Profiles in the Virginia Tech massacre: the shooter
Loser. Loner. Kept to himself. Set fires. Wrote disturbing papers that caught the eye of teachers and got him referred to counseling. On antidepressants. Woke up one day (yesterday) and blasted away thirty-two other people.
Shooter Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year-old South Korean national who has resided in this country since he was eight years old, has his own Wikipedia entry. And that’s as it should be, because he’s a celebrity now that he’s dead and took so many with him.
Perhaps such notoriety was part of his motivation, although we’ll probably never be certain, as we may never learn what the cryptic words “Ismail Ax,” written in red ink on one of his arms, signified.
The shooter’s profile could have been written by almost anyone beforehand, so precisely does it fit what we’ve come to expect of people who end up as mass murderers. And if he did in fact go to counselors for some therapy sessions, I’d hate to be one of those counselors today. Evaluating potentially violent patients and deciding when to alert authorities about their dangerousness is one of the especially knotty and heavy responsibilities of therapists, and an almost impossible task.
Not every loner with a beef, an oeuvre of angry essays, and a love of guns wids up blasting away thirty-two people—or even one, himself. But many of those who do so were loners with just those characteristics. To differentiate the first group from the second is fiendishly difficult, although in our desire to protect ourselves we like to think we can predict better than we can.
However, if this young man had voiced specific and credible threats against others, his counselor would have had a duty to seriously consider voluntary or even involuntary commitment, a controversial and imprecise instrument for attempting to evaluate and treat such an individual and prevent him (and it’s almost always a “him”) from exploding into murder.
The details will emerge with time. But so far, no real surprises on that score.
Paul, at Wizbang! thinks that the writing might have been intended to be Ismail Yk, not Ismail Ax, and the authorities just misread it. Not knowing anything about Ismail Yk, who Paul says is a Turkish singer with a YouTube video that has had many looks, I don’t know how plausible it is. It makes more sense, though, then Ismail Ax.
I’ve also seen it proposed that it’s supposed to be Ishmael Ax. There’s a character called Ishmael in a James Fenimore Cooper novel called “Prairie” who goes forth into the wildnerness with nothing but an ax and a gun, the ax being a symbol for the creation and destruction.
Well, he WAS an English major…
And for some reason it pleases me that people are arguing about what his big important signoff phrase was (it’s also in the note he left) because he had shitty handwriting.
This tragedy could have been avoided had he been arrested and expelled from VT for his reported starting a dorm fire and the stalking of girls. Even if released on bailed, he could have been on a watch list at the campus. As this rampage and Columbia University’s mini-riot shows, disrespect for the rule of law and societal civility have few, if any, consequences until the violence is too great to ignore. When will Americans take to heart what was proven to work in NYC; the Broken Windows Theory of stopping crime and bad behavior works.
Several people commenting on the shooter on popular blogs (hotair) are blaming anti-depressants. Your thoughts on this would be nice. I think too many confuse correlation with causation. The anti-depressants indicate the kid had recognized problems. A kid with problems was THE problem. The anti-depressants may have prevented this from happening earlier—who knows? It is a leap to say the drugs themselves are to blame—and not provable or disprovable.
Anti-Depressants would probably cause a psychotic person from not feeling sorry enough for himself. Thereby clearing his mind to think up of what to proactively do, instead of self-pity.
Despair tends to sap will. When anti-depressants make people feel better, it can also promote them into planning murder sprees if “feeling better” for a psychotic means killing more people.
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Are antidepressants prescribed drags in US? Are doctors that prescribe them obliged to report to autorities about troubled patients? Do arms sellers required to ask some sertificate on mental health of theirs customers? If the answer to any of these question is “No”, you are in serious trouble.
I’ve listened to the roomates and one teacher’s description of this guy. It is obviously hard to predict how he would act, but shouldn’t such bizarre behaviour at least warrant a mandatory committment and thorough psychiatric evaluation, especially since the police had been called for a stalking episode?
1) Since one in several million men will engage in this behavior, we may confidently conclude no one is going to predict the next one, so let us not encourage an industry in it.
2) If we cared to compare 10,000 people prescribed anti-depressants, both on and off their meds, to a control population of the first 10,000 people in the phone book, it should be obvious the behaviors will be markedly different. To then blame anti-depressants becomes cretinous. The only question is how much their undesired behaviors are lessened on the anti-depressants.
3) What I would like to know is the size of his penis as it relates to other mass killers and to the general populations. I’m betting $2.50 that there is a marker there. We might have to put a few million guys on the small penis watch list, but what the hell, if it saves the life of one child….
tcsdaily.comSee: http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=041807B
Ismail was the son of Abraham, and according to Mohammed, was the one to be sacrificed (using an ax, rather than Isaac with a knife).
(I didn’t know this, either.)
The Symbolic Ishmael Ax
I also looked for its meaning and stumbled upon something remarkeble, i think.
Ishmael Ax consists of 9 digits in total
I1s2h3m4a5e6l7A8x9
Now look at the alphabet and understand that every letter is fixed to a number. so we would get
this result : 9i 19s 8h 13m 1a 5e 12l 1a 24x
now add all numbers from the alphabet and what do you get ?
9 19 8 13 1 5 12 1 24 = 92 [9+2]=11
9 1 9 8 1 3 1 5 1 2 1 2 4 = 47 [4+7]= 11
strangely enough ive discovered that IshmaelAx
containts 9 digits and adding all letter-numbers together we get the sum of the name IshmaelAx :
911
This is weird !
How do you explain this ?
Will M., your post is a work of art.
i worked on it some more, and eventhough i`m not sure about all the details concerning the spelling, i gave it a try.
Thank you Anon Y. Mous !
— my conclusion
The Meaning of :
A. Ishmael / Ishmael Ax / Ismail Ax
I also looked for a possible meaning
and stumbled upon something remarkable, i think.
__________________________________________
A. Ishmael = [[ A1I2s3h4m5a6e7l8 ]] 8 digits
Now look at the alphabet and understand that every letter
is fixed to a number. so we would get
this result : 1a 9i 19s 8h 13m 1a 5e 12l
now add all numbers from the alphabet and what do you get ?
1+9+19+8+13+1+5+12 = 68 [6+8] = 14 [1+4]= 5
not clear what this outcome could mean.
__________________________________________
Ishmael Ax = [[ I1s2h3m4a5e6l7A8x9 ]] 9 digits
Now look at the alphabet and understand that every letter
is fixed to a number. so we would get
this result : 9i 19s 8h 13m 1a 5e 12l 1a 24x
now add all numbers from the alphabet and what do you get ?
9+1+9+8+1+3+1+5+1+2+1+2+4 = 47 [4+7]= 11
this name containts 9 digits and adding all letter-numbers
together we get the sum of the name IshmaelAx : 911
___________________________________________
Ismail Ax = [[ I1s2m3a4i5l6a7x8 ]] = 8 digits
Alternatively, if we look at the suggested alternative writing on his arm
being: Ismail Ax , we would get the following.
9i 19s 13m 1a 9i 12l 1a 24x
9+19+13+1+9+12+1+24= 88 [8+8] = 16
the massacre occured on 16th April
and the number 88 was drawn on a peace of paper he
added into the envelop he had send to NBC News.
_____________________________________________________
Now if we take al the results :
A. Ishmael = 5
Ishmael Ax = 11
Ismail Ax = 16
5+11+16 = 32 ( Thirty-two people shot by Cho at Virginia Tech )
_____________________________________________________
This is weird !
Eventhough i`m still not sure what it would mean exactelly,
it almost looks like an encrypted message, or something like that.
How do you explain this ?
The shooter spelled A.Ishmael,Ismail Ax etc.differently. Therefore, it could not have meant much to him. If it was really some message or something he felt dtrongly about,then it would have been spelled correctly.
The only logical conclusion is that it probably was a name he drew from literature,religion etc. as some twisted pseudonym. He posted the package as “A.Ishmael” and then fearing that it would be lost, or noone could make a connection, he wrote it on his arm [albeit wrong] to ensure that the package would be tied to him.
Therefore, I see it not as a message or that it means something, but simply as a confirmation of who the package belonged to.
He posted it after the first shooting, so he was afraid that there was already a police call on his original name. After using the pseudonym he probably realized that he needed a to make sure that everything went according to plan.
The filing of the gun numbers reveals similar thought patterns. People don’t know why he did it if he was going to send a package of himself to NBC. It’s simple really. If his plans were discovered before execution he could dump the weapons, with no trace to him, to “reset” his plans.
Imagine cho walking down the street with his weapons and a police vehicle approaches. Dump weapons and it’s back to the drawing board without being caught.
still … Ishmael Ax = 911
This is more then a coincident i think.
Cho Seung Hui had his own twisted logic, which doesn`t need to obey our logical way of thinking, he showed this clearly to the world. He most likely felt very misunderstood and mistreated… and did show that he was extremely out of control.. But this still was a very calculated young man. He appears to have become a “Riddler”. He didn`t he call himself : Questionmark ? The intertwined number 88 (8+8=16) he drew and the other drawings, the play writings and the way he constructed the massacre,… shows he had a creative imaginary mindset, but misused this terribly.
I`m very angry and sad about this whole ordeal
without any doubt.. but also want to understand his point of view.
I do agree with a possible interconnected logic,
between the name variations A. Ishmael , Ishmael Ax, Ismail Ax. Its possible that the different spelling was intentional… by which you could look at the relationships between them. In this way he could encrypt a few different riddles, inhancing the feeling of attention. He wanted attention i feel.
He could have had frustrations towards those people that only saw what they wanted to see
and didn`t expect the obvious,… his logic at least.
And specifically the positive attention he never got.
From his point of view it didn`t matter what he did,
he was the outcast and could have become such a loner that his world became one big fantasy.
My intuition tells me that he really felt that their was no other option then to make everyone listen to his way of story telling, that it became one of the most tragic events anyone could imagine.
No one really was interested in his way of thinking (i feel), perhaps making it a good reason for chosing this his sick deeds and choosing such a strange name as : A. Ishmael (and alternatives.)
This probably could have had more then one meaning to him, and that is something he figured would really create a big question mark for everyone.
My guess is that he wanted to present a riddle , knowing that most people would not understand,
like always, but some would.
He did add the ” Ax” to the name Ishmael, and this makes it a riddle, if you ask me.
It could be that he did mean to encrypt the number 88 and 911 into his alternative name. Something for the world to chew on. That is why i also think that it has more then one meaning. Try to connect the dots…. thats what my intuition tells me at least.
Kind Regards, Psychic
I personally think the 32 people killed was a coincidence, but the numbers 9 1 1 hidden in the name ,.. that could be something else.
911+88=999
this does look like an explination.
Read this carefully ! >
The seal of Solomon
known as the sixpointed Jewish star, contains the old wisdom: “as above, so below”. This wisdom is reflected with the numbers 6 and 9; the number 6 seen from above is 9 and 9 seen from above is 6. Nostradamus knew this when he dated the end of time to 999. (Remark: At the time when Nostradamus lived it was a custom to write the year without the 1000, i.e. they wrote 666 instead of 1666, and so on.)
And since the end of time cannot be predictet as to Mt: 24: 34, Nostradamus` “end of time” prediction has nothing to do with the year 1999. Still it has a relation and that is to the seal of Solomon; “as above (999), so below (666)”. Nostradamus knew that in a numerological sence the Bible speaks of the same persons revelation:
666 = 6+6+6 = 18 = 1+8 = 9
999 = 9+9+9 = 27 = 2+7 = 9
This relates to the not so peacefull side of Jesus,(666/Mt:10:34-35):
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
At the “same” time he showed his good side too,(999/Mt:12:7):
“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not
have condemned the guiltless.”
Thus Jesus reflected man in flesh and blood.
And this is what life is about for all of us. We undergo 9 months of pregnancy, the number of man so to speak. Then for the rest of our lives, we have to face and bring forth our inner abilities of good (999) and/or bad (666) behaviour.
“As above – so below” by Arvid Luneng, first published in 1996.
the above information came from:
http://home.online.no/~luneng/999.html
did i read this correctly ?
it is strange that the Columbine High School Massacre took place in 1999 ( 4/20/99 )
so “the end of time” idea became related to 1999 -“as above” (999)
…. so the 999 isn`t that far fetched i guess.
666, or 999 , or alternative spellings, it all depends
on how you look at it….. i guess
It is an interesting subject, could he really have used numerological symbology ? – questionmark*
April 20th and April 16th, four days apart, exactelly 8 years later. didnt i see 8 digits earlier on ?
He went back to the campus for a 2nd time (2) and
8/2=4 or 8×2=16 or 4+16=20 perhaps it is mumbo jumbo, or there Cho could have a interest in numerology. He did say on his video he saw himself as Jesus, and 999 also relates to Jesus.
Perhaps more information will appear in the future.
Ismail Ax should also be 888 because it consists of
8 digits and spells number 88 ,…. just like
Ishmael Ax has 9 digits and spells the number 11
which indeed gives us 911.
888 is the Sacred number of Christ
http://taratarotweb.tripod.com/id42.html
Thank you guys, for helping.
I`ve created a Blog with more clear details about what i`ve discovered… and perhaps we can slowly get a clearer picture of the intentions which led to this terrible tragedy.
take a look at this blog if you like >>
http://viginiatechmassacre911.blogspot.com/
drblt.netdrblt.netAll I have to offer is a couple of songs to show my support and sympathy. I wish I could reverse time and prevent the tragedy from happening, but I’m not God, I’m just a singer/songwriter who has a day job as a shrink:
Today in Virginia
Dr BLT
words and music by Dr BLT (c) 2007
http://www.drblt.net/music/TinV.mp3
Virginia’s Tears
Dr BLT
words and music by Dr BLT (c) 2007
http://www.drblt.net/music/VT.mp3
I go to Appalachian State University, just 150 miles south of Blacksburg. Today I saw this on a power transformer:
“X ISHMAEL”. Should this be taken as a threat?