The Columbine High School massacre 27th Anniversary

April 20 marks the anniversary of one of the most horrific days in American history: the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999. That day, two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a planned attack that left 12 students and one teacher dead, with 23 others wounded, before the perpetrators turned their guns on themselves. It was a day of unimaginable terror that shocked the nation and changed how we think about school safety forever.

The two teens entered the school around 11:19 a.m., armed with guns and homemade explosives. Their original plan included detonating propane bombs in the cafeteria, but when those failed, they began shooting students and staff. They moved through the hallways and into the library, where much of the killing took place. The attack lasted less than an hour but left a permanent scar on the American psyche.

 Personal Memories of That Day

I was at home sick in bed that day and turned on the news in my room. Like so many others, I was shocked and horrified by the live coverage unfolding before my eyes. When I finally returned to school in New York City, things had already changed dramatically. Schools were hastily setting up metal detectors, which became a burdensome part of daily life. I was late to my first period most of the time because we had to wait in long lines outside the building. On top of that, students were issued ID cards for the first time in the school's history—something that had never been required before. What was once a place of learning and relative freedom now felt like it carried an undercurrent of fear and restriction.  It became a prison of sorts.  It is no surprise that the "community" feeling is gone in today's public schools in New York City. 

Cultural Influences and Details of the Perpetrators

Harris and Klebold left behind journals, videos, and online activity that revealed deep anger, a desire for notoriety, and troubling influences. They made racist comments during the attack and targeted certain students, including Isaiah Shoels, who was Black. Reports at the time linked their mindset to inspiration from violent media, including Marilyn Manson's music and the film The Matrix, though these claims were part of a broader cultural debate. Their AOL screen names reflected their online personas: Harris used "REB" (short for Rebel), and Klebold was associated with "VoDKa."

 School Shootings: A Tragic Pattern

While Columbine was not the first school shooting in America—earlier incidents included the 1979 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego by Brenda Spencer, the 1997 Heath High School shooting in Kentucky, and the 1998 Thurston High School shooting in Oregon, among others—it marked a turning point. School shootings have unfortunately become far more common in the decades since 1999, with hundreds of incidents reported across the country, though mass casualty events remain statistically rare compared to everyday gun violence.

Warning signs often include teen angst that crosses into isolation, fascination with violence, mental health struggles left unaddressed, and a desire to harm others. Bullying can exacerbate feelings of resentment, but it does not excuse or explain such evil. Many experts point to the erosion of community, family support, and spiritual grounding as contributing factors.

 The Role of Faith and Prayer

Notably, these kinds of mass shootings by current students have not occurred in Catholic schools in the same way. Prayer, a sense of the sacred, moral formation rooted in faith, and a strong emphasis on the dignity of every human life appear to make a profound difference. When young people are taught that they are created in the image of God, with purpose and inherent worth, it counters the despair and nihilism that fuel such acts. God and prayer are not peripheral—they are central to healing hearts and building resilient communities.

 The Victims

The lives senselessly taken that day were:

- Cassie Bernall, 17 (a Christian student reportedly asked about her faith during the attack)

- Steven Curnow, 14

- Corey DePooter, 17

- Kelly Fleming, 16

- Matthew Kechter, 16

- Daniel Mauser, 15

- Daniel Rohrbough, 15

- William “Dave” Sanders, 47 (the teacher who heroically helped students escape)

- Rachel Scott, 17

- Isaiah Shoels, 18

- John Tomlin, 16

- Lauren Townsend, 18

- Kyle Velasquez, 16

*(Note: Anne Marie Hochhalter was severely injured and survived for many years before passing away in 2025 from complications related to her injuries.)

We remember them not just as statistics, but as beloved sons, daughters, friends, and a dedicated educator whose futures were stolen in an instant.

A Prayer for the Victims:

Lord, we lift up to You the souls of those lost at Columbine: Cassie, Steven, Corey, Kelly, Matthew, Daniel, Daniel, Dave, Rachel, Isaiah, John, Lauren, and Kyle. Grant them eternal rest and peace in Your loving embrace. Comfort their families and all who still grieve this loss after so many years. Help us to honor their memories by working toward a more compassionate and secure society. Amen.

In the end, Columbine reminds us that evil is real, but so is hope. As a society, we must address mental health, bullying, cultural influences that glorify violence, and above all, the deep human need for God. Only by turning toward love, truth, and faith can we prevent future tragedies and honor the memory of those we lost on that horrific day in 1999.

May their souls rest in peace, and may we never grow numb to the pain such violence causes.

SCOTUS Unanimously Sides With Trump Against Colorado

The Supreme Court of the United States has unanimously reversed the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court that had removed former President Donald Trump from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. The Colorado court had ruled that Trump was disqualified from running for office again under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution from holding any federal or state office. The Colorado court found that Trump had incited the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed with that interpretation of Section 3. The majority opinion, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, held that only Congress has the authority to enforce Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates and that states cannot unilaterally exclude anyone from the ballot based on their own judgment of insurrection. The majority also noted that Congress has not passed any legislation to implement Section 3, and that it has not declared anyone to be disqualified under it since 1898. The majority argued that allowing states to decide who is eligible for office under Section 3 would create a "state-by-state patchwork" of decisions that would undermine the uniformity and stability of federal elections.

The majority opinion was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Barrett also wrote a separate concurring opinion, in which she agreed with the majority's conclusion but suggested that there may be other ways to enforce Section 3 besides congressional legislation, such as a declaratory judgment by a federal court or a challenge by an opposing candidate. She also expressed some doubt about whether Section 3 applies to former officeholders at all, or only to current ones.

The three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, also concurred in the judgment but wrote a separate opinion to criticize the majority for going beyond what was necessary to resolve the case. They argued that the majority should have left open the possibility of other means of enforcing Section 3, such as those suggested by Justice Barrett or by a federal statute that authorizes private lawsuits to challenge violations of voting rights. They also pointed out that the majority did not address the merits of the Colorado court's finding that Trump had engaged in insurrection and that they did not rule out the possibility that Congress or a federal court could still declare him ineligible in the future.

The Supreme Court's decision means that Trump will remain on the ballot in Colorado and in two other states, Illinois and Maine, that had also sought to exclude him under Section 3. Trump is currently leading the polls among Republican voters nationwide and has announced his intention to run for president again in 2024.

It is very rare for the Supreme Court of the United States to get things right. However, they have been on a roll lately. The decision to keep President Trump on the ballot in Colorado and other states was a good one. Trump was removed from the ballot under a false pretense, namely that he was the creator and instigator of an insurrection.  To date, he has not been charged nor found guilty of such a treasonous act. How can he be penalized for something he was never even found guilty of?  Those who attempted to remove the former president from the ballot are acting on an ulterior political motive. It is sad and scary that some courts even entertained this. 

What do you think? Post your comment below on Disqus. Be sure to follow the rules so your comment can be posted.

References:

- [Supreme Court of the United States: Trump v. Anderson](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-719_19m2.pdf)

- [USA Today: Trump stays on Colorado ballot: What to know from Supreme Court ruling](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/04/supreme-court-decision-trump-colorado-ballot-takeaways/72841402007/)

- [CNBC: Supreme Court: States can't block Trump from ballot](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/04/supreme-court-rules-in-trump-colorado-ballot-case.html)

- [The Hill: Supreme Court keeps Trump on Colorado ballot: Read the ruling](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4506668-supreme-court-keeps-trump-on-colorado-ballot-read-the-ruling/)

- [Denver Post: U.S. Supreme Court rules Donald Trump is allowed on Colorado's ballot](https://www.denverpost.com/2024/03/04/supreme-court-ruling-donald-trump-ballot-colorado-case/)

SCOTUS to Gays: You Cannot Have Your Cake & Eat It Too

Great news! The Supreme Court of the United States of America decided in a 59 page ruling in favor of the Protestant Christian who refused to bake a cake celebrating the so-called "marriage" of two gay men.  This case has been in the news for many years now. It has empowered the LGBTQ agenda to fiercely go after Christians and attack religious freedom. Colorado's government even went on full attack against Jack Phillips who owes Masterpiece Cake.  The court decided 7-to-2 against the two gay men.  All of the justices minus Sotomayor and Ginsburg were in agreement that Phillips was met with harsh anti-religious sentiment by Colorado officials.

This case gained national attention when Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins filed a complaint against baker Jack Phillips in Colorado. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission went after Phillips immensely. He was not given a fair hearing. The institution automatically sided with the gay men and completely disregarded Phillip's religious freedom. Justice Kennedy noted this in the ruling. He said that one of the seven commissioners from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission described Phillip's religious faith as "despicable" and conflated him as a person trying to support slavery using religious faith or teachings.

The ruling has set up brake against LGBTQ extremism which has taken hold in that last few years. The LGBTQ agenda has been working hard to push religious freedom back.  Religion is now its only enemy. Philosophy and other areas that bring about criticism have sold their souls to irrationality and can no longer be trusted as beacons of questioning ideas. Many universities and political philosophies have adopted the LGBTQ agenda without question. Even social media will label any criticism of the LGBTQ agenda as hate. I myself was suspended by Twitter after someone falsely reported a tweets I posted about hepitatis and homosexual sexual activity as "hate." Note, this information has also been posted by health departments and other verified health accounts.  I was targeted because my account tweets on religion most of the time.  Hopefully, this new ruling will empower religious people to push back and not let themselves or their consciences be silenced.  The two gay men could have sought the services of another bakery.  Instead, they decided to harass an honest baker trying to make a living using his culinary talent. The men were not denied a cake because of their orientation. They were denied serviced because of what the cake was representing; a perversion of the institution of marriage. 




Source:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/04/politics/read-supreme-court-masterpiece-cupcake-decision/index.html

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/04/605003519/supreme-court-decides-in-favor-of-baker-over-same-sex-couple-in-cake-shop-case

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/06/04/supreme-court-colorado-baker-gay-couple.html

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ruth-bader-ginsburg-dissent-supreme-court-wedding-cake-shop-case_us_5b15ce75e4b0129b529d3a12

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/04/politics/masterpiece-colorado-gay-marriage-cake-supreme-court/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/us/politics/supreme-court-sides-with-baker-who-turned-away-gay-couple.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/26e784e5-b6cd-3b70-8cc9-7f3aebd62dbf/ss_supreme-court-sides-with.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/628e5495-f78a-31df-95ce-d1006cb1bdde/ss_supreme-court-to-tackle.html

James Holmes Found Guilty

The jury has reached a verdict in Aurora Colorado theater atheist agnostic shooter James Holmes' case.  He is guilty of murder in the first degree. Holmes entered a movie theater during the debut of a Batman film in 2012 and began shooting people randomly.


I will update this post as I learn more details, stay tuned!





Source:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2015/07/16/verdict-reached-colo-theater-shooting-trial-james-holmes/vP1N6hh64p0gRXjR9hIfiO/story.html?s_campaign=bostonglobe%3Asocialflow%3Atwitter

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/16/jurors-in-colorado-movie-massacre-trial-reach-verdict-court-spo/21210335/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1304415620

http://6abc.com/news/jury-finds-theater-shooter-james-holmes-guilty-of-1st-degree-murder-/856526/

http://ktla.com/2015/07/16/james-holmes-jurys-choice-was-aurora-theater-massacre-murder-or-madness/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/verdict-reached-colorado-theater-gunman-james-holmes-article-1.2294783

"Joker" Faces Judge

Today, "suspect A" faced a judge.  He seemed to look like he was in a daze or pretending to look mentally disturbed.  His rights were read to him and he will have to appear again next Monday.  Justice will be served.  Many speculate that the death penalty will be issued after all is said and done.

It is a shame that this young bright man threw his life away by committing this heinous act.  If it is true that he had personal troubles, he could have sought help instead of taking out his frustrations on innocent movie goers.


Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/james-holmes-court-appearance_n_1694948.html?133847348738&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D182864

The Dark Night Indeed...

On a night where the Batman movie, "The Rise of the Dark Knight" was set to be screened at a AMC theater in Aurora, Colorado, something unexpected happened.  A deranged young 24 year old entered an auditorium, threw a can of gas and began firing at all those in attendance.  He did not care who he shot at.  Men, women, children were all equal targets.

The movie goers did not know what to do.  At first, some thought this was a prank or part of the "show."  However, when the reality set in that this was a massacre, people began running for their lives.  Many of them heroically threw themselves over their loved ones, friends and strangers in order to shield them from the bullets.

Dozens were killed and over 70 injured.  James Holmes, a PhD student in neuroscience with a great academic record was arrested after being found outside of the theater armed to the teeth.   He identified himself as "the Joker" to the police and had his hair dyed red.

The details are still coming in.  No one seems to know why this young man did this horrific act.  He has no criminal record, no past mental illness issues and based on his academic record was set to be a brilliant neuro-scientist had he continued his Phd studies.

Reuters reported that Holmes is a Militant Atheist, but other sources say he went to church weeks before the attack.  More is still being discovered.

Holmes also booby trapped his apartment by setting a timer on his stereo system.  As the stereo went on with loud Techno music, cops would have shown up due to nuisance complaints.  Holmes purposely left his door unlocked so had anyone entered and tripped the wires, a bomb would have gone off.  Some speculate that this was some sort of diversion to lead cops to the apartment while he began his massacre at the theater.  

The media is all over reporting on this and unfortunately Twitter allowed Holmes' to trend instead of allowing the memory of the victims to trend.  People all over the nation and the world are in mourning.  President Obama ordered all flags at half staff.

Colorado is not a stranger to gun violence.  In  April of 1999, two disturbed Atheist kids who were fans of the self proclaimed "anti-Christ" heavy metal rocker "Marilyn Manson" entered their Columbine high school in Littleton,Co and killed dozens before turning the guns on themselves.

A connection between this theater shooting and the one in Columbine can possibly be made.  The aggressors were loners.  Human beings are social beings.  Without social contact, the human mind does not function properly.  It is by social interaction that human beings learn.

In any event, my prayers and thoughts go out to all those involved in the tragedy.  It was indeed a Dark Night.

We must rethink the direction our nation is going.  Our youth are desensitized due to the constant bombardment of violence by means of the media.  The trailer for the Batman movie had a scene where a villain enters and shoots in a theater.  This scene has been removed from the trailer after the tragedy.  

Morality and religion are seen as archaic and useless superstition relative solely to particular peoples and not the whole of society.   When anything pertaining to God and morals become offensive and violence and immorality becomes "cool" and the norm, rest assured incidents like this will continue to happen.


Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/names-of-victims-emerge-i_0_n_1691615.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D182390

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/century-16-aurora-movie-theater-_n_1691676.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D182390

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/james-holmes-colorado-shooting_n_1692381.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D182386

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/james-holmes-colorado-shooting_n_1692381.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D182386

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/colorado-shooting-james-holmes_n_1691616.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl2%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D182386

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/21/century-16-aurora-movie-theater-_n_1691676.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing10%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D182390

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176695/Aurora-Dark-Knight-shootings-Warner-Brothers-cut-gun-scenes-Batman-trailers.html