Sick society

Why does anyone get targeted for rage? What is it about this world that drives disturbed people to vent their wrath on the innocents? And, now the peace-loving Amish have to endure deep losses from an insidious sickness that pervades the world outside of their sanctuary of tranquility and simple living. I know---life isn't fair, but this event seems to go far beyond the parameters of any ugliness we're forced to accept about what humans will do to other humans.

I agreed with Katie Couric last night who commented that the news of yet another school shooting---this time in a one-room country school house made her sick to her stomach. Trying to understand anyone in a fit of rage so perverted that they would stoop to lining up little kids in front of a chalk board and execute them one by one defies any morsal of logic.

It seemed to me after hearing yesterday's news and after last week's news of two other rampages of school violence that the perpetrators are almost engaged in a contest to one-upsman over what the most recent madman has done before.

The night before I'd listened to a "60 Minutes" segment about teenage boys who get their jollies from seeking out the homeless and beating them to death with baseball bats. Ed Bradley said it's a prevalent trend, not heard to the extent of yesterday's news because these young men focus on what they consider the dregs of society. They also consider their unspeakable acts as entertainment.

In the report, Bradley also interviewed a young man who's reaped more than a million dollars for the movie rights to his videos portraying homeless people doing stupid things after being tanked up on his donated alcohol. The film maker indicated no remorse for stooping so low. Watching this made me want to vomit.

And, then to hear yesterday's story of a seemingly well-adjusted family man going one step further on the ladder of making the stunned masses ask, "What next?" I felt sick to my stomach listening to the details of yesterday's atrocity. I'm sure our American public is wondering this morning, "What next?" How low can we go, and why have the helpless become a new and popular target for such warped minds?

I think it will be a long time before we ever understand any of these despicable events. For now, my heart goes out to all the innocents and their families who have lost so much thanks to someone else's inexplainable insanity.

The truly sad part is that all the television talk shows will perpetuate the problem as they enjoy ratings boosts when the "experts" try to dissect the problem. Moreover, the really cruel irony is that these media discussions may foster ideas for even more disturbed minds to act on their inner demons.