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@kashi Fair question! I suppose to see if the Buddhist board had any different wisdom to offer. I'm not really sure, to be honest. I was just crying because I saw this photo on fb attached with a story of a teacher who hid her kids in the closets and cupboards, while waiting for the shooter to tell him that she evacuated her kids to the gym. She was killed, but saved their lives. Maybe I was hoping for something more positive to take me out of the funk I'm feeling right now after reading all that.
It's just all so sad and I am obviously feeling a little emotional at the moment, so that's where I was at when I wrote that. Hope this explains.
how is that story NOT positive? hell in the Mahayana wouldn't that be the act of a Bodhisattva? to give up your life to save so many others?
isn't it always the case that in a situation that shows the worst of what people can do.. there are those showing the best? That is what I take out of this story most.
Sometimes to get some peace for yourself the best thing to do is shut off the tv, shut off the computer, and go for a walk. Have coffee with a friend. Read a good fiction book. It's ok to get your mind off things. We might be a Buddhist group of people but in the end we're still just people struggling to grasp a happening. If it's gotten to be too much, then you should take a break from it. Saying "filling your minds with garbage" as older people often say, is not untrue. What we continuously expose our brains too changes the cells of our brain, and our reactions and behaviors. Sometimes, you just have to protect yourself. It makes me thankful I have young kids, because I have no choice but to shut the news off for their sake.
I think that the underlying problem for a lot of suffering in the world is that people do not love each other (and other beings in general) enough. I think this is reflected in many of our societies. At the same time, it is not so easy to love. Probably many people in the western world feel lonely, and not loved. If most people would feel loved every day (I mean that to see love or feel loved, you would just have to go out on the street), would there still be people going to schools to randomly shoot people? Would people still watch 3 hours of television per day or become alcoholics? If you feel loved by all people around you, how many would become hardened criminals?
Seeing that our society is this way, I realize that I am co-responsible for the society that I live in. Together, in this life and perhaps previous lives, we have created this society. The ignorance and insensitivity I see in other people I see in myself too. Someone that is more loving than me has the same task as I do: defeat ignorance and become more loving. No-one can say that other people should get to work first, because regardless of how loving we are, we are in the same situation and have the same responsibilities. If we take on this task, then I am sure that we will live in a much better world.
1
DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
There is so much pain in this world and when events like this happen it is easy to see darkness lurking in every corner. My heart goes out to all affected.
That being said in this dark hour we are also reminded that there are people out there willing to give their all to protect that which a few sickened individuals would try and take away. I'm talking about Victoria Soto. She was a teacher who was gunned down that day after hiding her students in a closet. The guy asked her where the kids were, she said in the gym, he shot her and went on his way.
@maartin is right. We have to focus on the positive. It is hard to get through to some people but love is the answer. It just hurts so much when I think of all the minds not being nurtured. Bodies not being fed and points of view restricted.
I didn't get the exact number of the children saved but Victoria Soto gave her life for them.
There is so much pain in this world and when events like this happen it is easy to see darkness lurking in every corner. My heart goes out to all affected.
That being said in this dark hour we are also reminded that there are people out there willing to give their all to protect that which a few sickened individuals would try and take away. I'm talking about Victoria Soto. She was a teacher who was gunned down that day after hiding her students in a closet. The guy asked her where the kids were, she said in the gym, he shot her and went on his way.
@maartin is right. We have to focus on the positive. It is hard to get through to some people but love is the answer. It just hurts so much when I think of all the minds not being nurtured. Bodies not being fed and points of view restricted.
I didn't get the exact number of the children saved but Victoria Soto gave her life for them.
That story just gave me chills. That my friends, is a true hero. She made the ultimate sacrifice..
Horror stories remind me sometimes of a tale of a junior monk who decided to explore the issue of vegetarianism by visiting an abattoir and had fainted. His Master gave him a hard time. Not for visiting the abattoir but for shutting his eyes during the visit.
Horrors abound everywhere and are not to be gotten over.. No need to hunt them down or ignore them but when they do enter your sense gates, just surrender to their truths for few stimuli can so clearly illuminate the value of the path to the cessation of suffering.
Not hoping for anything. I just find it to be a lack of caring when more people are leaving comments on much less important things. Granted nobody is obligated to leave any comments....but....this is a forum where thats the whole idea.
Did you ever think that maybe we're just all overloaded on all of our social networks? You cannot avoid this story, no matter where you turn; online, radio, television, print... we're a society that is obsessing over every single detail and iota of information about this incident.
I see NewBuddhist as a place of refuge. Perhaps I turn here to just have quiet. Don't judge what people make of their sangha—and make no mistake, for some, this is their sangha.
We each have our reasons, and it's not for you to condemn.
I always remember a story of a junior monk who decided to explore the issue of vegetarianism by visiting an abattoir and had fainted. His Master gave him a hard time. Not for visiting the abattoir but for shutting his eyes during the visit.
Horrors abound everywhere and are not to be gotten over.. No need to hunt them down or ignore them but when they do enter your sense gates, just surrender to their truths for few stimuli can so clearly illuminate the value of the path to the cessation of suffering.
Very true. I remember a couple years after going vegetarian watching the meat.org videos and sobbing uncontrollably/nearly puking for hours after. It showed me why I gave it up and reaffirmed my intentions if anything but I had a serious knee-jerk reaction to it originally like the monk in that story. The master was right.
I always remember a story of a junior monk who decided to explore the issue of vegetarianism by visiting an abattoir and had fainted. His Master gave him a hard time. Not for visiting the abattoir but for shutting his eyes during the visit.
Horrors abound everywhere and are not to be gotten over.. No need to hunt them down or ignore them but when they do enter your sense gates, just surrender to their truths for few stimuli can so clearly illuminate the value of the path to the cessation of suffering.
Very true. I remember a couple years after going vegetarian watching the meat.org videos and sobbing uncontrollably/nearly puking for hours after. It showed me why I gave it up and reaffirmed my intentions if anything but I had a serious knee-jerk reaction to it originally like the monk in that story. The master was right.
what of the beings that die for your crops? I suppose it's harder to watch a video of bugs dieing and feel an emotional reaction
I always remember a story of a junior monk who decided to explore the issue of vegetarianism by visiting an abattoir and had fainted. His Master gave him a hard time. Not for visiting the abattoir but for shutting his eyes during the visit.
Horrors abound everywhere and are not to be gotten over.. No need to hunt them down or ignore them but when they do enter your sense gates, just surrender to their truths for few stimuli can so clearly illuminate the value of the path to the cessation of suffering.
Very true. I remember a couple years after going vegetarian watching the meat.org videos and sobbing uncontrollably/nearly puking for hours after. It showed me why I gave it up and reaffirmed my intentions if anything but I had a serious knee-jerk reaction to it originally like the monk in that story. The master was right.
what of the beings that die for your crops? I suppose it's harder to watch a video of bugs dieing and feel an emotional reaction
Believe it or not I've spent hours in sadness beside myself for accidentally killing a cockroach. I treat bugs as friends too. There's no avoiding causing suffering entirely, the way I've looked at it is the lesser of two evils. Some even say plants feel suffering and I've been attacked over that, my only response is would you rather kill and eat a dog or kill and eat a plant? Or just lay down and die? My methods aren't anywhere near perfect, all I can do is the best I can do. But believe me, I have compassion for life in all its forms and have been ridiculed most my life for it. For awhile I also had my own garden when my family could afford a house, but unfortunately that's no longer the case.
@Jayantha & @Cole This is an inadvertant distraction to this thread that I am responsible for. I only mentioned the abbatoir as an example of anothers horror and the ways we can respond to it, not as a value judgement on food choice.
@kashi I would regard the "Views" counter with a grain of salt (I don't have the utmost faith in it, as one of the developers), and also recall A) it counts guests who view it as well and it counts re-visits by the same person. "101 Views" doesn't mean 101 members clicked it.
@Jayantha & @Cole This is an inadvertant distraction to this thread that I am responsible for. I only mentioned the abbatoir as an example of anothers horror and the ways we can respond to it, not as a value judgement on food choice.
Yeah I suppose we got a little off topic hehe. I don't mind talking about it, It's something that's come up frequently in my life especially since I'm the only vegetarian I know of around where I live. I'll keep quiet, my apologies for the thread-jack.
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zombiegirlbeating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wastelandVeteran
how is that story NOT positive? hell in the Mahayana wouldn't that be the act of a Bodhisattva? to give up your life to save so many others?
isn't it always the case that in a situation that shows the worst of what people can do.. there are those showing the best? That is what I take out of this story most.
Of course her actions are inspiring, but it still saddens me that this sort of thing happened at all. That's how that story can be NOT positive... because she still lost her life and so did so many others. Despite her sacrifice, I cannot walk away with anything but a heavy heart.
Not hoping for anything. I just find it to be a lack of caring when more people are leaving comments on much less important things. Granted nobody is obligated to leave any comments....but....this is a forum where thats the whole idea.
Did you ever think that maybe we're just all overloaded on all of our social networks? You cannot avoid this story, no matter where you turn; online, radio, television, print... we're a society that is obsessing over every single detail and iota of information about this incident.
I see NewBuddhist as a place of refuge. Perhaps I turn here to just have quiet. Don't judge what people make of their sangha—and make no mistake, for some, this is their sangha.
We each have our reasons, and it's not for you to condemn.
1. Calm down 2. if its perfectly fine for ppl to have reasons to post or not, whatever the reasons, then I too have the right to do the same without being judged or "condemned" 3. Im done with this post. The most important and clearly missed point to this entire post in the first place was......the op. 4. may all beings be free from suffering. 5. I humbly bow and walk away from this now.
There is obviously a problem when a 20 year old with a mental state of the suspect in this case can "legally" buy a gun... This is what needs to be touched up on, and hopefully this is what the president meant during his speech about something needing to be done... Unless he meant creating more jobs buy putting security at every damn school in the nation, boy how much would that cost... Highly doubt he meant that...
@Joseph, you've got it wrong. At this point in time, it is being reported that these guns were guns owned by his mother. He did not buy them.
As to putting security at "every damn school", Fairfax County Virginia has a uniformed police officer on duty at each high school and middle school (although not yet each elementary school).
It's very interesting to note that the U.S. Capitol police has over 500 officers protecting just over 500 of our elected representatives...the group of people who could do something about gun laws in this nation. Some of our elected representatives who so pro-gun lobby advocate very liberal gun laws...yet guns are banned on the grounds of the Capitol.
Last week, the Michigan republican congress just before they left for their extended holidays, in a last "FU!" to the people of the state who voted more democrats into office for next year, passed among other hard right laws one that makes it legal for any adult to bring a concealed gun into a school or church. So now under this law, it is the right of any adult to openly walk into a school with a gun in their pocket, and until they pull it out and start shooting, have not committed a crime and cannot be stopped without the school being sued for infringing on their rights as a gun owner.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
Last week, the Michigan republican congress just before they left for their extended holidays, in a last "FU!" to the people of the state who voted more democrats into office for next year, passed among other hard right laws one that makes it legal for any adult to bring a concealed gun into a school or church. So now under this law, it is the right of any adult to openly walk into a school with a gun in their pocket, and until they pull it out and start shooting, have not committed a crime and cannot be stopped without the school being sued for infringing on their rights as a gun owner.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
I love the mother f#ckers who will fight tooth and nail just to keep a gun up their ass 24-7. Here in va i see the hunter types driving like drunks with their oversized hillbilly trucks with a deer sticker on the window with cross hairs over it and sometimes they pull onto the side of the road and hunt. These guys have on camo every day and talk about 3 things and 3 things only huntin, fishin, and drinkin beer. try to tell them anything about how stupid guns are and they are likely to blow your face off. I want to knock the shit out of them every time i see them. And without a doubt there are dangerous people walking around all over this world who "only carry guns for their safety"
In the end most of these people started out wanting to protect themselves but then figured "hey, I feel powerful"....time goes by, somebody looks at their girlfriend wrong and "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie"
I could go on all day....And Yeah, I can see how someone def would need to go to church or a school with a gun hidden on them. Maybe they like the feel of it so close to where the sun dont shine they get a bonner by keeping it with them all the time.
...Did I go off topic a lot here?.... shit happens.
Last week, the Michigan republican congress just before they left for their extended holidays, in a last "FU!" to the people of the state who voted more democrats into office for next year, passed among other hard right laws one that makes it legal for any adult to bring a concealed gun into a school or church. So now under this law, it is the right of any adult to openly walk into a school with a gun in their pocket, and until they pull it out and start shooting, have not committed a crime and cannot be stopped without the school being sued for infringing on their rights as a gun owner.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
as a gun owner and someone who seems to know a bit more about gun laws on this forum then most I will explain. Right now in this country in 45 states, you can legally become licensed to CCW(conceal carry). This is nothing new and has always been this way. In about 30 or so of the states you are legally allowed to OPEN carry ( gun on the hip). I know right omg how come the whole world hasn't fallen into a big gun fight?! hehe. Now there are certain places in certain states, including federal parks etc, where CCW was banned in the past, but whether it is allowed there or not, what is the difference? it is allowed in 99% of the state.
When we have a knee-jerk emotional reaction to something inanimate like a gun, we should observe and contemplate that feeling. I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil.. the Buddha was a liberal". Since becoming a buddhist I see these kinds of beliefs.. we are trying to get away from these divisions. Maybe it's because I'm a Libertarian and have never agreed much with liberals or conservatives, that I really notice this sort of one sided thing among Buddhists... like republicans are the armies of mara lol.
I love the mother f#ckers who will fight tooth and nail just to keep a gun up their ass 24-7. Here in va i see the hunter types driving like drunks with their oversized hillbilly trucks with a deer sticker on the window with cross hairs over it and sometimes they pull onto the side of the road and hunt. These guys have on camo every day and talk about 3 things and 3 things only huntin, fishin, and drinkin beer. try to tell them anything about how stupid guns are and they are likely to blow your face off. I want to knock the shit out of them every time i see them. And without a doubt there are dangerous people walking around all over this world who "only carry guns for their safety"
In the end most of these people started out wanting to protect themselves but then figured "hey, I feel powerful"....time goes by, somebody looks at their girlfriend wrong and "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie"
I could go on all day....And Yeah, I can see how someone def would need to go to church or a school with a gun hidden on them. Maybe they like the feel of it so close to where the sun dont shine they get a bonner by keeping it with them all the time.
...Did I go off topic a lot here?.... shit happens.
With a temper like that I'm glad you're not interested in firearms!
Jeeez...
It wouldn't be very sensible to keep a gun up your bottom. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, in fact, I'm pretty sure I saw one of those medical shows and this dude really did have a Glock stuck up there... But I would say most people don't carry their weapons in that way.
I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil.. the Buddha was a liberal".
The Buddha was kind and compassionate and had a way of solving things in a non-violent way. Sounds just like a Republican to me.
As a conservative I have to agree. We never see tea party rallies devolve into the kind of violence we saw at occupy and the G20 here in Canada. It's usually the leftie groups that go in for that kinda stuff... Riots etc. Oh, the far right go there, too (go far enough to the left or far enough to the right and you come full circle into asshole territory) but generally conservatives seem to be the most peaceful in my observation.
Sorry, I sometimes cannot believe how different our views are. Invading Iraq and Afghanistan were extremely violent solutions (I would not even call them solutions, but that is another matter). Maybe the G20 rioters were also using violence as a "solution", but the scale was entirely different.
My friends, the investigation has just begun; there will be many weeks, even maybe years before the investigators themselves know anything. Anger, hatred is a normal and shows you are all human; after all how can we stay human without such emotions. We are human, and still falible, and will always be so for this life time of ours. Talk, cry, hit a tree or two, but remember, there are many words of saintly gentleness that one can paraphrase; and, none of it will fit in what we feel. Give sacrafice, prayer, and accept that nothing we can do can change the course of this path that we, and those who lost loved ones, path.
As a conservative I have to agree. We never see tea party rallies devolve into the kind of violence we saw at occupy and the G20 here in Canada. It's usually the leftie groups that go in for that kinda stuff... Riots etc. Oh, the far right go there, too (go far enough to the left or far enough to the right and you come full circle into asshole territory) but generally conservatives seem to be the most peaceful in my observation.
The occupy didn't devolve into violence: the police put on riot gear and assaulted a group of people peacefully protesting. What you didn't see is the police assaulting the tea party because the republican politicians loved their message. Please don't blame the victims.
But the vast middle ground is not trying to take your guns. We're saying maybe assault rifles with hundred round clips might not be something we want in our neighborhoods. We're saying maybe we don't want just anyone allowed to walk around with loaded guns hidden in their pockets and if you want to have fantasies of "taking out the bad guy" maybe you should do the hard work of joining the police force instead of voting to eliminate the taxes that pay for an effective police force.
It's a conversation we can't have as long as the NRA and the gun lobby is screaming "OMG! Obama wants to take our guns! Go buy more guns and ammo! Now!"
Sometimes to get some peace for yourself the best thing to do is shut off the tv, shut off the computer, and go for a walk. Have coffee with a friend. Read a good fiction book. It's ok to get your mind off things.
I agree. And I think Buddhist practice makes us more sensitive to the all the suffering that goes on, it's easy to get overwhelmed at times.
if you live your life outside of the two extremes.. you see the silliness from above. Republicans and democrats are really two sides of the same coin.. they both want to take away your rights and leave you less free, siding with one or the other is a fool's gamble.
at one point , being one who is big into freedom, justice, liberty etc, I was a political leader for my state in the Libertarian party( the only party that has a non-aggression principle that members follow). We engaged in disputation with left wing and right wing people constantly. The more I practiced the more I came to realize that it is a waste of time.. all of us are filled with greed, hatred, and delusion.. so we are all wrong. having attachment to one side, and aversion to another.. just continues the illusion.... I felt thought had to continue to fight.. to try and bring awareness to the people.. to stop their apathy, to learned about our political and governmental system and use their rights, to not let them be taken away.
not so much anymore.. I think the tipping point for me was hearing Ajahn Brahm say this quote " the buddha did not change the world.. he made peace with the conditions in it".. that quote changed my world view.. it was like I had little dust in my eyes and upon hearing it ...bam..
now I still have aversion in situations like this when people seem so one sided.. I am learning to say what Ajahn brahm suggests in his book " the art of disappearing".. " all things are ever in chaos.. and whatever is in chaos.. is none of my business" .. so now when I catch my mind wanting to respond to something I see someone do, or when I hear them say something my mind disagrees with and I want to enter into disputation.. I try to remind myself " none of my business".
but alas I am certainly no sotapanna or enlightened being.. so it is a struggle :P
Last week, the Michigan republican congress just before they left for their extended holidays, in a last "FU!" to the people of the state who voted more democrats into office for next year, passed among other hard right laws one that makes it legal for any adult to bring a concealed gun into a school or church. So now under this law, it is the right of any adult to openly walk into a school with a gun in their pocket, and until they pull it out and start shooting, have not committed a crime and cannot be stopped without the school being sued for infringing on their rights as a gun owner.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
I love the mother f#ckers who will fight tooth and nail just to keep a gun up their ass 24-7. Here in va i see the hunter types driving like drunks with their oversized hillbilly trucks with a deer sticker on the window with cross hairs over it and sometimes they pull onto the side of the road and hunt. These guys have on camo every day and talk about 3 things and 3 things only huntin, fishin, and drinkin beer. try to tell them anything about how stupid guns are and they are likely to blow your face off. I want to knock the shit out of them every time i see them. And without a doubt there are dangerous people walking around all over this world who "only carry guns for their safety"
In the end most of these people started out wanting to protect themselves but then figured "hey, I feel powerful"....time goes by, somebody looks at their girlfriend wrong and "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie"
I could go on all day....And Yeah, I can see how someone def would need to go to church or a school with a gun hidden on them. Maybe they like the feel of it so close to where the sun dont shine they get a bonner by keeping it with them all the time.
...Did I go off topic a lot here?.... shit happens.
Seems like a lot of hate for a group of ppl that had nothing to with senseless act. I mean when was the last time a hillbilly was responsible for a mass murder? Maybe there was but I can't think of any. The last several mass shootings weren't by huntin', fishin', beer drinkin' hillbillies. Seems they were by mentally disturbed ppl who never bought guns for protection or to carry on their hip. The school shooting in Conn they say he was a 20 yr old, deeply troubled, weird kid that got the guns off his mother then shot her in the face. The Colorado theatre shooting the guy was a mentally ill honorary grad student. The Arizona shooter was another mentally ill college kid. It just doesn't seem the problem is with the gun-toting NRA member with the deer in the crosshairs sticker in the window.
if you live your life outside of the two extremes.. you see the silliness from above. Republicans and democrats are really two sides of the same coin.. they both want to take away your rights and leave you less free, siding with one or the other is a fool's gamble.
at one point , being one who is big into freedom, justice, liberty etc, I was a political leader for my state in the Libertarian party( the only party that has a non-aggression principle that members follow). We engaged in disputation with left wing and right wing people constantly. The more I practiced the more I came to realize that it is a waste of time.. all of us are filled with greed, hatred, and delusion.. so we are all wrong. having attachment to one side, and aversion to another.. just continues the illusion.... I felt thought had to continue to fight.. to try and bring awareness to the people.. to stop their apathy, to learned about our political and governmental system and use their rights, to not let them be taken away.
not so much anymore.. I think the tipping point for me was hearing Ajahn Brahm say this quote " the buddha did not change the world.. he made peace with the conditions in it".. that quote changed my world view.. it was like I had little dust in my eyes and upon hearing it ...bam..
now I still have aversion in situations like this when people seem so one sided.. I am learning to say what Ajahn brahm suggests in his book " the art of disappearing".. " all things are ever in chaos.. and whatever is in chaos.. is none of my business" .. so now when I catch my mind wanting to respond to something I see someone do, or when I hear them say something my mind disagrees with and I want to enter into disputation.. I try to remind myself " none of my business".
but alas I am certainly no sotapanna or enlightened being.. so it is a struggle :P
Totally agree
All the political parties are just different sides of the same coin. All pushing their way as "the correct" way of doing things. That's where I love Buddha's way of looking at things, he said himself to not base your beliefs in his teachings off devotion, but to weigh it against your own views and decide for yourself. He welcomed anyone to debate his words and ways.
And I have to add a quote "empty your mind, be shapeless, formless - like water." How can you hit what is simply not there?
Last week, the Michigan republican congress just before they left for their extended holidays, in a last "FU!" to the people of the state who voted more democrats into office for next year, passed among other hard right laws one that makes it legal for any adult to bring a concealed gun into a school or church. So now under this law, it is the right of any adult to openly walk into a school with a gun in their pocket, and until they pull it out and start shooting, have not committed a crime and cannot be stopped without the school being sued for infringing on their rights as a gun owner.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
I love the mother f#ckers who will fight tooth and nail just to keep a gun up their ass 24-7. Here in va i see the hunter types driving like drunks with their oversized hillbilly trucks with a deer sticker on the window with cross hairs over it and sometimes they pull onto the side of the road and hunt. These guys have on camo every day and talk about 3 things and 3 things only huntin, fishin, and drinkin beer. try to tell them anything about how stupid guns are and they are likely to blow your face off. I want to knock the shit out of them every time i see them. And without a doubt there are dangerous people walking around all over this world who "only carry guns for their safety"
In the end most of these people started out wanting to protect themselves but then figured "hey, I feel powerful"....time goes by, somebody looks at their girlfriend wrong and "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie"
I could go on all day....And Yeah, I can see how someone def would need to go to church or a school with a gun hidden on them. Maybe they like the feel of it so close to where the sun dont shine they get a bonner by keeping it with them all the time.
...Did I go off topic a lot here?.... shit happens.
Seems like a lot of hate for a group of ppl that had nothing to with senseless act. I mean when was the last time a hillbilly was responsible for a mass murder? Maybe there was but I can't think of any. The last several mass shootings weren't by huntin', fishin', beer drinkin' hillbillies. Seems they were by mentally disturbed ppl who never bought guns for protection or to carry on their hip. The school shooting in Conn they say he was a 20 yr old, deeply troubled, weird kid that got the guns off his mother then shot her in the face. The Colorado theatre shooting the guy was a mentally ill honorary grad student. The Arizona shooter was another mentally ill college kid. It just doesn't seem the problem is with the gun-toting NRA member with the deer in the crosshairs sticker in the window.
Right or wrong, just some thoughts of mine.
If i could put both insightful and awesome for this post I would
Actually if you look back, most of the people responsible for the high profile mass shootings in recent years have been the opposite of gun toting, hunting, beer drinking rednecks. Lanza comes from an affluent family with parents who were really involved in his schooling, and eventually homeschooled him due to his difficulties. They weren't rednecks, lol.
Most of the people where I live, however, are rednecks. hunters who love their beer and drive big trucks. We haven't had a murder of any type since the 1970s, and while pretty much every single person I know owns a gun, including children, no one has ever been shot. Knock on a big heavy piece of wood, lol.
I did almost spit out my tea when I read " "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie" " because it was hilarious seeing it posted on this site for some reason. MOFO!
When we have a knee-jerk emotional reaction to something inanimate like a gun, we should observe and contemplate that feeling. I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil.. the Buddha was a liberal". Since becoming a buddhist I see these kinds of beliefs.. we are trying to get away from these divisions. Maybe it's because I'm a Libertarian and have never agreed much with liberals or conservatives, that I really notice this sort of one sided thing among Buddhists... like republicans are the armies of mara lol.
Well speaking of knee-jerk reactions, my feelings about the gun laws haven't changed one iota my whole life. I may be more emotional about it right now, but my viewpoint on what the laws should allow hasn't changed a bit.
As a conservative I have to agree. We never see tea party rallies devolve into the kind of violence we saw at occupy and the G20 here in Canada. It's usually the leftie groups that go in for that kinda stuff... Riots etc. Oh, the far right go there, too (go far enough to the left or far enough to the right and you come full circle into asshole territory) but generally conservatives seem to be the most peaceful in my observation.
The occupy didn't devolve into violence: the police put on riot gear and assaulted a group of people peacefully protesting. What you didn't see is the police assaulting the tea party because the republican politicians loved their message. Please don't blame the victims.
Speaking specifically of the occupy in my city, where I personally spent a lot of time, all I saw was a throng of mentally ill people in one tiny spot and the result was sexual assault and violence. The police stayed around the perimeter to keep an eye on things, but all the nastiness came from the protesters themselves.
As for the US riots, I saw the footage. I worked in the media at the time and spent hours a day watching the live feeds as part of my job. The whole "it was the cops" thing is just totally fallacious.
As a conservative I have to agree. We never see tea party rallies devolve into the kind of violence we saw at occupy and the G20 here in Canada. It's usually the leftie groups that go in for that kinda stuff... Riots etc. Oh, the far right go there, too (go far enough to the left or far enough to the right and you come full circle into asshole territory) but generally conservatives seem to be the most peaceful in my observation.
The occupy didn't devolve into violence: the police put on riot gear and assaulted a group of people peacefully protesting. What you didn't see is the police assaulting the tea party because the republican politicians loved their message. Please don't blame the victims.
Speaking specifically of the occupy in my city, where I personally spent a lot of time, all I saw was a throng of mentally ill people in one tiny spot and the result was sexual assault and violence. The police stayed around the perimeter to keep an eye on things, but all the nastiness came from the protesters themselves.
As for the US riots, I saw the footage. I worked in the media at the time and spent hours a day watching the live feeds as part of my job. The whole "it was the cops" thing is just totally fallacious.
conservatives/tea partiers/republicans might seem to be less violent in a physical aspect, but that is because they are pros in using words and judgement to hurt people.
conservatives/tea partiers/republicans might seem to be less violent in a physical aspect, but that is because they are pros in using words and judgement to hurt people.
conservatives/tea partiers/republicans might seem to be less violent in a physical aspect, but that is because they are pros in using words and judgement to hurt people.
and left wing people are not ?:)
I don't think Republicans tend to be more violent, but I do think they tend to be more mean-spirited. And I would give as examples some of the things yelled out by audiences at the Republican debates early in the election season. That's not to say that all Republicans are mean-spirited.
... Most of the people where I live, however, are rednecks. hunters who love their beer and drive big trucks. We haven't had a murder of any type since the 1970s, and while pretty much every single person I know owns a gun, including children, no one has ever been shot. Knock on a big heavy piece of wood, lol. ...
The Swiss have many guns but they don’t use them because their society is coherent and prosperous. Americans have many guns in a far less coherent society. The result is something like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States The incidence of homicides committed with a firearm in the US is much greater than most other advanced countries. In the United States in 2009 United Nations statistics record 3.0 intentional homicides committed with a firearm per 100,000 inhabitants; for comparison, the figure for the United Kingdom, with very restrictive firearm laws (handguns are totally prohibited, for example) was 0.07, about 40 times lower, and for Germany 0.2.[43] For another comparison, Switzerland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, with somewhere between 1.2 to 3 million guns in the private residences of its approximately 8 million citizens. In 2006 there were 34 recorded murders or attempted murders with a gun, representing a firearm homicide rate of 1 per 250,000.
The way I see it (being just an outsider) people on the right want to see to it that both remain in the US; they want the weapons to stay and they feel pretty okay with the social tensions too. Maybe they feel that the prize is not paid in their part of society.
The type of ignorance I saw come out of the mouths of some major republicans is in no way comparable to the things I've heard democrats say. There are bad on both sides, for sure, and of course neither is representative of all those who are on one side or the other. I figured that the comment about "a woman's body can stop a rape" was just one nutter. Turns out, there are many who share that belief, and these are people in positions to make and enforce our laws regarding rape. So wrong.
Anyhow, the type of guns that are being used for these mass shootings have no business being in the hands of the public. A Bushmaster .223 rifle is a combat rifle, made for troops in vietnam. It was made to be exceptionally lethal and it shoots 6 large bullets every second. They have large clips that are easy to exchange. There is no reason that a gun like that should be in the same class as a hunting rifle that shoots one slug at a time, yet it is. There are no different requirements for obtaining one of these assault weapons in most states. You simply wait out the waiting period that applies, if there is one, and you purchase it. You can buy them at gun shows, you can buy them online, you can buy them on gun auctions. That should not be possible. Anyone and their uncle can get one, and they do. Look at the Bushmaster site. They are one of the most popular rifle makers for collectors and enthusiasts. Look what kind of guns they sell. This is NOT what our forefathers had in mind when they were giving us the right to bear arms.
The type of ignorance I saw come out of the mouths of some major republicans is in no way comparable to the things I've heard democrats say. There are bad on both sides, for sure, and of course neither is representative of all those who are on one side or the other. I figured that the comment about "a woman's body can stop a rape" was just one nutter. Turns out, there are many who share that belief, and these are people in positions to make and enforce our laws regarding rape. So wrong.
Anyhow, the type of guns that are being used for these mass shootings have no business being in the hands of the public. A Bushmaster .223 rifle is a combat rifle, made for troops in vietnam. It was made to be exceptionally lethal and it shoots 6 large bullets every second. They have large clips that are easy to exchange. There is no reason that a gun like that should be in the same class as a hunting rifle that shoots one slug at a time, yet it is. There are no different requirements for obtaining one of these assault weapons in most states. You simply wait out the waiting period that applies, if there is one, and you purchase it. You can buy them at gun shows, you can buy them online, you can buy them on gun auctions. That should not be possible. Anyone and their uncle can get one, and they do. Look at the Bushmaster site. They are one of the most popular rifle makers for collectors and enthusiasts. Look what kind of guns they sell. This is NOT what our forefathers had in mind when they were giving us the right to bear arms.
" this type of ignorance " " what they said"... make sure that you examine your own perspective before judging these kind of things. It is hard to examine our own biases and question our own judgement, but it is what we need to do as part of our practice. Even if you think that it is so totally obvious that "they are wrong"... observe, examine, and study those thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
also just for some gun education. The bushmaster 223 is a semi automatic weapon.. it is based on the ar-15 which is based on the military m-16 which only has 3 round burst or semi-auto. Therefore it fires at the same rate as a "hunting rifle" , which is one bullet per pull of the trigger. the terms " assault rifle" and " hunting rifle" do not exist, they are not official or technical terms.
also you need a class III license to own fully automatic weapons in the USA, this is a license that basically only rich people can afford as it is VERY expensive.. also you can buy the same gun , for instance an ak-47 in semi-automatic may be 400 dollars.. a fully automatic may be 5000.. the difference? NOTHING but arbitrary laws, only a two dollar firing pin.
I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil..
Isn't there some reason to believe this could be true? In the past, both republican and democrat governments were involved in really evil deeds (like experimenting on their own citizens, you probably know what I mean, this happened 50 years ago, and it continued for many years). At the time when this happened, people would probably laugh if you told them what was happening, thinking you were being ridiculous. Are you sure that something similar is not happening right now? Is there really no reason to be concerned?
Actually, I might leave the thread soon, because my contribution is probably not helping anyone. I thought that perhaps by pointing out that the truth of what is happening could be far worse than what appearances tell us, I could raise some awareness. Perhaps I should spend more time meditating and doing something that is useful.
I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil..
Isn't there some reason to believe this could be true? In the past, both republican and democrat governments were involved in really evil deeds (like experimenting on their own citizens, you probably know what I mean, this happened 50 years ago, and it continued for many years). At the time when this happened, people would probably laugh if you told them what was happening, thinking you were being ridiculous. Are you sure that something similar is not happening right now? Is there really no reason to be concerned?
Actually, I might leave the thread soon, because my contribution is probably not helping anyone. I thought that perhaps by pointing out that the truth of what is happening could be far worse than what appearances tell us, I could raise some awareness. Perhaps I should spend more time meditating and doing something that is useful.
May all beings be free of suffering, Maarten
well I was speaking in that regard in relation to one sided beliefs.. if you say that both sides can do unskillful things.. then I am in agreement.
I do investigate my thoughts, feelings etc etc constantly. Making factually incorrect statements about women's bodies so that they can further their abortion agenda is ignorance, no matter what you care to call it. Actually, idiocy is closer to the truth.
As far as the gun goes, that is the information that was posted in the article. So, was it just wrong saying that it can shoot 6 bullets in a second? The MN state firearms lab expert was interviewed for the article so I assume he would have verified the information but possible not. I have a semiautomatic .22 ancient rifle for hunting. I couldn't even kill a deer with it without using multiple shots, and even then the deer would probably just bleed to death (not that I would shoot a deer, just saying it's not powerful enough to kill anything above a rabbit or grouse). I most certainly cannot make it shoot 6 bullets in one second.
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zombiegirlbeating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wastelandVeteran
conservatives/tea partiers/republicans might seem to be less violent in a physical aspect, but that is because they are pros in using words and judgement to hurt people.
and left wing people are not ?:)
I don't think Republicans tend to be more violent, but I do think they tend to be more mean-spirited. And I would give as examples some of the things yelled out by audiences at the Republican debates early in the election season. That's not to say that all Republicans are mean-spirited.
I would say that Republicans tend to be more "hateful". I don't have issues with fiscal Republicans. We can have normal conversations and agree to disagree... it's the fundamentalist religious types that make up far too much of the party that bother me. I think they ruin a lot for the Republican party as well. They'd probably do a lot better without the likes of Todd Akin, Michelle Bachmann, or Rick Santorum.
I have mixed feelings about the gun toting hillbilly types. On the one hand, I grew up in the country and I have family members like this. But my family would do anything to protect me and they have had to make this known to other gun toting hillbilly types on occasion because of my homosexuality. I am very thankful for my family who stand by me no matter what. By and large, I can't say that I feel like hicks (as we call them here) are peaceful people, but I realize that I have a unique perspective in this. I feel like black people might feel the same as me in certain situations and places I have been in my life. It's an uncomfortable feeling not knowing if you have to watch your back or not. I don't have any warm or fuzzy feelings about Republicans.
My school aged kids are 10 and 16. We live in an area where it is very common for kids age 9 and up to have their own hunting guns. We live in a very small school district (I think we have 375 kids from K-12) with no security at all. I can walk in the school and put something in my kids locker and no one will blink an eye, even the new employees who don't know me.
After the CT shooting, I expected my kids would have questions. I was right. Their questions consisted of, "All the kids who died had parents who told them school was safe. We know it's not. So, what do we do if it happens at our school? Do we save ourselves? Do we try to rescue others? Do we try to take down the shooter?" As a parent who wants your child to come home alive, what do you tell them? (I'm not really looking for answers, just sharing my predicament).
For a long time, I've never been worried about it because of our redneck area. Kids grow up with guns. They learn how to shoot them, how to clean them, how to handle them and how to respect their power from a young age. I have vivid memories of my dad telling me to imagine that the pumpkin was someone's head, and what happens if you shoot someone in the head, even on accident. We took gun training as part of a school curriculum and our elementary school has a shooting range in its basement. It is absolutely within the realm of normal to see a 14 year old walking down the road in front of my house with a loaded gun. I hear guns all day long, living around the corner from an outdoor range. I'm comfortable with them. I don't worry about my children using them improperly, though they are always supervised and our stuff is locked up tight.
But I imagine Adam Lanza grew up pretty much the same way, learning how to handle and use them. In this case, perhaps all his training by his mom worked against all the kids he killed, since he had so much practice. I find myself doing pondering over the guns in my closet in ways I've never pondered them before. No parent believes their child is going to shoot up a school. I'm guessing when Adam was 8 years old and Columbine happened, his mom was thankful her son was safe and never would have gone to a place in her mind that put her child as a shooter. What parent does? Just processing, don't mind me, lol.
This shooting has been harder on me than Columbine was, not just because that it was babies he killed, but because I always felt fairly safe because we live in a gun culture (as odd as that sounds) and now I no longer do.
My school aged kids are 10 and 16. We live in an area where it is very common for kids age 9 and up to have their own hunting guns. We live in a very small school district (I think we have 375 kids from K-12) with no security at all. I can walk in the school and put something in my kids locker and no one will blink an eye, even the new employees who don't know me.
After the CT shooting, I expected my kids would have questions. I was right. Their questions consisted of, "All the kids who died had parents who told them school was safe. We know it's not. So, what do we do if it happens at our school? Do we save ourselves? Do we try to rescue others? Do we try to take down the shooter?" As a parent who wants your child to come home alive, what do you tell them? (I'm not really looking for answers, just sharing my predicament).
For a long time, I've never been worried about it because of our redneck area. Kids grow up with guns. They learn how to shoot them, how to clean them, how to handle them and how to respect their power from a young age. I have vivid memories of my dad telling me to imagine that the pumpkin was someone's head, and what happens if you shoot someone in the head, even on accident. We took gun training as part of a school curriculum and our elementary school has a shooting range in its basement. It is absolutely within the realm of normal to see a 14 year old walking down the road in front of my house with a loaded gun. I hear guns all day long, living around the corner from an outdoor range. I'm comfortable with them. I don't worry about my children using them improperly, though they are always supervised and our stuff is locked up tight.
But I imagine Adam Lanza grew up pretty much the same way, learning how to handle and use them. In this case, perhaps all his training by his mom worked against all the kids he killed, since he had so much practice. I find myself doing pondering over the guns in my closet in ways I've never pondered them before. No parent believes their child is going to shoot up a school. I'm guessing when Adam was 8 years old and Columbine happened, his mom was thankful her son was safe and never would have gone to a place in her mind that put her child as a shooter. What parent does? Just processing, don't mind me, lol.
This shooting has been harder on me than Columbine was, not just because that it was babies he killed, but because I always felt fairly safe because we live in a gun culture (as odd as that sounds) and now I no longer do.
I work in child protective services and as a result I work closely with many parents with mental health issues and even children on occasion, children who hear voices and the like. I see a lot of drug use, but ironically enough it appears to me that most of the drug use is self-medicating mental illness. IMO this whole issue is by far a mental health issue over anything else, and I don't have the answers. I am not for socialized medicine as I've seen how it works in other countries, and I'm not exactly sure that I'm for giving people with mental illnesses less rights so they can be controlled ( once you hit the age of 13, you can refuse mental health services unless you pose an obvious and immanent danger to yourself or others)
in the end what I say about this whole situation is that shit happens.. we cannot stop "bad" things from happening in the world.. we can try to make laws and name them after dead children ( hence the phrase dead kids make bad laws).. and it does nothing but make us "feel good" and add more laws to the books restricting more freedoms. people feel that they HAVE to do something about everything bad that happens, this is where the ego comes in, as well as a total denial of impermanence. practice I think changes this.
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isn't it always the case that in a situation that shows the worst of what people can do.. there are those showing the best? That is what I take out of this story most.
Saying "filling your minds with garbage" as older people often say, is not untrue. What we continuously expose our brains too changes the cells of our brain, and our reactions and behaviors. Sometimes, you just have to protect yourself. It makes me thankful I have young kids, because I have no choice but to shut the news off for their sake.
Seeing that our society is this way, I realize that I am co-responsible for the society that I live in. Together, in this life and perhaps previous lives, we have created this society. The ignorance and insensitivity I see in other people I see in myself too. Someone that is more loving than me has the same task as I do: defeat ignorance and become more loving. No-one can say that other people should get to work first, because regardless of how loving we are, we are in the same situation and have the same responsibilities. If we take on this task, then I am sure that we will live in a much better world.
That being said in this dark hour we are also reminded that there are people out there willing to give their all to protect that which a few sickened individuals would try and take away. I'm talking about Victoria Soto. She was a teacher who was gunned down that day after hiding her students in a closet. The guy asked her where the kids were, she said in the gym, he shot her and went on his way.
@maartin is right. We have to focus on the positive. It is hard to get through to some people but love is the answer. It just hurts so much when I think of all the minds not being nurtured. Bodies not being fed and points of view restricted.
I didn't get the exact number of the children saved but Victoria Soto gave her life for them.
Horrors abound everywhere and are not to be gotten over.. No need to hunt them down or ignore them but when they do enter your sense gates, just surrender to their truths for few stimuli can so clearly illuminate the value of the path to the cessation of suffering.
I see NewBuddhist as a place of refuge. Perhaps I turn here to just have quiet. Don't judge what people make of their sangha—and make no mistake, for some, this is their sangha.
We each have our reasons, and it's not for you to condemn.
This is an inadvertant distraction to this thread that I am responsible for.
I only mentioned the abbatoir as an example of anothers horror and the ways we can respond to it, not as a value judgement on food choice.
2. if its perfectly fine for ppl to have reasons to post or not, whatever the reasons, then I too have the right to do the same without being judged or "condemned"
3. Im done with this post. The most important and clearly missed point to this entire post in the first place was......the op.
4. may all beings be free from suffering.
5. I humbly bow and walk away from this now.
As to putting security at "every damn school", Fairfax County Virginia has a uniformed police officer on duty at each high school and middle school (although not yet each elementary school).
It's very interesting to note that the U.S. Capitol police has over 500 officers protecting just over 500 of our elected representatives...the group of people who could do something about gun laws in this nation. Some of our elected representatives who so pro-gun lobby advocate very liberal gun laws...yet guns are banned on the grounds of the Capitol.
And they have already passed a law giving anyone the right to carry a concealed weapon just by filling out a form, with no reason needed. So if you can legally buy a gun, you can legally tuck it in your pocket and go anywhere.
Except for the congressional building. That is exempt and only the guards have weapons. After all, our republican congressmen are crazy, not stupid.
huntin, fishin, and drinkin beer.
try to tell them anything about how stupid guns are and they are likely to blow your face off. I want to knock the shit out of them every time i see them.
And without a doubt there are dangerous people walking around all over this world who "only carry guns for their safety"
In the end most of these people started out wanting to protect themselves but then figured "hey, I feel powerful"....time goes by, somebody looks at their girlfriend wrong and "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie"
I could go on all day....And Yeah, I can see how someone def would need to go to church or a school with a gun hidden on them. Maybe they like the feel of it so close to where the sun dont shine they get a bonner by keeping it with them all the time.
...Did I go off topic a lot here?....
shit happens.
When we have a knee-jerk emotional reaction to something inanimate like a gun, we should observe and contemplate that feeling. I would also warn against beliefs like " those republicans are evil.. the Buddha was a liberal". Since becoming a buddhist I see these kinds of beliefs.. we are trying to get away from these divisions. Maybe it's because I'm a Libertarian and have never agreed much with liberals or conservatives, that I really notice this sort of one sided thing among Buddhists... like republicans are the armies of mara lol.
With a temper like that I'm glad you're not interested in firearms!
Jeeez...
It wouldn't be very sensible to keep a gun up your bottom. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, in fact, I'm pretty sure I saw one of those medical shows and this dude really did have a Glock stuck up there... But I would say most people don't carry their weapons in that way.
Sounds just like a Republican to me.
Maybe the G20 rioters were also using violence as a "solution", but the scale was entirely different.
But the vast middle ground is not trying to take your guns. We're saying maybe assault rifles with hundred round clips might not be something we want in our neighborhoods. We're saying maybe we don't want just anyone allowed to walk around with loaded guns hidden in their pockets and if you want to have fantasies of "taking out the bad guy" maybe you should do the hard work of joining the police force instead of voting to eliminate the taxes that pay for an effective police force.
It's a conversation we can't have as long as the NRA and the gun lobby is screaming "OMG! Obama wants to take our guns! Go buy more guns and ammo! Now!"
at one point , being one who is big into freedom, justice, liberty etc, I was a political leader for my state in the Libertarian party( the only party that has a non-aggression principle that members follow). We engaged in disputation with left wing and right wing people constantly. The more I practiced the more I came to realize that it is a waste of time.. all of us are filled with greed, hatred, and delusion.. so we are all wrong. having attachment to one side, and aversion to another.. just continues the illusion.... I felt thought had to continue to fight.. to try and bring awareness to the people.. to stop their apathy, to learned about our political and governmental system and use their rights, to not let them be taken away.
not so much anymore.. I think the tipping point for me was hearing Ajahn Brahm say this quote " the buddha did not change the world.. he made peace with the conditions in it".. that quote changed my world view.. it was like I had little dust in my eyes and upon hearing it ...bam..
now I still have aversion in situations like this when people seem so one sided.. I am learning to say what Ajahn brahm suggests in his book " the art of disappearing".. " all things are ever in chaos.. and whatever is in chaos.. is none of my business" .. so now when I catch my mind wanting to respond to something I see someone do, or when I hear them say something my mind disagrees with and I want to enter into disputation.. I try to remind myself " none of my business".
but alas I am certainly no sotapanna or enlightened being.. so it is a struggle :P
Seems like a lot of hate for a group of ppl that had nothing to with senseless act. I mean when was the last time a hillbilly was responsible for a mass murder? Maybe there was but I can't think of any. The last several mass shootings weren't by huntin', fishin', beer drinkin' hillbillies. Seems they were by mentally disturbed ppl who never bought guns for protection or to carry on their hip. The school shooting in Conn they say he was a 20 yr old, deeply troubled, weird kid that got the guns off his mother then shot her in the face. The Colorado theatre shooting the guy was a mentally ill honorary grad student. The Arizona shooter was another mentally ill college kid. It just doesn't seem the problem is with the gun-toting NRA member with the deer in the crosshairs sticker in the window.
Right or wrong, just some thoughts of mine.
All the political parties are just different sides of the same coin. All pushing their way as "the correct" way of doing things. That's where I love Buddha's way of looking at things, he said himself to not base your beliefs in his teachings off devotion, but to weigh it against your own views and decide for yourself. He welcomed anyone to debate his words and ways.
And I have to add a quote "empty your mind, be shapeless, formless - like water." How can you hit what is simply not there?
Most of the people where I live, however, are rednecks. hunters who love their beer and drive big trucks. We haven't had a murder of any type since the 1970s, and while pretty much every single person I know owns a gun, including children, no one has ever been shot. Knock on a big heavy piece of wood, lol.
I did almost spit out my tea when I read " "BANG! Die mo fo!! dont b lookin at my girl homie" " because it was hilarious seeing it posted on this site for some reason. MOFO!
As for the US riots, I saw the footage. I worked in the media at the time and spent hours a day watching the live feeds as part of my job. The whole "it was the cops" thing is just totally fallacious.
Americans have many guns in a far less coherent society.
The result is something like this: The way I see it (being just an outsider) people on the right want to see to it that both remain in the US; they want the weapons to stay and they feel pretty okay with the social tensions too.
Maybe they feel that the prize is not paid in their part of society.
Anyhow, the type of guns that are being used for these mass shootings have no business being in the hands of the public. A Bushmaster .223 rifle is a combat rifle, made for troops in vietnam. It was made to be exceptionally lethal and it shoots 6 large bullets every second. They have large clips that are easy to exchange. There is no reason that a gun like that should be in the same class as a hunting rifle that shoots one slug at a time, yet it is. There are no different requirements for obtaining one of these assault weapons in most states. You simply wait out the waiting period that applies, if there is one, and you purchase it. You can buy them at gun shows, you can buy them online, you can buy them on gun auctions. That should not be possible. Anyone and their uncle can get one, and they do. Look at the Bushmaster site. They are one of the most popular rifle makers for collectors and enthusiasts. Look what kind of guns they sell. This is NOT what our forefathers had in mind when they were giving us the right to bear arms.
also just for some gun education. The bushmaster 223 is a semi automatic weapon.. it is based on the ar-15 which is based on the military m-16 which only has 3 round burst or semi-auto. Therefore it fires at the same rate as a "hunting rifle" , which is one bullet per pull of the trigger. the terms " assault rifle" and " hunting rifle" do not exist, they are not official or technical terms.
also you need a class III license to own fully automatic weapons in the USA, this is a license that basically only rich people can afford as it is VERY expensive.. also you can buy the same gun , for instance an ak-47 in semi-automatic may be 400 dollars.. a fully automatic may be 5000.. the difference? NOTHING but arbitrary laws, only a two dollar firing pin.
Actually, I might leave the thread soon, because my contribution is probably not helping anyone. I thought that perhaps by pointing out that the truth of what is happening could be far worse than what appearances tell us, I could raise some awareness. Perhaps I should spend more time meditating and doing something that is useful.
May all beings be free of suffering,
Maarten
Actually, I might leave the thread soon, because my contribution is probably not helping anyone. I thought that perhaps by pointing out that the truth of what is happening could be far worse than what appearances tell us, I could raise some awareness. Perhaps I should spend more time meditating and doing something that is useful.
May all beings be free of suffering,
Maarten
well I was speaking in that regard in relation to one sided beliefs.. if you say that both sides can do unskillful things.. then I am in agreement.
As far as the gun goes, that is the information that was posted in the article. So, was it just wrong saying that it can shoot 6 bullets in a second? The MN state firearms lab expert was interviewed for the article so I assume he would have verified the information but possible not. I have a semiautomatic .22 ancient rifle for hunting. I couldn't even kill a deer with it without using multiple shots, and even then the deer would probably just bleed to death (not that I would shoot a deer, just saying it's not powerful enough to kill anything above a rabbit or grouse). I most certainly cannot make it shoot 6 bullets in one second.
I have mixed feelings about the gun toting hillbilly types. On the one hand, I grew up in the country and I have family members like this. But my family would do anything to protect me and they have had to make this known to other gun toting hillbilly types on occasion because of my homosexuality. I am very thankful for my family who stand by me no matter what. By and large, I can't say that I feel like hicks (as we call them here) are peaceful people, but I realize that I have a unique perspective in this. I feel like black people might feel the same as me in certain situations and places I have been in my life. It's an uncomfortable feeling not knowing if you have to watch your back or not. I don't have any warm or fuzzy feelings about Republicans.
After the CT shooting, I expected my kids would have questions. I was right. Their questions consisted of, "All the kids who died had parents who told them school was safe. We know it's not. So, what do we do if it happens at our school? Do we save ourselves? Do we try to rescue others? Do we try to take down the shooter?" As a parent who wants your child to come home alive, what do you tell them? (I'm not really looking for answers, just sharing my predicament).
For a long time, I've never been worried about it because of our redneck area. Kids grow up with guns. They learn how to shoot them, how to clean them, how to handle them and how to respect their power from a young age. I have vivid memories of my dad telling me to imagine that the pumpkin was someone's head, and what happens if you shoot someone in the head, even on accident. We took gun training as part of a school curriculum and our elementary school has a shooting range in its basement. It is absolutely within the realm of normal to see a 14 year old walking down the road in front of my house with a loaded gun. I hear guns all day long, living around the corner from an outdoor range. I'm comfortable with them. I don't worry about my children using them improperly, though they are always supervised and our stuff is locked up tight.
But I imagine Adam Lanza grew up pretty much the same way, learning how to handle and use them. In this case, perhaps all his training by his mom worked against all the kids he killed, since he had so much practice. I find myself doing pondering over the guns in my closet in ways I've never pondered them before. No parent believes their child is going to shoot up a school. I'm guessing when Adam was 8 years old and Columbine happened, his mom was thankful her son was safe and never would have gone to a place in her mind that put her child as a shooter. What parent does? Just processing, don't mind me, lol.
This shooting has been harder on me than Columbine was, not just because that it was babies he killed, but because I always felt fairly safe because we live in a gun culture (as odd as that sounds) and now I no longer do.
in the end what I say about this whole situation is that shit happens.. we cannot stop "bad" things from happening in the world.. we can try to make laws and name them after dead children ( hence the phrase dead kids make bad laws).. and it does nothing but make us "feel good" and add more laws to the books restricting more freedoms. people feel that they HAVE to do something about everything bad that happens, this is where the ego comes in, as well as a total denial of impermanence. practice I think changes this.