The senseless death of Wal-Mart security guard Jdimytai Damour by a group of savage holiday shoppers who stampeded that store last week brings to mind another incident that highlighted the abysmal level of human sensitivity to life. Decades ago, a young woman by the name of Kitty Genovese, was stabbed near her home in New York City. Despite her haunting pleas for help, none of her neighbors came to her aid, or even called the police. Kitty Genovese died on that street, alone, frightened and abandoned.

That incident raised the public's consciousness about the level of commitment and responsibility a civil society should have toward one another and people cried out: Never again.

Once again, however, humanity at its worse has reared its ugly head, and we mourn the loss of Damour, a father, husband, son and friend who died as he tried to do his job and protect people from each other. What is so ironic is that this incident took place by people who were engaging in an exercise that is supposed to be one of love and charity; they were shopping for holiday gifts. It is as outrageous as the stories we hear from Europe about the violence at sporting events.

There are many who will now raise their voices and call for all sorts of laws and regulations to ensure that this "never happens again." But what kind of legislation secures for us common sense, responsibility and civility, and what laws would ever protect us from those with so little decency and humanity?

We believe that every individual who can be adequately identified as having taken part in this horrific murder be arrested and charged. Likely, many will never face that kind of justice however, and will, instead, carry with them for the rest of their lives the guilt over what they have taken part in. We hope that the bargain HD TV, IPods and oth-