THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE

CAUSE AND THE CURE

America’s Greatest Threat Is Homegrown Terrorism

PART II of A SERIES

In Part I of this series our spotlight focus was on homegrown terrorism. Most of the murders and particularly the mass murders we see in this nation are acts of homegrown terrorism. In Part I, for the purpose of this article we defined all violent crime in America and the mass murder at Virginia Tech as homegrown terrorism. When these planned acts of unconscionable homegrown terrorism become more frequent in our nation as they have in the past few years it is time to ask the really hard questions.

Certainly the professional scholars while largely avoiding the terms evil and homegrown terrorism have analyzed and studied criminal acts for decades. Many contributing factors have been and will be suggested. Law enforcement will point to the permissive laws in our society as they “lock them up” and the judicial system “turns them loose”, leading criminals to believe there is little fear of quick and sure punishment for lawbreakers. The medical experts and in particular the Psychologists will point to the mindset and behavioral influences operating in our society. The medical examiners will look for a medical condition that could have changed the mental capacity of the killer. Economists will point to the different classes of people in society and the class/poverty influences. The clergy will point to the question of higher moral laws (The Ten Commandments) of our Creator and the influences of good and evil operating upon society. Politicians who effectively are the makers and the keepers of the laws of the land will point to the vast sums of money (multi-billions) they have chunked at the problems in society for the past several decades. As is the case in the Virginia Tech tragedy, the public media will look for someone close to the tragedy to blame and they will continue that critical and judgmental dialogue for months as their ratings skyrocket (as in the Anna Nicole Smith demise). The entertainment media while marketing their violent games and programming will say don’t look at us-everyone has their own free agency. Those of us who have spent many years in the cause for legal justice reform will point to the revolving door “criminal injustice system.” The most dominant culture in America, the lawyers will undoubtedly point to the judicial system as the best system in the world to take care of the problems. Self-interest groups will contribute theories that support their own cause. Counselors will stand by to help grief-stricken parents, families and friends when these tragedies occur so that victim survivors can move on. As we crank up all the secular machinery and the best learned minds search for answers, one cannot escape the vivid mental picture of the Savior of the world centuries ago hanging on the cross as he says; “Forgive them father for they know not what they do.”

While we all search for the answers, we can thank a loving God that the victims, families and friends of the Virginia Tech School tragedy can find solace and anchor themselves to that fateful day when the Savior of the world descended below all the horrific acts of mankind and atoned for all our sins so that we might all be resurrected and continue our journey toward eternal life. That is the one bright light that continues to shine in our society while some walk toward the light and many in society walk away from that light. Although our Father in Heaven is mindful of us, each of us has been placed on this earth to learn for ourselves and exercise our free agency for a very special eternal purpose. So we must continue to search for the answers that will enhance and benefit our society and hopefully we will not destroy ourselves in the process as other nations have done in the past.

As we search for the answer to the worst mass murder to date in our history it is time to ask some hard questions regardless of where the answers lead us. Did all of these monster killers who periodically shock our very conscience suffer from some kind of medical condition? Did they all have a similar environment for the past decade and even before? Did they all have a similar family relationship? Did they all have similar interests? Did they all have negative relationship experiences? Were their actions of terror connected to a terrorist group? Did their actions and behavior raise a red flag before their horrendous act was committed? While we may find some or even different similarities in all these people that committed these acts of terror we need to look for and find the one common thread. There is only one common thread that ran through each of their lives. All of these killers were members of the exact same society. Well are you saying Sammy Sorrell that our society caused these tragedies? No I am saying if society is the one common thread then society has to be factored into the picture and closely examined. How is it you say society factors into the picture? Every member of a society and in particular a free society is subject to the influences in that society. The answer to the question of crime is not so complex as many make it out to be. Any free society is in very large part a reflection of its laws and how those laws are administered. Not only the man-made laws but also how a society keeps the higher moral laws most importantly. If you accept that premise our society is in deep trouble in both areas. Our conclusion will enlarge specifically upon this premise in a later part of this series. For now lets review some of the other influences in society that relate back to the premise.

First, lets examine the society we live in and some of the powerful influences operating in that society that we are exposed to. We can begin with the sometimes over-whelming marketing forces in our nation. Since we have so-called freedom of speech (a Constitutional law) there is hardly anything that cannot be marketed to the public and the masses. Hide behind freedom of speech and that includes almost every hurtful or immoral product the mind can conceive. That includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs and the $50 billion dollar annual pornographic industry that demeans the women and children of our nation. Then there is the media-marketing blitz with a constant onslaught of sex films, immoral and extreme behavior streaming into our homes through the Internet, live TV, DVD and other movie devices. And lets not forget the print matter like “Playboy magazine” that became an institution in our society. After this tidal wave of these marketing forces, we spend billions of dollars fighting the crimes of child sex abuse, rape and other sex offender crimes. Ultimately we have strong marketing influences that teach a nation and our young people to violate the higher moral laws of our Creator and consequently the man-made laws. Add to this the almost unthinkable mention of God or religion in the affairs of our government. What is wrong with this total picture in our society? Stay with us we will connect all the dots that lead back to the Virginia Tech massacre.

Examining our society further, we have a judicial system today that has evolved into a massive lawyer crapshoot! A criminal with a good lawyer can plea-bargain his or her way out of most any crime to a lesser offense with many getting a sentence of probation only. Swift and sure punishment is no longer a factor in our judicial system. Our justice system is a big joke to criminals. This fact is a large contributing factor to the 350% increase in crime during the past 40 years and 159,000,000 million of those crimes against Americans occurring during the 13-year period ending 2002. Yes this reflection of crime and justice in America does relate to mass murderers as criminals are often glorified in books, serial films, movies and other media coverage of crimes. In Part I of this series we stated our society has become the most violent nation on earth. Our pugilistic society has become a reflection of our tolerance for violent films and movies, violent games and other extreme behavior that pushes toward harm, injury or death. The Internet has taught our young people that there is a ready stage to perform on and get their 15 minutes of fame with their cell phone cameras and other portable high-tech photo devices filming extreme and violent behavior. Somehow in the warped perception of these mass murderers the legacy they leave behind gives them great satisfaction knowing their evil deeds will be aired over and over on TV, the Internet and every other media in the land. What is wrong with this picture?

It would be difficult if not impossible to talk about where we are as a society today with crime and other animal-like behavior if we did not reflect upon where we came from. Re-visit this site for future parts of this article that will further discuss the Virginia Tech massacre and homegrown terrorism, the greatest threat America faces, the cause and the cure.

THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE

CAUSE AND THE CURE

America’s Greatest Threat Is Homegrown Terrorism

PART I of A SERIES

On the eve of the Virginia Tech massacre, it would be difficult to imagine a subject that occupies the minds of Americans more than the subject of senseless crime! Every good and right-thinking American has a heartfelt sorrow and sadness for the Virginia Tech victims, their friends, parents and families and millions of prayers will be offered on their behalf. No two questions will arise out of this tragedy that will be asked more frequently than “what was the cause” of the worst mass shooting in American history and “what is the cure” for this type of homegrown terrorism. We will share our answer to those questions on this site and have already answered those questions in the book; “Homegrown Terrorism, The Undeclared War Against Crime In America” American Trend Publishing, Sammy Sorrell Author. The 425-page book is offered in Soft Cover and PDF format direct from the publisher at the toll free number 800-505-6555.

Since 911, the public media and the professional politicians have focused the nation on terrorism offshore. We have all been led to believe that terrorism originates with offshore culture groups or cells of those groups that have been planted within our own nation. I have said this before but it bears repeating. The greatest threat America faces is not offshore terrorism but homegrown terrorism. Terrorism by its very definition is a method used to control and intimidate with violence or force. Now lets get real about terrorism and look at our own homegrown terrorism variety. School shootings is just one tentacle of this Octopus like monster. Child abuse, domestic violence, rape, kidnapping and assault are just more tentacles of the terrorism culture. It is this author’s contention and belief that the horrendous crime culture in America is no more or no less than a culture of homegrown terrorism. If we cannot accept this fact it is likely the entire perception in this series of the cause and the cure of Virginia Tech type tragedies will not be accepted.


For the doubters lets pursue the comparison of offshore terrorism and American homegrown terrorism in loss of lives and financial cost. As of the end of 2006 and since 911 and including 911 the war on offshore terrorism has claimed nearly 8000 American lives. Certainly there are great number of injuries also to our American military men and women. The financial cost of offshore terrorism since 911 has reached a cost of approximately $400 billion dollars. Now lets make a similar comparison with homegrown terrorism. Since 911 through the year 2006 homegrown terrorism (crime) has claimed the lives of over 70,000 Americans. Many of those murders were more heinous and barbaric than those occurring in the war on offshore terrorism. One of these monsters cut up his own mother and put her in a heating stove and scattered her ashes in the backyard. Believe it or not he got a 6-year prison sentence because of a stupid-quirky law. But we will talk more about how the judicial system factors into the cause of homegrown terrorism later. Since 911 through 2006 the cost of homegrown terrorism (crime) has cost approximately $675 billion dollars annually (U.S. Justice Dept.). Multiply that time 5-years and we are talking about trillions of dollars. America is now the most violent nation on the face of the earth. The nation is number one among all nations for incarcerated prisoners. Over 570,000 prison inmates are released annually back into society. Over 80,000 illegal immigrants with known criminal records are in America and we don’t even know where they are. In the 13-year period ending 2002, Americans were the victims of 159,000,000 million crimes.


Could it be that homegrown terrorism is the greatest threat America faces? Re-visit this site for future parts of this article that will further discuss the problem of homegrown terrorism, the cause and the cure.