Amish School Shooting

[Damaris]

I don't know that's it's gotten much discussion here, but I just read this article, and it really struck me.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061008/ap_on_re_us/amish_school_shooting

You hear a lot about "Christian forgiveness" and so on, but I don't think I've ever heard it truly enacted until now.  Well over thirty people from the Amish community turned out for the shooter's funeral- and I have the feeling that it wasn't to dance on his grave, given the way his family is reacting.

I think it's sad that my first reaction to that was shock.  Even sadder that many of us will think "man, what's wrong with them."

[bill]

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- One of the girls who died in Pennsylvania's Amish schoolhouse massacre asked the killer to shoot her first in an apparent bid to save the younger girls, a woman who spoke to the victim's family said Friday.

Rita Rhoads, a nurse-midwife who delivered 13-year-old Marian Fisher as well as another victim, said Fisher appealed to Charles Carl Roberts IV to shoot her first because she thought it might allow younger girls to survive.

Rhoads said she did not know whether Fisher in fact was shot first. Roberts shot 10 girls ages 6 to 13, killing five of them and then himself in Monday's rampage. (Watch "shocked and sad" Amish express forgiveness -- 2:46)

Fisher's 11-year-old sister, Barbie, appealed to Roberts to shoot her next, Rhoads said. Barbie survived and was in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recovering from shoulder, hand and leg injuries.

"Barbie has been talking and she said Marian said, 'Shoot me first,"' Rhoads said. "Apparently what she was trying to do was to save the younger girls."

Barbie, who attended her sister's funeral Thursday before returning to the hospital, gave details of her ordeal to relatives including her grandfather, who told Rhoads, the midwife said in a telephone interview.

"It was very courageous of the girls to offer themselves," Rhoads said. "God was really present to give the girls that kind of courage."

Pennsylvania state police were not immediately available for comment.

Roberts, 32, a local non-Amish milk truck driver, attacked the one-room schoolhouse at Nickel Mines, a farming community in Lancaster County about 60 miles west of Philadelphia.

He allowed boys and adults to leave and then tied the legs of the girls before shooting them, police said.

Four of the girls including Marian Fisher were buried Thursday and a fifth funeral was being buried Friday.

The Amish, descendants of Swiss-German settlers, are a traditionalist Christian denomination who place particular importance on the Gospel message of forgiveness. They believe in nonviolence, simple living and little contact with the modern world.

[Nikki]

yeah...seems like there's been a mass of School shootings lately...2 here in Colorado recently. i'm so FREAKING PARANOID!!! i keep thinking every day 'what if Sheridan's Next? what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

god...freaking idiots.

[Zedd]

Whats worse than that is that one stupid lady who is nutty in the mind who appluads death of others

[Dakata]

...I feel very unsafe. It's bad enough I have a "stalker", but now I have to worry about school shootings?! Gah!

*Hides behind a random forumite* D:

what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

I keep thinking that too. *Panic panic panic*

[Manawolf]

She's even more messed up if she thinks herself better than the Amish.  How about instead of just hating everyone for just being, you get a real job.

[bill]

Whats worse than that is that one stupid lady who is nutty in the mind who appluads death of others

That lady is a freaking dumbass. She also said that 9/11 was a good thing, and goes to soldiers' funerals to protest.

[Nikki]

...I feel very unsafe. It's bad enough I have a "stalker", but now I have to worry about school shootings?! Gah!

*Hides behind a random forumite* D:

what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

I keep thinking that too. *Panic panic panic*

.......

I love everyone on this forum..

and if i die, all my video games go to Gareeku, my sketchbook goes to Paladin and my clothes go to Dakata.

my body will go...to....

:who wants my body?

[bill]

There are so many wrong ways to answer that question.

[Zedd]

I 'll send your body to japan to revivie you

[bill]

Can I have your rotating avatar? I'll frame it n' all.

[RJ]

Those poor people... although to them it's the right thing to do by forgiving the guy, you just have to feel so bad about it.

[Nikki]

Can I have your rotating avatar? I'll frame it n' all.

sure thing ^^

[xHaZxMaTx]

...I feel very unsafe. It's bad enough I have a "stalker", but now I have to worry about school shootings?! Gah!

*Hides behind a random forumite* D:

what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

I keep thinking that too. *Panic panic panic*

.......

I love everyone on this forum..

and if i die, all my video games go to Gareeku, my sketchbook goes to Paladin and my clothes go to Dakata.

my body will go...to....

:who wants my body?

Your baby's daddy doesn't get anything?

[Nikki]

...I feel very unsafe. It's bad enough I have a "stalker", but now I have to worry about school shootings?! Gah!

*Hides behind a random forumite* D:

what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

I keep thinking that too. *Panic panic panic*

.......

I love everyone on this forum..

and if i die, all my video games go to Gareeku, my sketchbook goes to Paladin and my clothes go to Dakata.

my body will go...to....

:who wants my body?

Your baby's daddy doesn't get anything?

you get all my dragon and wolf stuffs ^^

[Gornemant]

what if the people i love never know i love them because i'll die the next day?'

I keep thinking that too. *Panic panic panic*

you worry too much

[Aridas]

*gives out hugs*

[thegayhare]

You know the fred phleps clan was planning to drag there god hates fags banners out there and protest at the amish funeral.

Thats not so suprising I mean they've protested at soldier funerals, coal miners funerals and ground zero, but you know why they canceled?  a local radio hst offered them an hour of free air time if they swore they wouldn't protest

[King Of Hearts]

Why would he protest against the Amish for?

[Aridas]

Um, I don't know, but i'm pretty sure that's not actually what the protest was about.

[xHaZxMaTx]

I don't think anyone knows what they're protesting. ¬_¬

[Aridas]

I don't think anyone knows what they're protesting. ¬_¬

Someone gets it

[thegayhare]

Why would he protest against the Amish for?

The Phelps clan, they head up there own church of about 55 members almost all family, have a deep hate for anyone not following there strict, and warped interpritation of the bible.  so they don't like the Amish as a givin.  But there latest line of bull is that everything bad thats happened in the states is gods punishment of the country for not executing all gays.  They carry signs that say "thank god for 9/11" and "thak god for dead soldiers" and "thank god for IED's" and several more that are worse.

For this they probably had new signs made up just for the occasion, along the lines of "thank god for School shootings"

as for why the Amish,  cause thats where the news is, protesting at one of the other schools would get them attention yes, but doing so down in Amish counrty would get them more.  because people would see it as them forcing there way into such an intensly private comunity, counter protesters would come out in droves turning the whole thing into a media circus getting them more air time to wave there god hates fags banners infront of national TV.  There would be a similer reaction at the other schools but it wouldnt be as big and the chances of some one getting voilent would be less.  A majority of the phelps clan are also lawyers and the church makes its money by sueing anyone who goes to far.  If one counter protester throws a rock and strikes one of them they sue him the police, the state and anyone else they can.

[Anara]

Why would he protest against the Amish for?

The Phelps clan, they head up there own church of about 55 members almost all family, have a deep hate for anyone not following there strict, and warped interpritation of the bible.  so they don't like the Amish as a givin.  But there latest line of bull is that everything bad thats happened in the states is gods punishment of the country for not executing all gays.  They carry signs that say "thank god for 9/11" and "thak god for dead soldiers" and "thank god for IED's" and several more that are worse

  ...I'm so glad I don't live in America, not that there aren't people like that down here. *hugs everyone* I love you all

[xHaZxMaTx]

I'm sad that I live in America.

[Gornemant]

I'm sad that I live in America.

there's an easy solution to that: don't watch the news, case closed. 

[xHaZxMaTx]

I don't.

[Gornemant]

I don't.

well that's one step in the right direction 

[Hilary]

there's an easy solution to that: don't watch the news, case closed. 

Ignoring it doesn't make it go away...



It all just makes me sad. People are so screwed up. I think that if God (if there is one) didn't want to accept diversity in his creations, he wouldn't have made them capable of individuality. If he doesn't accept us for what we are, he's not going to show his anger in roundabout ways like 9/11. He'll just smite us and be done with it.

[Anara]

Amen Hillary, Amen.
If God exists I really can't see him/her as someone who would punish people just for being true to themselves. But then again, I've never really understood religion anyway.