The Daily Kos community should be the first to recognize that what could have prevented this horrible event was a community that cared about the individual. If a friend, neighbor, classmate, teacher or family member had visited him, they would have known that there was a problem (assuming the police description of the amount of explosives and weird stuff in his apartment is accurate). Shouldn't someone have taken an interest in a brilliant student who suddenly was dropping out of school?

Alienation, isolation, lack of a social safety net, lack of a living wage, a country divided into "us and them" these are the problems that lead to violence. When we allow the conversation to become one about banning things (abortions, guns, pornography, alcohol, pot, cocaine, role-playing games, first person shooter games etc.) then the 1% have won. Liberals, progressives or just human beings, we need to fight to solve the root causes of violence in this country. The social fabric of the United States is in tatters.

There is a personal responsibility side to this too. We need to check on our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues and our family members. Get to know them before they have problems and when you see they are in trouble reach out to them. If they won't let you help let others know that the person is having problems. Talk to family members if you have too. This goes both ways. If you are having a problem talk to your family, friends, neighbors etc. Communicate. We have to make connections with each other. We have to form the society we want. Expecting the government to ban stuff, spy on people and arrest people as a way to keep us safe is wrong and it won't work.

We are America. We have to change it if we want a better world in which to raise our children. We have to set an example if we want our children to be better than we are. We have to demand and fight for the society where we have health care, a living wage and a social safety net that allows all of us to live up to our potential. Electing leaders to help us reach these goals is what Daily Kos is all about.

I'm sorry for the rant, but I had to get it off my chest.