the aftermath of 9/11 & Va Tech

I was begining to believe that I had lost myself into the twilight zone. I remember questioning the actions of the passengers on the first 3 flights that flew into the WTC buildings and the Pentagon(however I have serious misgivings about the Pentagon story) and questioning the actions of the passengers.
Why couldn't the passengers on those jets rush the terrorist and take over the planes??

I'm getting ready to step into again !!!! We have become so complacent(government action) upon others to help us in time of need that we won't even come to the aid of others if it means life or death. I don't believe the first two deaths could've been stopped except by the killer himself, however the other 31 could've been minimalised by some heroic actions from the professors or students.
From news reports this wack job was walking down the hallway and shooting through doorways that were blocked by individuals which were determined NOT to allow him in. One person interviewed even made mention of hearing a clip hit the floor, while he was blocking the doorway, during the reload.
At some point someone had to think about overtaking this nutjob, however if this thought were spoken aloud it was probably squashed and the thinker told to cover his/her head and hopefully he would run out of bullets. I would gladly give my life to save the lives of others. I am in the minority, sadly.


Schools need to teach students to be aggressive
Security analyst tells TODAY how schools should prepare for attacks

NBC News
TODAY
Updated: 11:05 a.m. CT April 18, 2007

Cowering under a desk and waiting for help to come is no longer an option. American schools must teach their students to respond aggressively to attacks by people bent on mayhem.

"I would hope that the administrators and folks that are making the decisions would understand that it’s difficult to negotiate with a bullet," security consultant Allen Hill told TODAY. "A person that comes into your facility with a gun intends to kill and do you harm."

The founder of Response Options, a Texas-based security company, said, "Get past this paralysis of fear over liability issues. Our country is so litigious and concerned about doing the wrong thing and about doing the politically correct thing that we don’t do anything."
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That only helps people like Cho Seung Hui. "The bad guys are counting on Americans to sit still and do nothing," Hill said.

Students and others need to realize that they do have options, Hill said.

The "bad guys" plan their attacks. Schools need to plan and rehearse their defenses and responses just as aggressively.

"The training should be just as intense and be taken just as seriously as the bad guy takes their mission to kill," he said.

At Virginia Tech, Cho Seung Hui walked into classrooms and simply shot people. There are reports that he even lined up victims to shoot them one by one. But in one Norris Hall classroom, student Zach Petkewicz led his classmates in barricading the door, saving all inside.

Petkewicz’ response was instinctive, prompted by "adrenaline and fear."

Hill’s company teaches acting from knowledge and a well-rehearsed plan.

"Once the bad guy’s inside, how hard is it to hit a non-moving target?" Hill observed.

"Get up and move," he advised. "Do whatever it takes to create chaos and mayhem. Disrupt them. Make them go into a protective mode themselves. We feel that we can become actively aggressive for our own benefit, whether that’s actively running out of the classroom, having to face the gunman and take him down, breaking out windows and escaping that way."

You can’t wait for something to happen and then try to form a response, he said. It’s got to be done in advance.

Security systems are passive, he said. But those under attack can be active.

Said Hill: "There are things that you can do to take the initiative away from the bad guy, to disrupt their plan and to create a situation that’s winnable for you."