I'm not of the notion that arming everyone would be a panacea; weapons + any culture that values being a hothead = generations-long tribal wars over an argument about a chicken. Even Switzerland, which often gets cited by NRA types, is far from perfect. most, if not all gun deaths in that country are a result of the man of the house flipping out, gunning down everyone in the family, and then blowing his head off.
I'll be sure to bring up the cadets on campus whenever someone goes on the standard wingnut rant that the students at Va Tech were somehow weakened and brainwashed into sheephood by those EEEEVILL intellectual elites (i.e., people who use big words) who ran the university, hate America, etc.
If anything, the shootings at Penn State and Virginia Tech showed what an utter joke access to mental health care is in this country. The girl who shot up the HUB lawn actually tried to get herself committed, and got turned away for "not being ill enough". When I read about the female professors complaining about Cho getting blown off, I wasn't surprised. If you are a woman, and have got something to say that folks don't want to hear, you might as well talk to a brick wall. I speak from experience.
I guess where I am coming from is the increasingly unhinged ranting of the Right in this country (cf. my above quote of Ted Nugent). In the event Barack Obama gets to the White House, certain sectors in society are going to totally flip out, and vent their rage on the nearest target of whatever "Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy" they think is now out to get them. The Salon.com article I liked to began with a would-be gay-bashing victim putting the fear of the Almighty into the rednecks who were well set to kill him. If I worked for the ACLU, I'd be taking target practice lessons these days.
I have learned from my own life experience that certain people get listened to and get help in this culture, and certain people don't. Folks in the latter group should have the means to protect themselves w/o having to beg and plead to be heard by folks who don't want to listen in the first place.
I'll be sure to bring up the cadets on campus whenever someone goes on the standard wingnut rant that the students at Va Tech were somehow weakened and brainwashed into sheephood by those EEEEVILL intellectual elites (i.e., people who use big words) who ran the university, hate America, etc.
If anything, the shootings at Penn State and Virginia Tech showed what an utter joke access to mental health care is in this country. The girl who shot up the HUB lawn actually tried to get herself committed, and got turned away for "not being ill enough". When I read about the female professors complaining about Cho getting blown off, I wasn't surprised. If you are a woman, and have got something to say that folks don't want to hear, you might as well talk to a brick wall. I speak from experience.
I guess where I am coming from is the increasingly unhinged ranting of the Right in this country (cf. my above quote of Ted Nugent). In the event Barack Obama gets to the White House, certain sectors in society are going to totally flip out, and vent their rage on the nearest target of whatever "Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy" they think is now out to get them. The Salon.com article I liked to began with a would-be gay-bashing victim putting the fear of the Almighty into the rednecks who were well set to kill him. If I worked for the ACLU, I'd be taking target practice lessons these days.
I have learned from my own life experience that certain people get listened to and get help in this culture, and certain people don't. Folks in the latter group should have the means to protect themselves w/o having to beg and plead to be heard by folks who don't want to listen in the first place.
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