Photos of a plane crash in Florida brought back haunting memories of the tragedies of Sept. 11. This time, however, there isn't a villainous figure or terrorist organization upon whom we can levy a vengeful, worldwide manhunt. This time, the person responsible was a troubled teen.
On Saturday, Charles Bishop, a ninth-grader at East Lake High School in Palm Harbor, Fla., wanted to take his own life. Just a 15-year-old boy, he crashed a Cessna 172R into the 42-story Bank of America building in Tampa, Fla. The boy used his flight lessons to end his life in dramatic fashion.
This wasn't an issue of homeland security. This wasn't an issue of terrorist acts on American soil. This was someone with a problem looking to glorify his death.
Still, we worry that the next troubled teen may have access to a bigger plane. We worry that Florida's aviation schools are riddled with students with agendas that, terrorist or not, are still suicidal. In the end, we just worry for our safety.
As evident on Sept. 11, when human minds and wills are so determined that they are willing to give their lives, they will. No government-appointed cabinet position will protect anyone from that.
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