Virginia Tech: o tragedie americana moderna

Stiinta · Site Admin

Data de 16 aprilie 2007 devine prima din lista neagra a tragediilor din SUA.

Un student originar din Asia a reusit sa ucida 32 de persoane in campusul Universitatii Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA inainte de a se sinucide.
Numarul mare de victime se datoreaza si reactiei tardive a conducerii Universitatii si a politiei de a lua masurile cele mai potrivite in circumstantele date.
Aceasta cu atat mai mult cu cat a fost un interval de doua ore intre primul incident aparut in unul din caminele studentesti (7:15 AM ET), care a lasat doi morti si mai multi raniti si cel de al doilea, petrecut in Norris Hall, aflat in partea opusa caminului respectiv (9:25 AM ET).
Studentii au fost avertizati abia in jurul orei 9:00 de incidentul de la camin printr-un email (?!?), si acesta evaziv. De asemenea, politia nu a reusit sa fie suficient de prompta in patrunderea in cladire.

Ucigasul se pare ca a avut chiar timp sa blocheze din interior usile cladirii inainte de a incepe un adevarat macel. Martorii l-au descris ca pe un barbat asiatic tanar, in jur de 20 de ani, cu o fata foarte serioasa si calma in acelasi timp. El era un student al Universitatii, locuind chiar in caminul in care a avut loc primul incident.
In afara celor 32 de morti, alte 26 de persoane au fost ranite, unele aflandu-se in stare critica. Un medic a remarcat brutalitatea agresorului, ranitii avand cel putin 3 plagi impuscate.

Doi profesori s-au numarat printre victime, unul fiind originar din Romania. Liviu Librescu, 75 de ani, era recunoscut pentru cercetarile sale in domeniul ingineriei aeronautice. El era un supravietuitor al Holocaustului.

Conducerea Virginia Tech si politia vor avea mult de furca pentru a raspunde acuzelor ce le sunt aduse si, foarte probabil, capete vor cadea.

Statul Virginia este unul din cele mai permisive in ceea ce priveste achizitionarea armelor de foc.

Acest incident doboara, ca numar de victime, doua din precedentele mass-murder din istoria SUA. In domeniul academic, in 1966 la University of Texas un paranoic a omorat dintr-un turn 13 persoane, dupa ce isi omorase in prealabil sotia si mama. El a fost ucis de politie. Al doilea precedent a avut loc tot in Texas, in orasul Kileen, in 1991, cand un individ a intrat cu truckul intr-un restaurant Lubby si a impuscat 23 de persoane.

Este interesant de remarcat ca in SUA, in ciuda numarului de crime prin folosirea armelor de foc, modul prin care orice persoana poate cumpara arme ramane foarte lax. Ca un exemplu, interdicitia de cumpara arme semiautomate (in urma unei alte tragedii de la liceul Columbine, Jefferson, Colorado, din 20 aprilie 1999, in care doi liceeni au impuscat 12 colegi si un profesor inainte de a se sinucide) a fost ridicata in 2004.
In spatele argumentului ca fiecare cetatean are dreptul de a se apara si deci de a avea arma se afla de fapt interesul economic al unei intregi industrii profitabile. Una din fatetele ipocriziei unui angrenaj, care functioneaza, inca cu o eficienta deosebita. Dar care va trebui amendat, in timp, pe ici-colea, in cateva "detalii" esentiale.

TitanGirl · Moderator

Un articol despre Profesorul Librescu a aparut pe foxnews.com

Professor Who Helped Students Escape Among Those Killed
Tuesday , April 17, 2007
An Israeli lecturer who died in the massacre at a U.S. university saved the lives of several students by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman before he was fatally shot, his son said Tuesday.

Students of Liviu Librescu, 76, a holocaust survivor who was an engineering science and mathematics lecturer at Virginia Tech for 20 years, sent e-mails to his wife, Marlena, telling of how he blocked the gunman's way and saved their lives, said the son, Joe.

"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."

Liviu Librescu, was respected in his field, his son said.

"His work was his life in a sense," Joe Librescu said. "That was a good place for him to practice his research."

The couple immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 and then moved to Virginia in 1985 for his sabbatical, but had stayed since then, said Joe Librescu, who himself studied at the school from 1989 to 1994.

In Romania, the academic community also was mourning Librescu's death.

"It is a great loss," said Ecaterina Andronescu, rector of the Polytechnic University in Bucharest, where Librescu graduated in mechanics and aviation construction in 1953. "We have immense consideration for the way he reacted and defended his students with his life."

He also received a Ph.D from the Bucharest-based Academy of Sciences in 1969, and received an honorary degree with the Polytechnic University in 2000.

At the Polytechnic University, his picture was put on a table and a candle was lit, and people lay flowers. "We remember him as a great specialist in aeronautics. He left behind hundreds of prestigious papers," said one of the professors, Nicolae Serban Tomescu.

Librescu, who specialized in composite structures and aeroelasticity, published extensively and received numerous awards for his work. He also received several NASA grants and also taught courses at the University "La Sapienza" of Rome, Italy, and at the Tel Aviv University in Israel.

In Monday's massacre, a gunman killed 32 people at the Virginia university before committing suicide. It was the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

Triplefleosc · Suporter infocat

Din ce in ce tot mai multe astfel de intamplari. Parca acuma nu prea mai merita asa sa pleci de aici...

TitanGirl · Moderator

Triplefleosc · Suporter infocat

Cata nebunie trebuie sa fi avut criminalul si cat sadism sa omoare atatia oameni...Partea proasta e ca totul se extinde si in curand o sa auzim de o alta tragedie care o va depasi pe aceasta. Sad

flipper · Presedinte de club

asa este, ceea ce pt un om cat de cat normal este o tragedie, pt un criminal va deveni probabil un target, un record de doborat. trist
impresionant insa gestul eroic al profesorului librescu

gac200076 · Moderator

e misto ca in state orice cretin poate face rost de arme si poate trage in lume! de aceea nici in ruptul capului n-as vrea sa stau in state! traiasca europa!! Very Happy

TitanGirl · Moderator

Tocmai s-a incheiat tragic o alta tragedie...Un individ a intrat intr-una din cladirile NASA din Houston, a luat 2 ostatici si a impuscat unul dintre ei, dupa care s-a sinucis. Timp de cateva ore, cam de la 14:00 pana acum, ora 15:42 in Houston am stat lipita de tv. Unul din colegii mei de la Drept, care este capitan la Houston Police, era acolo. Inca nu se stie ce a fost, dar se pare ca este vorba despre o disputa conjugala...