Community Chat

[RoughDraft]

I go where I want to go, do what I need or want to do.  And no, noone is guaranteed anything in this world.  Nothing is promised.  Our time is finite to begin with.

Most significant in light of what is spreading like a disease in this particular country is the fact that none of us have the answers.  We can't think or imagine what is going on in the minds of those who think wiping people out wholesale will give them the revenge or satisfaction they desire, so we continue on.

Frankly, I go on about my business and don't give it much thought while I'm out in the world, but I've noticed lately that when I arrive home safely, I do exhale a bit.  So truth be known, these people have invaded my psyche.  Innocence is lost forever.

[DustRose]

I think with cable tv we  see and hear about more things then we did 20, 30 years ago.

There are evil people in this world.   

[Free2be]

I seem to have left an impression that I live in fear because I don't feel safe.  Not at all.  Just like most everyone, I feel as safe as anyone can.  I know I am as absolutely safe as I know there are absolutely no angry gunslingers nearby.  I play my odds in calm assuredness.  I accept the reality of that but I refuse to accept the normality of it.  This is entirely abberant from it's earliest beginnings, and over the decade we've been reacting like frogs in that pot of increasingly warming water. 

I know some people believe in predestination.  To accept this deadly violence as any part of predestination is like rolling over in that pot faster than the temperature requires.  But that's jmo.  

[occasionalrain]

The rate of suicide is up as well. There are those who can't take it and just kill themselves and others take revenge. School shootings are usually done by fellow students who have been bullied just as students who commit suicide are victims of bullies.

Mental illness is the reason commuters are pushed in front of trains.

The trend in protecting children from disappointment, everyone gets a trophy, leaves them unprepared for real life when they become adults. They feel entitled and blame others when they are deprived of what they want.

[bathina]

@occasionrain then why give these people easy access to the mechanism to kill themselves and lots of others? Wouldn't you agree it is more realistic to limit who has the mechanism than to try to eliminate the mental health issues of millions of people?

[SahmIam]

@bathina  Then you better remove alcohol, drugs and rope from society as well as research shows that overwhelmingly, people are intoxicated when committing suicide. Men prefer to shoot and hang themselves while women prefer to swallow pills.

Instead of banning things, I  want to find out why so many (especially males) are crossing the line to committing such desperate acts. IMHO, there is far more going on sociologically, psychologically and culturally than we are discussing or choose to acknowledge. 

In my area, cutting among teen girls has escalated; why? In my area, among high school students that come from households and school districts with above average income, depression and suicidal thoughts has escalated; why? In speaking with one of my sons' former high school teachers, she informed me that less males are applying to college than ever before and they're trying to figure out why; is there a correlation between this and violence among males (including suicide by gun)? I don't know but I sure as heck would like to find out.

This event occured in a gun-free zone; how was this allowed? That needs to be looked at as well. 

So many questions, no answers.

[songbird]

We had our Campus Police Chief give a talk.  Pretty much the same stuff.  Only crime on campus are petty theft.  Everytime you have a large gatering of people on campus, you will have something that will happen involving shootings.  Fact of life.

Several years ago we had 2 murders.  One off campus involving one our students (he got life.  His name is John Gaumer. Second one was especially tragic.  I knew her.  She was working on her masters.  Murdered by her husband on the parking lot of the camps.  Murder/suicide.  Happened around 4:30, when we were getting off work.

Our security was beefed up after that random shootings in DC,VA, MD  Over 12 years ago. Remember that?  Something like that.  Found out our school was one of the targets.  They were there on campus, but decided to ditch it, as the campus was too open, though access to the highway was pretty good. Since then, out access to the highway was redesinged using a round about.

[sidsmom]

I see it as, only one question & one answer.

[occasionalrain]

Where there is a will, there is a way. Oklahoma, are we to ban fertilizers?

Economics. Illegal drugs, the drug wars and the increase of users are the result of the mega money to be made by those trafficking in them. Illegal doesn't make anything unavailable. I prefer to be surrounded by responsible armed citizens ready and willing to protect themselves and others than sitting ducks defenseless against criminals with unlicensed, illegal weapons.

[bathina]

No one has mentioned banning. We need to be more selective about who can have weapons and what kinds of weapons and how much ammunition is reasonable.
I refuse to believe this is just the way it goes, along with any other kind of ACCIDENT that can befall a human. Let's face it, ropes and knives are way less deadly and nobody impulse kills themselves or a whole bunch of others with fertilizer. Guns are AVAILABLE and DEADLY to any sick person who wakes up with a bee in his bonnet.