PA - Five girls dead, 5 injured in Amish school shooting, 2 Oct 2006

[cheko1]

Roberts family may even receive money from the fund set up for the Amish.
Thats really kind of them.........

 

[luthersmama]

Here is a link that will take you to a whole bunch of good articles from today's Lancaster newspaper:

http://local.lancasteronline.com/1/91

You will be pleased so see that the state police have restricted traffic in the area of the homes where the funerals are being held so that only the Amish and other people who live there can get in today. The press is corralled at one location and there is a air traffic restriction as well.

 

[ljwf22]

Just a simple question...I read in one of the articles that a boy was riding a bike, but the pedals were removed and therefore he was basically pushing it along. Can someone tell me what the Amish belief or rationale for removing pedals is? I was just curious.

Don't know about the pedal question, but some Amish are not allowed to ride bicycles. Their bishop decides.

 

[cheko1]

Thanks Shadow......I just found the article.

 

[shdbepaintin]

Another heartbreaking story:


Shoot Me First,' Amish Girl Said to Ask

Oct. 5, 2006 — The oldest of the five Amish girls shot dead in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse is said to have stepped forward and asked her killer to "Shoot me first," in an apparent effort to buy time for her schoolmates.

Rita Rhoads, a midwife who delivered two of the victims, told ABC News' Law and Justice Unit that she learned of 13-year-old Marian Fisher's plea from Fisher's family.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2531138&page=1

 

[Shadow205]

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Deputy Coroner Janice Ballenger had the grim task Monday of checking the body of a 7-year-old girl slain by a gunman at the West Nickel Mines School. The coroner examined the tiny body of Naomi Rose Ebersol, who weighed about 50 pounds, on the playground of the Amish schoolhouse in Bart Township.

Ballenger found almost 20 bullet wounds on the girl’s body.

“She was a 7-year-old angel,” Ballenger said. “Kneeling next to the body and counting all the bullet holes was the worst part.”

This article is pretty graphic http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/26386

God bless the Amish people and their ability to forgive this animal, I cannot say the same for myself. I cannot imgine the horror that those children went thru watching as the others were shot evidently mulible times.

My prayers also go out to all of the LE & medical people to help them deal with this.

 

[scandi]

Thanks Shadow, as always. A really touching article that gives a true feeling for this massacre.


Scandi

 

[angelwngs]

I am so terribly impressed by the magnitude of Faith that these people, the Amish are able to exhibit in such a personally tragic time. I am very sad to admit that I am not as "good" a person as they. I am angry. They have so much more right to be and to show anger over this massacre of their own children than do I, yet the vile and senseless brutality inflicted against these peaceful people infuriates me. Today my prayers are with them. After, I will need to pray for my own Faith to be strengthened from the lessons which they have taught.

 

[IdahoMom]

Anne-

It happens all the time and to the best of 'em! :blowkiss:

 

[southcitymom]

I am so terribly impressed by the magnitude of Faith that these people, the Amish are able to exhibit in such a personally tragic time. I am very sad to admit that I am not as "good" a person as they. I am angry. They have so much more right to be and to show anger over this massacre of their own children than do I, yet the vile and senseless brutality inflicted against these peaceful people infuriates me. Today my prayers are with them. After, I will need to pray for my own Faith to be strengthened from the lessons which they have taught.

The Amish are truly humbling. They walk the walk. They take to heart Jesus's challenge to love and forgive the worst among us.

 

[cheko1]

The Amish have shown the world they're faith is first. I know I couldn't or wouldn't be as forgiving as they are. It would of been over my dead body I asked the murderers family to come to my daughters funeral.

I will always have respect for them. They are what I'm not!

 

[angelwngs]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/us/05cnd-amish.html?hp&ex=1160107200&en=9a20b0a3dcde5622&ei=5094&partner=homepage

 

[jilly]

The Amish have shown the world they're faith is first. I know I couldn't or wouldn't be as forgiving as they are. It would of been over my dead body I asked the murderers family to come to my daughters funeral.

I will always have respect for them. They are what I'm not!

I couldn't either nor could I as a mother prepare my child for the funeral. These people have inner strength which I have never seen or heard about before. I'm in tears reading about it.

I wonder how they will deal with the children especially the boys that survived this. It's one thing to forgive the murderer but from what I've read the Amish do not recognize evil. Children are children though and I'm sure they are having nightmares and this could have some psychological affect on them. I'm praying that they will all get through this.

 

[poco]

The Amish have shown the world they're faith is first. I know I couldn't or wouldn't be as forgiving as they are. It would of been over my dead body I asked the murderers family to come to my daughters funeral.

I will always have respect for them. They are what I'm not!

To me, to forgive is to heal. If I cannot forgive someone, then the resentment and anger that I carry only festers inside of me like a cancer and I live my life as a victim. Forgiveness is the first step toward healing our hearts, our minds and our souls.

 

[reb]

just in the news,, another little girl is being taken off life support & being brought home to die.

Donations to help Amish families

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap.../SIG=10voah83r/*http://www.mds.mennonite.net/ By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago


ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The deadly attack in a one-room Amish schoolhouse has fueled an outpouring of sympathy and offers of financial assistance for the community that generally rejects help from outsiders.

"For the Amish community, it's a bit overwhelming because they are not actively asking for any funds," said Scott Sundberg, spokesman for Mennonite Disaster Service, an agency collecting pledges on behalf of the Amish. "They know this is at least one way that people can show their concern."

In the attack, Charles Carl Roberts IV, the 32-year-old milk truck driver, took over the West Nickel Mines Amish School, sent the adults and boys out and bound the 10 remaining girls at the blackboard. Investigators said he might have been planning to sexually assault the girls before police closed in. He shot the girls and killed himself. Five girls died and a sixth victim was reported in grave condition Thursday.

Three victims died the day of the shooting, and two others died within 24 hours. Besides the victim clinging to life, four others are in the hospital with serious injuries.

Amish do not carry private commercial health insurance, and the families of the victims could face steep medical bills, said Richie Lauer, director of the Anabaptist Foundation, another agency collecting funds.

However, the Amish of Lancaster County do have their own informal self-insured health plan, called Church Aid, which helps members with catastrophic medical expenses, according to Donald Kraybill, an Amish expert at Elizabethtown College. About two-thirds of the Amish enroll, he said.

Hospital officials declined Thursday to provide any information about medical expenses, citing the families' request for privacy.

Calls have come in from across the United States and Canada as far away as Argentina, Germany and Vietnam asking how to help the victims' families.

Capital BlueCross pledged $500,000 to help pay the survivors' medical expenses, while 20 missionary churches in Africa have each promised to contribute $1, according to Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Service.

As of Thursday, the agency had received about 200 credit-card donations — in amounts ranging from $20 to $100 — for a total of $15,000, said Ron Guenther, the agency's director of finance.

"It's not big monies at this point, but that could easily change," said Guenther, especially since a number of corporations have contacted the agency about donating.

Wal-Mart has started coin drops at three of its Lancaster County stores and all 238 Turkey Hill Minit Market convenience stores in Pennsylvania are accepting donations, as are numerous regional banks.

A nine-person panel, called the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, formed Wednesday to decide how the money will be distributed. Seven Amish elders and two non-Amish sit on the panel.

At the behest of Amish leaders, a fund has also been set up for the gunman's wife and his three children.

Fulton Bank set up an account in the name of Roberts' widow, Marie, on Thursday after securing permission through her minister, said bank spokeswoman Laura Wakeley.

"They really had nothing to do with this and now they are without a husband and a father, a source of support for the family," she said.

___

Mennonite Disaster Service: http://www.mds.mennonite.net/

Anabaptist Foundation: http://www.afweb.org

 

[englishleigh]

O'Reilly just reported that the 6th little Amish girl has now died at home....the one who was taken off life support and brought home.

 

[Juliana]

" At the behest of Amish leaders, a fund has also been set up for the gunman's wife and his three children.

Fulton Bank set up an account in the name of Roberts' widow, Marie, on Thursday after securing permission through her minister, said bank spokeswoman Laura Wakeley.

"They really had nothing to do with this and now they are without a husband and a father, a source of support for the family," she said.
___

Mennonite Disaster Service: http://www.mds.mennonite.net/

Anabaptist Foundation: http://www.afweb.org[/QUOTE]"

God bless these families and be with them during this terrible time. I am amazed that they have the presence of mind and the compassion in their hearts to be thinking of the family of their children's killer at this time. They are right, they are suffering too and not necessarily with the support of the nation which the Amish are receiving. They are setting a wonderful example. If only we could all be that way.

 

[reb]

just read that NY times article... how strange that the 2 relatives who were thought to be the ones the gunman molested denied it ever happened! do they just not want to talk about it, or was the gunman making it all up???

 

[reb]

any word about how the shooter got the gun & all that ammo?? i would say 'probably f*ing wal-mart' but i hear they have really tightened up their policy on that. it's strange that he was able to amass all that w/o his wife knowing.

 

[2sisters]

These have to be the biggest group of hate mongers I have ever seen. i am so furious at what I have just seen after going to their website. i am not posting the link as the websites title is extremely offensive but I will post a link to my google search.http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DKUS,DKUS:2006-27,DKUS:en&q=westboro+baptist+church
Here is just a little bit of what you will find if you choose to go to the website of this horrible man Pastor Fred Phelps.
WBC engages in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth. We display large, colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments, including: GOD HATES , HATE GOD, AIDS CURES , THANK GOD FOR AIDS, BURN IN HELL, GOD IS NOT MOCKED, ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR , DOOM NATIONS, etc.
Unbeliveable.