45 years later, UT Tower shooting rampage still remembered

[ScreamingMeemie]

http://www.khou.com/news/45-years-later-UT--126491048.html

snip-

Today, on the serene campus of the University of Texas, it is difficult to imagine what happened. But a lot of Texans who lived through the turbulent times of the 1960’s can’t help themselves. They glance up at the tower and, try as they might, can’t forget it.

One sweltering August day in 1966 -- 45 years ago Monday—gunfire echoed across the campus.　 A sniper armed with a high-powered rifle opened fire from the observation deck of the tower, shooting dozens of people during a 96-minute spree of mass murder.

-snip

[AngryAmish]

1. Mentioned in Full Metal Jacket

[-..__...]

4. Yep... Whitman shot all those people...

from that book suppository window.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. You have to remember it was 1966.

We were much more naive and innocent at that time. This was the first time you had an unpredicted, unprovoked mass murderer indiscriminately shooting at anyone he could see. There was no prior experience to use for protection or strategy to avoid the gunfire. No security cameras. No FBI profiles of a mass murderer.

[True Earthling]

3. A reminder that the concept of free will is a myth...

A lot of our behavior is dictated by mental states we have no control over... slight changes in the balance of brain chemistry can cause large changes in behavior.

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. What I have always found interesting about this is that Whitman

was aware that there was something physically wrong with him, causing his altered mental state.

[DocMac]

6. I remember it.

I served in the Marine corp. They mentioned this guy often when they wanted you to understand how dangerous a Marine and his rifle can be.

They also mention Oswald.

[rainbow4321]

7. Such a sad history of a beautiful place

The feelings for that tower from the students is incredible.

My daughter graduated from there a few years ago and the entire graduating class nearly bailed on the campus wide, outdoor graduating ceremony. All because if it rained, the ceremony would have been moved INdoors. Meaning the star attraction, in their eyes, the TOWER would not be lit up or seen. No Tower, we are outta here. The light show is INCREDIBLE during the long graduating ceremony and then fireworks are shot off all around and on top of it. It gets lit up using the different colors of each individual college within the university and then the class' year of graduating is lit up using the office lights.
LUCKILY, the storm passed, and after what felt like a forever delay, jittery/anxious parents and students were allowed back into the mall area in the shadow of The Tower.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. That's sounds like an awesome way to graduate.

[Proles]

8. I remember reading about this recently.

Turned out the guy had a brain tumor which gave him the irresistable urge to kill. He tried to fight those urges for a few years before finally going on the rampage.

It does humble you about whether or not we truly have control over our destiny, or if everything we do is merely the result of our brain's wiring.

Would kind of explain the difference between liberals and conservatives. Our brains definitely work differently.