"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" -- Edmund Burke

[Yavin4]

The common link to the Aurora, Colo. shooting and the Sandusky scandal is that there were good people who could have prevented these acts, but they did nothing.

If your child is collecting an arsenal of weapons and may go on a rampage, it's your duty to notify authorities and get him/her help and counseling.

If someone reports seeing one of your coaches molesting a child, call the authorities and turn him in.

We can have arguments about guns and individual responsibility all we want, but the bottom line is that there are people out there that commit horrible crimes, and they simply do not have the mental capacity to understand right from wrong. That's where people close to them have to step in and be the responsible party. They have to know the horror that their loved one/close associate can inflict on innocent victims, and they have to stop them.

IMHO, the parents of that Colo. shooter is just as responsible as the shooter himself, if not more than.

[ananda]

1. Also, how neighborly are we?

Did the shooter have any friends in his apartment complex?
Did his neighbors bother to get to know him?

[Brickbat]

2. It is extremely difficult to get someone committed or even seen for an evaluation if they don't want

one. Terribly difficult to impossible. It's a delicate balance between protecting someone's human rights and protecting him from himself.

[liberalmuse]

3. At this point...

We don't have enough information to blame anyone, never mind the parents. You have no idea what anyone who was acquainted with James Holmes did or did not know. This was a horrible tragedy - but it's not wise to jump to conclusions before we have more facts.

[OnyxCollie]

4. Lead by example.

When are the investigations of Bush's torture program gonna start?