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We need to find the cause of these problems before we can even try to fix them. Why are these young men and women going and doing these things? Revenge? Fame? Or is it a product of nature and nurture?

It's not young people that need to take the stand. Our generation is the problem. I can't think of any body in power I could trust right now, and when authority fails in that way, problems like this arise. Parents, who ignore, mistreat, and even hurt their children cause this. The school system, which can't do anything to halt a very immensely powerful caste system, where some children are like kings, while others are outcasts even in their own minds, can't cope or even discipline kids anymore. Teachers that don't teach anything more then what they need to to keep their job. Students who don't even try to learn. I remember a Senior girl in my Junior American History class saying "So, we won the Revolutionary War?" and I shudder at the ignorance.

America is declining. We've simply become too powerful, and the world too connected. We have no competitors to beat, no lands to expand to. No challenge at all. If we had to fight WWII all over again, we would lose. Horribly. Most of our country rely on the government for any type of danger or disaster. Hurricane Katrina? I'm sorry, they had plenty of time to evacuate. To prepare. Instead, most of the population sat on their thumbs, waiting for the Federal government to sweep in and save them. Wrong. It was the state's responsibility. When a hurricane hit FL, do disasters like that happen? No, the state knows how to deal with that problem. Louisiana didn't, and didn't even bother to try.

But I'm off subject. It's not the Republicans or the Democrats fault this happened. It the two parties together that caused this. The past three elections I haven't seen one candidate I'd want to be President. I'm simply given to horrible choices and hope it all works out. Instead of one person being a charismatic leader, we instead have fifteen minutes of fame for everybody. I don't feel like authority has any idea what it's doing anymore.

I can't say much about the causes for such atrocities in USA (I'm Brazilian), but I agree with both Xander and Elspeth. I think our generation is the problem, but we can't rely on others to change... it's like, if you believe you have to do something, do it, don't wait for others to do. It may not help much, and I feel like we are trapped inside this horrible system, but that doesn't mean we can't fight for a better world. We can help a little by supporting someone who needs it, by trying to accept others by what they are and not hurt themselves mentally and physically because of a fake superiority that in fact doesn't exist. Don't offend the others if you don't want to get offended yourself.

Our generation is stupid and selfish, they are closed inside a bubble and don't care about the rest of the world, that's what I feel sometimes... I was horrified to find out that some north americans don't even know where Iraq is! I mean, your government is in a war there and you don't even know what the heck is going on and where this thing is happening? And you think I live in the middle of a jungle because I'm Brazilian, and being so I must be dumb enough to not know English? Oh, gimme a break! Are you seriously thinking you are better than me, just because you are prettier and have better clothes? Sometimes I feel like saying things like that when people go all arrogant with me, acting so superior when they are not. It's this kind of behaviour of ignorance that I think triggers social problems after, for while some people just get annoyed like me, others may get mentally disturbed. Not everyone responds the same way, we always have to remind that.

wow when all this happen i was a Southern Utah University
i didn't even now that had happen until i got home i was shock....
but i still want to go to University to continue my study and become successful.....
but their is alot of crazy people out there..... sad