Are we living in Babylon?

Today, while sitting in the library using the computer because, yes...God ain't done with me yet...I am still without child...although the stork promised to have delivered my baby (my computer) to me by Saturday and here it is Sunday and I am still tecnologically barron....but I ain't complaining, because I am learning patience; I came across an unusual story on my favorite hip hop site that had been copied from the CTV website.

As I read this short article, I moved from anger to a psychotic laughter to horror in less than 60 seconds. I couldn't believe what I was reading, from the article itself to the responses posted from the jackasses who saw this as an opportunity to crack some lame jokes. However, the randomness of this all coupled with my emotions culminated into me exclaiming a proverbial....WHAT THE FUCK?!?! Read on!

Police Say Xbox Theft Spurred Florida Slayings Man Hired Three Teens for Revenge Killing, Authorities Claim - By MIKE BRANOM, AP

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 8) - A man who was angry about a suspected theft recruited three teenagers to stab and beat six people to death with baseball bats in a Florida home, investigators said Sunday after making four arrests.

Remains of the six victims - four men and two women - were found Friday in the blood-spattered home.

All four suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and armed burglary, the Volusia County sheriff's department said. All of the victims had been stabbed, but autopsies determined the cause of death was the beating injuries.

Troy Victorino, 27, of Deltona was identified as the ringleader. Also arrested were Robert Cannon, 18, of Orange City, Jerone Hunter, 18, of Deltona and Michael Salas, 18, of Deltona.

"Officials struggling to come up with a motive for the crime believe the killings were committed over the theft of some clothes and an Xbox game system owned by Victorino,'' who has a criminal record for assault, a statement from the sheriff's office said.

The bodies were discovered in a three-bedroom home in Deltona, about 25 miles north of Orlando, after one victim's co-worker at Burger King called a friend and asked the person to visit the home because the victim had not arrived for work, officials said.

"We've never seen anything like this," Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson told reporters Friday afternoon. "There was an extreme level of violence."

The sheriff's office on Saturday identified the victims as Michelle Ann Nathan, 19; Anthony Vega, 34; Roberto "Tito'' Gonzalez, 28, of New York; Francisco Ayo Roman, 30; and Jonathan Gleason, 18. Authorities had not yet positively identified the sixth victim by late Saturday.

So thats the story and they are sticking to it for now! Some of the responses on the site included: "I'd kill over my ps2'" and "he was probably mad he lost all his saved games" and even "did they have to stab and beat them with bats....overkill?"

So I know this is the internet and all and some of those comments likely came from the underdeveloped and understimulated minds of the xbox generation, but all of them didn't. Some of these folks are grown men and women from around the country, maybe even the world.

I stepped back and asked myself why the hell I'm so upset about these nameless faceless responses. I realized that it isn't just about what they said, but also what they didn't say! It's also knowing that these nonchalant responses have names, have faces and dwell among us, much closer than I'd care to think.

I believe that we each have a responsibility to be our best us at all times. Sure thats hard to do, maybe even next to impossible; sure we all need comic relief, but in these days of the internet being the new communications medium with all of our emotions readily available at the stroke of a few keys....just hit delete! Audre Lorde said..."your silence will not protect you," let me add, neither will ignorance hidden behind a computer screen.

So what I am gonna do now?

-M