It’s a good sign that you’ve paid too much attention to a political race when you find yourself thinking “rerun” when you hear a candidate making his stump speech. It’s especially bad when it’s the fourth or fifth time you’ve heard it, and the election is still three-and-a-half months away.

I had a rerun moment tonight listening to Karl Dean give his opening remarks at the Nashville Civic Design Center forum at the Main Library. Dean, the first candidate to speak, launched into his introduction about how he came to Nashville for education and stayed for love after he met his wife, who Dean says is smarter than he is, at Vanderbilt law school. He then cited Nashville’s 16 years of “high quality, progressive, ethical leadership” under Phil Bredesen and Bill Purcell and begins to make the case that he is their natural successor. To be fair, this isn’t a bad parallel to want to draw as a candidate, and Dean is getting more comfortable making the speech. I have to keep in mind that, with his poll numbers supposedly in the single digits this early in the race, I’m one of the few people in the city who’s heard Dean speak.

As usual, ahem, Dean mentioned that his top three priorities are education, public safety and economic development.

A student blogger is weighing in on this morning’s events:

Right now the number is 22 dead and 28 wounded and that includes one shooter dead. They believe he/she acted alone, but that is not confirmed. There is no apparent motive currently other than they believe the shooting at West AJ this morning was a man shooting his girlfriend and Resident Advisor.

From all reports, this is the worst school shooting ever. School is closed today and tomorrow and there is supposed to be some type of service in Cassell Coliseum tomorrow at noon.

If you have family or something that you want to reunite with, they are telling everyone to go to the Inn at VT off Prices Fork Road. Also, if you call someone and do not get them; do not be automatically alarmed. The cell towers are jammed like crazy, so it may be difficult to get through.
I will keep everyone updates as much as possible, but it hard to say how long it will take to fully grasp what has happened.

The Virginia Tech student newspaper, The Collegiate Times, is publishing text updates via its parent company Web site.

Update:A Nashvillian who visited Blacksburg over the weekend has shared her thoughts. A graduate student at VT is also blogging. The Tennessean is looking for local VT alumni to interview.

I have visited Blacksburg, Virginia, a few times in the past and found it to be a sleepy college town in the midst of lovely countryside between Roanoke and Bristol. The scene there today is much different, and I can’t imagine what it must be like for those who are there. From Charles Steger, President of Virginia Tech, via the Wikinews page now attributed to this tragedy:

Today, the university was struck with a tragedy we consider to be of monumental proportion. There were two shootings which occurred on campus. In each case, there are fatalities. The university is shocked, and indeed horrified. I want to extend my deepest and most sincere and profound sympathies to the families of these victims, which include our students.

At about 7:15 this morning, a 9-1-1 call came to the university Police Department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later, the university received reports of a shooting at Norris Hall. The police immediately responded. The shooter in Norris Hall is deceased. There are multiple fatalities. The number of fatalities has not been confirmed, victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area and the region to receive emergency treatment. We will proceed to notify the next of kin as the victims’ identities are available.

Based on the lives lost, this incident is already beginning to remind me of Columbine. I hope that the proximity of its anniversary (April 20, 1999) has not factored in this event. I am saddened to see so many lives change so suddenly for such a senseless reason, and I am saddened to see another community arriving at “one-word” status when it comes to invoking memories of terrible events.