OT - No child deserves to die because of a coward.

[Cdnwolf]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/14/us/connecticut-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

Within minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school's beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

[Rockwolf66]

It's horrible to comprihend. Alas in the media feeding frenzy the victems of the S*** are being forgotten. Plus even before the facts are known certant people are demanding solutions that would not work to prevent such events from happening.


I wish I had the money to send every child there a teddy bear.


I also wish the media would never publicise the names of the s*** and simply say that the s*** is to be burried in a random outhouse and forgotten. Take and sense of perverse fame out of the equasion.

[natehale1971]

this is an editoral essay for a blog that i've been writing today in response to this monsters actions... anyone who wishes to add something to this, please do. there is so much that i feel i am missing and not covering. and some fresh eyes will help.

Twenty-eight lives were lost today,c,,| starting with the murder,c,"s own mother. Whose legally registered and owned weapons were used to carry out this atrocity,c,,| this brutal and barbaric assault on a group of innocent children, and this monsters actions not only destroyed the lives of the children whom were killed by the bullets, but also the innocence of their childhood by creating memories of terror that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

To all those whom want to say that we need to ban guns in the aftermath of this tragedy in Connecticut... ask the following questions before you start screaming for even more laws that restrict the gun rights of innocent, honest & responsible citizens.

Would you punish all males for those few monsters whom have committed the barbaric and insidious act of rape? Would you punish everyone who drives an automobile because a few misuse their vehicles when they kill someone because they were drinking and driving? So why would you punish those who do not abuse their rights as a free an independent citizen, and take the rights away of those whom abide by the laws and support their community by being responsible citizens.

Why is it that people seem to want to blame the tools for the actions of those whom use them... it's the same thing as blaming a pencil for misspelled words, or a spoon for someone being impossibly overweight, because it is OUR own actions that are either GOOD or EVIL,c,,| and not the tools that have been used to commit those actions.

The fact of the matter is that to punish everyone for the acts of the few is very UN-American and is just not how good and responsible laws are meant to created and implemented.

The only person to blame for this horror that happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut is Adam Lanza, you know,c,,| the person whom actually carried out this barbaric action, and not the weapons or tools that he had used to commit it. To blame them for his actions diminishes the evil that he has committed and turns him into the victim and not the victimizer that he actually is.

The school was a ,c,,oeGun Free Zone,c,,,c,,| so just how did the gunman get in there to do this? Did he not see the sign saying that Guns are not allowed on the premises? These kinds of things happen because we strip responsible citizens of their rights, and thus only the unrighteous who by nature will not abide by laws will have what the honest citizens no longer possess. And they will use this advantage to become instruments of destruction and pain givers. They are the ones who should be punished for abusing their rights, for doing actions that are so horrendous.

It,c,"s time to stop punishing the innocent, and stripping them of their rights as a responsible free citizen because of the few whom wish to do evil.

I've been crying since learning of this horrendous act of senseless brutality and monstrosity that... i can't believe anyone would target children. it's just so out of the scope. I just can't believe anything like this happens. It's something that I just can't understand. It,c,"s completely beyond my understanding,c,,| and I can,c,"t say anything else,c,,| it,c,"s heartbreaking. And I just want to hold my sons, but can,c,"t,c,,|

The fact that acts like this are not so easy to explain or even understand... but is very easy to see them as nothing more than an act of pure Unadulterated Evil. And that we must always see such acts as this as an EVIL action... and that is what happens when someone no longer has love in their hearts. For that is how evil grows, with the demising of love and compassion... that combines with the growth of apathy and basic humanity that allows this kind of evil action to even be conceived in the minds of men and women.

Have we as a people have lost respect for life of each individual? I think that is a possibility, especially with the fact that to many today see abortion as a pro-active means of birth control,c,,| that the life growing inside of them is so cheap and disposable, that they just can,c,"t be bothered to take responsibility for their own actions. Is it any wonder why so many people today are willing to resort to violence to solve their problems? Just this past week, we have seen two children killing a woman because she told them to get a job when they asked her for a cigarette.

This is not just something that has happened here in the United States, today,c,,| just hours apart, a man with a knife killed 22 at an elementary school in the People,c,"s Republic of China. And that barbaric act in Beijing was just the latest in a series of attacks that have been made on schools and children in China,c,,| and they were not committed not with firearms, but knives and axes. This alone would be evidence that we must not blame inanimate objects that are nothing more than tools,c,,| that the evil lies in the hearts of men and not lifeless objects.

We as a society must always place value upon each and every human life no matter how great or small, by giving it the respect that it deserves. And when everyone respects the value of life, no sane person would ever again consider ending the life of another human being so needlessly and callously.

But we also must see the way that many whom wish to exploit these kinds of atrocities for their own political gain for what they are,c,,| horrible opportunists whom are no better than the monsters whom have commit these barbaric actions. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting in Newtown, MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell was exceptionally quick to bring up gun control, and lamenting that there just doesn,c,"t seem to be enough gun control laws. All this before there were any facts of the shooting known (such as what type of gun was used, the mental state of the shooter or who the shooter actually was),c,,| instead of facts, Mitchell just rattled off the gun control issues talking points that has been championed by the Progressives for oh so long.

These Ghouls deserve the same kind of loathing we hold for those whom do these kinds of acts.

[kato13]

This is something that can be discussed but politics should be left out.

With effort I can, at some level, understand the motivations and actions of brutal dictators, serial killers, the columbine killers, the unibomber etc., but this one totally eludes me. Willfully targeting those who are the most innocent and in no way could even be a speed bump in his plans makes no sense. The closest that i have come is that it was some twisted revenge against his mother, but she was already dead at that point. All I can come up with is he was EVIL beyond what I can comprehend.

[Raellus]

Can we just pause for a while and grieve? It really bothers me that folks on either side of the gun debate jump right in on a horrendous tragedy like this and start dropping their pro OR anti-gun talking points. Let it be.

[natehale1971]

Can we just pause for a while and grieve? It really bothers me that folks on either side of the gun debate jump right in on a horrendous tragedy like this and start dropping their pro OR anti-gun talking points. Let it be.

I've been watching the news non-stop all day. trying to get my head around this... it's why i wrote the essay. it's not just something that happened here, but it's been happening repeatedly in the PRC. In fact one happened today where a manaic with a knife sliced up 22 people before he was stoped. earlier there was a man who took an axe...

this is pure evil, and i don't understand why someone would do this.

He started with his mother and then went to the school where she worked and targeted those little babies. thsoe precious little monkeys so full of life and promise.

someone mentioned that he was jealous of the kids getting more of his mothers attention. but even that does not explain WHY he would do something this evil.

i've been crying for hours about this. doing web searches trying to find more infomration so i can try and understand this... it's how i found out about the string of people attacking cihldren in China this year.

i've been taking with people around the country... and finding out about their own fears, and wondering how to explain this to their children.

so i wrote the essay that i will be sending to a blog, it came from a discussion with a friend whose children are 'special needs' and they had been questioning her about what happened. and how she would explain it all to them. and i tol her that it's an evil act, and evil acts happen with you do not have enough love in your heart to push out all the evil that can go in.

she called me about an hour ago, and said that answer was what allowed her kids to go to sleep tonight.

I want to share this, with hope that others can hear it... and they will find strenght and truth. and get started on their way to healing this fear, this terror.

[natehale1971]

This is something that can be discussed but politics should be left out.

With effort I can, at some level, understand the motivations and actions of brutal dictators, serial killers, the columbine killers, the unibomber etc., but this one totally eludes me. Willfully targeting those who are the most innocent and in no way could even be a speed bump in his plans makes no sense. The closest that i have come is that it was some twisted revenge against his mother, but she was already dead at that point. All I can come up with is he was EVIL beyond what I can comprehend.

Evil can only exist in those places Love is not present Kato.

it's something that i've been working on writing about in the journals for my sons... about how our society has becom so detached and apathetic, and we have to start respecting and valuing life once more so that we don't see this anymore. stop being self-centred and only caring about what we can get at the expense of others.

we have to start Loving one another again.

[bobcat]

i hate incidents like this. the scum are on the news for a week, the victims and their families are treated like shit by the media, and worst of all its children being targeted. yes i know some people are just evil its a fact of life no law or policy will change you could disarm everyone there will still be evil you could arm everyone there will still be evil. evil can only be defeated by good and good by its very nature cannot take the steps to prevent evil without becoming it.

[natehale1971]

i hate incidents like this. the scum are on the news for a week, the victims and their families are treated like shit by the media, and worst of all its children being targeted. yes i know some people are just evil its a fact of life no law or policy will change you could disarm everyone there will still be evil you could arm everyone there will still be evil. evil can only be defeated by good and good by its very nature cannot take the steps to prevent evil without becoming it.

I have always felt that the person who commits these crimes be refereed to by a 'codename' instead of their birthname in a way that is similar to the British Judicial system refering to Jane or John Doe in soe cases... in a way of robbing these monsters from getting remembered...

it's been something i've been trying to get my head around all day.

heck, i was so happy some replacements of many RPG games that i use to have came last night... but i can't even open them right now.

[Raellus]

I admire your sentiments Nate, and I respect your need to write about this in your efforts to come to terms with what happened. It hit me hard too. What I don't approve of is the editorializing about gun control. Saying that people who use tragedies like this one to push their own gun-control agendas deserve the same loathing as the killers themselves is a bit much, to say the least. Can you really blame people for wondering if stricter gun-control laws might be in order after an event such as this? I'm not claiming to have all the answers- I can see both sides. I'm a father, and a teacher, and I own firearms. There's a lot of grey that needs to be fully and honestly explored when it comes to gun violence in America. There are compelling arguments from both camps. I'm not sure where I stand, but I don't think that this is the time or the place to debate gun control.

I do like the idea of not publicizing the real names of mass killers. Based on psychological profiles of mass killers, in some cases, a desire for notoriety is one motivating factor. Perhaps if folks knew up front that they wouldn't be immortalized for their heinous, cowardly, selfish acts of violence, they would think twice. Anything to dissuade even one would-be killer from taking the final step would be worthwhile, IMHO.

[natehale1971]

Raellus: I admire your sentiments Nate, and I respect your need to write about this in your efforts to come to terms with what happened. It hit me hard too. What I don't approve of is the editorializing about gun control. Saying that people who use tragedies like this one to push their own gun-control agendas deserve the same loathing as the killers themselves is a bit much, to say the least. Can you really blame people for wondering if stricter gun-control laws might be in order after an event such as this? I'm not claiming to have all the answers- I can see both sides. I'm a father, and a teacher, and I own firearms. There's a lot of grey that needs to be fully and honestly explored when it comes to gun violence in America. There are compelling arguments from both camps. I'm not sure where I stand, but I don't think that this is the time or the place to debate gun control.

The only reason i put that in the essay has been the fact that in less than an hour of this trdegy, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell started the "We need more gun control laws... stronge ones that will keep the guns out of "gun free zones"...

Raellus: I do like the idea of not publicizing the real names of mass killers. Based on psychological profiles of mass killers, in some cases, a desire for notoriety is one motivating factor. Perhaps if folks knew up front that they wouldn't be immortalized for their heinous, cowardly, selfish acts of violence, they would think twice. Anything to dissuade even one would-be killer from taking the final step would be worthwhile, IMHO.

In the State of Israel, teachers carry firears with them at all times... and the children have been safe and well rounded. the teachers see what they are doing as a very valuable duty that must require them to be the last line of defense for these chidlren while they are in school.

[kato13]

Raellus: I admire your sentiments Nate, and I respect your need to write about this in your efforts to come to terms with what happened. It hit me hard too. What I don't approve of is the editorializing about gun control. Saying that people who use tragedies like this one to push their own gun-control agendas deserve the same loathing as the killers themselves is a bit much, to say the least. Can you really blame people for wondering if stricter gun-control laws might be in order after an event such as this? I'm not claiming to have all the answers- I can see both sides. I'm a father, and a teacher, and I own firearms. There's a lot of grey that needs to be fully and honestly explored when it comes to gun violence in America. There are compelling arguments from both camps. I'm not sure where I stand, but I don't think that this is the time or the place to debate gun control.

The only reason i put that in the essay has been the fact that in less than an hour of this trdegy, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell started the "We need more gun control laws... stronge ones that will keep the guns out of "gun free zones"...

Raellus: I do like the idea of not publicizing the real names of mass killers. Based on psychological profiles of mass killers, in some cases, a desire for notoriety is one motivating factor. Perhaps if folks knew up front that they wouldn't be immortalized for their heinous, cowardly, selfish acts of violence, they would think twice. Anything to dissuade even one would-be killer from taking the final step would be worthwhile, IMHO.

In the State of Israel, teachers carry firears with them at all times... and the children have been safe and well rounded. the teachers see what they are doing as a very valuable duty that must require them to be the last line of defense for these chidlren while they are in school.

Nate it does not matter what someone else said. It doesn't matter if other institutions that are supposed to be apolitical are not keeping up to that standard.

I feel your frustration, but we will NOT argue these issues here.

Mods if this continues to go political, lock this thread or delete posts with my blessing.

[Rockwolf66]

I have always felt that the person who commits these crimes be refereed to by a 'codename' instead of their birthname in a way that is similar to the British Judicial system refering to Jane or John Doe in soe cases... in a way of robbing these monsters from getting remembered...

it's been something i've been trying to get my head around all day.

heck, i was so happy some replacements of many RPG games that i use to have came last night... but i can't even open them right now.

I was going to spend the day finishing writing a story I am working on then type it up tomorrow. Alas I check my E-mail and social feeds as soon as i get up. I couldn't write today and it seems that Monday might be the earliest i can get pencil to paper. I agree with Natehale that we need to stop Glamorizing these F****rs and take their Infamy away from them. Then we should let it be known that Shooter Dips**t was dumped in some random outhouse to rot forgotten.

The deaths of Children is one of the hardest emotional things that I have ever had to deal with. Even though I don't know any of the children involved it hurts and it brings up things that are painful memories. The loss of belovied pets arn't even as bad as the loss of my Nephew who died way to soon.

Unfortunantly there are people who are useing this incident for their own purposes and it is upsetting me even more. Some of those people are Media vultures and others are people who should no better than to use the deaths of Children to further their own goals.

I should stop ranting but it's not the time to go out into the woods and scream, yell, throw or kick things. To do something to make this feeling of being totally helpless go away.

[Snake Eyes]

I have a friend with two kids in that school, who are happily safe at home tonight. He was in the gym there last night coaching basketball. This hits hard. There is a lot left unknown about all of what went down there this morning. I have a lot of opinions on the topics of gun rights, responsible journalism and the state of mental health care in this country, but this isn't that venue and today isn't that day. Hug your kids tonight.

[DigTw0Grav3s]

Just a quick thought; the media is now reporting that the suspect had some form of autism. Should the discussion (at large, not here) really be on gun control, or a massive gap in a psychological safety net in the United States? We're so quick to politicize without considering causality.

Such a disastrous waste. The actual families affected are sadly nothing compared to the children who aren't going to feel safe in a classroom going forward.