LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The April 26, 2007 article entitled "Cho Seung-Whatever" was not only insulting to your readers by characterizing opposing viewpoints as "retarded", but it was also filled with illogical rhetoric that was beneath the standards of The Free Liberal. Here are a few examples:
1. Morris says..."Ive taken anti-depressants and played lots of video games. The only things Ive ever shot were a clay pigeon and a clown with an open mouth." Needless to say, the experiences (positive or negative) of ONE person taking a particular antidepressant have virtually no statistical significance in predicting the expected effect that the antidepressant will have on a large population. It appears that Morris either flunked statistics in college, or skipped class on the days when they were discussing data sample sizes.
2. Morris says..."Cho turned Cho into a cold-blooded killer." Criminal psychologists like Dr. Stanton Samenow would wholeheartedly agree, but the argument is a red herring. The issue is not WHO turned Cho into a killer (Society or Himself) but rather if a WHAT was actually responsible instead of a WHO. In Cho's case it is entirely possible that he may have been wholly responsible, but it is equally possible that his judgment was so impaired that he bore absolutely no responsibility. Without further facts, no conclusion can be reached. The Medical examiner who performed Cho's autopsy refused to make public the information about what (if any) antidepressants Cho had in his system at the time of the killings. Currently congressional investigations are pending and this information may be made public at some point in the future. However, until that information is divulged we can only rely upon the growing anecdotal evidence of a link between certain classes of antidepressants knows as SSRI's and violent behavior. For further info see the 1500 example cases at: http://www.ssristories.com/
3. Morris says..."Ill end this column by finally telling this jerk the truth: Cho Seung-Hui, wherever you are, you look like William Hung, you talk like Napoleon Dynamite, and the pictures of you holding guns are more funny than scary. It sucks that you killed 32 peoplebut at least youre no longer here." Morris seems to find comfort in hurling verbal assaults at a dead person who is utterly oblivious to his writings rather than encouraging his readers to take appropriate actions like contacting their congressional representatives and demanding a full investigation. Maybe he sees this as humor. I find it an abdication of everything that a journalist should stand for because he gives up the quest for truth in a lip flapping orgy of frustrated name calling. How pathetic!
David Rittenhouse