As a father of three girls, 15,13,and 10, my wife and I have always told our daughters ( usually after a bad dream ) that " there is no such thing as monsters ". However, the events of the past week in Colo. and now closer to home in Pa., we are all confronted with the reality that monsters do exist. They walk amongst us. People are quick to point fingers of blame,ie: gun control, media, Hollywood, drugs, bullies,......... and the list goes on. We need to stop playing the blame game and start taking real steps in protecting our children from these monsters. I hope that before there is another tradgedy involving our most precious resource, we get our act together and do something.

This epic tragedy of national violence has reached the tenderest in our country.

There is hope in this Country and it rises out of what is common among all men, to have joy.

Perhaps we should take some lessons from our Amish Brothers and Sisters.

Melody, Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn, And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.

I respectfully beg to differ with Mike Lawler's remarks that NBC, by covering the Pennsylvania tragedy, is "feeding the prurient interests of the tabloid mongers" and that its presence is "totally and completely unnecessary."

This is not a tabloid story. A tabloid story would be about the continuing saga of Anna Nicole Smith.

Unfortunately, NBC's presence in that grieving community is necessary--because there's been a school shooting that has killed 5 children (which would have been a horrific crime wherever it happened) but to have this happen in a peaceful Amish community which up to now has avoided having the outside world's problems invade makes it even sadder. My heart goes out to the people there--not only the parents whose children had been shot, but their friends and neighbors who now must deal with the aftermath of what happened. And to the family of the perpetrator, who had no idea what he was going to do--that's the saddest thing of all.

You'd think that what those people have been through would be enough--but according to Fox News this morning a Baptist group out of Kansas is planning to add insult to injury unless the authorities can figure out a way to stop them. This group, which is basically insane, is infamous for picketing the funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq with signs saying such things as "America will go to hell" and anti-gay slogans. I'd already thought they were stooping pretty low by picketing the military funerals--but because of some sort of beef they have with Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell, they're going to picket the funerals of the Amish girls who'd been murdered. I find this despicable. Were the Amish not such a peaceful people who, I imagine, would oppose such a thing, I'd think it would be a good idea for Rendell to send in the National Guard to keep the group away from where the funerals are being held. (I'd thought there was a recent Supreme Court ruling against this group's demonstrations--what happened with that?)

In your report on the shooting in Lancaster, PA, your reporter Ann Curry spoke of the Amish as without electricity, telephones, television, etc. with an attitude, it seemed to me, of pity, as if saying, "These poor people don't even have ..."

I want to suggest that the Amish VOLUNTARY non-industrial way of life is far more beneficial to the Earth than our "normal" American way of life. Everything normal Americans do, every product we buy, every service we use, contributes to the poisoning of the Earth's air, water, and soil - because almost every product and service is the result of modern industrial processes. All modern industrial processes produce poisons, some of which have half-lives of 25,000 years; some products produce poisons as we use them (automobiles, power plants, depleted uranium projectiles); and our non-biodegradable garbage is the big polluter on the other end of the consumer cycle. Rather than viewing the Amish as "have-nots" she should praise their techniques for living that could be adopted by millions of other Americans, as beneficial to the planet. Or perhaps she should do some research into how deadly all modern industrial processes are and thereby come to realize how much we each contribute to the poisoning of the planet on a daily basis. If we all lived as the Amish live, the planet would be a cleaner, healthier place and there would be no wars. Don't pity the Amish for voluntarily doing without our "modern conveniences." Pity the rest of us instead, for being so callous with each other and the Earth.

During the story this evening Chip Reid made the comment about the woman "likely" to succeed Dennis Hasert as the next Speaker Of The House. If you hold yourselves out to be credible "reporters of the news", how can you make such biased and factually unsupported statements. I have been a NBC Evening viewer for 15 years, but you have completely lost my viewership tyring to make the news rather than reporting it.

Editor's note: Chip Reid's report actually said "...Democrats denied the charge, and the woman likely to be speaker next year IF Democrats win control of the house fired back at Republican leaders."

Brian opens with, "It's so painful to think about the murder of the innocent children in Lancaster, PA; and the 'next worse' thing is the invasion of the privacy and the television scrutiny of the Amish families who grieve their losses" [ a rough paraphrase].
Let's not forget, NBC makes a conscious choice to be on sight, feeding the purient interests of the tabloid mongers... and I'm quite sure NBC can offer a perfectly sound rationale about the public's right to know.
But, in fact, your presence in Lancaster is totally and completely unnecessary, and an affont to the civil liberties of the affected families.

So, it turns out the perpetrator was another child molester. It's hardly surprising, given the apparently low priority some law enforcement agencies give to this issue. To wit:

CREW URGES DOJ I.G. TO PROBE WHY FBI FAILED TO INVESTIGATE FOLEY EMAILS SENT BY CREW THIS SUMMER
Administration Officials Must Explain Lack of Action

http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=163

Having been a Congressional Page in 1998, I am fully aware of these type of allegations and the kind environment that goes on for pages in DC. I am confident we have only seen the tip of the Iceberg on the allegations regarding members of Congress and Pages - having been specifically warned about 3 members of Congress at the time, eventually all of it will soon come to air out!

The Foley scandal will have a huge effect on the Midterm elections, for it will create a mood of apathy among Christian conservatives who will view the GOP as hypocritical on their bread and butter issues: protecting families and children. The mere hint of a cover up on Foley gate is the final nail in the coffin for the GOP this election cycle.

I truely can see why some of the media aren't running with the foley matter. But, then again, ABC is.

Keep the House Leadership accountability story front and center. Schools and congressional pages both require safety from adults who misuse power.

Re: Iraq - there is even still more escalation and loss of American and Iraqi life. The Iraq civil war needs to be brought home to Americans because there is no Rumsfeld support of troops on the ground.

The Navy deployment and build up in the Persian Gulf and Eastern Med. needs coverage - in case Bush plans an Iranian strike October surprise.

And Frist's comment of wanting to include the Taliban in the Afghan government must not be overloked. From Bush's mantra of going after those who support the terrorists, to the lack of progress on capturing Osama bin Laden, this stays the course of Republican hypocrisy.

Too many news items for a half hour review, but it's imperative not to let these key issues fade.

-Most US Public Schools don't have ANY security. How would they pay for that, when they don't have the budget for, basics, books, equipment, teachers, arts programs...the list is endless.