Re: Half-Staff Flags: until 11/10 (Sat)

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

@MoJoV wrote:
It seems to me we should just leave the flags at half staff...they are there so often. Sad.

As I heard on the news a little while ago,

"This is the worst mass shooting in the past 11 days".

bathina · ‎03-14-2010

Just heard the father of a victim saying he would not villify the shooter because the shooter has family who must be suffering too. I could cry. I just don't know if I could be that forgiving. I'd like to think I would, but the pain these parents are in is so intense.

aggravated · ‎03-12-2010

@MoJoV wrote:
It seems to me we should just leave the flags at half staff...they are there so often. Sad.

I was getting ready to type this exact sentiment! Too much and too terribly unbelievable at this point.

stevieb · ‎03-10-2010

I agree, the way things are pannng out, we might as well just leave them at half staff permanently. At one time it was a rarity and actually meant something. Not so much anymore.

In my pantry with my cupcakes...

stevieb · ‎03-10-2010

@bathina wrote:
Just heard the father of a victim saying he would not vilify the shooter because the shooter has family who must be suffering too. I could cry. I just don't know if I could be that forgiving. I'd like to think I would, but the pain these parents are in is so intense.

I'm sorry but this mindset just strikes me as faulty. Surely the shooter does have family who are suffering and nobody is necessarily suggesting vilifying the family, but at the end of the day, all the suffering associated with this incident is thanks to the shooter... I say vilification, while it doesn't solve anything, is completely in order... Perhaps when we, as a society, stop being so 'forgiving' of unacceptable behavior and willing to explain it away, we'll see a decrease in incidents of this type... Regardless of the precursors, good and bad can't always be considered relative. There need to be some absolutes. Going out into the neighborhood and shooting up anyone in sight is not acceptable behavior and there are no valid excuses.

In my pantry with my cupcakes...

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

@bathina wrote:
Just heard the father of a victim saying he would not villify the shooter because the shooter has family who must be suffering too. I could cry. I just don't know if I could be that forgiving. I'd like to think I would, but the pain these parents are in is so intense.

As I am sure the parents of those killed are in shock, I would not necessarily put too much stock into what they say right now. They, for very good reason, are not able to think clearly about what has happened and may not be able to for quite some time.

This same father may not feel the same a week from now, or a month, or a year.

My heart breaks each time I hear a loved one speak about the loss they suffered only a very short time ago.

bathina · ‎03-14-2010

The victim's father said he would not villify the shooter. He didn't say anything about villifying the family. The family is innocent in this. Agree that he may be in shock, but his first reaction is one of kindness and forgiveness.

The shooter was sick. He may have been suffering from ptsd from his experiences in Afghanistan. Not uncommon at all, but many vets take their own lives, rather than taking others with them. Not excusing the shooter's actions at all. At the risk of having another closed thread, I will say the shooter should never have had the means to carry out any actions that could harm himself or others.

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

@bathina wrote:
The victim's father said he would not villify the shooter. He didn't say anything about villifying the family. The family is innocent in this. Agree that he may be in shock, but his first reaction is one of kindness and forgiveness.
The shooter was sick. He may have been suffering from ptsd from his experiences in Afghanistan. Not uncommon at all, but many vets take their own lives, rather than taking others with them. Not excusing the shooter's actions at all. At the risk of having another closed thread, I will say the shooter should never have had the means to carry out any actions that could harm himself or others.

@bathina

I certainly didn't mean to imply that the father isn't kind or that he didn't mean what he said.

I'm only saying that there will be many more emotions to come forth a the weeks and months go on.

And they may not be as forgiving. Or they might. I wouldn't criticize him or any other parent who lost a child to murder for any of it or say he's wrong. To do so, to my mind, is awful.

Additionally, we need to do MUCH better in our services to veterans. Not only to try to prevent events like this, but because they are owed that.