I wish peeps who prolly never even talked to her would stop calling her Gabby like they've known her since foreverago.
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I wish peeps who prolly never even talked to her would stop calling her Gabby like they've known her since foreverago.
Someone said today that a congressperson hasn't really been assassinated for quite a while. RFK was killed by a Sirhan Sirhan, but he was running for Prez. Ryan (?) was shot in Jonestown...forgot where that is. So you have to back to 1934 where, I think, it was a Cong person killed. I don't think a bunch of added security is needed.
Will added security do enough good to justify the expense? We're talking political positions that are inherently "press the flesh". The only way you get a quantum leap in security in such contexts would be at odds with reelection prospects.
I don't care about what's in the Constitution, I don't care what rights people think they have, I care about what's practical. And it's not practical to let dangerously deranged people walk around free to do what they want.
Our whole society is hopelessly outdated and unequipped to deal with the problems of the 21st century. This guy is obviously somewhat schizophrenic, probably undiagnosed, and definitely not being treated for it. And yet he was able to buy a gun and make multiple visits to WalMart to buy ammo when he wasn't scribbling his insanity on the Internet where everyone could have read it. I know people like to be left alone and all, but that is just not practical in an era where very powerful technologies are available to any kook who wants them.
Look at this guy. He definitely could not have sustained a rational train of thought long enough to explain how a gun works. And yet he was able to go and buy one and use it. I think about that and I think about the old nukes that were smuggled out of the USSR and are now probably in the hands of people who would kill their daughters out of shame if they were raped. There is MIT-level technology available to just about every shithead with a 2nd-grade education right now and that scares the bejeezus out of me. If I take anything away from this incident, it's that. Not the "civility" thing. We have a neverending ability to focus on exactly the most ridiculous response to any problem.
And can I just say, the 24-hour news cycle has become unbelievably creepy the last few weeks. "UPDATE: SHE MOVED HER FINGER EVERYONE!"
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Originally Posted by Big Swami
Dots.Quote:
We have a neverending ability to focus on exactly the most ridiculous response to any problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Swami
* I really don't care about the Constitution anymore. It's more of a burden these days than a help. And yes, I really do think that. It's so clunky and hard to update that it has totally jammed up the political process. The parts of it that are inconvenient to the people with power (4th Amendment, for example) are just ignored by the judiciary. It's safe to say that as an average American, the Constitution doesn't exist for you unless it's applied to your disadvantage. The fact that each state is responsible for drawing its own Congressional districts at will is just nuts, the Electoral College is stupid, the makeup of the Senate is fundamentally undemocratic, the fact that there are no solid rules on the limits of Congressional money power is untenable, the organization of Congressional committees prevents effective laws from being written, the responsibilities of Congress are poorly defined, the power of the Presidency is way too large to make sense, the judiciary is totally powerless against manipulation by the Executive, it just goes on and on.
* I'm not saying we need tougher gun laws. I'm saying that maybe we need to make it SLIGHTLY easier to commit someone against their will to a mental hospital. Right now if you are an adult outside of the legal system, or if you are a minor and your parents don't want you committed, it's pretty much impossible to get committed against your will. It shouldn't be impossible.
* Yeah, he bought the gun. He was obsessed with police-issue Glocks for a few months before he decided to finally get one.
* When we at WTF talk about the possibility of Les Miles coming to UM, it's a springboard for us to talk about things like the pay scale of college coaches, or effective clock management, or different kinds of defense formations, or the advantages and disadvantages of a pro-style offense. It's about the ideas. Below-average people talk about people. Average people talk about events. Above-average people talk about ideas. I don't need to hear every single simpering detail of Jeffords' recovery as if she was some kind of irreplaceable savior.
Vote Swami in 2012!
Even if they hold elected office?Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Swami
This is more like a 20th century problem. While it's almost certainly the case that laws will lag behind technology, the fact is that they often lag _far_ behind technology. The people who benefit from antiquated law usually benefit in some way where it makes imposing new law untenable. There's sections of the Constitution that just don't make sense in the light of current technology.Quote:
Our whole society is hopelessly outdated and unequipped to deal with the problems of the 21st century.
The same goes for cars.Quote:
Look at this guy. He definitely could not have sustained a rational train of thought long enough to explain how a gun works. And yet he was able to go and buy one and use it.
I've been looking and can't find where he bought the gun, just he ammo.