The disaster in Somoa is as much the fault of government leaders and a lack of accountability as is the actions of students who kill or rape and the parents who allow it while putting the blame off on the school system.

Perhaps we are witness to a total breakdown of our society, from elected leaders who fail to lead but show strong in support to the type behavior we now see in our children of this once great nation.

When will anyone, from our leadership, to our citizens, the parents, anyone, accept responsibility for their actions and corruption.

Is it any wonder our children have become what they are when those who are suppose to lead by example fall short of success in anything other than corruption.

No accountable person from our President on down can say in all honesty that life is good in these, the United States of America.

Too often in the face of bad behavior, juvenile criminal acts, mis-use of federal funds, or any other sort of tragedy, we as a nation and as a people are quick to point fingers at who we decide to blame for the occurrence. Usual responsibility bearers are the schools and the parents. Instead of pointing fingers at whose fault it is, we ought to be working to find solutions instead of "assessing blame and then moving on". Assessing blame does not a solution make. And without a workable solution nothing ever changes.

And is there any wonder why we worry about the Government taking over any Health Care Issues when we can not see too it that money does not go to victims for a disaster that has been sent to help them?

Given the poor saleries that are given to the peace corp.by people through the state department model.Perhaps surely some of these participates in the peace corp.could be graduate students in economic or foreign affairs and could be attached to the project money to report on the progress of the usage of the loan monies.

I just seen the corruption in American Samoa on 360, it is so sad that the federal money was misused by the government of American Samoa. Its about time that the FBI investigate. For a long period of time the government of Samoa has only helped their own family and relatives to leave the poor people struggling. That was the way it has always been. Im not surprised with the luxury of the Samoan government.

With the 30 something lives gone and the small portion of the island to alert this could of been prevented. Whats done is done this just shouldn't happen again.

With regard to your news item about the 15-year old girl who was sexually assaulted; I say that you can blame whatever outside influence you want (TV, movies, music, video games, etc.), but in the final analysis it all boils down to one thing: Narcissism.

Young people today are displaying a frightening level of comfort with the idea that their own desires are secondary to their obligations to society at large (if indeed those are given any consderation at all). This trend is being forced on them without their ever realising it, and as such the phenomenon is likely to get worse, not better.

While I don't doubt that there are a great many other factors at play in this incident, the one thought I can't seem to put down is just how much the pandering to the idea of individual excepitonalism at he expense of social obligation we are going to be able to take before the trend corrects itself (or is corrected).

I think that a percentage of the parents in this world have dropped the ball when raising their kids. They need to take the old fashion way
and not spare the rod and spoil the child. The children of todays wolrd have no sence of whats wright or wrong most of them raise
them selves and have absolutely now respect for human life, they just take and give as they come and go no matter wgo gets hurt. We new toughter punishisment. If they do they crime then they should have to do the hard time no matter what their age. but then someone
always come up with some stupid way to get them off and everyone
knows this. The world is just too soft on criminals no matter the age.
PUNISH HARD AND FAST. You do the crimes you do the time !!!!

Anderson, I think we need to get out of wars....and spend on our soil...instead of wasting on wars...well, it has been going on for the last eight long years, looted the nation, and caused to this level of neckdeep troubles fiscally....total fiasco in the nation...we need to fix health care with public option...Joe Leiberman does not know a thing about how people are suffering without insurance....I bet he got bribed from INSURANCE GUYS....WATCH OUT AND STAY FOCUSSED...ON IT...