This is ridiculous, offensive, and in incredibly bad taste . . . Taiwan MPs stun students with mock college attack. Two legislators bring along a bunch of reporters and then burst into a building at National Taiwan University where students are taking exams and stage a mock attack, emulating the events at Virginia Tech. The university does not go far enough in criticizing this trespas. Most of the students were upset about it and . . .

Taiwan’s cabinet condemned the mock attack, saying the lawmakers and others involved had broken laws, and ordered an investigation.

Keep in mind that the cabinet are also DPP so this is not the KMT taking an opportunity to criticise DPP legislators as politics here are usually very very paty-oriented.

Lee, one of the pair [legislators]], rejected the criticism. “A lot of students were supportive, so what do I have to apologise for?” he told a news conference. “Why can’t a legislator express himself like that? Don’t we have this kind of freedom?”

No, you should not. There were laws broken and you were being a dicks. It’s public disturbance for what looks very much more like a media stunt than anything else. The events at Virginia Tech are very serious and quite sad and are belittled by this action. It is extremely unlikely any university student is going to start shooting folks in Taiwan, guns are heavily restricted (basically the only people who have guns are police, soldiers, and a rare form of hardcore criminal and none of those types are likely to be kids at university). No, this was publicity that has been engineered to look well-meaning but no critical appraisal of the action is going to show any usefulness other than these guys getting air time.

While a very few students may have voiced support, most of the ones in that room trying to take an exam were not happy with the disturbance. If they gave the impression of a real attack to the students then they are even more irresponsible.

If they were truly concerned about response times, they could have staged the event without disturbing the students . . . one can stand at a designated point where a class was not in session and then called campus security and measured response time. Or, one could make arrangements with a university official or teacher beforehand to setup the “test” in a way that did not greatly interfere with educational activities. However, barging into a building where exams are being held is irresponsible.

Sometimes politicians suck.