Clinton Leads Prayers For High School Victims
By Laurence McQuillan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A solemn President Clinton led prayers Wednesday for the victims of the ``horror and agony'' of the massacre at a Colorado high school and urged Americans to consider what they might do to avoid future tragedies. ``I think it is important that we remember that we must come together and pray together but also commit to act together,'' Clinton said at the White House about the bloody rampage Tuesday by two teenage gunmen. Authorities said 15 people were killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado -- including the two gunmen, who took their own lives. At least 20 others were critically injured. Clinton led a moment of silent prayer for ``those who lost their lives, for those who were wounded, for their families and those who love them and care for their community.'' ``We see in a moment of agony what is best in our community and in our country,'' Clinton said, noting the work of police and medical teams that responded -- as well as students and teachers who risked their lives to help others. ``I have been particularly struck by the story of Mrs. Miller, the teacher who heard the gunfire and led dozens of students to safety in the choir room, who worked to keep them calm and quiet for hours.'' Students said afterward that when shots started ringing out they ran blindly down the hall in panic. The teacher got them under control and directed them to the choir room to hide while the assailants roamed free. ``What she did was awesome,'' said Jake Cram, 18, one of the students she rescued. ``She is a hero.'' Clinton noted that while ``all of us are struggling to understand exactly what happened and why,'' it is important to ''focus on what we are going to do.'' ``Perhaps the most important thing all of us can do right now is to reach out to each other and to families and children,'' Clinton said. ``It is very important to explain to children all over America what has happened and to reassure our own children that they are safe,'' he said. ``We also have to take this moment, once again, to hammer home to all the children of America that violence is wrong,'' he said. ``Parents should take this moment to ask what else they can do to shield our children from violent images and experiences that warp young perceptions and obscure the consequences of violence, to show our children, by the power of our own example, how to resolve conflicts peacefully,'' he said. White House officials said that a review was under way to determine if any federal action was necessary to deal with the issue of school safety. ``There are a variety of things pending, we have some ideas about a juvenile justice bill, but I think we really at this point have not yet focused in on the policy implications,'' said White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart. ``I think from the position of the federal government, we would acknowledge that there are limits to what we can do, but there certainly should be no limits on how much we try to do,'' Lockhart said. Clinton made his remarks before a gathering of White House volunteers. He had been scheduled to spend the day in Texas to dedicate an airport terminal and raise money for the Democratic National Committee. The trip was canceled because of the shooting.Back to the Memorial Page