Tragedy

There's an interesting summary of international reaction to the terrible events at Virginia Tech on CNN.com. The article highlights press coverage from India (there are many Indian students that Virginia Tech, and of the professors killed was Indian), South Korea (they worry about backlash against Korean communities in America), and Britain (which focuses, unsurprisingly, on American gun laws. They conclude, sadly, that nothing much will change).

The emotional side of me who remembers my college years still quite clearly can't even manage what it must be like for students on campus, for the families of the victims. Just awful.

The more aloof and cynical side can't help but think that there Karl Rove is thrilled that this opportunity has arisen for Bush to play the concerned, fatherly, in-charge figure that played so well post 9/11. I'm sure the administration can't help but welcome a short break from the constant criticism.

I can't help but wish that Bush would show the same level of compassion and sympathy for the 1000s of innocent Iraqi who have lost their lives in what many consider the same senseless way. And the 10,000s Sudanese in Darfur. How does any of that make more sense?

I'm not saying it wasn't a terrible, horrible event. But when you step back and look at it on a global level (which I can though I know many can't, understandably) it's unfortunately just a tiny drop of blood compared to the pool that the world amasses daily from war and disease.