Wow, Dotsie, that's too close for comfort. As far as the 19 year old killer, I think there is a point of conscious activity and a point of no return. If I may, I'd like to relate this to my own suicide attempts at his age. It was at this time of year. I thought I'd quietly take pills, and leave others out of my attempt. While driving to the motel to take the pills there, I thought about veering over the line and letting a semi hit me head on. Then I made the conscious choice not to involve others; maybe the driver had a family he was gong home to for Christmas. Using my own experience at that age as a frame of reference, I can assume that he made the conscious choice to commit suicide as well as homicide, and then, in the suicidal "trance" (an actual psych term" he got to the point of no return whereby he could not, would not change his mind.

A person being sad and desperate enough to want to end his or her life is tragic in itself but why, oh Lord why, do they have to take innocent unsuspecting people with them, people who loved life and wanted to live...It is the Devil at his best!

We have a popular church here in Colorado Springs called "New Life." It has a congregation of 10,000. Right now a gunman is holding people hostage in the church. As he entered the church this morning, he was shooting people in the parking lot. Last night a missionary church was hit by a gunman who shot 2 people, here in CO Springs. What is going on?

Everyone has said it, we make mental illness a stigma, we wash our hands of addicts and then we wonder why there are those that feel cut off from society? Why are there those that are poorly socialized? We can't keep hiding from those that suffer from things we don't understand: Mental Illness and Addiction, or it will find us in such a way that there is no turning back! It's a hard lesson to learn and I could be next as a victim, but I know that we as a society can do much more for those suffering from unpopular illnesses!

What was this boy addicted to? What illness was ignored by those who were supposed to take responsibility for him? It is always a story like that. If this boy was thrown out of his home, he slipped through the cracks of societies net for those who are suffering from something, and was able to blow up all over our hearts. It's just so sad. I, too, fear for my family, but I don't think we can say that this person was pure evil when he was born, evil found him,...how?
dancer

Yes, that is true dancer. My counselor told me: "You were not born insane. You were born sane to an insane family." She also told me that children are born to expect to give and receive love, period. The young man perhaps was not addicted to a substance, but to a need: the need to give and receive love. He craved it. And he got it in the form of post-humous attention, at the expense of many others.

The saddest thing to me is the possibility of someone saying or doing the one thing to/for these people that would have made a difference.
For me, being taught suicide is the unforgivable sin (I now know this is incorrect) was my safeguard - a scare tactic. But, had someone taken a real interest in me, not only might I have had a loving safeguard, but years of misery could have been avoided. (I only speak of this, as Princess has, because it was my experience.) I've come to realize how unlovable I was and can excuse everyone who didn't take the time, but I honestly think it would have only taken one person to make my life so different.
We are all connected, whether we like it or not. Even remote throws effect us through the ripples.
As for the violence being a "holiday" thing... is it really?

This is why I am thankful DH and I stay INDOORS as much as possible. We do not go to malls, church, stores (except for groceries, incidentals etc.) We do not drive at night anymore etc.

We have created our own environment at home...thank God for the internet!!

There's a fine line between being cautious and becoming a recluse and paranoid. Staying indoors indefinitely is sure way to drive yourself nuts and be alone with one's thoughts. I do think that the holidays strike a raw nerve in many people and some go over the edge if they were already headed that way.

Have surveys in America found a correlation with these insane assassinations and being addicted to violent computer games?

They have in Germany.

I believe authorities have to get to the root of the problem. These sick murder games should be banned. Just watching one for 5 minutes made my stomach turn, and these kids do it daily hours on end. Something in their head has to snap. Psychiatrists say these people confuse their realities, and these games isolate, cause aggression, and diminish any conception of the value of life.

Why do parents allow this? And I know of no politician in Germany or America that has this topic in his/her campaign. Why? Why? Why?

Hannelore,
I have to agree with you regarding the games and the entertainment that affect young people in a deep way causing a lot of the problem.

As an entertainer, I know that young people are trying so hard to find an idenity in something OTHER than themselves! They are afraid so they idolize this or that, a person or a game, or anything they can wrap themselves around that gives them a feeling of belonging.
The problem is that we offer them so many negative things to wrap their lives around! Lyrics DO affect the listener and this is coming from a singer who should want NOT to be censored! I believe that these kids that act like sheep, and I do mean sheep, I've seen them, have to be guided in a better direction and have better role models! It's easy to get a "hit," using shock lyrics or shock photos or shock in your video game so people do it! The bigger the shock, the more the teen or young person who is not satisfied by their lives with wrap around it! We, as performers, KNOW this! I think it is our responsibility and the responsibility of those designing games and programs, to set up some role models for these desperate young people looking for idenity to latch onto! I've seen them, groupies for games, bands, Television shows, hooking into whatever violence is handed to them because it makes them "belong," and it takes them away from being a child, (in their minds,) and out of their parents world.
We must pull them back in and an artist has his/her responsibility, I believe, to help that to happen!
It maddens me to see what some of my peers will release just for attention and the money they can make. They even design their music to affect audiences in the sexual parts of their bodies, and we can do it, believe me! A good bass and a good drum will make your audience go straight to the sexual in a min.!
There is a science to entertainment, it's not just a dream world. We know what we are doing, if we are good. We need to police each other to make things better.
As to other countries putting this stuff out, we as American artists and designers cannot stop it. Other countries do flood our stores with this sort of negative game and music, etc... It's not right.

My opinion,
dancer9