(May 23, 2002) — Conyers, Georgia; Bethel, Alaska; Littleton, Colorado. These once obscure and insignificant towns are now familiar to anyone who watches the daily news. The one link that unifies these towns across the nation is the school-shootings. Daily we watch the news and our eyes glaze over school shootings coverage. Is it really possible to become desensitized to school shootings? Apparently so. And who is taking responsibility for the lifeless bodies of juveniles? None other than our beloved scapegoat: medication. Medication can’t be the one held responsible for the 6 year old boy who shot his classmate point-blank in the neck. Society tells us the culprit is “prescription mood-altering psychotropic drugs,” according to www.freeworldalliance.com . Why are these kids on anti-depressants anyway? Whenever we blame the drug, we relieve the real perpetrator of the responsibility. Guardians and the children need to take responsibility for their actions. I mean, what are we teaching children when we hand them drugs to anti-depress themselves, leave weapons lying around, and blame medication for their instability? The fact that these shootings are occurring at schools is also astounding. According to an Associated Press story on www.cnn.com , “ A survey released Tuesday by the National School Boards Association shows its members consider student achievement, special education, teacher shortages and balancing the budget more pressing issues. The vast majority — about 77 percent — say school violence is only a “moderate” or “mild” concern.” Whether the blame lies in medication or some other underlying factor, one thing is undoubtedly true: there are problems between students and those in their school. Obviously, the student is the one to blame but the student could also be the victim of something worse: scorn, derision and alienation in an indifferent world.