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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Super Amputee Cat said:
Florida GOP/NRA right-wingers really got off on that stuff, especially when learning that most of those killed where minorities.
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Suburb Repairman said:
Also, there is only one party that has made curtailment of individual freedoms a plank of their platform, and it is the party in power. Oh wait, when they say individual freedom, they mean only the freedom to treat black, brown & gay people like shit while they have fever dreams of returning to segregated schools and pasty lunch counters.
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Right - all conservatives and/or Republicans are violent racists. Got it. Y'all want broader brushes to paint with? :r:
 
Bubba said:
Right - all conservatives and/or Republicans are violent racists. Got it. Y'all want broader brushes to paint with? :r:
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Agreed. The divisive rhetoric and fearmongering is getting really old and it’s also really sad. I hang out with and am friends with a lot of Republicans and we don’t feel this way at all. I have several friends who are gay and are huge Trump supporters. I have a friend who is a legal Mexican immigrant who hates illegal immigration and amnesty more than anyone I know. I think it’s awesome we have people like Nikki Haley representing us in the UN and Ben Carson serving HUD. I think it’s awesome that Trump said at the RNC Convention that he would do everything in his power to protect our LGBT community from a violent foreign ideology (and received a huge round of applause from the Republican Party) and has done so by destroying ISIS. Old granny at church isn’t going to throw gays off buildings and doesn’t want to inhibit their rights, but the Sharia-supporting element of Islam does.

I hope that a lot of you just consume too much garbage media (whose mission is to divide us and sell papers, get clicks, and get ratings) and that you don’t actually believe that all Republicans are bad and all Democrats are good.
 
Mine was hyperbole in response to hyperbole. Perhaps that was lost.

Also, I am getting increasingly broad with the brush as leaders of the party increasingly exhibit behaviors & actions consistent with that description. If people continue to support them, they deserve to be painted broadly along with them.

I call shitty democrats' asses out. In fact, I've been cheering along to this particular court case in my stomping grounds:

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/22/carlos-uresti-guilty-felony-fraud-trial
 
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I am going to apologize if this offends some of you, but some of you need to quit with the partisan politics crap and grow up. Unless you can stand up and say that you agree with 100% of party rhetoric, and can actually determine the position on ever issue by a party, you need to really consider if you want to rethink this ideology and actually focus on things that will make America a better place, not make politicians wealthier or more powerful.

If you don't agree with a position, that's fine. Express away. If you don't like a particular politician, express away. For example, I don't like Trump. But to make blanket derogatory statements about an entire party is really getting old. I was once guilty of it, but I have grown to realize that neither party is worth celebrating. There are a few good members of each party and there are a ton of bad members of each party.
 
Well I guess the "good guy with a gun" mantra is only good so far as the said "good guy with a gun" isn't a fucking coward who doesn't approach the shooter. Unreal. So a police officer who is allegedly trained to respond in this types of situations doesn't do anything but we should expect our legions of armed teachers to do better.
 
FL Gov says his plan for action is:

No one under 21 can buy a gun
Bump stocks banned
Better mental health access teens & young adults
One armed officer per 1000 students per school
Mandatory active-shooter drills
 
Planit said:
FL Gov says his plan for action is:

No one under 21 can buy a gun
Bump stocks banned
Better mental health access teens & young adults
One armed officer per 1000 students per school
Mandatory active-shooter drills
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Yet the armed officer, or "good guy with a gun" didn't do shit. Can that argument be laid to rest already?
 
Planit said:
FL Gov says his plan for action is:

No one under 21 can buy a gun
Bump stocks banned
Better mental health access teens & young adults
One armed officer per 1000 students per school
Mandatory active-shooter drills
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I don't think that's really unreasonable, which is surprising coming from Rick Scott. Now let's see if he can actually implement the plan. Unlikely in Florida for points 1 and 2.
 
Jon Ossoff announced today that he will not run again (this time, at least), in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, meaning I might make it through this election cycle with my sanity intact.
 
Super Amputee Cat said:
There was a threat in one of Toledo's schools just a few hours ago.

http://www.wtol.com/story/37540668/tpd-investigating-man-after-threatening-to-shoot-tps-high-school
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Another today in Toledo resulting in classes being cancelled. That makes at three so far since the mass murder in Florida.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2018/02/23/Washington-Local-closes-3-schools-after-threat-made-against-Whitmer.html

Planit said:
FL Gov says his plan for action is:

No one under 21 can buy a gun
Bump stocks banned
Better mental health access teens & young adults
One armed officer per 1000 students per school
Mandatory active-shooter drills
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Prediction: None of this will happen. At least the first three.

Companies severing ties to the NRA is a good sign though. I'll have to make sure I rent from Enterprise.
 
[Youtube]byn0fBCVeHA

WTF!

If there was any question that there is an attack on traditional masculinity and common sense, this eliminatesthat question.

This is not about republicans or democrats, but this is from an extreemest liberal fringe and it is sickening.
 
That always kind of pissed me off. The word is mailman and to me it's gender neutral. Mailperson just sounds stupid. Yes I know I can use mail carrier, but get off my lawn.
 
"Man" is in man, woman and human. Something there for everyone so STFU all of you people who insist on making a big deal out of everything. My god, the serious issues the world has and yet there are people that need to focus on this as the root of all problems? Ugh.
 
pResident tRump today said he would run into the building if there was a shooter, even if he didn't have a gun.

Yea. Right. :r:
 
AG74683 said:
Just like he charged into 'Nam?
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I bet he would go if there were 2 cheeseburgers and a bucket of chicken.. oh, can't forget the Diet Coke:D

Seriously though.. we need something that will really unite us as a country right about now. Something we can all agree needs to go, or needs defeated. We need a new heel. Any nominations?

**wakanda forever**
 
Raf said:
Seriously though.. we need something that will really unite us as a country right about now. Something we can all agree needs to go, or needs defeated.
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A full scale invasion (and not just some random attack by a fringe terrorist group) by some foreign government would probably do the trick.
 
MD Planner said:
"Man" is in man, woman and human. Something there for everyone so STFU all of you people who insist on making a big deal out of everything. My god, the serious issues the world has and yet there are people that need to focus on this as the root of all problems? Ugh.
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I agree with you, but like you said who care about making a big deal out of it. It clearly is a terminology that originated from a male dominated and misogynistic society and if it makes people feel better to change it I don’t have any substantial opposition. I really just don’t care one way or another.
 
dvdneal said:
That always kind of pissed me off. The word is mailman and to me it's gender neutral. Mailperson just sounds stupid. Yes I know I can use mail carrier, but get off my lawn.
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Letter carrier.

MD Planner said:
"Man" is in man, woman and human. Something there for everyone so STFU all of you people who insist on making a big deal out of everything. My god, the serious issues the world has and yet there are people that need to focus on this as the root of all problems? Ugh.
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Seriously? Tell that to your female boss. Your female mayor. Your female judge or congressional representative.

Tell that to your wife (if you have one) or daughter (ditto).

Language matters. We've come a long way and we still have far to go. Every time I explain to someone about how volunteers don't "man" a table...besides, we all know who shows up to do the real work.
 
Others have hit on it, but what it does it make EVERYONE aware of what women have already experienced - the world was shaped for the needs and preferences of men. By making a concerted effort to change the word "man" from being the base of how we describe so many things, it helps us acknowledge to what extent the baseline upon which our society and culture has been built has been male.

While I don't have any issues with the word "mailman," I never considered it gender neutral. That always implied male to me.

I won't describe myself as a raging feminist, but I don't think there's anything wrong with making small efforts to re-orienting the culture so that it has more room for women to be considered equally with men. So many work places still are not welcoming to women. Some of it is due to explicit bias, and some of it is due to implicit biases - same thing that happens with race. This is just one step towards raising awareness of the biases. I don't think it's a bad thing.
 
My observation: most of the removal of "man" from occupational nouns, etc. has actually resulted in a more descriptive & accurate name. For example, "fireman" doesn't really tell you what they do in the same way that "firefighter" does. Likewise, "mail carrier" actually describes what the person does. In some cases, the change results in more efficient language. For example, it is actually faster to say "Chair" rather than "Chairman."

Where I get lost is on gender neutral pronoun substitution. "He & she" roll off the tongue easily, and I refuse to use a plural pronoun ("they") to describe a singular person. I got whacked way too many times by my English teachers to make that change. When encountering someone transgender, I'll just ask what their preferred pronoun is if they haven't made it obvious to me. It's like we're allergic to asking simple questions of one another.
 
Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines and require gun buyers to be 21


If the legislature won't act, the businesses will. Yes several corporations have pulled away from the NRA, but his is the first active step I've seen by a company.


I like shopping at Dicks too so bonus here.
 
Planit said:
Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines and require gun buyers to be 21


If the legislature won't act, the businesses will. Yes several corporations have pulled away from the NRA, but his is the first active step I've seen by a company.


I like shopping at Dicks too so bonus here.
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Hooray for Dicks!

Wait. That didn't sound right.
 
gtpeach said:
Others have hit on it, but what it does it make EVERYONE aware of what women have already experienced - the world was shaped for the needs and preferences of men. By making a concerted effort to change the word "man" from being the base of how we describe so many things, it helps us acknowledge to what extent the baseline upon which our society and culture has been built has been male.

While I don't have any issues with the word "mailman," I never considered it gender neutral. That always implied male to me.

I won't describe myself as a raging feminist, but I don't think there's anything wrong with making small efforts to re-orienting the culture so that it has more room for women to be considered equally with men. So many work places still are not welcoming to women. Some of it is due to explicit bias, and some of it is due to implicit biases - same thing that happens with race. This is just one step towards raising awareness of the biases. I don't think it's a bad thing.
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FB discussion:
"the serious issues the world has and you're focusing on this" argument is so bogus and annoying.

Yup, and if this were logical, we'd eliminate code enforcement because we need to solve World Peace, not side yard setbacks or improper outdoor storage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Try on a different perspective, and see if it's okay to use white males as the baseline for everything.

Untitled-1.jpg
 
Planit said:
Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines and require gun buyers to be 21


If the legislature won't act, the businesses will. Yes several corporations have pulled away from the NRA, but his is the first active step I've seen by a company.


I like shopping at Dicks too so bonus here.
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I don't disagree with anything you said (well, except actually shopping at Dick's, they are ridiculously expensive in so many cases). However, I find it so laughable that there is all this incredible backlash against the NRA. And trust me, I'm no fan of theirs and certainly not a member. But they are a lobbying organization, just like so many others. They don't make any laws or establish policy. The ire really should be directed at the jokers that reside in Congress. I don't blame the NRA for advocating for their cause (even though I think they are extreme) but the unprincipled whores in Congress who have no problem taking the vast amounts of money the NRA offers in contributions and then voting with their agenda. They don't care about you or me or even the country in many cases. They care about keeping their cushy jobs and being a fat cat.

WE are the problem in all of this. In the last 50+ years the House has NEVER had less than 85% reelection rate for incumbents and the Senate has rarely been below 80%. We deserve what we get. We're a nation comprised of an over-entertained, under-informed electorate. And that is sad.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I guess this means we will need to start covering shooting ranges under RLUIPA.
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I've always thought that it would be incredibly easy to create some sort of sham religion as a way around some things, particularly using RLUIPA. It doesn't appear that there's any real standards to become an organized religion, after all, Scientology is a legally accepted religion and it's basically a tax shelter and pyramid scheme. John Oliver even did it during a "Last Week Tonight" bit.



I thought up until the Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage, that the simple fix was to establish a religion that required same sex marriage. Marijuana is the same thing, establish a religion that requires the use of mary jane, watch people squirm when they try to fight you on it.
 
AG74683 said:
I've always thought that it would be incredibly easy to create some sort of sham religion as a way around some things, particularly using RLUIPA. It doesn't appear that there's any real standards to become an organized religion, after all, Scientology is a legally accepted religion and it's basically a tax shelter and pyramid scheme. John Oliver even did it during a "Last Week Tonight" bit.

I thought up until the Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage, that the simple fix was to establish a religion that required same sex marriage. Marijuana is the same thing, establish a religion that requires the use of mary jane, watch people squirm when they try to fight you on it.
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I believe there have been court cases concerning FSM (Flying Spaghetti Monster) where folks have done things like sued to be permitted to wear a colander on their head for driver's license pictures. I don't recall hearing what decisions were rendered, or if they were summarily dismissed.
 
Maister said:
I believe there have been court cases concerning FSM (Flying Spaghetti Monster) where folks have done things like sued to be permitted to wear a colander on their head for driver's license pictures. I don't recall hearing what decisions were rendered, or if they were summarily dismissed.
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In general, they win if it goes to court.

http://www.insideedition.com/headli...rs-license-wearing-spaghetti-colander-on-head

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pastafarian-colander-license-photo_us_56498e42e4b08cda34897b27
 
Planit said:
Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines and require gun buyers to be 21


If the legislature won't act, the businesses will. Yes several corporations have pulled away from the NRA, but his is the first active step I've seen by a company.


I like shopping at Dicks too so bonus here.
Click to expand...


Heard on my local talk radio show this morning. "Did you know that Cabela's sells AR15s? They're not Dick's..."
 
MD Planner said:
I don't disagree with anything you said (well, except actually shopping at Dick's, they are ridiculously expensive in so many cases). However, I find it so laughable that there is all this incredible backlash against the NRA. And trust me, I'm no fan of theirs and certainly not a member. But they are a lobbying organization, just like so many others. They don't make any laws or establish policy. The ire really should be directed at the jokers that reside in Congress. I don't blame the NRA for advocating for their cause (even though I think they are extreme) but the unprincipled whores in Congress who have no problem taking the vast amounts of money the NRA offers in contributions and then voting with their agenda. They don't care about you or me or even the country in many cases. They care about keeping their cushy jobs and being a fat cat.

WE are the problem in all of this. In the last 50+ years the House has NEVER had less than 85% reelection rate for incumbents and the Senate has rarely been below 80%. We deserve what we get. We're a nation comprised of an over-entertained, under-informed electorate. And that is sad.
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No, that's kinda my point. WE are the problem because of the electoids, but the electoids won't/don't do anything really. The corporations will take in on themselves to make a stand. Sometimes it really helps, sometimes in really hurts (Chik-fil-A and Papa John's as examples). You and I both know the pace of things in the legislature. Corporations bring proactive is another approach. I was surprised that WallyWorld followed suit on the 21 age restriction.

We only have Dicks & Academy here. Dicks is expensive on many items, but main stream on others. Plus web shopping comparisons help too.


giff57 said:
Heard on my local talk radio show this morning. "Did you know that Cabela's sells AR15s? They're not Dick's..."
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That's pretty good. You knew those jokes were coming.
 
MD Planner said:
WE are the problem in all of this. In the last 50+ years the House has NEVER had less than 85% reelection rate for incumbents and the Senate has rarely been below 80%. We deserve what we get. We're a nation comprised of an over-entertained, under-informed electorate. And that is sad.
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+1.

In other news, it's hard for me to come to grips that I deal with the ups and downs of a tween daughter, whom I expect to have her emotional ups and downs as she learns how to navigate her self, and then I read this. Take it with a grain a salt, but I am just floored that conservatives don't push back hard. I mean shit, even Farris Buhler's Day Off explained this whole thing in simple terms. Yes, I feel for dying industries, and the workers that are there, but what happened to a nation of innovators, not care takers? The only winners are the few manufacturers that have jobs here for whatever tax advantage they have, versus the rest of the consumers, whom are the vast majority of our nation.
 
MD Planner said:
I don't disagree with anything you said (well, except actually shopping at Dick's, they are ridiculously expensive in so many cases). However, I find it so laughable that there is all this incredible backlash against the NRA. And trust me, I'm no fan of theirs and certainly not a member. But they are a lobbying organization, just like so many others. They don't make any laws or establish policy. The ire really should be directed at the jokers that reside in Congress. I don't blame the NRA for advocating for their cause (even though I think they are extreme) but the unprincipled whores in Congress who have no problem taking the vast amounts of money the NRA offers in contributions and then voting with their agenda. They don't care about you or me or even the country in many cases. They care about keeping their cushy jobs and being a fat cat.

WE are the problem in all of this. In the last 50+ years the House has NEVER had less than 85% reelection rate for incumbents and the Senate has rarely been below 80%. We deserve what we get. We're a nation comprised of an over-entertained, under-informed electorate. And that is sad.
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Very well stated. Whether at the Federal, State or Local level, the same unspeakably corrupt and stupid political fatcats always get in and stay in. And yes, America is "over-entertained" with a neverending cycle of reality shows, lamebrain comedies, and recycled violent cookie-cutter soapy melodramas . (Have you looked at the slate of prime time shows over the past 15 -20 years? It all revels in "15-minutes of fame" narcissism and glorifies humiliation and self-degradation). I truly believe that these so-called reality shows - everything from the Bachelor to Survivor helped Trump win the Presidency, never mind just the white trash shows like Jerry Springer.

If some just pulled their head out of their phones (or out of their ass) and saw how more and more of their rights and quality of life is being eroded seemingly by the day, then maybe they would wake up and vote some of these monsters out of office. But no, everybody is too busy binge watching, because it's all about instant gratification these days, and the younger generations largely don't even bother to vote and the consequences of that inaction have been devastating. .


.
 
Richmond Jake said:
Roy Moore Is Now Asking For Money On Facebook To Defend Himself

Former Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore has asked supporters for financial assistance to defend against a defamation lawsuit brought by an Alabama woman who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 14 years old.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/roy-moore-legal-defense-donations_us_5a9ac5d2e4b089ec353ab8f2

I'm sure this pig is receiving a nice pension from the state of Alabama.
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"Pig" is too kind a word for a piece of human excrement like Moore. In many ways he is worse than Trump because of his Fire and Brimstone brand of ideology. He is the foulest hypocrite in politics today. The fact that he hold no office is the only thing that his keeping him from being more dangerous than Trump.
 
Just a few thoughts on recent political discussions:

I support the Teachers in VA. Teachers deserve to make more than what they do. I would love to hear how much administration makes.

I don't care if Dicks or other places sell AR-15s or not. Personally, I buy from locally owned shops. Many big box retailers that jack up their prices and lack the same character that small places have.

I understand the students protesting weapons. However I also hope that school systems and students are willing to put a greater focus on reaching out to those students who might do something horrific before they actually do. How many times have we seen a situation where the other students knew that a particular student would be the one to do it... Same goes for society as a whole. Reach out to those who are hurting as it might make a profound difference in the lives of many.

I applaud society in recognizing the significant works of Billy Graham. Other than a couple of police officers, member of the military, and elected officials, the only two regular citizens to lay in state at the Capitol Building were Billy Graham and Rosa Parks. I think both were appropriate.

I still don't support Trump.
 
michaelskis said:
I support the Teachers in VA. Teachers deserve to make more than what they do. I would love to hear how much administration makes.
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Speaking of teachers, I think it's very funny that the legislature in West Virginia accidentally voted on a bill to give teachers a FULL raise, rather than the partial they had agreed on. Is that irony? I'm not sure, but it was certainly funny.
 
michaelskis said:
I understand the students protesting weapons. However I also hope that school systems and students are willing to put a greater focus on reaching out to those students who might do something horrific before they actually do. How many times have we seen a situation where the other students knew that a particular student would be the one to do it... Same goes for society as a whole. Reach out to those who are hurting as it might make a profound difference in the lives of many.
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So what would that be? "Hey everybody, Mike MIGHT do something crazy". Even if someone is making threats, often it's not against the law. So really, what do you do?

I always find it so fascinating that the 2nd amendment is so important to a very vocal bunch of folks but you get into any of the others amendments, eh, not so much. Imagine if Obama had said "we'll take the guns and worry about due process later." And yet Trump says that and those same folks just sit on their hands. Hilarious.
 
Flipping through news websites and all I see is who won the Oscar's. Very appropriate. Fox of course needs to bash the Oscars by posting tweets about how the celebs didn't stand for time they honored the military, but they would stand and applaud everybody else. It's the one part of the Oscar's I did see. I guy gave a quick intro speech honoring the military and then they played film clips. You don't stand and applaud film clips you foxing morons! Stop making it sound like a company of soldiers was standing on stage and no one did anything.
 
MD Planner said:
So what would that be? "Hey everybody, Mike MIGHT do something crazy". Even if someone is making threats, often it's not against the law. So really, what do you do?

I always find it so fascinating that the 2nd amendment is so important to a very vocal bunch of folks but you get into any of the others amendments, eh, not so much. Imagine if Obama had said "we'll take the guns and worry about due process later." And yet Trump says that and those same folks just sit on their hands. Hilarious.
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So are you saying that it is ok if students continue to bully or belittle other students? There is a difference between not doing the wrong thing (which is what we seem to be pushing in today's society) and doing the right thing. First thing is to encourage students to reach out to fellow troubled students. Then contact school administration and law enforcement regarding social media posts that are threatening. I agree that we need to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them, but the problem is far bigger than guns.

As for Trump, you much know different people than I do. Everyone of my friends that openly supported Trump posted something in opposition to his comments regarding due process. As for how I feel about him, go back up and read my last comment.
 
I'll say it should be a multi pronged regulation. There needs to be more awareness on the mental stability side, but at the same time we can make firearms more difficult for kids and disturbed adults to get their hands on. Everything keeps trying to point the finger somewhere else. It's either ban all guns or don't look at guns look at the insane people. We can actually do a little bit of both to make everyone happy. A little background check here, a little counseling there. We have the tools. We have the know how. Just not in Congress.
 
If you listen to even half the news about / out of Washington DC or the White House

just in disbelief
 
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JNA said:
If you listen to even half the news about / out of Washington DC or the White House

just in disbelief
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...or East Lansing...


...not that the school didn't have enough with the decades-long abuse of children by a staffer, and culpability on the part of many other paid employees and academicians...

yesterday the Nazis had themselves a pep rally
 
MD Planner said:
I don't really find this political but rather "human". It's a read from Matt Taibbi about the "why" of school shootings and the like. Not saying it's all correct but it's certainly thought provoking and strikes some chords for me:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/taibbi-parkland-florida-school-shooting-gun-control-nra-w516850

It's worth a read.
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I was just about to post a question about the why when I saw your post. I read the article, and I think it is very interesting and on one hand, I agree 100% but on the other hand they are missing some significant differences. One such difference is in regards to hunting. There is a profound difference between hunting and just killing animals to watch them die.

Additionally, why is it that most of the time, these acts are caused by guys? Is there something going on with girls that makes them less likely to commit these horrific acts?
 
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