Not Again

[Patrick S]

I have a problem with the double standard. White middle age man attack Planned Parenthood clinic = insane.

Someone with an Eastern last name = terrorism.

It doesn't matter, for me, if the person was radicalized by a website or an imam, that person clearly had mental problem in the first place.

The KKK and other far right organisations clearly count on the "lone wolves" to do their dirty jobs, it's about time we apply the same standard to everything.

In fact, I'm not 100% sure yet, but the whole "terrorism" label should be dismiss and events should be treated as crime.

We had two separate events last year in Canada, with one casualty each (not including perpetrator)
1- recently converted white Canadian killed a soldier and hurt another one ramming them with his car.
2- Young man with mental health history ran into the Parliament building in Ottawa, killing one guard.

Both men declared doing it for ISIS. None of them were in contact with the organization.

Radicalized Muslim man and his radicalized Muslim wife kill a bunch of people at a Christmas party? Blame the bastards who oppose "gun control" and not the ideology that may have driven him to it. IGNORE that. Don't even pursue it! A crime is a crime. Who needs labels? Oh, unless the "lone wolf" crazy white guy listened to Rush Limbaugh or watched Fox News. Then it's okay to point fingers. If you recall the Gabby Giffords incident was blamed SQUARELY on Sarah Palin (for suggesting that voters 'target' Giffords seat in the next election). So, okay to blame Palin, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh....but hands off Allah, Islam, ISIS, et al. I mean, we must have the right, state-sanctioned opinions now, mustn't we?

This is, of course, nonsense. Wonderful sounding words that sound good to you because you figure you're being open-minded and wonderfully liberal. Of course it all means nothing.

Dylann Storm Roof was ACCURATELY called a white supremacist after he shot up the church in Charleston. Did you think it was wrong when - as a result - the confederate flag was removed from the SC statehouse grounds? I mean, Roof was just crazy, right? Why blame the confederacy? He was a lone wolf, after all. Shouldn't they put that confederate flag back up? Using your logic, we should DISMISS the 'racist' label as its applied to Roof and call it, simply, a crime.

[Robert]

Was there ever anything more pathetic than social media? Tweet, Watson. Unmitigated tweet.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

I have a problem with the double standard. White middle age man attack Planned Parenthood clinic = insane.

Someone with an Eastern last name = terrorism.

It doesn't matter, for me, if the person was radicalized by a website or an imam, that person clearly had mental problem in the first place.

The KKK and other far right organisations clearly count on the "lone wolves" to do their dirty jobs, it's about time we apply the same standard to everything.

In fact, I'm not 100% sure yet, but the whole "terrorism" label should be dismiss and events should be treated as crime.

We had two separate events last year in Canada, with one casualty each (not including perpetrator)
1- recently converted white Canadian killed a soldier and hurt another one ramming them with his car.
2- Young man with mental health history ran into the Parliament building in Ottawa, killing one guard.

Both men declared doing it for ISIS. None of them were in contact with the organization.

[Patrick S]

Good opinion post, Patrick (and I did read it all), and best wishes to you and your family. I've always voted Democrat, but am leery of Ms. Clinton's dishonesty. Maybe I'll try the Jewish socialist-- that should rile up the conservatives even more. Seriously, there are no intelligent, qualified candidates in either party.
Workplace violence with a supply of three thousand bullets-- nothing suspicious here, folks, move along. Meanwhile, we keep our heads down and listen to news reports on fighting back with scissors and staples in case of an active shooter at our offices. It's as stupid as the "Duck and Cover" drills we had when I was in grade school.

My vote will likely sit idle. For me, it's a disgusting lot. It seems like only the lowest common denominator even enters politics these days. It seems as if we are bound and determined to entrust power to the people who are among the most least qualified to have it. Its no wonder Trump is leading in the polls. I mean, he had a reality TV show, right? Isn't that was most people look for in a leader these days?

I've been distracted from my Ripper pursuits lately by another topic: How technology has changed, shaped, altered our culture. I touched on some of the themes in my rant (thanks for staying the course and finishing it). Its an interesting discussion, but its also disturbing in many ways. When you discuss things with younger people you realize that their "opinions" simply mirror what's floating around social media. We really do live in a time where there is such a thing as the CORRECT opinion, and it is ALWAYS the one that gets the most "likes", "shares", etc. on social media. These days, opinions, so long as they are CORRECT, are meant to be shared and celebrated. Join the crowd. Get a few pats on the back. Then, join the mob and search out the Neanderthals who have the INCORRECT opinions and expose them! WAIT! You haven't changed your profile picture to 'rainbow' colors to celebrate gay marriage? You must be a bigot! Hold on! You didn't change your profile picture to the colors of the French flag? Oh, man! I'm unfriending you. It's groupthink, crowd mentality.

[Pcdunn]

Good opinion post, Patrick (and I did read it all), and best wishes to you and your family. I've always voted Democrat, but am leery of Ms. Clinton's dishonesty. Maybe I'll try the Jewish socialist-- that should rile up the conservatives even more. Seriously, there are no intelligent, qualified candidates in either party.
Workplace violence with a supply of three thousand bullets-- nothing suspicious here, folks, move along. Meanwhile, we keep our heads down and listen to news reports on fighting back with scissors and staples in case of an active shooter at our offices. It's as stupid as the "Duck and Cover" drills we had when I was in grade school.

[Patrick S]

I've had to check out of this story. For the foreseeable future I'll be watching only football, movies, maybe the odd cooking show. In my view, the media coverage has been reprehensible and, as always, the "social" media response has been nonsensical, inane, absurd.

Out of the chute, politicians, celebrity tweeters, bloggers, and - finally - the more "mainstream" media defined this as another "gun" story. The narrative was crafted before the names of the shooters were publicized. Of course, when the names were reported, liberal sensibilities prevented most everyone from - at least publicly - hearing the names "Farook" and "Malik" and seeing a link to Islam or terrorism. I mean, I'm sure everyone thought it, and then engaged in the requisite self-flagellation to expel such awful thoughts.

So, the obvious possible connections were ignored (for as long as possible), because that's what good, right thinking, liberal minded people do. And it continued to be a story about the NRA, guns, America's gun culture, the usual. Meanwhile, most rational people could already see where this was going. Obviously, you can't say it out loud! That would be racist, you see. I mean, I know that Islam is technically not a race, but "racism" is such a fun word to throw around these days. It's become a great catch-all. We use it all the time here in America. It's a great way to ruin someone's reputation and prevent them from obtaining gainful employment. Try it on people you don't like! I'm lucky in that I'm part of a wonderfully progressive interracial couple with wonderful, amazing, beautiful interracial kids. So, obviously, I have the right opinions and I get invited to parties where I can't voice my disgust about any of this because, well, that would get be uninvited to the parties and people would think that I wasn't, you know, a liberal (gasp).....

Anyway, the die has been cast. The story is set in stone and it cannot be changed. This is and always will be a GUN story and not a TERRORISM story. Our timid, guilt-ridden, social-media driven culture demands it. We'll continue to blame bogeymen: The NRA, Republicans, Democrats, Obama, Trump, Bush, Clinton, Fox News, the New York Times. As usual, the killers themselves are marginalized. Their names will be forgotten but their crime will live on because it so wonderfully serves myriad political purposes.

I feel like I'm surrounded by people who are brainwashed, incapable of thinking for themselves. I used to be outspoken about what I believed. These days, since I don't fit into either the conservative or liberal category, I just - mostly - keep my mouth shut. I've always considered myself pretty conservative. I don't believe in God but I will defend anyone's right to do so, even as I think that religion gives smart people some very not smart ideas. I loath Donald Trump. I support more gun control. I think marijuana should be legal. I think people should be allowed to live a life that makes them happy without someone screwing it up simply because they find it "offensive". So, if that means gay marriage or abortion. Well, live and let live. It's your life. On the other hand, I see Obama as Trump's liberal clone, sitting unaccomplished and unqualified atop a cult of personality. I think that government should be small, taxes should be low, defense should be robust, legal and military action should be taken based upon reality and rational thought, not politics, and that we should always move in directions that provide citizens with more freedom, not less. Because of these ideals, I've never voted for a democrat. I feel almost completely disconnected from Republicans at this point too.

I'm sure I offended someone with this treatise, if anyone hung in and read it all. Oh, well. I feel better. That's all that matters.

[GUT]

How about one day. There has been 357 mass shootings in the US this year. There was another one in Georgia same day as the San Bernardino one.

Don't want to rub it in, but you know you have a gun violence problem when the authorities say "this mass shooting was atypical".

And the senate rejects legislation to limit selling guns to suspected terrorists.

[Abby Normal]

Seems to me that they were planning a terrorist attack but just not at the party. Something set him off while he was there and he left went home got his wife and said come on we're doing it now.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

Another day another mass shooting in the U.S.A....

We can't go one week without this happening...

How about one day. There has been 357 mass shootings in the US this year. There was another one in Georgia same day as the San Bernardino one.

Don't want to rub it in, but you know you have a gun violence problem when the authorities say "this mass shooting was atypical".

[GUT]

I wonder if his weapons were legal?? Ie registered and if he had a license.

[Fleetwood Mac]

Another day another mass shooting in the U.S.A....

We can't go one week without this happening....this is making me sick and a little ashamed of my country... how these things become so common place people see the news and just say " eh whatever" ...

I would ask for a moment of silence but you can't have silence with all the gun shots.....

come on England.. Australia... talk some sense into us!!!! PLEASE


Steadmund Brand

I think as usual context is everything.

The United States is a vast, unwieldy country so of course they will have a lot of idiots. Proportionately any more than any other country? Obviously not.

While I've never held a gun in my hand in my life, nor have I any wish to do so, I don't believe guns are a problem. And, to be honest, I appreciate there's a people out there who feel strongly about their rights.

The one thing I would say is that when you watch English films the theme is usually sex and tragedy; when you watch American films the theme is usually violence and heroism. Perhaps therein lies the problem, if of course you deem the comparison to be a problem.

[Ginger]

The citizen militia was an idea that failed in the early 19th century, and was replaced by a regular army.

The state of Ohio (for one), still has its own militia, army and navy both, controlled by the Secretary of State. That was part of a deal reached with the Lincoln administration when he wanted to nationalize state militias into the National Guard, was that we could still have our own army. It's kept alive at pretty much a symbolic level today, but it's there, and could presumably be brought to active status if needed.

And, for that matter, most of the soldiers in the Civil War enlisted as state militia. The Union had about one division of regular army and the navy and marines, and the confederates had (IIRC) the navy and a marine brigade for their national forces. Everything else was states' volunteers. The reorganization as National Guard was, initially at least, more about allowing the federal government to provide arms and supplies without Congress having a fit than anything else.

[Pcdunn]

The local militia has the right to bear arms

Yes, and the police, military, and National Guard DO bear arms.

The citizen militia was an idea that failed in the early 19th century, and was replaced by a regular army.

Are there local militias in England, still? I have heard a bit of the Home Guard-- is that one?

[pinkmoon]

The local militia has the right to bear arms

[GUT]

Some truly believe the government is a dangerous entity, and they need guns to defend themselves from The New World Order.

In my opinion, that vary fact should disqualify them from holing a license, exactly the sort of paranoia that doesnt mix with assault weapons.

The first link sent to me yesterday on the California massacre was from an Australian news site, by the way!

Our time difference will contribute largely to that.