Tragedy once again strikes in an American school.

Tuesday, March 06, 2001

Tragedy once again strikes in an American school.

Two children are dead and more than a dozen wounded at the hands of a 15-year-old boy.

Charles Andrew Williams allegedly opened fire at Santana High School, killing two and injuring 13 in a middle-class San Diego suburb.

Classmates said he was constantly teased.

In the wake of the Columbine massacre, various issues were thrust underneath a microscope in search for answers. Who could we possibly blame for the two misguided youths’ actions? Who can we blame now?

Is it violent video games? Can we blame the angry lyrics of musicians such as Eminem, Marilyn Manson and the like? Is it the result of bad parenting? What about the school bullies? Can we blame the person who allowed a child access to guns?

The truth is, there is no one thing to point to, no one person or aspect of our culture to blame.

Plenty of kids are bullied, enjoy "Duke Nukem," can rap along with the raunchiest, say they hate their parents and yet still have no desire to pick up a weapon and steal the life of another child.

While it certainly isn’t fair to blame the parents for the actions of their children, it is the parents’ main responsible to care for their children, to help them through the rough spots.

Also, Williams allegedly made threats prior to the shooting, but those he told thought he was joking. Such threats should be taken seriously and reported to the authorities.

It also bares reminding that no one expects such a horrific act to occur in their community. It would be naïve for the residents of Austin and Mower County to deny that such a thing could ever happen here. ‘