Virginia Governor Has Second Thoughts About Passing Invasive Ultrasound Procedure Bill

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is having second thoughts about signing an abortion ultrasound bill that would impose new and more invasive procedures violating a woman's rights in order to obtain an abortion.

Gov. Bob McDonnell is having second thoughts about signing it into law.
According to the Post, McDonnell has stepped back from his promise to sign the bill if it crosses his desk. Additionally, reports AFP, yesterday the House of Delegates put off a third and final vote on the legislation after a day of protests in Richmond.

The most controversial aspect of the law is how the ultrasound, which would not be optional, would be carried out. According to an article by Slate's Dahlia Lithwick last week, the use of the foot-long probe for the transvaginal procedure of no medical necessity would constitute rape* [see my comments below] under the federal definition of the crime. Additionally, critics noted, if a woman chooses not to look at the ultrasound, that fact will be noted in her medical record.

While the FBI definition of rape involves the following:

The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

Virginia law considers object sexual penetration a felony separate from rape, and this statute would require doctors to carry out an unnecessary medical procedure that meets the definition of that felony crime. So, while the requirement to use this ultrasound probe wouldn't meet the definition of rape under Virginia law, it most certainly is a criminal act under Virginia law.

Under either federal law or Virginia law, the woman seeking a lawful abortion would have to get a medically unnecessary and invasive procedure that meets the FBI definition of rape all because Republicans think that this is the means to overturn Roe and its progeny - to say nothing of the added health care costs associated with the procedures involved.

Nowhere do supporters of this bill suggest that the ultrasound procedure is medically necessary. It is merely another way to shame and violate women who are seeking an abortion that pro-lifers deem abhorent and immoral.

The Unintended Consequences Of Personhood Legislation

The GOP is pursuing personhood legislation in states around the country as a way to make abortions illegal. Since the pro-life movement hasn't been able to overturn Roe v. Wade, they're using this as an alternative attack on the legal right to abortion in the country. Colorado has twice tried to bring a personhood amendment, and Missouri has also failed to approve a personhood bill.

It's a move that is destined to have unintended consequences that its proponents are wary to even discuss. Virginia is the latest to attempt to legislate away the right of abortion by redefining the term person. The GOP is pushing a personhood bill there, and yet the word "person" appears in the Virginia statutes 25,000 times. Any chance that something important might be affected by changing the definition?

Absolutely.

Unfortunately, not only would this bill lay the foundation to ban abortion and contraception, it could also wreak havoc on other areas of the law. The word “person” appears over 25,000 times in the laws of Virginia. No one knows the exact consequences of changing such an ordinary word, but the proponents of H.B. 1 refused to discuss or address these concerns in committee or on the floor of the House. Granting fertilized eggs all of the rights, privileges, and immunities the people of the Commonwealth currently hold could impact inheritance laws, election laws, tax laws, and even criminal laws. The bill has the potential to allow individuals to claim embryos in petri dishes as dependents, to challenge population numbers and election districts based on where IVF clinics are located. We fear this bill could even allow a non-family member to bring charges against a woman who has had a miscarriage.

The more legislatures attempt to push these kinds of laws, the greater the chances that the unintended consequences will be more severe.

Granting personhood to an embryo could potentially result in questioning census results, tax levies, inheritance law, and domestic relations laws, employer benefits laws, etc.

The GOP is opening a Pandora's box of trouble with this - and it's all with an eye towards eliminating the legal right to abortion. It's a roundabout attempt to make abortions illegal - and by making a claim that is unsupported by the science at that.

Mitt Romney Wins Decisively In Florida; Newt Gingrich Promises To Continue Campaign

Despite getting walloped by Mitt Romney in Florida by a decisive 46-32 margin (Ron Paul and Rick Santorum were barely evident and had already conceded the winner-take-all state and had moved on to Colorado and Nevada campaigning), Newt Gingrich is still hopeful that he can win the nomination.

Last night, he stood before a podium with "46 states" emblazoned on it all the while talking about how he's going to fight Romney straight through to the nomination across all 46 remaining states:



Problem for Newt is that there aren't 46 states left for him. He's only got 45.

Gingrich's campaign failed to get on the Virginia ballot, meaning he's going to be shut out there come Super Tuesday. While he thinks that he can make up for it by doing well in his former state of Georgia, that's a significant delegate swing in favor of Romney. In fact, it's a 100 point swing. That's nearly 10% of the delegates needed to win the nomination.

Add to that the fact that the seven states up for grabs in February aren't likely to support Gingrich over Romney. That includes Maine (24 delegates); Nevada (28 delegates); Colorado (36 delegates); Minnesota (40 delegates); Arizona (29 delegates); and Michigan (30 delegates).

It's conceivable that Romney takes above 75% of those delegates going into Super Tuesday (considering the possibility for proportional delegations). It would give Romney a commanding lead and one that would give him momentum and make it all but impossible for Gingrich to continue past Super Tuesday.

Roundup On Virginia's Earthquake and Damage Along East Coast

Phil Plait put together this video showing the propagation of the seismic waves from today's Virginia 5.9 earthquake as it raced across the US. The movement being detected is less than the width of a hair.

What you’re seeing here are vertical displacement measurements from an array of detectors that are part of the USArray/EarthScope facility (you can read more about the array and the animation on the IRIS website). These are very sensitive instruments; note the scale on the lower graph showing the motion is only about 40 microns top-to-bottom! That’s less than the thickness of a human hair.

Red dots represent upward motion, and blue downward. The intensity of the color represents the amplitude (height) of the wave. Animations like this make it very easy to see the waves moving across the country; the arc even gives you a rough idea of where the epicenter was.

While most of the national monuments remained intact after the quake, the Washington Monument apparently suffered some damage that was discovered during a secondary survey of the tallest structure in the District of Columbia.

The National Cathedral also suffered damage and will be closed until further notice.

A window blew out on the Pfizer headquarters in Manhattan, and a chimney partially collapsed on an apartment building in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Damage was also reported in Tysons Corner, Virginia, where there was a partial wall collapse, damaging a number of cars. Other videos are showing the contents of stores being thrown to the ground and the quake rumbled through.

Although this was a moderate quake, it has a significant reach due to the nature of the geology under the Eastern United States.

In the NYC metro area, some had flashbacks to the reactions of 9/11 - and the need to flee buildings when the rumbling began. But between those who felt the quake and fled, others needed to be told that a quake actually occurred because they didn't feel a thing. I fall in that latter category since I didn't feel it. It was only after others told me that they thought they felt a quake that I went online to the USGS site to learn that a quake occurred - down in Virginia.

Moderate 5.9 Earthquake Hits Virginia; Felt As Far As New York City

A magnitude 5.8 quake hit just outside Washington D.C., and was felt as far away as New York City:


View Larger Map

There are evacuations at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.

It's rather unusual to see earthquakes of this magnitude in Virginia, and the largest earthquake in the state's history was back on May 31, 1897, when a 5.9 hit. That quake seemed to be felt much more locally than today's quake, which was felt up here in the NYC metro area.

I can't say that I felt it personally, but Mrs. Lawhawk and others in her office felt it. Some local offices have been evacuated as a precaution.


UPDATE:
The USGS has apparently upgraded the quake to a magnitude 5.9 upon further review. The quake was felt as far away as parts of Canada.

1010wins is reporting that Newark Liberty airport has temporarily closed to check for runway damage.

All NJ TRANSIT rail, bus and light rail services are operating. Customers may experience some delays because of crowding conditions and speed restrictions due to this afternoon's earthquake. Systemwide cross-honoring is in effect. Check back for updates.

From local traffic reports:
NYC BULLETIN - 6-10 m delay - HUDSON RIVER CROSSINGS: INBOUND HOLLAND TUNNEL REOPENED // OUTBOUND REOPENED.
2:46 PM
NYC BULLETIN - 1-5 m delay - JOHN F KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CLOSED ON ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES DUE TO EATHQUAKE.
2:46 PM
NYC BULLETIN - 1-5 m delay - NEWARK LIBERTY AIRPORT CLOSED ON ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES DUE TO EARTHQUAKE.

From FoxNews:

The National Park Service said that all National Mall monuments and memorials are closed and evacuated after the quake.

At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tiles fell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities announced it was an earthquake and all flights were put on hold.

At the Pentagon in northern Virginia, a low rumbling built and built to the point that the building was shaking. People ran into the corridors of the government's biggest building and as the shaking continued there were shouts of "Evacuate! Evacuate!"

In New York, the 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan began swaying and hundreds of people were seen leaving the building. Court officers weren't letting people back in.

UPDATE:
It's once again a good reminder for everyone to make sure that they have their disaster go-plans just in case a more serious tremblor hits.

And they have hit across the East Coast in the past. Many people don't realize that some of the strongest quakes to hit the United States have come not in California, but in New Madrid, MO, and in South Carolina. Other strong quakes have struck in Ontario Canada and across New York, but are often weaker than other quakes even though they are felt over a wider area.

UPDATE:
Looks like the National Cathedral in Washington was damaged by the quake. Its website says that it's closed for the afternoon to inspect for damage, but
Washington Post reports:

The tip of the National Cathedral in Washington spire crashed onto the steps on Pilgrim Road. Three of the four pinnacles of the central tower are down and there’s significant damage, said spokesman Richard Weinberg. No injuries were reported.

UPDATE:
Updated the headline to reflect the USGS upgrade of the quake to a 5.9. Also, the Washington Post has a comprehensive roundup of quake news from DC.

FBI Links Reservist Arrested Outside Pentagon To Shooting Incidents; Including Video

A string of mysterious shooting incidents, including where shots were fired at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, the Pentagon, and several other military-related locations around Virginia have been tied back to a reservist who was arrested outside the Pentagon (HT: Killgore Trout).

FBI officials who arrested 22-year-old Marine reservist Yonathan Melaku outside of the Pentagon during a security scare last week say he recorded himself shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and have linked him to a string of five shootings in October and November.

Federal prosecutors charged Melaku on Thursday with destruction of property and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Virginia. He's accused of shooting at the Marine Corps museum two times as well as the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting sub-station in Chantilly and a Coast Guard recruiting office in Woodbridge between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.

Authorities said in an affidavit that they found bomb-making and explosives documents on Melaku's computer, according to a preliminary FBI review. They also found a digital video tape of one of the shootings in his desk.

"I've already... that's the military building... last time I hit them, they turned off the lights for like four or five days," Melaku allegedly said in the video, according to an FBI affidavit. "So now here we go again; this time I'm going to turn it off permanently."

He allegedly shouted "Allahu Ackbar" before firing the rounds, and from the sound of things, it appears that he's another lone wolf jihadi who has caused at least $100,000 in damage due to his alleged firing on a total of five military buildings, including the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting station in Chantilly, VA, a US Coast Guard recruiting station in Woodbridge, VA, and the museum twice. He was taken into custody while fleeing into Arlington National Cemetery.



Melaku, a naturalized US citizen from Ethiopia, was out on bail on unrelated grand larceny charges at the time of his arrest. The same gun was used in all the incidents. The Marine Corps is in the process of removing him from the service on those larceny charges.

The Never Ending Quest For Tax Revenue Leads To No Revenues and No Jobs?

Sales and use tax is imposed by many states, but many people don't pay the use tax on items they've purchased outside the state or much more commonly - on Internet purchases. Some states have established what's referred to as "Amazon tax" laws so that they can attempt to capture tax revenues that otherwise would not have been collected.

The problem with individual states attempting to impose the tax is that they've failed miserably to actually create any revenue because it's discouraged affiliates from participating in Amazon.com programs:

But the state law has done nothing to increase tax revenue. Officials at the R.I. Department of Revenue “do not believe that there has been any sales tax collected as a result of the Amazon legislation,” said Paul L. Dion, who heads the department’s revenue-analysis office.

For a company like Amazon, there is little risk in pulling out of Rhode Island, which has the nation’s fourth-smallest state economy, said Lee Hower, principal at Point Judith Capital, a Providence-based venture capital firm. But affiliate marketing is a “very common” component of many Web startups’ business plans.

“Amazon doesn’t care,” Hower said. “The only thing that Amazon has changed because of this policy is they’ve stopped paying companies in the state. … The reality is we haven’t gotten the revenue or the policy benefits out of this, but we do have this downside.”

Angus Davis, a tech entrepreneur who lives in Providence, said the law should be called an “affiliate tax” since it has no impact on Amazon. “It’s really slamming the door shut at the borders of Rhode Island to any kind of online advertising industry,” he said.

I'm not particularly surprised that there hasn't been any revenues generated from the tax, and that the market has shifted in ways that the states could not imagine - namely that businesses relocated or simply chose not to operate at all.

Yet, for all the problems with the Amazon tax, there are still states contemplating imposing their own form of the tax. The Colorado legislature is contemplating its own version of the tax that wouldn't mention affiliates. Virginia is looking at its own version.

California and New York are looking at the next step since both states are in dire need of additional revenues to feed the insatiable spending in those states. Amazon.com and Overstock are currently litigating whether the New York law violates the U.S. Constitution on Commerce Clause and Due Process grounds and in the process violating Quill v. North Dakota and its progeny.

What will most likely be needed is Congressional action to make such taxation possible. Yet, Congress is not likely to put its own neck on the line to impose still more taxes on an electorate already sick of taxes both existing and proposed. A backlash against taxes that might be imposed on online transactions would be swift and harsh - and for that reason we'll likely see a continuation of various cases and individual states pushing the matter.

DC Sniper Execution Expected To Be Carried Out This Evening

A last ditch effort by John Allen Muhammad to stay execution was thwarted yesterday when the US Supreme Court declined to postpone the execution and don't expect Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to step in either. His death sentence will be carried out today.

Unless Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine steps in, sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad will be executed Tuesday for the attacks that terrorized the nation's capital region for three weeks in 2002.

Muhammad is set to die by injection at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt. His attorneys have asked Kaine to commute his sentence to life in prison because they say he is mentally ill. The U.S. Supreme Court turned down Muhammad's final appeal Monday.

Muhammad was sentenced to death for killing Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a spree that left 10 dead across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

He and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, also were suspected of fatal shootings in other states, including Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona.

Muhammad will be executed by lethal injection at the Virginia correctional facility. He was sentenced to death for murdering Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station during a spree of sniper killings throughout the DC region. In all, he is responsible for killing at least 10 people and injuring four others with his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo. It is also suspected he was involved in the murders of several other people along the Gulf Coast and even California.

Malvo is serving several life sentences after cooperating with law enforcement.

Gitmo Detainees To End Up Virginia Jail?

No one quite knows where all the Guantanamo Bay detainees will end up, least of all the Obama Administration. The Administration made a show of calling for the closure of the facility by the end of this year, but didn't say where the detainees will be kept thereafter. Some may end up being released, which isn't going to improve US national security, and there are concerns over bringing them to facilities on the mainland.

Yet, there are some who are hoping that the detainees come their way.

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, whose jail houses federal prisoners for Alexandria Federal Court, near Washington, told city residents last week that some of Gitmo's baddest could end up there, the Daily News has learned.

If the government chooses the Alexandria court to try any of the 250 remaining detainees, who include five 9/11 plotters, "the prisoners may be housed at the Alexandria Detention Center," Lawhorne wrote in a letter obtained by The News.

The sheriff added that he has "received no official request to house the Guantanamo Bay prisoners in our detention center."

"The review is still underway and no decisions have been made," said Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

The jail is in the congressional district of a Democrat, Rep. James Moran, who has not said he opposes taking prisoners from the U.S. naval base in Cuba. But a powerful local GOP lawmaker, Rep. Frank Wolf, wants to bar Al Qaeda thugs from the lockup.

Government sources, however, told The News that Virginia is a likely venue for a few of the terror trials despite local griping.

Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) has objected to any of the Gitmo goons going on trial in New York City for safety reasons.

The Daily News then decides to smear Ex-Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, skipper of the destroyer Cole when Al Qaeda bombed it in 2000, claiming that Lippold played the fear card by warning of the closure.

By maintaining the facility at Guantanamo Bay, the terrorists cannot get easy access to the base and attempt a breakout and/or rescue operation. Siting the detainees on a base domestically, the odds of such an incident are higher, and it increases the likelihood that the detainees and their supporters use lawfare to clog up the courts even more than at present.

The Administration never made a good case as to why the detainees should be moved from Guantanamo Bay; saying that improving the US stature among the world is insufficient. Those detainees include hardened terrorists who are unrepentant and have made it their ideological and religious obligation to attack the US at all costs. These people cannot simply be released, nor can trying them in US civilian courts be adequate given that these are not common criminals caught on the street and read their Miranda rights. They were captured on battlefields around the world or captured through our allies. Their nature of their crimes and how the evidence collected against them may include state secrets and reveal national security measures.

Further, other nations aren't exactly going out of their way to take them in either. After all, as some national leaders wondered, if these detainees aren't dangerous, how come the US isn't taking them in.

Developing: Virginia Tech Shooting Incident; 32 Killed

Keep scrolling for updates and to see how the situation developed as news reports came out.

One person has been killed and one wounded in a shooting at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, a state government official tells The Associated Press.

This is a developing story and will update as information becomes available.

UPDATE:
Classes have been canceled today at Virginia Tech and the hunt continues for the gunman.

A gunman was "loose on the campus" the state university said on its Web site. The advisory said a shooting had occurred at a residence hall and that students should stay in their homes away from windows.

"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 building where shooting took place.

The shooting was reported at West Ambler Johnston Hall.

UPDATE:
The latest reports indicate that there might have been multiple shootings and seven to eight casualties. More here.

UPDATE:
17 injured in the shooting incident. No word on whether the assailant(s) have been taken into custody or not. From the report, it would appear that there were at least two assailants as the shootings began at opposite ends of the campus.

UPDATE:
Multiple fatalities are being reported, and there is some confusion as to whether the same assailant may have managed to get free of the lockdown to resume the shooting rampage. In fact, there's an unconfirmed report that 20 people were killed in the attack at the Blacksburg campus. I hope that someone got those numbers wrong and confused casualties with fatalities - as there were reports of 17 injured in the shooting spree.

UPDATE:
WDBJ in Roanoke, VA is reporting that VA Tech officials have confirmed 20 people were killed and that an assailant was taken into custody. So far, that appears to be the source of the story.

UPDATE:
Make that 22. My thoughts and prayers goes out to the VA Tech community. The VA Tech website is getting hammered by people trying to get information. For more information, see here.

UPDATE:
The number of people murdered appears to be at least 20, with at least 20 others wounded. The assailant was apparently killed according to the Fox News reports.

UPDATE:
The death toll from this incident continues to climb. Police report that there was a single assailant who was killed by police, though that may not be clear either. There is sketchy information as to the assailant's identity or appearance, though some suggest he may have been Asian and wearing a vest that had multiple clips of ammunition.

Since the reports indicate that there was a single assailant and police are conducting a search for a second assailant as a matter of routine, one has to wonder how if there was a single gunman that he managed to get across campus to continue his murderous rampage despite a lockdown and police swarming the campus.

Hot Air has more, including a photo of students being carried out of one of the campus buildings by police.

UPDATE:
ABC News is reporting that at least 28 people were murdered, plus the shooter. Why is ABC News conflating the death toll of those murdered with the shooter? One caused all the death and misery and the others were nothing more than innocent victims. There was also several bomb threats called in last week. No word on whether these are related incidents. However, the fact that the shootings appear to have occurred in two distinct locations across the campus has not been adequately explained:

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said that one person was killed in the first shooting, which occurred just after 7 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a large dormitory. Flinchum said that at least 20 more people were killed at Norris Hall, an academic building.

The gunman, whose identity has not been released, is among the dead. Flinchum wouldn't say whether the shooter had killed himself.

ABC News has confirmed that there were two separate bomb threats last week at Virginia Tech that targeted engineering buildings. The first was directed at Torgersen Hall, while the second was directed at multiple engineering buildings. Students and staff were evacuated, and the university had offered a $5,000 reward for information into the threats.

UPDATE:
Virginia Senator Jim Webb has released a statement on the massacre at Virginia Tech. President Bush was shocked and horrified by the attack.

There are additional reports suggesting that the death toll is as high as 32.

UPDATE:
The VA Tech shootings is now the deadliest mass shooting at a school in the nation's history. 31 people are confirmed murdered.

MSNBC has this curious report, which headlines the higher death toll, but the actual story carries a lower death toll while providing some details on the suspected killer:

Authorities said the gunman was dead after he shot nearly 50 people at two locations on campus. Twenty-one were confirmed dead, NBC News reported. At least 28 others were injured, at least four of whom were in critical condition, NBC affiliate WSLS-TV in nearby Roanoke reported, quoting local hospital officials.

The name of the gunman, whom witnesses described as a young Asian man wearing a maroon cap and a black leather jacket, was not released. It was not immediately clear whether he shot himself or was killed by police.

The man did not appear to be shooting at random, NBC News’ Pete Williams reported, quoting federal law enforcement officials. He appeared to have specifically targeted the two locations, a co-ed dormitory and a classroom in an engineering building.

Officials told Williams that they were investigating reports that the gunman may have chained the doors of the classroom closed so his victims could not escape.

Given the updates of various news stories, the numbers will continue to fluctuate for some time.

Thinking on the Margin has been liveblogging this developing situation from the VA Tech campus. He provides a map of the campus, though not the distance involved to traverse from the dorm to the engineering building.

UPDATE:
The NYT is reporting that the identification of the gunman is going to prove difficult because of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot to the head and a lack of identification on the body.

The shootings started early in the morning and as they unfolded, many of the details emerged from witnesses who recorded images on their cellphones or described fellow students jumping out of campus building windows. The university has more than 25,000 full-time students on a campus that is spread out over 2,600 acres.

The identification of the gunman was proving difficult because the suspected shooter did not have identification among his effects and was further complicated because of the severity of an apparently self-inflicted wound to the head, according to a federal law enforcement official. He said investigators were trying to trace purchase records for two handguns found near the body.

Other reports indicate that a 9-mm handgun and a 22-caliber gun were recovered.

UPDATE:
An interview of one student injured in the gunfire.



UPDATE:
Pajamas Media has running updates.

UPDATE:
It was a lone gunman with two handguns who caused all the carnage. He is described as an Asian who died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Still no identification or motive.

UPDATE:
Another presser was held by the VA Tech police and the VA Tech president a short time ago. They're saying that they still have a person of interest that is not in contact with law enforcement at this time. They have a preliminary identification of the shooter at the Norris Hall shooting. Two people were killed in the dorm, and it was first treated as a domestic dispute. While the Administration was discussing the situation at the dorm, the reports of the shooting at the Norris Hall site started to come in. Police arrived on scene and found the doors barricaded and shooting occurring. It was after the doors were breached by police and reached the second floor that the shots ended - the gunman had killed himself, but not before murdering 30 other people.

There are serious questions about how the school administration handled the reports of the first shootings and whether they did enough to inform the student body that there was a developing situation.

ABC News also wonders whether high capacity ammo clips were to blame for the shooting. What isn't asked is whether the ban on firearms possession on campus may have also played a role. The sad fact is that people who have bad intentions will disregard whatever laws are on the books and obtain illegal weapons or equipment to carry out their deadly intentions.

Others weighing in on the crisis at Virginia Tech: Patterico, Michelle Malkin, Rick Moran, AJ Strata, Ace of Spades, Sister Toldjah, and Outside the Beltway.

UPDATE:
Even though I linked to Malkin above, please take note of the email she reprinted from a student who was in Norris when the shootings occurred.

UPDATE:
Dan Riehl has been taking a pulse of the Virginia Tech online community and they're not happy with the media's coverage and savaging of university officials for not instituting a lock down or taking other steps to secure the campus after the first incident. There's a lot of raw emotion there.

UPDATE:
The AP report has more eyewitness detail and the university's response as the crisis was unfolding. There will be memorial services all throughout the week in Blacksburg and surrounding towns.

UPDATE:
There are some reports surfacing that the shooter may have been a Chinese man. That's still unconfirmed and law enforcement isn't exactly tripping over itself to release the identification of the shooter.