School shootings

[Cloudbringer]

Originally posted by Moiraine: I am a pretty small woman and I could be beaten quite easily, but I will NEVER buy a gun. I think of what would happen if a big guy attacked me and took the gun from me ... SO MUCH worse than without the f*** gun ... I think of what would happen if he didn't take the gun and I would shoot and kill him ... how could I live with the never ending guilt in my head 'I have killed a man, I have killed a man' ... And I think of what would happen if my son found the gun ...

Moiraine,

I think pretty much as you do when it comes to owning or using one, myself. I try to be open minded about a lot of things, but guns scare the cr*p out of me.

CB


------------------
Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight

[MILAMBER]

I live in Chino Hills CA, said to be in the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. Last week, not five minuites from my house at a local high school, some kids set off two pipe bombs. Luckily no one was injured, but what the hell is going on. You like to think that you go to work everyday and you are safe, but you never know when some psychopath will do something that might effect you.

------------------
Tremble and despair, for I am power! All here are now judged, and are found wanting.

[Sir Taliesin]

Actually anything can be a weapon. What was it, two weeks ago, when that madman in California ran through that crowd of people with a car at sixty miles an hour, killing four and injuring several more. One cannot protect ones self from crazy people.

One thng that should scare the crap out of everyone here is some idiot drunk behind the wheel! Unfortuately, I'm guessing, most of us have been there and done that. I know I've been guilty of that.

------------------
Sir Taliesin

Ten Rings there are, and nine gold torcs on the battlechiefs of old...

[MILAMBER]

That madman in california that ran through the people with the car happened in Fullerton, within rock throwing distance of my ex-girlfriends apartment on frat row. What is going on in this state?

------------------
Tremble and despair, for I am power! All here are now judged, and are found wanting.

[bilqis]

So many good points here! Such an interesting discussion!

Guns will not be banned in the U.S. The issue is too emotional on both sides. I personally hate guns, have never owned a gun, do not have guns in my house, and never intend to. None of my family - parents, husband - have ever had guns in their homes. If you're afraid, get a big dog. But, owning guns is a 'right' written into our sacred constitution and so I don't ever see them being banned. Politicians bring out the gun control issue when they want to distract voters from the real issues.

I still think we're missing the big issue. In my humble opinion, the basic issue underlying all of this is that we have to figure out how, as a society, to deal effectively with violence, disrespect and cruelty to fellow human beings. Violence is growing. Our population is at record heights and so we see more of this kind of thing on the news not only because Yorick & Moridin are right - bad news sells big - but because with more people in the world, there are more people to do crazy sh*t.

The attitudes of "Kids will be kids" or "boys will be boys" or "what else can you expect" from children raised by a single/neglectful/abusive/working parent or in a ghetto or whatever the excuse is this week, these attitudes need to be addressed & CHANGED. These attitudes are excuses for everyone to hide their heads in the sand. "Oh,yes, it's sad, but I can't do anything about that because kids will be kids/or if only parents would do their jobs or .... " What is ignored is that the bullies in schools are often the most popular kids! The kids that come from supposedly 'good' families, and who are very successful socially in school - cheerleaders, School sports stars, etc. Humans need to stop trying to make themselves feel better about themselves by behaving like baboons to others.

What can we do to address this? If every child & person in every country could learn to care about their fellow humans just because they are human, despite differences, wouldn't violence stop? It's a tremendously huge task, but we have to start somewhere. At home, but also at school. Going after media, or guns, or abortion or whatever your issue is doesn't address what really needs to be done. Communities can work together to learn to resolve conflicts, and to teach our children to do the same.

I'm an idealist. And I do tend to get on my soapbox now and then! Feel free to disagree with me. That's your right after all!

I'll shut up now.

------------------

Having abandoned my search for truth, I am now looking for a good Fantasy.

[Cloudbringer]

Bilqis, Parents blame the schools, the schools blame the parents and I personally think society at large is to blame. We tolerate far more than we should, in my opinon. (let the flames begin..I got my asbestos +3 shield ready LOL )

My friend who just put her teenager into Catholic school substitute teaches in the local schools (lower grades up to HS) and in the middle and high schools she gets verbally abused on a daily basis. On one occasion she was physically assaulted and on another she was threatened with bodily harm. In the last case, the high school principal called the father of the student who made threats in for a talk with him and my friend. The father was outrageously verbally abusive, threatened physical harm to both of them and accused the teacher of beating up his son! His son is a hulking bully and my friend just stood there and laughed. The principal gave the father a warning and the kid got off without a penalty!

CB

------------------
Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight

[MORDRICK THE MAD]

Personally I think society is to blame for poisoning kids minds with propaganda and forcing stupid opinions on kids like the whole fat/thin models and even in film and cartoons people who aren't layabouts and actually try to achieve something at school are looked upon as being strange or weird and should therefore be subjected to ridicule from the funny/sporty factions of the school system, now I belive that the reason these people go off like they do is because they cant see any sense in what they do as they are bought up(by their parents i would think)to do whats right and be law abiding citizens and they are picked on and alienated for doing as they are told while the press and entertainment industry make the people who pick on the aforementioned to be some kind of role models I think they should look at what they are doing more seriously.
Just my 2 penneth. Rikki.

------------------

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

[Sir Taliesin]

Bilqis that was a really good point. Up until now we have always treated the symtom and ignored the real problem. The million dollar question probalby is "What is the problem" or better yet "how did it get this bad".

How come children feel that they must pick up a gun to get attention? Because I believe that is really what the issue is. These kids are not getting the proper attention either at home or at school or even society in general.

What changed in our society in the last thirty years? Some say guns are a problem, but thirty years ago, percentage wise, we had more guns in society than we do now. It was much easier to get a firearm then, than it is now. We didn't have these kinds of problems then. So what's different?


------------------
Sir Taliesin

Ten Rings there are, and nine gold torcs on the battlechiefs of old...

[Griever]

heres the hitch i believe...

as draconia said, banning guns wont do sh*t. it rather the society that must change. just like with suicide. there is nothing wrong with the person who did it, rather the SOCIETY he live in.

if we had this society on which we all felt loved and stuff, would we ever think that killing will make us cool right?

------------------

Tifa has her Cloud, Squall his Rinoa, Sephiroth?? hehe