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I had this as a rolling update on another blog post, but I'm just giving it its own post, so I can keep updating:

Pictures and names of victims are starting to come out. This is partially speculative, but I've read that Emily Hilscher, an 18-year-old from Woodville, Va., was the first victim, and perhaps involved with the shooter (Update: Later reports indicate that the shooter may have been stalking her, and a friend of hers said on Fox that she didn't know anything about her being involved with him). She and Ryan Clark, her neighbor in her dorm, who reports say may have come to her assistance, were shot in the early-morning incident.

Emily Hilscher, may she rest in peace:

Another, clearer picture of Hilscher, who was quite the equestrian.

Ryan Clark, may he rest in peace:

Ryan, nicknamed "Stack," was from right outside Augusta, Ga. His twin brother talked to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Clark, who had been at theschool since 2002, had completed his coursework and was set to walkacross the graduation stage in May with bachelor's degrees in biologyand English, his twin brother said Monday night.

He intended to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience.

He had been a resident advisor at the coed dormitory for two years, his brother, Bryan, said.

Known as 'Stack' around campus, Clark was also a member of theschool marching band, the Marching Virginians, that performed at theChick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta last December.

The university paper is listing the confirmed deceased throughout the day (via Allah), as names come out, all of whose MySpace pages are heartbreaking testaments to the short lives they led, and a place where friends and strangers alike are flooding in to leave supportive messages by the hundreds.

 I like to play lacrosse. My favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough. My favorite color is blue. My birthday is Jan. 30.

Matt La Porte, a 20-year-old from New Jersey, who liked metal a lot, and looks to be a very proud graduate of Carson Long Military Institute in Pennsylvania. He had recently posted a picture of himself as a pre-teen, in Carson Long uniform, as his MySpace picture. It had been sent to him by a friend two weeks ago, who found it in an old batch of pictures.

May he rest in peace.

Maxine Turner, a 22-year-old from Vienna, Va., whose friends called her Max. In life, she would have liked to have met "Shakespeare, Christian Bale, John Cusack" (tell me about it, girl).

May she rest in peace:

Christopher J. Bishop, a 35-year-old German professor who enjoyed photography, was killed while teaching his introductory German class. The gunman reportedly entered and shot into the classroom for more than a minute. Bishop earned his degrees at the University of Georgia, and continued to follow the Atlanta Braves after he left the state.

On his personal Web site,Bishop, a photographer, described himself as "mild-mannered,""bespectacled" and "heroically pursuing creativity."

"Victory or no, the glasses always stay on," he wrote.

He spent four years in Germany, one on a Fulbright fellowship.There, he wrote, he spent most of his time "learning the language,teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing acertain Fraeulein."

The woman later became his wife and is also on the faculty of the college's foreign languages department.

The L.A. Times, citing those who knew Bishop, said he wore his hairlong, rode his bike to campus, was an avid hiker and movie fan..

May he rest in peace:

Ross Alameddine, 20, from Saugus, Mass., was a sophomore English major gunned down during French class. From his MySpace page:

If only you were here to read this Ross... You'd know what animaginitive, intelligent, compassionate and most of all hystericallyfunny human being you were, and how appreciative I am to have spentlast summer working with such a great kid.

My every thought is with you and your family.

Caitlin. Thanks for always being a friend. Wish we got to spend more time together.

May she rest in peace.

Reema Samaha, of Centreville, reportedly went to high school and college with the shooter, and was shot while in French class. Reema's brother Omar was on the "Today" show talking about the family's trials:

Omar Samaha said his father heard about the shooting from a news report.

"Wekept trying to call her and we couldn't contact her all day and herfriends couldn't contact her. We finally got a phone call from one ofher friends saying she was in that building," he said. "We ended upgetting into the car and driving down here. We found out from a friend,who had a friend who is an EMT and he was in her ambulance."

May she rest in peace.

Daniel O'Neil, of Lincoln, R.I., was a songwriter and gifted guitar player, who put acoustic tracks together using his computer and the mike that came with it. Listen to his music on his MySpace page, here.

He left a "disturbing note" behind:

The student killed two people in a dorm room, returned to his dorm room where he re-armed and left a"disturbing note" before entering a classroom building on the other side of campus to continue his rampage, sources said.

Cho's identitiy has been confirmed with a positive fingerprint match on the guns used in the rampage and with immigration materials. It is believed that he was the shooter in both incidents yesterday. Sources say Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol, sources said. Witnesses had also told authorities that the shooter was carrying a backpack. Sections of chain similar to those used to lock the main doors at Norris Hall, the site of the second shooting that left 31 dead, were found inside a VirginiaTech dormitory, sources confirmed to ABC News.

Va. Tech administrators and local law enforcement is still holding up that story about there possibly being another shooter, which I never thought made a whole lot of sense, but nonetheless:

President Charles Steger told "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer that police were still investigating the possibility of a second shooter, and said authorities had already interviewed one "person of interest."

"There may be others," said Steger, who will join the Virginia Tech chief of police at a press conference Tuesday morning. "We just don't know."

Steger also said that authorities hoped to have ballistics evidence to release that would confirm a connection between the two shootings.

Update: In the midst of tragedy, there are always heroes. Meet Prof. Liviu Libresc, a 75-year-old Israeli teacher who was killed while holding the classroom door shut so his students could escape through the windows. Amazing.

More updates at Hot Air, where Allah's speculating about how the shooter managed to be so deadly if he was spraying bullets randomly. There have been reports that he lined people up and shot them execution-style, but it seems likely his captors would have turned on him once they saw what was in store for them. The death toll is so high, it seems he would have had to be awfully accurate with a 9 mm, and particularly the .22, to reak so much havoc.


The eye-witness accounts and reconstruction of this crime will be absolutely chilling. It's just so unspeakably sad.

The convocation is at 2 p.m. today, and President Bush and Gov. Tim Kaine will be attending.

Update: Playing dead:

A gunman who killed at least 30 people in one of two shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech was dressed "almost like a Boy Scout," saida student who survived by pretending to lie dead on a classroom floor.

"He just stepped within five feet of the door and just started firing,"said Erin Sheehan, who was in one of the Norris Hall classrooms wherethe second shooting incident took place.

Sheehan described the gunman -- who later shot and killed himself, according to police -- asa young man wearing a short-sleeved tan shirt and black ammunition vest.

"He seemed very thorough about it -- getting almost everyone down -- I pretended to be dead," she said. (Watch student describe surviving by playing dead )

"He was very silent," said Sheehan, one of only four students in her 25-student German class who were not shot.

The gunman left but returned in about 30 seconds. "I guess he heard us still talking," said Sheehan.

"We forced ourselves against the door so he couldn't come in again, because the door would not lock."

The man tried three more times to force his way in and then began firing through the door, she said.

Update: One doctor at the Blacksburg hospital said he didn't see a victim come in who hadn't been shot at least three times.

Update: Details on the note Cho left behind, and possible warning signs:

Cho had shown recent signs of violent, aberrant behavior, according toan investigative source, including setting a fire in a dorm room and allegedly stalking some women.

A note believed to have been written by Cho was found in his dorm roomthat railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus.

Cho was an English major whose creative writing was so disturbing thathe was referred to the school's counseling service, the Associated Press reported.

Professor Carolyn Rude, chairwoman of the university's English department, said she did not personally know the gunman. But she said she spoke with Lucinda Roy, the department's director of creative writing, who had Cho in one of her classes and described him as"troubled."

"There was some concern about him," Rude said. "Sometimes, in creative writing, people reveal things and you never know if it'screative or if they're describing things, if they're imagining things or just how real it might be. But we're all alert to not ignore things like this."

Update: Pictures and names of victims are starting to come out. This is partially speculative, but I've read that Emily Hilscher, an 18-year-old from Woodville, Va., was the first victim, and perhaps involved with the shooter. She and Ryan Clark, her neighbor in her dorm, who reports say may have come to her assistance, were shot in the early-morning incident.

I moved the victim remembrances to a new post, here, and I'm continually updating.

Update: Even Cho's roommate didn't know him well:

Mr. Aust spoke just outside his room, on the wall outside the doorwas Mr. Aust’s name was with that of his roommate, spelled “Sueng-ho,”on an orange cutout of a fish provided to all the students by theresident advisor when they moved in last August.

“He was alwaysreally, really quiet and kind of weird, keeping to himself all thetime,” he said. “Just of anti-social, didn’t talk to anybody. I triedto make conversation with him in August or so and he would just giveone word answers and not try and carry on the conversation.”

He said it was a creepy quietness.

“Iwould notice a lot of times, I would come in the room and he would kindof be sitting at his desk, just staring at nothing,” he said.

He sounds anti-social in the extreme, not just a "loner," as they're often described. Fox is reporting that, on the first day of an English lit class, he refused to introduce himself, and gave his name on a sign-in sheet as just a question mark.  

Update: Allah finds word that the killer warned "im going to kill people at vtech today," on an online forum.

Dan Riehl is tracking down rumors about the possible relationship between Cho and Emily Hilscher. Some have said they were involved. Some have said he may have been stalking her. At least one of her friends said on Fox News she was not aware that Emily knew the killer at all.

Emily had broken upwith Cho-Seung-hui about two weeks prior to yesterday, what had startedas a promising relationship had turned into a controlling, almostvolatile situation. Cho Seung-hui was very dependent upon Emily. Helooked to her as his ’saving grace’ and felt that every spare momentthe two had, should be spent together. At first, Emily was charmed byhis attentiveness, but began to slowly feel isolated, controlled,stagnant. Cho Seung-hui didn’t take the break-up well, for the past twoweeks he had been trying to convince Emily they belonged together.

Who knows? For what it's worth, Emily's MySpace page, the last login for which is December '06, makes reference to what sounds like a promising new relationship:

i am the pixie. my friends are what keep me smiling. i live inbumfuck...but i make the best of it. i unfortunatly am alone... allalone.. i live love and get booted but eventually that will change.have a wonderful guy who is hopefully going to change all of that...but dont know what is going to happen.

But this is from the description on her memorial Facebook group, which appears to have been started by a very close, long-time friend of hers:

EMILY HILSCHER IS NOT RELATED TO THE SHOOTER IN ANY WAY REGARDING A SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP. SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH KARL THORNHILL.

Here's a screencap from the Facebook group:

it feels unlikely that the killer had a romantic relationship with Hilscher. In all of her profiles and pictures, she seems very social, outgoing, well-liked. How would she become involved with an anti-social loner who would barely talk to other people on campus?

Update: The Hilscher/Cho connection is officially debunked by Hilscher's best friend and roommate. The rumors were apparently sparked by the fact that Hilscher's boyfriend was an avid gun-user, which made him a "person of interest" in her shooting. That would explain the "domestic dispute" angle, and the weird messages during the press conference yesterday that there may have been two separate shooters.

Had they happened months apart, the Imus incident -- and the VA Tech massacre -- both would have had the potential to reignite the debate over video games, music and lyrics.  Combined, the debate is inevitable.

Where's Tipper???

I'm not going to go after rap music or violent video games.  That's not my shtick (I'll let that up to others ... they've got lots to work with).  But this did make me think about the powerful influence media (movies, video games, etc.) has on our culture -- and more specifically -- our politics. 

And I did want to share a couple of instances where I think the Left does a much better job of spreading their message than we do. 

This first video I wanted to share is called Land of Confusion.  It's a cover of an old Genesis tune (the original video mocked Ronald Reagan):

When it first came out, this video was on MTV constantly.  In my estimation, the obvious message is anti-capitailst, but I'll let you decide for yourself ...

Here's my hypothesis, though:

While conservatives seek to find ways to use YouTube and modern technology to get our overt political messages out -- the political left is more savvy -- they cloak their messages in music and entertainment.  (The best propaganda is that which appears to be neutral).   

Any wonder why we often lose public policy battles?  Any wonder why we win elections at the same time the culture moves further to the left?

On a more overtly political note, here's Pink's recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Personally, I think the tune isn't half bad.  But the politics is obviously liberal.  Will the average kid who is staying up late buy into her argument? 

Of course, these are just two examples.  The truth is that conservatives are outmaneuvered on this front every day.  We've got our work cut out for us ...

... until Thursday.

From Salon: 

"The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed Tuesday's questioning of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on the firings of eight federal prosecutors, saying the proceedings would be inappropriate in light of the Virginia Tech shootings."

Geoffrey Gray of NY Mag writes:

Rudy Giuliani, speaking about terrorism and the Iraq war, said last week, “It is something I understand better than anyone else running for president.” How long will John McCain—a real-life war hero down seventeen points in the polls—stand for such bluster, considering the lengths Giuliani went to to stay out of Vietnam?  ...

He won’t mention Rudy’s military history—yet. It’s too early in the primary cycle to go negative. But opponents know this is the warrior-mayor’s biggest weakness. “If Giuliani is the nominee, we’re going to hammer him with ads, and it’s going to be easy because the issue is simple: He’s a draft dodger,” says Jon Soltz, an Iraq vet who served as a captain and runs VoteVets.org, a left-leaning version of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. “Giuliani gets a zero-zero,” says General Wesley Clark, an adviser to the group. “He wasn’t willing to risk his life for his country, and he has no relevant experience that’s in any way useful to be commander-in-chief. He hosted the U.N. and had a large police force.”

The Left is clearly looking for paybacks.  They are still mad about what happenend to John Kerry in '04.  They are also upset that they weren't able to take George W. Bush down with his national guard service.  They can't go after McCain, so Rudy is their newest target.

On the bright side; I don't see this working, do you?

Heart-ache?

To be clear, I'm not saying that Obama, Hillary, and Edwards care any more about the suffering on the ground in Blacksburg, Va. today than Mitt, McCain, and Rudy.

But to look at their websites, you wouldn't know a thing about what Mitt, McCain, and Rudy think about this national tragedy. It's doesn't mean they're terrible, selfish men, as I'm sure the Left will infer. On the contrary, I'm sure all of their thoughts and prayers are with the kids of Blacksburg, just as all of ours are. But the fact is that the Big Six in the presidential race are huge, public figures who are required, for better or worse, to have a public position on every issue, ever. Today is certainly no exception.

Political web operatives on the Left understand that websites move with the news, and are sometimes the fastest way to move those messages. Today, the Dem candidates' sites reflect that and the Republicans' do not. Here are the front pages of the three Dem front-runners' websites today:

Obama:

Simple. It's what everyone is talking about today. It's both sensitive and sensible to recognize that. And, it's not exploitative unless you're attaching it to a fundraising letter about gun control or something, which they're not.

On the other hand, check out the Republican Big Three's sites today.

McCain: 

Giuliani:

(All screenshots are from around 4 p.m., which should have been plenty of time to get something updated on any modern website after the story broke.)

It's not a huge deal. I'm sure all three Republicans will release statements on the events of today, if they haven't already, but not recognizing a major national event on your website makes you look, at best, out of the loop, and at worst, insensitive. This is the worst shooting in American history, for goodness' sake.

Guys, just consider this some gentle advice for how to get better.

And, yes, I'm aware that I'm open to accusations of pettiness for blogging about this when there are, quite obviously, bigger matters at hand than the political implications of the web condolences offered by '08 candidates. But the fact is that these sites are reflections of the candidates they represent. I'm sure every one of these Republican candidates wishes the people of Va. Tech the best today, and wishes them to know it. Why not use their sites to get out the word?

Anyway, a little something I noticed, as I'm a web politics nerd at all times.

Needless to say, my prayers and thoughts are with all the people of Virginia Tech.

UPDATE:  Jonathan Martin at Politico has the Republicans' response.  Rudy has also added a statement to his website.

Tommy Thompson didn't say "Macaca," but ...

Update:  Thompson apologizes.

As we would say in North Carolina, "that boy ain't right."

John Edwards, the Left's everyman, has gotten two $400 haircuts in the last two months.

Which I post for no other reason than to post this pre-YouTube, campaign video classic: The Choice (very slight content warning)

Correction: I obviously put the updates for the Va. Tech story on the wrong post. My bad. Fixed now.

This is just awful:

A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people and wounding another 21 before he was killed, police said.

On the Web site, Tech reported the shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and said there were "multiple victims" at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

All entrances to the campus were closed and classes canceled through Tuesday.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said student Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dormwhere shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville,said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put.

"They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again."

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said.

Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN,said, "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on thefloors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible."

It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

In August 2006, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guardoff campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus.

The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

How is that no one got a handle on this guy and the buildings locked down between the first killing and the subsequent spree? Was the lockdown lifted in between shootings, as the above quote indicates? Frightening.

The shooting was partially captured on a student’s cellphone videocamera showing grainy black figures on the street outside of campusbuildings. Popping sounds from the gunfire were audible.

"It was a little nerve-wracking," he said.

Update: Lovely:

The press corps is already asking Dana Perino about gun control. 

 Icertainly wish that someone had been in a position to shoot this guy atthe outset.

The statement from the Va. Tech president.

Update: Shootings not random?

The man did not appear to be shooting at random, NBC News’ PeteWilliams reported, quoting federal law enforcement officials. Heappeared to have specifically targeted the two locations, a co-eddormitory and a classroom housing engineering and business classes.

Amanda Carpenter has a good post this morning about how Hillary Clinton didn't read the 2002 pre-war intelligence report.

This issue is near and dear to me because in 2004 I managed a Congressional race in North Dakota.  As you will read, we made the point that we believed our opponent, Rep. Earl Pomeroy, had not read the report:

"In his opening statement, he asked Pomeroy if he read the intelligence briefings before voting to approve the invasion of Iraq. Sand repeated that question through most of the 90-minute debate."

Of course, Pomeroy never did answer that question, and the press let him get away with it.  It didn't stick at all. 

To me, the fact that Members of Congress did not bother to read the intelligence reports -- before voting for war -- was a big issue.  But since Pomeroy voted for the war, the only way it would have been "newsworthy" is if we had opposed the war. 

Of course, running for president is a lot different than running for congress in North Dakota.  And the fact that, as a state senator, Obama opposed the war means that there is a clear contrast between the two.  Obama can always say: "Not only did she vote for the war -- but she didn't even read the reports before casting her vote."

 I wonder if it will stick ...