Aurora Aftermath: Nation and world again forced to confront evil.

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Aurora: Bloody Acts Like these ‘Cannot Be Prevented’ (Saarbruecker Zeitung, Germany)

“One thing can now be clearly asserted: Bloody acts like these cannot be prevented. Even less so in cases where they are planned and executed by a so-called ‘lone wolf.’ Except for being aware of your surroundings, there is really no way to guard against such acts. That is the frustrating realization at the end of the long bloody trail that winds through various continents, time periods, and societies.”

By Thomas Spang

Translated By Stephanie Martin

July 22, 2012

Germany - Saarbruecker Zeitung - Original Article (German)

After the Batman shootings of Aurora, we are again left with feelings of anger, grief and helplessness over the senseless deaths of twelve people and the suffering of countless others. How could this happen? Could this bloody act have been prevented by stronger gun laws in the United States? Could the dark side of the perpetrator have been recognized sooner? And how can we prevent something like this from happening in the future? We always have the same questions after acts of such insanity. From the school massacre in neighboring Littleton, to the bloodbath at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, to the murders in Tucson, Arizona.

Such events have long found a place – and not only in the United States. They are also an unfortunate reality in Europe - whether during the school massacres in Erfurt and Winnenden, or in Norway almost exactly a year ago when 77 people died in Oslo and the Island of Utøya. What may have motivated 24-year-old James Holmes in Aurora is not yet known. Whether the shooter was aware of the approaching anniversary of the massacres in Norway might indicate some type of mad ideology. Perhaps he was mentally ill. Or perhaps he was someone satisfying a personal desire for revenge. The next few days will bring more information about his motives.

Posted by Worldmeets.US

But one thing can now be clearly asserted: Bloody acts like these cannot be prevented. Even less so in cases where they are planned and executed by a so-called "lone wolf." Except for being aware of your surroundings, there is really no way to guard against such acts. That is the frustrating realization at the end of the long bloody trail that winds through various continents, time periods, and societies. As understandable as the desire for a solutions may be, one must take care not to succumb to simplistic knee-jerk reactions. Like, for example, the claim that stronger gun laws could stop the shooters from running amok. Experiences in countries like Germany, where such gun laws exist, provide no evidence for such claims.

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SEE ALSO ON THIS:
La Jornada, Mexico: 'Violence and Barbarism' in Retrograde United States
Berliner Morgenpost, Germany: Anders Breivik: Europe's Own Osama bin Laden
Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria: The Troubling Profile of a 'Bushian Terrorist'
DNA, France: Terrorism in Toulouse and the ‘Currency of Hate’
Sydsvenskan, Sweden: After September 11, We 'Lost What We Wanted to Defend'
Polityka, Poland: America in Anger's Clutches
Beijing Youth Daily, China: Making Sense of America's Right to Bear Arms
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany: Virginia Tech One Year On: The 'Silent Scandal'
New Straits Times, Malaysia: Don't Just Blame Virginia Tech …
Kitabat, Iraq: 'Thank Allah the Virginia Killer Wasn't Muslim'

Stricter gun laws primarily help prevent fatal accidents. That is why it is high time to put an end to the weapons culture in the U.S. and make it more difficult to gain access to firearms.

But determined criminals, lunatics or terrorists cannot be so easily stopped. The truth is that events like the one in Aurora will happen again. In the U.S., in Germany, in Austria, in Switzerland, or in some other place in this world. And as many times as we are affected and rendered speechless when it happens, we will be just as powerless to do anything about it. It is the reality of evil, which during moments like this, shows it ugly face.