Sly Bald Guys Forum

Various Non-Bald Discussions => General Discussion => Topic started by: Mikekoz13 on December 17, 2012, 07:02:19 PM

Title: This time seems different....
Post by: Mikekoz13 on December 17, 2012, 07:02:19 PM
The most recent school shooting here in the USA feels very different to me. I am not minimizing any school shootings of the past.... each and every one was a tragedy.... but this one feels more sad and people here seem, to me, more deeply affected.

The horror of this particular shooting, I think because the children were so young and because the heros involved were all women, seems multitudes worse to me.

This seems like a "tipping point" to me. I believe that most people have just had it with non-sense. I Pray that the politicians in this country do NOT politicize this for their own benefit. Just this once I want them to act with compassion, not greed.

I'm just wondering... do you guys here in the USA think this shooting feels much different than those of the past??

Please don't sully my thread with political comments or your opinions on gun control because I will delete your post if you do.

Just please, tell me if you think it feels different this time.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Razor X on December 17, 2012, 07:17:38 PM
It does feel different, perhaps because as you said most of the victims were so very young or perhaps because it's so close to Christmas.  I've been avoiding the news as much as possible because I just can't bear to think about it.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 17, 2012, 08:01:25 PM
I agree this is different.  I think alot of it is due to the age and circumstances , also as Razor said the time of the year.  But they were so young .  Babies if you will .  My 2 cents worth.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Frontier Guy on December 17, 2012, 08:15:25 PM
It does feel different, and the conversations I'm overhearing are different as well.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: schro on December 17, 2012, 08:19:45 PM
I don't know if this tragedy represents a "tipping point", as truly evil and/or disturbed people will continue to roam the earth.
However, the sheer number and age of these innocent children makes this even more mind numbing than the tragedies that preceeded it.

RIP to the innocent and prayers to their families.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: BaldHDbiker on December 17, 2012, 09:43:40 PM
I agree it does feel different likely due to the ages of the children. The adults apparently lost their lives trying to stop him. Very very sad indeed.

One of the news stories I watched were talking about looking for warning signs that typically occur prior to an event like this. I hope more education gets out so others have an idea on what to look for and how to report it.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Bald Hobbit on December 17, 2012, 10:16:34 PM
You, me, this man too. I don't know, I feel like posting this is appropriate. I just hope posting it doesn't violate any rules.
http://rickardsreview.com/2012/12/15/america-is-to-blame-for-the-massacre-in-connecticut/

Something is different here. This is so messed up. And this has happened seemingly so many times this year. Maybe, now we're realizing that there's something chronic about this... somehting's up, societal, spiritual, something. Maybe after Aurora, these guys feel less impeded emotionally. This year has been messed up. I'm tired of looking at the news and finding some new tragedy every week. This is the worst in a long time though. I hurt just looking at the title of a news article about it online. I wish this would end, but for all our advancements, human nature just won't change. Maybe we need to stop trying to change it, or pretending that it's changed, and start facing it.

I'm sorry, this just poured out.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: mahaw90 on December 17, 2012, 11:10:11 PM
It is truly heartbreaking stuff. My mum had a tear in her eye watching the news.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Tyler on December 18, 2012, 12:06:03 AM
Yeah, this one feels different. In the past I felt there could have been a hero, or someone that could have stood up and taken out the coward that chose to commit such heinous acts.  I think this was because the victims at that time were near the age of the coward and while not armed, had more chance of survival.  In this instance these were little kids; innocent, lovable, defenseless and harmless little kids. 

None of these kids ever harmed this guy.  They weren't even old enough to harm anyone!  They had no connection to him.  For this it makes me furious that this mentally ill coward chose the most defenseless group of people that he could.  My heart aches and burns with fury every time I think of it.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Mikekoz13 on December 18, 2012, 05:08:25 AM
You, me, this man too. I don't know, I feel like posting this is appropriate. I just hope posting it doesn't violate any rules.
http://rickardsreview.com/2012/12/15/america-is-to-blame-for-the-massacre-in-connecticut/


I read the piece and it is pertinent and in many ways exactly how I feel. I'll let it stand in the thread.
I found these two paragraphs very interesting and in my opinion spot on:

  But then we rejected everything that was right about America. We rejected the God-fearing, hard working, family-oriented social mores of the older generation as being at best hopelessly anachronistic, and at worst outright oppressive.  We traded God for secularism.  We traded love for sex.  We traded sobriety for drugs.  We traded order for chaos.  We traded discipline for indulgence.  We traded modesty for promiscuity.  We traded parents for absentee fathers and baby mommas.  We traded children for abortions.  We traded moderation for excess.  We traded home life for careers.  We traded role models for celebrities. We traded solidarity for grievances.  We traded music for death rock and gangsta rap.  We traded wholesome entertainment for violent and pornographic movies, television, and videogames.  We traded a culture which had made us great for a self-indulgent counterculture designed to destroy.  We traded everything that was right and good and holy for everything that is wrong and evil and depraved.

            See, the problem in America is not the occasional mass shooting.  That’s just a symptom, the most salient manifestation of a culture that has become entirely debauched.  We don’t treat each other humanely because we don’t see each other as humans, our selfish, sex and violence-obsessed culture having conditioned us to see others as nothing more than targets of, and obstacles to our own gratification.

Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: b.driscoll on December 18, 2012, 07:15:08 AM
  It is the age  of the majority of the victims. That and the fact that there almost seems to be no way to stop this. The shooter and his parents obviously had tremendous problems that were not dealt with. I have heard stories that the mother told baby sitters to NOT let the kid out of their sight or turn their back on him. So to ''bond'' with this kid she teaches him how to shoot and leaves weapons and ammo for him to get to? What we need is better judgement form grown ups and a better way to deal with the mentally ill in society. It seems to me that we worry about some one's rights and ''feelings'' before we look at potential harm they may cause. I do not want gun control.................I want more common sense .
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Sir Harry on December 18, 2012, 07:31:19 AM
It just breaks my heart that these poor children never had a chance to really live.....I can only think of what fine individuals they might have been.....On a side note, I noticed that while we remember the 26 victims at the school, which we should, no one is mentioning his mother who was killed at home....
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: D.A.L.U.I. on December 18, 2012, 08:35:53 AM
I have found that for many issues it helps me to comprehend the problems when I have the opportunity to learn what a person outside the issue observes and says.  One of my regular sources lately has been the International Edition of Spiegel, a very strong German news organization.  This article presents just such a view by a person outside our country sees.  While you may disagree with some particulars it strikes me that he describes the US, this particular horrific event and our reactions well.  It's worth considering.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/commentary-newton-and-the-fatal-national-identity-of-america-a-873350.html
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Natedawg on December 18, 2012, 08:42:37 AM
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/commentary-newton-and-the-fatal-national-identity-of-america-a-873350.html

Great read. Thanks for sharing!  O0
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Hingatao on December 18, 2012, 09:23:19 AM
I hadn't really thought about it but you're right. The fact that the majority of the victims were just six and seven years old is what makes this one particularly tragic. Talk about innocent victims. I'm listening to more coverage on TV as I write this 5 days after the fact and it's not getting any easier to comprehend.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: tomgallagher on December 18, 2012, 11:46:01 AM
I wonder what kind of logic was used by his mother to justify having all those weapons in a house with a mentally ill son. We will never know for she paid the price for that logic. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 18, 2012, 01:45:13 PM
You, me, this man too. I don't know, I feel like posting this is appropriate. I just hope posting it doesn't violate any rules.
http://rickardsreview.com/2012/12/15/america-is-to-blame-for-the-massacre-in-connecticut/


I read the piece and it is pertinent and in many ways exactly how I feel. I'll let it stand in the thread.
I found these two paragraphs very interesting and in my opinion spot on:

  But then we rejected everything that was right about America. We rejected the God-fearing, hard working, family-oriented social mores of the older generation as being at best hopelessly anachronistic, and at worst outright oppressive.  We traded God for secularism.  We traded love for sex.  We traded sobriety for drugs.  We traded order for chaos.  We traded discipline for indulgence.  We traded modesty for promiscuity.  We traded parents for absentee fathers and baby mommas.  We traded children for abortions.  We traded moderation for excess.  We traded home life for careers.  We traded role models for celebrities. We traded solidarity for grievances.  We traded music for death rock and gangsta rap.  We traded wholesome entertainment for violent and pornographic movies, television, and videogames.  We traded a culture which had made us great for a self-indulgent counterculture designed to destroy.  We traded everything that was right and good and holy for everything that is wrong and evil and depraved.

            See, the problem in America is not the occasional mass shooting.  That’s just a symptom, the most salient manifestation of a culture that has become entirely debauched.  We don’t treat each other humanely because we don’t see each other as humans, our selfish, sex and violence-obsessed culture having conditioned us to see others as nothing more than targets of, and obstacles to our own gratification.


Agree 110% !
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: tomgallagher on December 18, 2012, 03:08:57 PM
You, me, this man too. I don't know, I feel like posting this is appropriate. I just hope posting it doesn't violate any rules.
http://rickardsreview.com/2012/12/15/america-is-to-blame-for-the-massacre-in-connecticut/

Something is different here. This is so messed up. And this has happened seemingly so many times this year. Maybe, now we're realizing that there's something chronic about this... somehting's up, societal, spiritual, something. Maybe after Aurora, these guys feel less impeded emotionally. This year has been messed up. I'm tired of looking at the news and finding some new tragedy every week. This is the worst in a long time though. I hurt just looking at the title of a news article about it online. I wish this would end, but for all our advancements, human nature just won't change. Maybe we need to stop trying to change it, or pretending that it's changed, and start facing it.

I'm sorry, this just poured out.

No I don't agree at all. Rickard's Review paints an extremely over cynical picture of things. It's not Armageddon yet, not by a long shot. We just have to get a handle on what group  we are selling military grade combat ready firearms to.(law enforcement and the military).
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: D.A.L.U.I. on December 18, 2012, 07:00:25 PM
This evening's CBS news had a report about this massacre that essentially led to very strict gun laws in the UK.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137395n

for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 18, 2012, 10:05:10 PM
Thoughts and Prayers continue each day for the parents, and family's that have lost angles of their lives !  I can't even wrap my head around so many funerals in a small area such as this.  Daily I have tried to imagine what this would be like .  ????  And trying to express to your child, when we as adults don't have the answer and just want to hug our child, grandchild, husband, wife, sister, brother.  Words ???? What?????
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 19, 2012, 02:36:27 AM
The Golden Retiever's  dogs that are such healer's in this time of sorrow for so many.  People's  best friend, that can sense so much, be so kind, and give unconditional love .  Comfort Dogs !   :)  How very Special  O0  Some call them animals, I call them very special !  All breads, and for all kinds of work .  This I hope relieves some pain for many. Animals as we humans call them often times understand, protect, can feel and tell more to those around them that have  any human that has  highest degree's .  To me they are a very Special Gift, again this includes all special creatures that we have been given by God.   :@`I am sure that many of you know, how special they are, and always will be, as some of us have or have had these special family members. So prayers also for all of those in the line of duty !  No matter what their Service is !   O0 8)     
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: leighmundo40 on December 19, 2012, 07:43:32 AM
The Dunblaine incident in the UK was similar. The fact that some random person just walked into a school and destroyed so many lives was unfathamobile.

I work in schools with the age range of the children that were killed and like others have said, they are babies really, all bright and eager to learn. They have no concept of death and evil.

For me, it is a combination of the age and the fact that it is near to Christmas. loosing someone no matter what time of year is hard enough, but Christmas, which is essentially for children, seems particularly cruel. Those families will dread it forever
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Laser Man on December 19, 2012, 08:15:14 AM
It feels different this time to me.  We all know six and seven year old kids and they are completely innocent little people.  There's no comprehending the act that was perpetrated last Friday.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: tomgallagher on December 19, 2012, 08:44:33 AM
The Dunblaine incident in the UK was similar. The fact that some random person just walked into a school and destroyed so many lives was unfathamobile.

I work in schools with the age range of the children that were killed and like others have said, they are babies really, all bright and eager to learn. They have no concept of death and evil.

For me, it is a combination of the age and the fact that it is near to Christmas. loosing someone no matter what time of year is hard enough, but Christmas, which is essentially for children, seems particularly cruel. Those families will dread it forever

Well said sir. After Dunblaine the British government took firm control of the firearm situation. Let's hope we Americans can do the same.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Mr Jules on December 19, 2012, 08:48:10 AM
This evening's CBS news had a report about this massacre that essentially led to very strict gun laws in the UK.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137395n

for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre

Yes, here in the UK, there has been an almost complete ban on the private ownership of guns since 1997.

In 2008, the US had 9,000 murders by gun. In 2008, for the UK, there were 39 murders by gun.

Over in the US, you are 36 times more likely to be killed with a gun than we are here in the UK.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: tomgallagher on December 19, 2012, 08:52:39 AM
This evening's CBS news had a report about this massacre that essentially led to very strict gun laws in the UK. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137395n

for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre

Yes, here in the UK, there has been an almost complete ban on the private ownership of guns since 1997.

In 2008, the US had 9,000 murders by gun. In 2008, for the UK, there were 39 murders by gun.

Over in the US, you are 36 times more likely to be killed with a gun than we are here in the UK.

I am only too familiar with that statistic Jules. It makes me sick.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Mr Jules on December 19, 2012, 08:54:52 AM
I am only too familiar with that statistic Jules. It makes me sick.

I know.

Here in the UK, you can walk down the street in safety.

In the US, one is left with the impression that people are taking pot shots at one another.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 20, 2012, 12:39:04 PM
I am only too familiar with that statistic Jules. It makes me sick.

I know.

Here in the UK, you can walk down the street in safety.

In the US, one is left with the impression that people are taking pot shots at one another.
The gun laws are going to tighten down on assault weopan's that people do not need or multi rounded clips.  There is NO need for such.  Also I am thinking that after all the shootings and stupid mistakes made in many area's which I am not going to go into, nor do I think anyone should at this time. 

It is a time to pray and think of the family's that have lost their loved ones, and those teachers, children , and the many surviors ! 

At a time like this we all look for things, people, items, etc. to Blame for this !  It is about time for Common Sense !!!  Hopefully we as a nation can figure that out .
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: D.A.L.U.I. on December 20, 2012, 02:25:25 PM
In the US, one is left with the impression that people are taking pot shots at one another.

You impression may reflect the facts, take a look at this article:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17922-carrying-a-gun-increases-risk-of-getting-shot-and-killed.html?full=true&print=true
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: buddha on December 21, 2012, 09:34:29 AM
I have found that for many issues it helps me to comprehend the problems when I have the opportunity to learn what a person outside the issue observes and says.  One of my regular sources lately has been the International Edition of Spiegel, a very strong German news organization.  This article presents just such a view by a person outside our country sees.  While you may disagree with some particulars it strikes me that he describes the US, this particular horrific event and our reactions well.  It's worth considering.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/commentary-newton-and-the-fatal-national-identity-of-america-a-873350.html

I read the article and can not really find very much to argue with. Sometimes it takes an outsider with no personal interest in the problem to see that there is, in fact, a problem.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Mr Jules on December 24, 2012, 11:35:10 AM
This morning (24 Dec 2012), another instance of a US gun attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20838925

It would be a tragedy if those 26 people in Connecticut died in vain.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: tomgallagher on December 24, 2012, 11:53:25 AM
The wackos are coming out of the woodwork.
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Switchy on December 24, 2012, 02:12:41 PM
Please keep the familys that have lost loved ones in your prayers !
Title: Re: This time seems different....
Post by: Mr Jules on January 12, 2013, 06:41:26 AM
Here's an "interview" with Piers Morgan and Alex Jones. Is this a spoof ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyKofFih8Y