[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 12, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RED LAKE SCHOOL TRAGEDY

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2005

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest 
condolences to the Red Lake Nation of northern Minnesota for the 
profound tragedy that took place on March 21, 2005. On that day a young 
man killed nine people on the Red Lake Reservation and then he killed 
himself. This extreme violence shatters our own sense of security 
because we all know it can happen anywhere at any time. All Americans 
and all Minnesotans extend our prayers, condolences, and support for 
the families of the Red Lake Nation as they heal and rebuild their 
community.
  Violence, untreated mental illness, the epidemic of alcohol and drug 
abuse, and the ubiquitous availability to guns are all scourges. They 
are potentially contributing factors to an environment throughout our 
nation in which rational problem solving is all too often replaced with 
irrational destruction and death. We will never know why this young man 
was driven to enter his own school and embark on a campaign of murder. 
We only know the outcome; the painful consequences and the bewildering 
agony of families and a community torn apart.
  As adults we have a responsibility to our children. We must listen to 
them, talk to them, and look for the warning signs. We must work 
together as a community to ensure their basic needs are met because 
even parents who are doing all they can still need assistance. In this 
country, violence surrounds our children, our families, and our 
communities. Violence is a plague which is promoted, glorified, and 
condoned in popular culture through movies, music, video games, and the 
endless television news cycle. It is a disease that is killing our 
children in our streets and in our schools and it must be stopped.
  The shooting at Red Lake is another tragic episode that is no longer 
rare or abnormal. It is now all too commonplace and we are not nearly 
as shocked by such tragedy as we once were. Sadly, Red Lake is another 
example of this very tragic trend. And as Red Lake knows all too well, 
our nation's children are at risk and America needs to be hearing their 
voices, investing in their future, and supporting their very real 
needs.

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