One lesson learned from the tragedy at Virginia Tech is that if you want to spread any kind of sick message, mail your videotape to a major news network before you commit unspeakable (and, heretofore on American campuses, unthinkable) acts.  And NBC's exploitation of the massacre has caused a media frenzy as the news media try to out do each other.

By the way, did anything happen in Iraq recently? You would not know by watching television.

Go check any online news website and see how many stories we have on the madman and how many on victims.

Am I missing something here?

Why does the killer get more news coverage than the victims? Can anyone but family members and friends name a single victim? I'm sure everyone can name the killer.

Also, I found it tell-tale that most if not all the news media got the killer's name wrong at first. Asian countries put the family name first. But our brilliant American tabloid press doesn't have time for accuracy in the face of sensationalism.

Additionally, the psychologist and centers for "aggression management" are having a field day promoting their wares.

And I was a little surprised when police officials in Virgina first said that NBC did a good thing.

Oops.

Today the same police officials are saying that NBC made a mistake in the handling of the killer's manifesto. It's madness.

We had over 200 people, many innocent civilians, killed in Iraq; we have the madman Muqtada al Sadr yelling for Iraqis to kill Americans; and we lost more servicemembers to roadside bombs.   We have major floods in the Northeast, snowstorms in the midwest and fires in Georgia.  All relegated to the scroll at the bottom of TV screens while the killer's videotape plays again and again.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the greater Virginia Tech community. I praise the families who were schedule to go on the NBC Today show and then refused because of NBC's coverage.

It's all madness.  What more can you say?