The horror of yet another school shooting leaves us heartbroken and speechless.
Not that there's any lack of noise from a 24/7 media which exists only to fill every nanosecond with under-informed chatter while taking no time to simply reflect.
The usual talking heads are making their usual arguments, from which we'll get the usual results: no minds or policies changed, and no new insights about the nature of sheer, primal evil.
We can't and won't add our voices to that cacophony. We have no answers - only profound sadness for all of the lives forever changed or destroyed by this nightmarish act.
39 comments:
My thoughts and prayers, go out to the victims families.
I heard Todd Starnes say this on our Christian radio station.
And The Devil Smiled
Another American high school has been turned into a killing field. And the nation wonders why.
Well, I'm going to answer that question for you. And the answer may leave you a bit unsettled.
You see - I believe there is a God -- but I also believe there is a Devil. And I see his hand at work here.
We've raised a generation to believe that truth is relative - that there is no right or wrong.
And the Devil smiled.
They kicked God out of public schools - banned Bibles and prayer.
And the Devil smiled.
We've destroyed the traditional family - broken homes raising broken kids
And the Devil smiled.
There are no consequences for bad behavior -- no personal responsibility.
And the Devil smiled.
Our movies and music and games glorify violence and gore. Relationships poisoned by pornography.
And the Devil smiled.
What happened in Parkland, Florida is about wickedness - a war with the forces of darkness - good versus evil.
Our land is wounded, her people suffering.
But we have turned our back on the One who promised to heal our Land.
The politicians and pundits would have you believe this is not about God - it's about politics and mental illness and gun control.
And the Devil smiled.
Take care, be safe.
God bless.
Griz - Alaska
Amen, Stilton.
A sad day for all of us. What have we done to our kids that prompts them to do evil deeds like this? As a youngster we had discipline not only in our homes but in school as well. Educators were allowed to discipline our kids with no repercussions. We learned, often the painful way, right from wrong and it made good, law-abiding, respectful citizens out of all of us. Can we blame our educational system, the permissiveness generated by progressives that discourages consideration for fellow man and woman and is all about self? I wish I had an answer, Thank God and Stilton for my sanity or what is left of it.
I have hope..... there is a growing chorus of people talking about mental health issues rather than punishing ever gun owner and future gun owner .......
Now if only we could work on the mental health issues of our MSM .......
It is all very tragic. But no worse then hearing your child was killed in a car accident. Or of their passing in any way, shape or form. They are just as dead from that and yet their loss is not described, nor are there any candle light vigils for them.
These children were taken by an individual who required help. Some of that tragedy is someone was not there to recognize that and help that individual before this occurred.
Blaming the inanimate object ? May as well blame the car that was used to take him to the school.
In this day and age there is a different kind of war that needs to be waged. Today, I have no more answers than anybody else. It's not time to politicize the events that suddenly turned an otherwise ordinary day into one of profound sadness that will serve to upend many lives. Let's gather our thoughts and prayers today and turn toward those who will certainly need...but who likely won't ask.
Stilt,
You make an excellent point! All those folks in media feel required to pontificate but, though they do, nothing happens. They waste our time.
You are effective with our expensive time.
They are not.
Thanks for the respect that you accord each of us. Keep up the good work.
@ Griz - Alaska, your comment is one everyone should read. It answers "why this happened" perfectly.
Amen, Stilton. And amen, Griz.
Firstly, practically the entire MSM is reporting that the tragedy in Florida was the 18th school shooting this year alone. That number is purposefully misleading. It comes from Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit co-founded by Michael Bloomberg.
What the gun control crowd does not want you to know is the magic number 18 is a list of every time a gun has been fired on school property, maliciously or not. It includes two LEOs whose service pistols accidentally went off while patrolling schools with no resulting injuries, a man who committed suicide in the parking lot of a school that had been shut down for over 7 months, two teenagers that shot up their high school in the middle of the night on New Year's Eve with no one else around, and other cases of non life threatening gun play.
The media jumped on that number without reporting the facts, and probably without even researching it.
Secondly, it evidently can be proven that every mass shooter in the past 20 years had one thing in common besides having access to a gun. They all were on some form of SSRIs. Twenty years ago doctors did not prescribe Prozac and similar anti-depressants as they do today, and guns were far more readily available, yet mass shootings were practically unheard of.
There are, of course, other factors involved such as poor parenting and the current prevalence of violent movies, games, and music.
Instead of blaming non-sentient guns, we need to address the mental state of those individuals posessing those weapons.
My prayers go out to one and all. All of the above have hit the nail on the head. Same with all to follow. So sad...............
If guns cause murder, then matches cause arson and cars cause drunk driving. Think of how many lives we could save every year if we could just ban all cars and prevent drunk driving accidents!
FBI was warned last year that someone posted a YouTube video stating that he was going to shoot up his school. This same individual, a recent orphan who was generally shunned as being 'creepy', was expelled from the school last year for fighting and abusing his ex-girlfriend. FBI did not follow up, saying they could not identify the maker of the video, who posted it under his real name from his home computer.
This action also showed the idiocy of the 'hide in place' policies. The gunman knew the policy, so he pulled the fire alarm to get hallways full of kids and teachers.
It seems that the so-called 'Gun Free Zones" are not gun free. Some miscreant invades that 'sanctified' zone with such a banned item, intent on visiting mayhem upon the unarmed. Then he obvious question is asked, "How do we prevent this?" The penultimate question should be, "How do we stop this?" which is different.
The answer to the latter is always we send in a gun(s) to terminate this activity. In security terms, this is called a reaction force and is always late and and bodies short. The former question's answer is to have guns in place carries by individuals with permits and who are proficient in their use. While this may not prevent some deaths it does cut down on reaction time, limiting the number of victims and possibility preventing any injuries.
Two more items that go far in changing the landscape on these events. One is getting rid of the idiot concept of "Gun Free Zones", they aren't and just another Liberal bit of stupidity. Second is to stop the press conferences. Give a sheet to the press with basic data and stop giving publicity to the bozos who commit these acts. Let the press do what they do best; make up stories to fit their fantasy world. They are going to do that anyway.
@ Griz: Perfect comment!
@Griz Alaska I totally agree with you 200%! No truer words can be said. May this nation turn back to God before it's too late, and may we continue keeping our president and government in our prayers that they will lead our nation properly.
Virtually all of the mass shootings have one or both of these in common: Use, or recent cessation of use, of psych meds; and absence of a father figure.
Big Pharm, and the media which receives their advertising dollars, doesn't want to discuss the side effects of psych meds, which include thoughts (and acts) of suicide and murder.
The anti-gun crowd doesn't want to talk about the importance of role models and father figures because that's too hard to fix. It's far easier to blame inanimate objects, which are also much easier to legislate.
I join you in your respect for those who have lost loved ones and your quiet response. Thanks.
Dick
@Readers- Obviously there's a lot to discuss here, and I'm all for such discussion. I just couldn't bring myself to climb on a soapbox and make any pronouncements about what is obviously a terribly complex problem.
A few general comments...
I agree that the way you stop a shooter is by shooting him. That requires guns in the hands of the public - period. I'm certainly open to denying guns to people with a criminal history or certain psychological conditions (and let me immediately concede the "slippery slope" there.
I really like what @Griz had to say. I'm not religious, but even from a completely secular viewpoint it's not hard to see the way our culture is going to Hell, whether literally or metaphorically. Moral values and moral instruction are critical.
For now I'm going to cut the FBI some slack; as I understand it, the shooter didn't post a Youtube video but rather simply made a one line comment on someone else's video. It was reported by the person who posted the video, and the FBI looked into it. With 20/20 hindsight, we can say "what else did they need?!" - but it's not that simple. This shooter was a needle in a sky-high haystack of people making horrible threats every day on so-called social media. How many on the left are calling for the deaths of the "Nazis" like you and me who voted for Trump? Can the FBI round them all up? Should they?
In this case, it sounds like there were a lot of dots that could have been connected IF privacy laws allowed authorities access to all those "dots." But again, is that what we want? And when do we reach the point at which, based on algorithmic analysis of data, people can be jailed or institutionalized for what Philip K. Dick called "pre-crime?"
The subject of mental medications has been brought up. Are they over prescribed? Absolutely. So it's no surprise that almost all of these killers had a history with such medications. We live in a "quick fix" society where the answer is too frequently pills instead of more meaningful therapy. But can we foot the bill for every troubled teen to have a full time therapist? Again, it's complicated.
That being said, I have to put in a good word for SSRIs for some people. I've been on them for years, and they may well have saved my life. Are they right for everyone and every situation? Surely not. And can people have dramatically horrible side effects from taking psychoactive meds? Of course.
In the face of all these complexities, I again look back to @Griz's post. It's fine - and even necessary - for folks to argue the details, but the closest thing to a real solution is going to be the restoration of classic moral values in our society. That can't come from the government (which has been an active enemy of those values for decades). It needs to somehow come from our faiths or our hearts.
If we're going to keep schools gun free, fine. Let's look at this from another angle. Where does it say that a person gives up their absolute right to self defense when they enter school property?
I say let's start teaching students at the 5th grade level self defense tactics, and change the herd mentality from 'run from danger' to 'attack and destroy'. Gunman in the school? ATTACK AND DESTROY! Everybody goes at the bad guy at full speed, and uses extreme violence to stop the threat.
Yes, someone will die, and others may be wounded, but it won't take too many of these monsters being torn to pieces to get the message across that this will no longer be tolerated.
And what improvements in confidence and ability will those children have after taking 7 years of martial arts, learning how to defend themselves, and practice civil comportment.
Thank you for a calm rational response...I felt nothing but deep sadness for the parents who suffered the cruelest pain there is.
My heart broke for the 2 adults who lost their lives, their families know better than we do how much was lost to them and all of us with their passing.
However...going to easy reasons for an explanation is not helpful.
I am, and know lots like me, a believer in God....I am a Jew.
I do not need prayers in my classrooms in Jesus's name to know right from wrong...my parents, Rabbis, and adult role models showed me the way to live a good life.
I read a great deal, and learned some of the ethereal truths that way.
And I met good Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims who gave me further examples of how GOOD people basically are, however imperfect.
Since we know the hundreds of cars deaths are just as heinous to a parent or family member, we must acknowledge the real horror is losing someone where we thought they were safe...no betrayal is more heartbreaking. Ask the victims of molestation from Priests, or teachers, or Uncles...
As for violence in movies, or video games, when we begin having thousands of shooters a year I'll consider that video games are a root cause...there are literally millions of violent video games and movies played and seen yearly, and no one can remotely claim there is a reactive amount of shootings from that huge number of participants.
We do have a serious lack of moral teaching at home and from the society at large...I carry my honesty and morality inside me, but it was implanted by those around me from infancy.
Use the word "Honor" in a sentence that doesn't refer to accepting a credit card and you'll get laughter, sideways glances, and disinterest immediately
My integrity is sacred to me, and I only respect those who feel the same and act accordingly.
Honor is a real commodity, and if the only ones who know this are the warriors then we are, as a world of humans...in BIG trouble.
Find God how you will, live an honorable life as best you can...but know that evil in this life is created the same way righteousness is.
And it lives inside many...
This seldom happens, but I believe differently from Stilt just a tiny bit. When I read this piece, (http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/15/fbi-missing-mass-shooters-florida-nikolas-cruz-omar-mateen/) I am beginning to wonder if this is on purpose to accelerate the gun confiscations or the FBI couldn't find dog poo on the bottom of their shoe, or maybe higher up has squashed investigations? Since it seems not to be illegal to be mentally impaired are schools not acting on information to avoid untold law suits? I am with those that do not think we are at the bottom of this yet. Take the LV shooting: we have heard nothing significant about that investigation. There has to be a so called greater good agenda with these tragedies. Then, too, how many screaming about "assault weapons" would not know an assault weapon from a tampon.
God know I am heartbroken over these broken families that will never heal, as living with these memories will be thought of every day for the rest of their lives. IF they find out their was some complicity in this? Right now, law enforcement wants to do away with our fourth amendment so this might factor in.
@Mike Bennett: at all times. If they begin to lead us properly, they will need far more support than now as the left will be out for literal blood!
I feel the same as you, just sad. Nothing being argued on either side can fix evil in the hearts of mankind.
Until citizens step up and realize that they are the First Responders they will continue to die.......
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1114009452090&ca=34ca1cd9-c95d-41ec-8b92-d7811edc532c
It has now come to light that the FBI was given specific information about the individual on Jan 5th. Choice made to wait and see.
Bad year for the FBI, it seems.
@Chris- I'm entirely in favor of teaching schoolkids self-defense skills. For now, martial arts instruction in lieu of regular gym classes strikes me as very logical. And such classes could be given in a non-frightening way.
@Gee M- Beautifully put. I wish that every parent could really understand this, and that every child could benefit from this simple (but not easy) philosophy. How many people now can honestly say that their integrity is sacred to them? And in our popular culture is the concept of integrity even still alive? I'm not talking about individuals - there are lots of good ones. But those who are in the public eye seem to embrace and embody our worst characteristics.
@James Daily- Lately it doesn't seem like a good idea to dismiss conspiracies out of hand, but Occam's razor suggests that this sad situation is as it appears to be. That being said, something is terribly wrong with the Las Vegas massacre investigation. There's a lot of stink there, and I intuitively feel that something big is being covered up.
@Emmentaler Limburger- It's sadly ironic that the Left will be out for blood.
@Tots- I agree. We should do all we can, but we also need to recognize that it may never be enough.
@GenEarly- Absolutely. Citizens have got to be the first responders...and the government should do nothing to impede their ability to act in that capacity.
@Keith- Yes, I've now seen the story that the FBI got a very specific and detailed tip about the shooter just a month ago and did nothing about it. Nothing. So allow me to retract my previous statement that I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. We've already had ample evidence of corruption in the FBI, and now criminal ineptitude. It will be a long time before I have any respect for the agency again...and that's a shame.
Yes: I know that work is needed on MANY fronts, but IMO it would also help when such mass killers are caught absolutely red-handed, admitting to &/or clearly & quickly demonstrated to be guilty... Forget & change the current process. Stop the notoriety, politics, press and endless lawyering at great public expense.
A bullet to the brainstem in public, burn the body, then bag & bury the teeth, bone & ashes without ceremony in the landfill would be a pretty strong disincentive even to nutcakes. Do it in a matter of hours; not days, weeks, months & years.
Same goes for major players with the hard drugs. (OK; Any U.S war on drugs? ... there's no such thing.
These things are getting to be practically predictable. Never let a crisis go to waste ... even if you have to manufacture one. This “crisis” has effectively removed all mention of the FBI, CIA, DOJ corruption & treason from the news. Convienient, isn’t it? And all you have to do is maintain an on-line collection of mentally unstable sociopaths until you need your distraction and then pick one and push him over the edge. If possible, throw in a crisis actor or two for added emotional man-on-the-street interviews. So what if real people get killed and wounded? (1) The End justifies Means, doesn’t it? (2) You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, right? (3) Really, one death is a tragedy but multiple deaths is just a statistic. They’re goyim anyway and if some of them aren’t see (2) above. Forward the (((New World Order))) !!
In Israel, they have armed guards at each school. Not a bad idea, as it seems to work. But I favor allowing concealed-carry at schools, because the nutball won't know who's going to shoot back and kill him. What he will know is that in all probability, somebody in there will. Deterrence is helpful.
That noted, I share the distress of many here over the act, but note that deputies were called to the nut's 39 times in the past five years - and did nothing.
When seconds count, police are minutes away.
As to the FBI and the Facebook comment, he made the comment on another poster's video; the video poster read the comment and reported the post, one of hundreds.
The FBI did attempt to trace the post, but didn't go very far, I don't know why;I know only a little bit, but honestly they did try to find the commenter...
not counting the many other times this nutcase was in the glare of LE's spotlight.
He and his brother were adopted into an American family, not an illegal.
Why isn't the issue about where these derelicts, and kids get the money to buy these very costly guns and ammo? And BTW calling the weapon he used an "assault" rifle is like calling a bb gun a bazooka.
@Liberty Card
An AR-15, basic model, is around $500.
If a 18-19 year old wants one he could earn that much working a low-paying job and it's legal to buy.
But comparing an AR-15 to an assault rifle is the same as claiming a Saturn Sky is a race car.
Not.
There are many rifles with serious killing power and a clip looking like Johnnys first BB or air gun...only deadlier.
Having a gun isn't the problem, the parents should...SHOULD...have asked why did he want a serious hunting rifle with a high-capacity magazine?
They were aware he had had several problem moments with his actions and the authorities, before the final kill spree...and he was a nasty-talking kid.
The parents are culpable.
If I was a parent full of rage and unquenchable sorrow, I would immediately know where the enabling came from to kill my child; I hope the parents of the shooter get to a hiding place and stay away.
17 vessels of sorrow and rage wanting their child back and justice/revenge on the shooter or someone suitable.
Just sayin'...
This a textbook case for the Death Penalty, and not enough appealable circumstances. As God is in Heaven this Nikolas Cruz knew what he wanted to do, and carefully planned the murder of these children.
Insanity alleviating his guilt would only qualify if he didn't understand his actions being wrong, or even understanding his actions at all. He planned this carefully and had a getaway plan; thank the God we all follow that he was unable to shoot out the classroom windows and kill fleeing students as he planned.
He didn't think to just open them, and many lived that he could have slaughtered.
Florida has the Death Penalty...justice may be served.
I forgot his last parent died recently...I don't know if his adoptive mother was alive when he had the AR-15...I thought she was.
Apparently the FBI did not even run a background check with the local authorities that had been to his house 39 times. Since he was a minor, I doubt he would have been in the national data base. I am torn between believing this is incompetence or complicity on the part of the FBI but I lean heavily one way. Secondly, the Florida FBI office was not notified in January of the intentions of this nutcase. Then too, the guy that informed the FBI apparently informed the national office rather than the local office. Miami is 45 miles away. Third, I wonder why the local sheriff office was not more through after having a history of being called to his residence. Lastly, I doubt the finger pointing will ever stop.
I have heard this argument many times before..."As for violence in movies, or video games, when we begin having thousands of shooters a year I'll consider that video games are a root cause...there are literally millions of violent video games and movies played and seen yearly, and no one can remotely claim there is a reactive amount of shootings from that huge number of participants."
I wonder then if the millions, or perhaps billions of dollars spent on advertising is a total waste? If what people see and hear doesn't influence their choices it most definitely is wasted money.
Seriously?
Yes the huge amount of money spent on getting me to purchase and use Feminine Hygiene products is pretty much wasted, as are the vast sums of political claptrap bought by the parties...however, when I watch Guardians of the Galaxy or several episodes of Game of Thrones I do not immediately sharpen my kitchen knives and go murder my neighbors...ever.
I do think the reason you hear and read that cause and effect is not found from millions of game players and movie watchers being being inspired to slaughter, is because it's actually true.
Sorry...some things are quite simple and buying one toothpaste or another is not the same as torture, murder, and mayhem .
I do hope you aren't struggling with this problem and extrapolate this as a societal issue...
incitement to violence directly is illegal while attempting to influence a buyer choosing a Mercedes or a Dodge is merely commerce.
And the fact that after viewing Call of Duty or any other first person shooter vid game one of millions not only does not go outside and mow down random pedestrians ... is just an easily understood reality. It doesn't happen.
But as many businesses know, it's a fact that advertising does work and which dog food to buy is definitely influenced by random images seen on TV and in print.
Wonder no more.
People make their own choices in their life...good or bad. Griz had the answer.
alas...once we had God, guns, and government.....
Now it seems we have been reduced to guns and Government...
How long before we only have the last one...??
The implications are scary...the school shootings CAN be stopped, and we best get to it, because they may be the least of our problems the way this is headed.
Furthermore, if you are a politician or hollywood shoot-em-up actor/tress...shut up! Stop standing on the graves of these children and spewing stupidity into the air.
Bow your head and show respect for these children and their families...if those that lost a loved one have something to say, listen!
Contrary to the media frenzy, anger, fake news, stupidity, and everyone beating their own drum WILL NOT, and HAS NOT solved anything....This is NOT the time to be grandstanding and inflaming disagreements...if we could eliminate the personal agendas , the need to spew, the hypocrisy, and the eyeball grabbing media venues...all that would be left is the desire to stop these terrible events...I mean ask yourself...do you know ANYONE who DOESN'T want it to stop?
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