From the Archives: Congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Robert Hurt comment on WDBJ-TV killings

Publisher's note: This article was originally published on Examiner.com on August 26, 2015. The Examiner.com publishing platform was discontinued July 1, 2016, and its web site is scheduled to go dark on or about July 10, 2016.  I am republishing this piece in an effort to preserve it and all my other contributions to Examiner.com since April 6, 2010. It is reposted here without most of the internal links that were in the original.

Congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Robert Hurt comment on WDBJ-TV killings

Two Virginia television journalists were murdered during a live broadcast on Roanoke station WDBJ on Wednesday morning. The killer, Vester Flanagan, a former employee of the same TV station, was chased across the state and died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a Northern Virginia hospital.

Two Members of Congress who represent the area covered by WDBJ-TV offered messages of condolence.

In a statement issued by his office, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA6), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said:

“The horrific murders that occurred this morning have impacted the entire Roanoke community. Maryellen and I offer our condolences to the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward during this very difficult time"

Goodlatte noted that he "had the great opportunity to work with Alison and Adam, and they will be dearly missed by those in our community as well as their loved ones and colleagues at WDBJ. I continue to keep the WDBJ family as well as Vicki Gardner, who was wounded this morning, in my thoughts and prayers."

Gardner was being interviewed on the air as a spokesperson for the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Goodlatte continued: "As we continue to learn more about this terrible tragedy, I am thankful for the coordinated efforts of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in responding quickly."

Congressman Robert Hurt, whose Fifth Congressional District is near Roanoke, offered a similar message in a news release distributed by email to reporters.

“I am deeply saddened by the horrific act of violence that occurred in Franklin County this morning," Hurt said. "Our prayers are with the families of Alison Parker and Adam Ward and the entire WDBJ team."

Hurt also mentioned that Vicki Gardner was in his prayers and he thanked "the local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel who worked diligently to apprehend the suspect and prevent further harm to our communities."

SUGGESTED LINKS

Congressman Bob Goodlatte 'skeptical' about U.S. military intervention in Syria
U.S. Representative Robert Hurt discusses eminent domain and redistricting
Congressman Bob Goodlatte finds ‘common ground’ for libertarians and GOP
Virginia Congressman Robert Hurt speaks out for free trade in Charlottesville
Virginia Congressman Robert Hurt reacts to federal unemployment report

Original URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/congressmen-bob-goodlatte-and-robert-hurt-comment-on-wdbj-tv-killings

Campus Tragedies

The news media today are focused on the mass murder on the campus of Northern Illinois University, where a former student shot dead five students (including a graduate assistant who was teaching the class) and wounded several others before killing himself.

The NIU shootings brought to mind last year's massacre at Virginia Tech.

Lost in the reports on what happened in Illinois is a follow-up to a story that first surfaced on Tuesday, when most of the media in Virginia were concentrating on the primary election. On Tuesday in Oxnard, California, a gay eighth-grader was shot and wounded by a fellow student. Today the victim, a 15-year-old boy was declared brain-dead and the 14-year-old shooter will face murder charges as an adult, with the possibility of 50 years in prison.

Jim Burroway has a more extensive report at Box Turtle Bulletin.

Update: Daniel Gonzales posts this additional and timely information, also at Box Turtle Bulletin:

A vigil organized by the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance is being held tonight (Friday). Supporters will gather at the Art Barn (856 E. Thompson) at 7pm and proceed to the pier.

The event is called "Lawrence King Memorial Fund and Vigil."

Martyr for Democracy

Benazir Bhutto was one of the most authentic political leaders I have ever met.

Our single meeting lasted only about two hours, but in that brief time I came to know Mrs. Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan who was assassinated by a terrorist earlier today, as warm, intelligent, and fervently dedicated to the restoration of democracy in her homeland. What's more, she was both modest and unassuming despite her clear intellectual and emotional strengths.

Her modesty was apparent, if through nothing else, then through the setting of our meeting. A colleague and I were invited to meet with her in the living room of a Fairfax County townhouse. She graciously offered us tea, which she served herself; there was no entourage present, no servants, no hangers-on. In the adjacent kitchen, a supporter made dinner while a couple of toddlers watched cartoons on television. Our conversation was periodically punctuated by giggles from a few feet away, and the atmosphere was enhanced by the aroma of a homemade Pakistani meal in the oven.

Through the course of our conversation, Bhutto displayed a firm grasp of international affairs and of U.S. government policy toward the Middle East and South Asia. Her commitment to democracy and her refusal to concede that the Muslim world lacks the capacity to participate in modernity were apparent. She was quiet and reflective yet firm in her well-informed opinions.

Although Pakistan is not my regular "beat" as a writer or consultant, I had been following Bhutto's election campaign with particular interest. Just yesterday, I was part of a team that launched a web site for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party to raise campaign funds world wide. Less than 18 hours ago, I was distributing a news release that contained an optimistic statement from her with regard to her party's January 8 election prospects.

Needless to say, waking up to the news this morning of Benazir's murder was emotionally numbing. My colleagues and I are still trying to process the information, much of which arrived in chaotic bits and pieces through CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Benazir Bhutto -- the first female leader of a government in a Muslim country, Harvard-educated, Western-oriented, wise, and warm -- was truly a martyr for democracy. Her loss is a loss for her family, for the people of Pakistan, and for the world.