1,8 (tragedies resulting in govt. action)

But sometimes there's a tragedy that forces an issue.  Mankind faces a dilemma it must resolve.  Society realizes that the established ground rules no longer work.  And the government is compelled to take action... or face the consequences.  The "way of things" begins to change.

Government often requires a tragedy before there's sufficient inertia to solve an existing problem.  It's just how everything seems to work.  It's how big problems get solved.  It's just how things get done.  And it's almost always AFTER a crisis.  And regrettably, there's a side note to all of this... when history demands change, large numbers of people usually have to be injured or die. 

Anyone remember the Explosion on Wall Street in 1920?  I didn't think so.
They blamed it on an Italian anarchist named Mario Buda.  

He allegedly pulled up to the JP Morgan building in Manhattan and detonated one of the first ever car bombs.  

This particular car bomb was actually a horse drawn carriage filled with dynamite and iron slugs.  38 people died.  138 injured.  

This act of domestic terrorism spawned the creation of the modern day Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

sometimes it's just one individual who's impacted and launches a crusade... 
(May 3, 1980, Fair Oaks California) Candace Lightner's 13 year old daughter was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender in a hit'n'run.  

Intro
MADD - Mother's Against Drunk Driving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvjIFEmmRs
:25 - :29

More stringent penalties for driving while intoxicated, portable breathalyzers and eventually DUI checkpoints.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/VideoNetwork/51505900001/DUI-checkpoints?nclick_check=1
(find something better)

other times, the situation impacts several people... 

(RESTRICTED VIDEO)

ABC NEWS: The Tylenol Murders (1982)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xj7ihs_abc-news-the-tylenol-murders-1982_news#.UQUuU-YmYy5
(Ted Koppel - basic announcement)
:00 - :13

The Tylenol murders (September/October of 1982, Chicago, Illinois area) claimed the lives of 7 people.  It sparked reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and federal anti-tampering laws. 

(Associated Press Bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol are tested fof cyanide at the Illinois Department of Health in October 1982 in Chicago.)

(News crews surround the entrance to the Illinois State Police office in Des Plaines, the headquarters for the Tylenol killings investigation, on Oct. 8, 1982).

(Associated Press - http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120923/news/709239911/photos/AR/)

quote -

As the 30-year anniversary of the Tylenol murders nears, no one has yet been charged with the crime. An FBI-led task force continues to search for the killer, using new technology to re-examine the evidence. "Anyone who was involved in this case at its inception, and lived through the horror of what took place ... isn't going to forget it," said former assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Margolis.

In 1986, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (April 5, 1986, Bethlehem, PA) Jeanne Clery, a 19 year-old Lehigh Univeristy student was raped and murdered in her campus residence.  4 years later this would result in congressional passage of the Clery Act. It required colleges and universities to keep and disclose crime statistics.  It also required these institutions to give TIMELY warnings of CRIMES that represent a THREAT to the safety of students and employees.

What Jeanne Didn't Know... (Part One of Two)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db2GgqHk0Ek

:11 - :17
The policy of a lot of college campuses is, if its negative to their image, is what you don't know can't hurt you."

8:40 - 8:52
"During the 2 1/2 week murder trial, Howard and Connie Clery learned that there were a number of flaws in the security system at Lehigh.  They would file suit against the university for negligence and eventually settle out of court."
(Clery's plan litigation, fight to save lives)

9:03 - 9:18
They agreed to enhance security on campus, particularly in the freshman dormitories.  They put the electronic card entrance system.  This records everyone that goes into the dormitory."

For some reason, educational institutions seem particularly vulnerable to violence.

Columbine Shooting: The Final Report 1/5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vh_Cq7h_gI

0:00 - :10 ("school is in a panic, kids, heads under the tables, under the tables)

April 20, 1999: Columbine Shooting Video - ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/april-20-1999-columbine-shooting-9541833

1:20 - 1:48 (eyewitness accounts of the shooting)

2:05 - 2:11 (pulling student out from window)

2:21 - 2:40 (footage of people running / shots, flares)

 

And 8 years later there was another tragedy.  The Virginia Tech massacre. (April 16, 2007, Blacksburg, VA)  Seung-Hung Cho killed 32 people and injured 21 others.  It's still the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history.   More background checks and federal gun control legislation... this mass murder laid the foundation for the modern day campus emergency text alert system.

 

(possible face morph)

(Connecticut School Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary: Obama's Emotional address)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_8zXJcoxHY
2:30 - 2:38 (We're going to have to take meaningful action regardless of the politics)
:50 - 1:03 (Obama shedding a tear for the victims)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9749423/Connecticut-school-shooting-Barack-Obama-declares-we-cant-tolerate-this-any-more.html

:50 - 1:03 ("I've been reflecting on this the last few days and, if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is 'no'," he said. "We're not doing enough, and we will have to change").

John F. Kennedy quote -

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man.  And man can be as big as he wants.  No problem of human destiny is beyond humans."

... We'll soon find out if something happens, something changes...