World, let us grieve without having to listen to your "I told you so's".

The commentaries of the world press damned us with faint expressions of regret. Among the words expressing shock, horror, and solidarity, there were words of censure, because we are either a "violent" society or a gun-loving society that is reaping its bitter rewards because of our sins.

It reminds me of a time when I was told by many a foreigner that my society was evil, because we discriminated against blacks and others who were different than the rest of the Americans (they never could identify who "the rest of the Americans" were!).

Well, in this Schadenfreude moment that the world seems to be experiencing, let me reiterate what I've been saying for the last 30+ years: if you have never had large influxes of foreigners in your country, don't pontificate. Melting into the pot is not an easy thing to accomplish. Homogeneity is easier to handle, from a government's perspective.

To those in South Korea who write about fearing a backlash, let me assure you that, for the most part, we in the US do not judge an entire group for the bad actions of one rotten-to-the-core sick individual.

Also, disarmed societies are rendered helpless when the aggressor is wielding a weapon. Thousands of victims went to their deaths around Europe and the rest of the world because they lacked the means to protect themselves from the thugs that imposed their psychophantic ways on the "civilized" groups.

So, from my humble perspective, let me emphatically say: " World, let us grieve without having to listen to your "I told you so's"." I'll come back to you at a better time.

[Virginia Tech] [guns] [gun control] [Spiegel] [Europe]