freeSpeech: Brian Rohrbough
Dad Of A Columbine Victim Asks “Why Did This Happen?”
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freeSpeech: Brian Rohrbough
In the midst of a new spate of school shootings, Brian Rohrbough talks about losing his son Dan in the Columbine massacre seven years ago.
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Photo Essay
Amish School Shooting
Man takes about a dozen girls hostage in a one-room schoolhouse, kills at least five.
When my son Dan was murdered on the sidewalk at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, I hoped that would be the last school shooting. Since that day, I’ve tried to answer the question, "Why did this happen?"
This country is in a moral free-fall. For over two generations, the public school system has taught in a moral vacuum, expelling God from the school and from the government, replacing him with evolution, where the strong kill the weak, without moral consequences and life has no inherent value.
We teach there are no absolutes, no right or wrong. And I assure you the murder of innocent children is always wrong, including by abortion. Abortion has diminished the value of children.
Suicide has become an acceptable action and has further emboldened these criminals. And we are seeing an epidemic increase in murder-suicide attacks on our children.
Sadly, our schools are not safe. In fact, we now witness that within our schools. Our children have become a target of terrorists from within the United States.
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See all 948 CommentsWe teach nobody gets a failing grade - everyone does well - no reward for doing good - no punishment for doing bad - we all need to wake up. There is a right or wrong. My prayers are with Mr. Rohrbough and all the families effected by this horrible event. PJH
cbs totally gone conservitive....ARA?...God?..left out of school?...give me a break
Your free speech essay was inappropriate to put on the air as the %u201Canswer%u201D to a horrific crime against Amish children.
Perhaps in the future we%u2019ll know that the killer was badly educated and no one told him the difference between right and wrong. Perhaps we%u2019ll learn that he was afflicted by a misbegotten abortion. Perhaps there will be proof of some of the things the speaker declared to be the reason for this awful crime.
Until then, I think my answer is better: We let anyone have any number of guns. We killed public programs on mental health back in the Reagan administration. In this case we have a man with serious mental illness and a bunch of guns, and the resulting crime stems from those aspects of our kamikaze society. This is where I see blame for this crime. I think my answer is better than the agenda of a father whose grief must be immense. Shame on you for letting him say these things. What could abortion possibly have to do with murdering young girls.
I%u2019ve given up on NBC for its coddling of Mel Gibson and Ann Coulter. I%u2019ve given up on ABC for its mangling of Iraq War history. You%u2019re next. We%u2019re waiting over here in the real world for some intelligent news broadcasts.
I'm a nonpracticing Amish female student at Columbia University and I resent that Brian Rohrbough blatantly capitalized on the very tragic Amish shooting today to espouse his views on evolution and abortion. His self-centered speech expressed no compassion whatsoever toward today's and last week's victims.
By the way, religion is NOT taught in Amish schools. The Amish firmly believe that God/religion is to be taught to their children by the parents and in church and NOT by teachers in the schoolroom. It is NOT the teachers' responsibilities to indoctrinate the kids.
I suppose Mr. Rohrbough would say that the Amish children today deserved to be shot and their parents and the community in general deserve to suffer as a result because the Amish expel God from the schoolroom.
-Torah Bontrager
tkb2101@columbia.edu
I just think that by Mr. Rohrbough attempting to rationalize the problem by blaming the teaching of evolution or lack of spirituality, he is making more of a political statement that distracts from his important message. I only wish the answer was so easy.
It's about time somebody stepped up to the plate to show the world all angles. It gets old hearing opinions from those hanging on the left side of the fence. It was quite refreshing to get an honest opinion from a gentleman who has had to deal with this type of tragedy. I applaud you for making the effort to let all voices heard
Had he stayed on topic and not gone off on some bashing of those who don't agree with religion then that would have been fine but he because offensive by making it sound like only religious people have morals HA HA hardly. How many religious folks still get in the same situation. I mean wasn't there a case not to long ago where some preachers wife was accused of murdering her husband the preacher. Some morals there.
Geesh
How about something other than blaming those who do not believe as he does?
We have enough people blaming others for their own problems. This week three of them carried weapons into schools and murdered people.
Mr. Rohrbough carried his own moral gun onto your broadcast and shot another bullet into the hearts of that community.
I agree that our schools are no longer safe, but if I had the opportunity to speak about the school shootings I would reach out with love and prayer for the victims, not with my own agenda.
May the Creator forgive this heartlessness.
May the life you lost in your son save the lives of others. Thank you also Ms. Couric for the most heartfelt way you conducted yourself in the light of this evenings sad news. This is a time to consider why this kind of evil is increasing. Sure there are a number of reasons. Something like this never has a simple solution or we would imbrace it. We do know however the starting point is a caring heartfelt attitude and Mr. Rohrbough and Katie had it.
My deepest sympathy to all who are personally affected not only by today's tragic killings but all who have lost loved ones as tragically as happened today.
I hear too often how we need to fight the terrorists on their soil but nothing seems to be happening to fight the people who reign terror where we live. No matter how many of those injured survive today's masacre they will never be the same.
This is a sad day. Kudos to CBS. I was moved and this is definitely news.
My condolences go to the father of a lost child.
I disagree with his view that more religion is needed in our government and public schools. We have difficulty with our current politicians and their declarations on who is more patriotic.
What would the problems be if politicians thought that each had God on their side and the other side was doomed to eternal damnation.
As a father I am concerned about my children and their security in school. I have to take action and become involved with my children's security by demanding their school district have a plan to fend off these types of frontal assaults.
Michael Edwards
Texas
It's a disgrace what's happened to CBS News since Dan Rather left. Is blaming evolution for school shootings considered in the maintream of American thought? If you're going to put people like this poor deluded man and Rush Limbaugh on the evening News, I want to see some real leftist radicals, and outspoken critics of the administration. I want to see Noam Chmosky, and Keith Olbermann. Instead, we get a gentle admonition from Bob Schiffer from time to time that torture is bad.
The "Free Speech" segment (the quotes in the graphic logo are appropietly ironic) is nothing more than a cowardly capitulation to political pressure. It's the biggest reason why, after 30 years, I'm changing my viewing habits.
Goodnight. And good luck.
His comments suggesting that this nation is in a moral free-fall because we don't allow myth-based teaching, and because we allow women the right to control their reproductive freedom has no bearing on the tragedy in Pennsylvania today. Shame on him for suggesting otherwise!
Second, belief in a woman's right to choose has nothing to do with the rage of children who are driven to kill. It is a personal moral choice which often involves the health of mother and child. The personal choice of children who are driven to kill comes from a different source. Perhaps it stems from the frustration of having no choice at all.
Third, the most ridiculous statement that the schools have replaced God with evolution; evolution and God can successfully coexist! It never ceases to amaze me that the most
"religious" people sometimes confine God to human
limitations.
As to the causes- how about parents simply taking and teaching responsibility instead of blaming the schools for not doing the parent's job? Duh!!!
While I know this parent's pain is still intense, his personal political views did not address what needed to be addressed today. I'm sorry that CBS did not do better today.
First, the theory of biological evolution does not posit anything about the strong killing the weak. Since Mr. Rohrbough clearly does not understand the basic principals of biological evolution, perhaps he isn't the best person to be airing judgments about in on national television.
Second, I find Mr. Rohrbough's connection between evolution, abortion, and classroom shootings more than simply idiotic, but completely irresponsible. He is insinuating that non-Christians are amoral and do not value human life. How is this type of religious bigotry acceptable on network TV?
We all witnessed the rantings of a crazy man tonight. He somehow turned a school shooting into an opportunity to attack the separation of church and state and impose his religious views on everyone in the country.
This was clear religious extremism. Mr. Rohrbough, like the Taliban, wants to impose his religion on everyone. He wants to have all children subjected to his religion in the school system. This was an attack on one of the fundamental principals of our country: religious freedom.
Mr. Rohrbough should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of a tragedy like this to advance his agenda. And CBS should be ashamed of themselves for airing this message of intolerance.
Bill Barnard
Georgia
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