I really don't know which way to go or even where to begin with the Virginia Tech tragedy -- only that it's the first media circus I've actively paid attention to in a long while, for obvious reasons. Number one being: in addition to the world-at-large's general horror and sadness, you could sense the collective heart-sinking of the Asian community when Seung-Hui Cho's identity was revealed. But how much should race really come into play when you're essentially dealing with a psychopath?

(Photo copped from this morning's front page of The New York Times)

However, the gun issue is more tangible, and here is the best opinion I've read on the matter so far, posted as an anonymous comment on newscientist.com:

"Okay, fine. There should be one, simple, rapid-loading hand gun distributed to every person in the U.S. No matter the age, no matter the criminal record. (Because we all have a right to bear arms, right?) Everyone gets a gun. Then we'll all be safe from gun-toting madmen ... except that we'll all be gun-toting madmen, paranoid about all the other people who are carrying guns. I've never understood the gun culture, but i guess that's because I don't have a need to kill things. And last time I checked, that's what guns do. But there's no point in arguing because trying to have an intelligent conversation with a gun-lover is like trying to find good pizza in Boston." Cheers to that.