The Pride Placebo

One year ago today, I sat barefoot in the north end zone of Virginia Tech's football field, holding my head in my hands, while President Bush reminded us of what we already knew - that yesterday was the worst day of our young lives. After Bush came our school's president, then our state's governor, then a few faith leaders. One after another, they groped vainly for words of comfort, and then apologized for finding none. I wondered out loud whether there was anything at all worth saying.