Virginia Tech and Iraq

There's something very creepy about random spree killers. Political terrorists at least have some cause they fight for, but most school shooters are simply deranged in some manner, and so the horror of murder is compounded by a void of meaninglessness. This is why something like what happened today at Virginia Tech can hit me in the gut in a way that the daily carnage I read about in war zones seldom can. However, it's also worth keeping this in mind:

"Let's total the score: at least 65 Iraqis dead in four attacks vs. 22 Americans shot at Virginia Tech. Whoops, forgot the 20 kidnapped policemen. Can you imagine?

"The next time you hear Dick Cheney or George Bush blame the public attitude regarding Iraq on the media's failure to report 'good news', examine carefully our reaction to the shooting at Viginia Tech. Look at our collective shock. Our horrified reaction. The public sorrow. Yet, in truth, this is an exceptional, unusual day in America. It is not our common experience. But we cannot say the same about Iraq."

I see a lot of al-Jazeera coverage of people being killed in Iraq. There are reasons.