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Author Topic: News and Current Events - 2011  (Read 510580 times)

Offline Marge_Innavera

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #120 on: January 12, 2011, 09:56:46 AM »
(quoted)
For many, the investigation will stop there. No need to explore personal motives, out-of-control grievances or distorted political anger. The mere mention of mental illness is explanation enough. This presumed link between psychiatric disorders and violence has become so entrenched in the public consciousness that the entire weight of the medical evidence is unable to shift it. Severe mental illness, on its own, is not an explanation for violence, but don’t expect to hear that from the media in the coming weeks.

The fact that mental illness is so often used to explain violent acts despite the evidence to the contrary almost certainly flows from how such cases are handled in the media. Numerous studies show that crimes by people with psychiatric problems are over-reported, usually with gross inaccuracies that give a false impression of risk. With this constant misrepresentation, it’s not surprising that the public sees mental illness as an easy explanation for heartbreaking events. We haven’t yet learned all the details of the tragic shooting in Arizona, but I suspect mental illness will be falsely accused many times over.

Dismissing this act of terrorism as the meaningless act of a "deranged individual" serves two purposes:

--  It gives people a sense of securty and allows the comforting delusion that a similar terrorist act will never happen in their own home towns, or to members of their own families -- or to them.

-- It serves to erase every trace of both personal responsibility and any warning of what other, similar terrorist acts might occur in the future.


Besides, the shooter wasn't a Muslim and it wasn't a Republican congressperson who was shot.
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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #121 on: January 12, 2011, 12:26:27 PM »
  Pretty bad reports about the flooding, in Brisbane, and it's not going to let up. The son of a friend of mine is at a tech school there, and he and his girlfriend had to evacuate this morning. And they lived at the top of a hill.  Not good. A lot of people missing, too.

Offline fritzkep

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #122 on: January 12, 2011, 03:48:26 PM »
was someone in the crowd gay?

Since they're doing their protests solely for attention, they don't need a reason.

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Offline tfferg

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #123 on: January 13, 2011, 12:35:25 AM »
  Pretty bad reports about the flooding, in Brisbane, and it's not going to let up. The son of a friend of mine is at a tech school there, and he and his girlfriend had to evacuate this morning. And they lived at the top of a hill.  Not good. A lot of people missing, too.

And the mudslides in Brazil that have taken so many more lives and floods in Sri Lanka. Many people were killed in the floods here in Thailand a few weeks ago too.

I am very relieved to learn that despite their house being on the flood plain 11 km from the centre of Brisbane, a dear friend and his young family are okay after the peak of the flood overnight which was not quite as high as predicted and there is only a little water in the back yard. Friends who live in the outer suburbs are high on a hill and safe.

Among the many tragic stories and acts of heroic self-sacrifice, is this one of a 13 year-old boy in Toowoomba, a city west of Brisbane hit by what people are calling an inland tsunami. Jordan Rice, trapped in a car in raging waters, insisted rescuers save his 10 year old brother first and perished before they could get back to him.


http://www.theage.com.au/environment/weather/how-jordan-died-to-save-his-brother-20110112-19obf.html

Offline garyd

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #124 on: January 13, 2011, 10:29:27 AM »
I think the President did a fine job last night providing, with grace and dignity, the type of leadership so sorely required in situations such as this.

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #125 on: January 13, 2011, 03:52:43 PM »
I would agree with that.

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #126 on: January 13, 2011, 04:14:21 PM »
O'Reilly and Hasselbeck agreed that Clarence Dupnik--the local sheriff investigating the shooting who has gained attention by criticizing the right-wing media for, in his view, creating a politically toxic climate--is mistaken and even, as Hasselbeck put it, dangerous. Talking about whether a certain political or cultural atmosphere influenced violence she said, was a way for people who carried out violence to justify their actions.

First of all, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik didn't criticize Right-wing Media. He attacked ALL media.

But we know that conservatives/right-wing media are always playing the victim card.

Does anyone think for one minute that if the shooter actually came out and specifically
said "I did it because of what I heard right-wing media and/or conservatives tell me to do"
that they would just not accuse the person of being a nut case not representative of them
anyway?  Of course they would.

What is interesting to me is that, regardless of the motives of the gunman and regardless of whether
or not the subject of conservative rhetoric is involved or not, the instincts of those that spout such
rhetoric is NOT to stand back and be reflective and take a look at themselves and what they say or do,
but instead to defend it, attack those who bring up the notion, and generally disregard that anything
they say or do could possibly be a motivating factor.  Didn't I read or hear that Limbaugh said that any
criticism by democrats or left-wing people is just "a political attempt to silence his/their ideas and opinions?"
In other words--complete dismissal of any notion that what he does could create a climate of incendiary
notions, ideas, or actions.  And isn't one of the standard talking point tenants of current republican
ideology to believe in "personal responsibility."  Apparently, as long as you don't have to act on it.
It reminds me of this dialog that I remember, but don't know the source of:
"Sir, I resent your remarks and innuendo."
"Do you deny it?"
"No, but I resent it."


Offline Dal

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #127 on: January 13, 2011, 08:25:03 PM »
Dismissing this act of terrorism as the meaningless act of a "deranged individual" serves two purposes:
Well, if the shooter listens to Rush Limbaugh, he IS mentally defective.
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Offline BayCityJohn

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Offline Ellen (tellyouwhat)

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #129 on: January 14, 2011, 08:08:32 AM »
^^^^

good news.

What really is the defense of the gun rhetoric, anyway?  I understand riling up the NRA types, but when you're riling on a large scale, you may be responsible for overshooting.  No pun intended, actually.

If they don't "mean" their gun rhetoric to turn into actual violence, then it shouldn't be too much to ask that they exercise free speech with -- I don't know -- better speech than that, if they possibly can.

Lots of people get drubbed for saying the "wrong" thing.  Maybe it's just wrong to harp constantly on metaphorical gun violence.  Maybe that's possible.  Maybe Sarah Palin made a mistake.  A really big one.


ETA:  and frankly, reading about this situation is so surreal -- like, isn't it predictable and even unavoidable?  So let's say she had never put up gun sights on her website.  And what if this crazy guy had shot a Dem congresswoman anyway.  The difference would be, Sarah Palin wouldn't have to go on the defensive.  It was not all that difficult to predict we would be dealing with this news story.  It was obvious.
sometimes I think life is just a rodeo the trick is to ride and make it 'til the bell --john fogerty

Offline Sandy

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #130 on: January 14, 2011, 08:19:58 AM »
Sarah Palin (or Michelle Bachman or Sharron Angle) didn't tell the shooter to go out after the Congresswoman. Not directly. But with the "Reload, lock and load, hair triggers, second amendment remedies" rhetoric they clearly said it's okay to get a gun and go anfter someone with whom you disagree. The shooter's disagreement with and fixation on the Congresswoman may have predated Paln's hair trigger map, but she validated it.

If Palin actually believes her words don't have any effects, why doesn't she just shut up? Like a child, she wants to have it both ways. The more I hear from her, the more my estimation of John McCain sinks.

Offline doodler

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #131 on: January 14, 2011, 09:37:54 AM »
So whose words sent Booth after Lincoln or Oswald after Kennedy or Hinckley after Reagan?

It is just possible this guy did it on his own
In 2010, 606 people (all ages) were accidentally killed by guns.
Almost 3000 teens (15-19) die in traffic accidents a year.
1100 kids under 19 drown each year.
44 kids under 5 died of heat stroke in hot cars in 2013.
HIGH school sports account for 1.2 million trips to the ER annually.

Offline brokebacktom

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #132 on: January 14, 2011, 10:56:38 AM »
These people are out of hand.

Freshman Tea Party-backed Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently offered an provocative interpretation of the Constitution he holds so dear, arguing that federal child labor laws go beyond the bounds of the document.

Here's what Lee, a constitutional lawyer, had to say in a recent lecture about his view that the nation's founding political text had been fundamentally breached by (transcript via ThinkProgress):


Perhaps I should have some kids, so I could put them to work for me. Just like China.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/14/mike-lee-child-labor-laws_n_809100.html#comments

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #133 on: January 14, 2011, 11:35:17 AM »
It is just possible this guy did it on his own

As I mentioned above, even if he came out and SAID he did it "because" of the
rhetoric, those who spout the rhetoric would just blame him as an aberrant nutcase
that is not representative of them, so it doesn't matter.

No one really does anything that isn't a compilation of a zillion influences in their
minute by minute lives.  All most people are really saying is "using gun rhetoric cannot
be the better angels of our natures, so why continue to do it?"  And the people who
use it are not taking an introspective look at that, they are defending it or using it to
say the opposition is trying to take away something from them--like freedom of speech etc.

How many people on this forum have seen a movie that we've taken to heart because it
inspired us and spoke to us and influenced us in ways we never even dreamed of previously?
Well, can't negative rhtoric influence and inspire people in ways they might never have
imagined as well.  

Some of these people who use gun rhetoric now want it to be made legal to carry their
guns around the halls and floors of Congress.  I've always been wary of anyone who thinks
carrying a gun is an answer to anything.  There used to be a Federal law banning those
extended gun clips that the Tuscon shooter used.  Anyone who voted to get rid of that ban
was instrumental in causing at least some of that violence that occurred last Saturday.  At the
very least, ONE of those 19 people would not have been shot.


Offline Sandy

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Re: News and Current Events - 2011
« Reply #134 on: January 14, 2011, 12:21:35 PM »
So whose words sent Booth after Lincoln or Oswald after Kennedy or Hinckley after Reagan?

It is just possible this guy did it on his own

In order: secessionist sympathizers, the Cubans, Charleton Heston and the NRA.

All of the did it on their own, in the sense they pulled the trigger by themselves. The question is whether they were influenced by those around them. By those who said that political problems could be solved by guns. To say they were not influenced by others is to say that they all stood outside their culture, their society, their surroundings. That is far harder to believe than saying that they were influenced by what they heard around them.