampage and suicide and/or alcohol/drug related deaths.
So, no. This event definitely does not "prove the opposite", but if you want to belabor a point...go right ahead...
so Justin, what is the exact
April 17, 2007 - 12:28 ET by katleeso Justin, what is the exact problem with Lou's comments/views? it's true and needs to be said and I really don't see the 'liberal bias'
I think the point is that Dob
April 17, 2007 - 12:47 ET by mattmI think the point is that Dobbs stumbled on to a good point for a change...
"And what I'm saying is,
April 17, 2007 - 13:01 ET by vrwc13"And what I'm saying is, this is a great time for us to look honestly at what we're doing as a society and culture. "
Good point Lou, let's look at what we are doing as a society and culture...
Yesterday, tragically 30 plus peoples lives were taken by one lone gunman. Yesterday 6000 plus people (doctors, mothers, and fathers) took the lives of 3,000 plus defenseless babies.
Last year, 2500 students died from suicide or binge drinking. Last year 1,000,000 defenseless babies were denied the right to ever becoming a student.
Yes Lou I agree, let us honestly take a look at what we are doing a a society and culture.
face piles of trials with smiles
MSM headline - not:Over 3000
April 17, 2007 - 13:11 ET by TruthMongerMSM headline - not:
Over 3000 infants massacred yesterday accross America - with over 3000 more slated for today, and tommorrow, and the day after that, etc, etc...
Schools...places of safety and sanctuary
April 17, 2007 - 13:48 ET by vrwc13"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary in learning," the President said Monday. "When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community."
another that should be a place of safety and sanctuary...
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13,14
maybe:
"The womb should be place of safety and sanctuary in life," the President (could have) said Monday. "When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American family and every American community and in the very heart of God." (words in italics mine)
face piles of trials with smiles
DOBBS: The idea that 70,0
April 17, 2007 - 14:27 ET by MidAmericaDOBBS: The idea that 70,000 students each year are sexually assaulted and raped on our college campuses, as I said, 1,400 dying, 1,100 binge-drinking related deaths.
Bottom line.... they'd be safer in Iraq.