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No I mean, after many many attempts, I still can't embed a video. Go here and you will see haw the news is scripted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GME5nq_oSR4

If it happens once, that's once too many.

But yes, these events happen at an average of about one or two a year I'd guestimate. To put that in perspective, that's about the same frequency that people are blown up by shells leftover from the Civil War. Compared to inner-city gang violence, mass shootings like this are but a drop in the bathtub.

That of course doesn't make it any less tragic, though.

I guess what I'm getting at here is "don't panic."




It seems like when these things happen, they happen in spurts. A bit of "crazy begets crazy" insomuch as once somebody goes and does something horribly drastic, all of the other nutcases out there see the news coverage and are reminded of their horribly drastic plan.

For anyone not watching The Newsroom on HBO, it's pretty great. It's all about an attempt to return to journalism unclouded by the advertisers, network execs or ratings influence. There's also some inter-office romance that gets in the way sometimes, but even that is pretty well written.




As for the Sikh shooting incident, I don't really have sufficient words to describe how badly it makes me feel. And I'd feel the same way if it had happened at a Muslim place of worship instead.

what an ignorant and embarrassing piece of shit. this stuff needs to stop
I can't imagine what it would be like to be in the victims shoes...or those in Aurora.

Things like this really are an assault on the communities they happen in, too.

Columbine is now synonymous with school shootings. Aurora will be known for the Batman shootings. And now Milwaukee will be thought of for this. That's better than being remembered for Jeffrey Dahmer... maybe.

I'm sorry guys, I've spent time in New York, a little in LA, and my wife spent her childhood in LA. I love the history, the 'work hard' attitude, the music, the entertainment, sports and everything...but now gun related violence seems to be synonymous with the USA. It's a huge tragedy.
If you want an outsiders point of view. I wish it was different.

How many 'Muricans would be surprised by that statement? Exactly ZERO.
Very true, and very sad.
I wish this crap would end, so we could get back to being known to the rest of the world just as rich, fat, and lazy.

So sad that something like this has happened in some peacefull peoples place of worship.

There are nut jobs everywhere in the world though, not just the US.

It's just a lot easier for nutjobs to buy fire arms in the US I guess.

Surely its time for the US to look at its gun laws and start controlling the use and ownership of firearms a bit more strictly?

I am pro gun but from the standpoint of I have them in my house for protection. I don't hunt. However we do need more control and I'm willing to compromise on the current laws. But the problem frankly is you have these extemists on both sides. One wants to take the hand gun out of my house. The other thinks everyone needs AK47's. Neither side will compromise. So, nothing will change

See, that's the thing...

our Constitution guarantees us the right to own firearms. The founding Fathers considered it so important, they put it right after free speech! I'd consider myself a political progressive, but that's one conservative stronghold I won't ever argue against... what's the point? And this guy wasn't using an assault rifle or machine gun or anything - just a 9mm semi-auto pistol, legally purchased and registered. Of course, in Wisconsin, you can also get a permit to carry a concealed weapon if you so choose... that's a little more rare here in the States. The supporters of that law say that if criminals know their victims may have concealed weapons, they'll be less likely to commit a crime with a firearm. Of course, nobody would bring a concealed weapon to church (or would they??), so this guy probably didn't have much fear. He managed to unload basically a whole clip into a "well-trained, highly experienced tactical officer", so clearly the guy's military training served him well.

Another question to consider is whether our military has sufficient D-cell programs in place. That's for deceleration - the training you're supposed to go thru when you leave the service. It's primarily needed because our military (especially the Marines Corps) are trained to kill easily and without remorse. But it's got to be hard to come home from active duty and just re-insert yourself into normal life. Most veterans don't have issues, of course -- but for some we may not be doing enough.

Yep. Exactly.

Just like every other political hot button issue. The more divided we get, the more extreme each side becomes.

Worse, on the gun topic, is how it's handled state to state. MA is considered fairly strict on the gun rights scale, but the laws and regs in place are just dumb. You can't have anything automatic. Great. Unless it was manufactured before 1990-something. Okaaaaayyy... In order to buy any handgun you need a license to carry concealed. No problem. In order to legally carry concealed, it has to be truly concealed on one's person, or carried in a lockable case. Got it. A handgun purchase needs to be from a list of handguns considered 'safe'. Okay. That list is decided by the Attorney General. Ooooh-kay. That list is not up to date, and not legally binding. Any handgun sold can be deemed illegal by the Attorney General's office, whether or not it is on the list. And then the seller of the handgun is legally responsible for selling something they didn't know it was illegal to sell. So, they stick to a few standards they think are safe, then no one can get a hold of them without paying a premium. Buuuut, if someone legally purchases a handgun in another state (legal in that state), then brings it to MA and sells it to a MA license-holder, it's ok. Riiiigght....

This is because of extremists fighting over the wording of laws. When then "bazookas are in the constitution!!!1!!" people fight with the "slingshots kill babies!!!!1!!!" people, you end up with compromises that don't even make sense on paper. And then of course, lobbyists don't help.

Like I said. A mutilated hybrid system.

As many have said, the politicians jump in and pander to the far left and far right and nothing is accomplished.

It reminds me of an old quote (I believe attributed to Edwin Armstrong).

"Lawyers take facts and turn then into words, then argue about the meaning of the words."

I couldnt find the exact quote online, but I believe that is close.

From what I saw on the news last, this guy enlisted after the Gulf War, was kicked out in 1998 (given a general discharge and barred from reenlistment so in other words "this guy's a POS who doesn't have any business being here but we don't want to completely destroy his life"), and didn't hold a combat arms MOS. Chances are this guy never saw a second of actual combat and spent more time pushing around papers and lawn mowers than anything else over the course of his military career.

I'd say this most likely has everything to do with him being a racist and little to nothing to do with his Army career.




The problem with these kinds of crimes (and the invariable knee-jerk reaction for stricter gun control) is that nobody says "well... I've got this gun, I guess I might as well go shoot a bunch of people." This man decided he was going to go out and kill a bunch of people and then he sought a means to carry out that crime. Nothing can really stop a person like this; they are already willing to kill so there aren't many other laws that they aren't willing to break. If said person is bound and determined to use a gun, there is a thriving black market supplying most of our common criminals – what's an illegal gun charge vs. mass murder? But on the other hand if somebody like this decides to get a little bit creative, there are far more destructive options available to them and many of those options are incredibly easy to put together.

Beware the law of unintended consequences.