Terrorist Tea Party Again.

I was concerned that you might construe my statements this way rlm. It's why I made my questions so open ended.

The solutions are not simple because of the multitude of variables. Therein lies a huge problem. Would you agree with that?

 

So what is your solution to this VERY complex problem David?

It is known we rarely agree but having spent enough time here and having read your posts I consider you a responsible gun owner and have no problem with you on that any more than the fact that I consider myself a responsible gun owner.

Instead of making blanket statements about the far left and dragging Joenation into it (as he has done with you) I'd love to hear your real thoughts on ANY possible solution to what is obviously a problem.

 

Gun control is not the answer (or at least in the sense of prevent general access to guns). Several of these have been stopped BECAUSE other people were carrying. A mother asks for help and cannot get it. How complicated can it be to fix that? One was declared "an imminent danger" to himself and no one does anything about it. Am I missing something? The other 2 I mentioned probably have a lot to do with ERISA. Since that is a Congressional law, that could get complicated.

But, yes, there are many ins and outs to this and I guarantee nothing is perfect. Mass shootings/killings will always be with us to some extent. We have a multitude of gun laws. Several of these sprees could have been prevented by simply enforcing the existing, but then there is Chicago with the strictest laws in existence.

And then you have a couple interesting facts. The most ever killed by one of these mentally ill people was in Russia (before it broke up). Can you name a place with stricter controls? The most who dies in a US school killing did not use a gun. As pointed out, despite the news about 2 being killed in Las Vegas, 7 died in Chicago and no national news even cared. You think they might have an agenda?

 

I agree it's a very complex problem and, honestly, I'm not really sure what the ultimate solution is.
What I am certain of, though, is celebrating these tragedies (as moron joe does in every instance) to make a case for a gun grab doesn't accomplish a thing other than create more animosity. As I spend more time in healthcare, I see the devastating long-term effects psychtropic drugs have on people and my guess is that these are the root of a lot of evils. As I've stated before, I do not oppose more extensive background checks but they need to include a psych element.

 

In a free society such as ours, there may be no solution. Unless we're willing to become a nation that's completely controlled by its government, our people will continue to enjoy our inherent liberties. In the meantime, how do we weed out the few who suddenly choose to use that liberty irresponsibly by harming people?

In the cases of some of these killers, it may have been apparent to the mental health professionals that there was a problem. In other cases, the violence sprang from nowhere.

Do we start by taking away the Constitutional rights of everyone? No, that's just a terrible idea.

 

I truly, truly hate to admit this however, amongst the layers of BS in "Bowling for Columbine" there were a few small kernels of truth. The first was from the interview with Marlyn Manson who stated that we seem to be marketing fear. He said he based his career on it and it sells like a drug. The second kernel was a comparison between Detroit and the neighboring city across the bridge in Canada. Both have about the same amount of gun ownership but the violent crime statistics were on opposite sides of the scale. A comparison of the evening news showed that in Detroit coverage focused on sensationalism and fear while in Canada the coverage was just factual and boring. The rest of the "documentary" was pretty much garbage.
The point is that when you use sensationalism and fear to sell papers and stir up the people in order to get an emotional response, you abandon reason and in the process create a subculture based on paranoia and fear. This is where the nut cases come out of the wood work. The problem is systemic and sociological, you can see it in the reactions of people around you and in some of the more draconian laws being passed. Our system of government was created based on the premise of a reasonable population. You are asked several times a day "how do you feel about this". When was the last time some asked you what you "think" about it.

 

Those are some wise observations but let me ask you who you think it is exactly that is selling the fear in this country? I am just wondering who in the media you think caters to this fear? I certainly have a clear view of the perpetrators.

 

Everyone from the War on Terror crowd to the Your Child at Risk proponents. Once emotions are stirred the brain shuts down. It is effective in getting people motivated but it also has it's side effects. Reason with an emphasis on humanitarianism I think is the wiser approach, but unfortunately often comes in second.

As for the media, my father was a journalist. He walked out when the nationals (Gannett) bought the paper. Their only criteria was "if someone said it, you can print it". They were more interested in selling papers than the truth. I was brought up to believe that when you write about someone, it is a persons reputation on the line and you damn well better have your facts straight. He would call the people he wrote about, read them the article, and include their comments on the story. This doesn't get you the scoop, but you never have to write a retraction. I don't watch any of the 24 hour news outlets, they are more paparazzi than press.

 

so you're saying that both sides are equally guilty? You seem to not really want to commit to holding either side responsible in my opinion. Plainly, one side deals almost exclusively in fear mongering, conspiracies, investigations, boogiemen, and unending depictions of the big bad government. Who could it be?

 

No, I hold both sides responsible. Each has there share of boogiemen to blame the problems of the world on. Neither seems capable of coming to a reasonable compromise without turning it into a Machiavellian sports fest.

 

I'm not inclined to blame both side equally on many issues. That simply white washes the truth and sterilizes the conversation for the sake of egos. We only have one party in this country that plays exclusively on fear and emotion. You know which party that is and so do I. The false equivalency meme only further placated the entrenched lunatics in the GOP.

 

And you are living proof, right?
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith

G.O.P. Guardians of Privilege​

Not all Republicans are racists but all racists are Republicans.

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