tuesday night link dump

Here are some blogs you should definitely check out while you're waiting out this nasty weather. If it's safe for you to be near the computer, here's some reading material.

The Gonzo Muckraker has decided to vote for Republican Ron Paul in the primaries. Check out his reasons for letting his political pendulum swing (he's an independent).

WhosPlayin? blasts State Rep. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, for supporting a "de facto poll tax" by co-authoring HB 626, legislation that would require voters to present birth certificates or other forms of identification.

According to Job's Anger, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth told his students that if a tragedy like that of Virginia Tech ever occured on their campus, he expected his students to "charge the shooter."

Back from Austin, Capitol Annex has information on Frisco Mayor Kathy Seei's plan to challenge Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, in the 2008 Republican primary. Also check out the picture of Vince meeting Rep. Senfronia Thompson!

Blue Oklahoma has some exciting information on a possible challenger to the crazy Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe: State Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City.

liviu librescu: an american hero

Via Right of Texas and TexasKaos, we learn of Liviu Librescu.

Librescu, 76, was a Holocaust survivor and an engineering professor at Virginia Tech. He was not a native of America, but he became an American hero yesterday as he bravely sacrificed his life in the service of saving others.

Monday, as the Virginia Tech gunman stalked the hallways on his way to killing 32 students and professors, he tried to enter Librescu's classroom. Librescu physically blocked the door of his classroom preventing the gunman from entering. The gunman shot & killed the professor, but even as he lay dying, Librescu blocked the door with his body, giving his students time to escape out of the classroom windows.

Many have marked the bit of poetry surrounding Professor Librescu's courageous death: he died saving others on Yom Ha-Shoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day. A survivor of the Holocaust, who no doubt was able to live to this day because others acted to save his life, died in the defense of others on a day of remembrance for the tragic events he was forced to experience some sixty years ago.

north texas colleges and universities respond to the virginia tech tragedy

Yesterday and today, a local show of support for Virginia Tech from North Texas area colleges and universities came in the form of statements from presidents and chancellors, vigils and more.

Along with emergency preparedness information, Southern Methodist University offered this statement: "All of us in higher education share the grief of the Virginia Tech family and send our heartfelt condolences to all those touched by this tragedy."

The following is excerpted from a statement released by Dr. Wright Lassiter, Jr., the Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District.:

In today’s often-violent world, college campuses are a refuge for many, and a safe place to learn; however, our colleges are a microcosm of the larger world, and we must be prepared to handle the effects of that world on those who either learn or work within our institution. Would we trade the freedom that an open campus provides for learning and growth and replace it with security measures that hamper access and education? Such a closed environment is contradictory to the open exchange of ideas and the world of higher education.

With emergency plans in place and proper training for law enforcement personnel, we hope to meet challenges from the outside world when, and if, they occur. In the meantime, we must be vigilant, observant and aware of our surroundings.

Students at the University of Texas at Dallas can pick up black ribbons at the student government office and other locations on campus. More information about the organized efforts at UTD can be found here.

The University of Dallas held special services today. Members of the University of North Texas community have been invited to attend a vigil held tomorrow morning, led by President Gretchen M. Bataille.

the virginia tech massacre

Yesterday, the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, faced the horror of senseless tragedy.

Thirty-two students and teachers were killed by a lone gunman, a 23-year-old South Korean-born student of the school, who then took his own life.

World leaders were quick to condemn the shooting and offer thoughts and prayers on behalf of the victims and families of those involved. President Bush marked yesterday as a national "day of sadness." British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent "our sympathy and our prayers" on behalf of the British people, and Buckingham Palace said "The Queen was shocked and saddened to hear of the news of the shooting in Virginia."

Others blamed the massacre on the U.S. "gun culture."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the shooting underscored the problems of a U.S. “gun culture,” but the gun control debate echoed loudest across Europe, which has some of the toughest gun laws in the world.

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The Times of London ran an editorial delving into the American psyche and the weak gun laws across the country.

“Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?”

This horrific event has touched lives across the nation and the world, including here in North Texas where many parents of Virginia Tech students left for Blacksburg. MSNBC reports that all flights to the area from DFW International Airport are sold out.

On Facebook.com, college students from around the country have shown an outpouring of support for Virginia Tech. One group on the networking site called "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" now has nearly 180,000 members, a number that has been steadily growing and will continue to do so as students join the group and invite their friends to do the same. The group also hosts nearly 2,000 photos, mainly of the Virginia Tech logo standing in solidarity with other universities' logos next to the phrase "Today, we are all Hokies." The Hokies are the school's mascot.

You can view a streaming video of the Virginia Tech convocation here.