Andy1

A little wind feels good sometimes to air them out. My boys gotta breathe. You guys are all working on your testicle tanning with Tucker. I’ll pass on that one. Wouldn’t want to risk a burn.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/gun-violence-in-rural-america/

Psychos are attracted to extreme ideologies, left or right.

Stand down and let the shoplifters walk seems to be the standard corporate protocol now. Probably based on recommendations from corporate attorneys wanting to limit liability. Insurance covers lost product. Not worth potential millions in liability from lawsuit due to injured employees or criminal. Seems odd but is understandable.

https://www.politico.com/interactives/2022/midterm-election-house-districts-by-education/ The last few election cycles have been marked by an increasing divergence in outcomes based on education levels, with Democrats making serious gains with college-educated voters while Republicans win far greater shares of non-college educated white voters. The educational divide has been building for years but accelerated dramatically during the Trump era. As recently as the 2012 presidential election, for example, college-educated voters were narrowly split, with college-educated white voters favoring GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. But in the 2020 presidential election, Biden won 68 percent of congressional districts where at least 30 percent of adults have a bachelor’s degree. Donald Trump won 64 percent of districts where less than 30 percent are college-educated — and, what’s more, Trump’s showing includes carrying 96 percent of districts that were both below that education threshold and at least 70 percent white.

I don’t know much about Fredric. I’ll have to check him out.

Some interesting discussion there. Re the problems in the black community, they are largely right. Solutions to those problems need to come from within the community, beginning with parents, family and personal responsibility. Personally I think there needs to be a cultural change to emphasize the importance of black fathers and to celebrate the sacrifices fathers make for their children. Encourage men to be responsible fathers. More black athletes and cultural icons need to be outspoken on this. Acknowledging this does not mean that racism or white supremacy organizations don’t exist or are not societal problems too.

So the FBI overstepped its authority. It’s not the first time in our history that has happened. It’s up to Congress to rein it in then. That doesn’t mean the agency is rotten to its core. The people working there are protecting this country by investigating crime and enforcing our laws. Before Trump, did you believe the FBI was corrupt? If the FBI is anti republican , why didn’t they go after Bush 1 or Bush 2? If anything, people in law enforcement would generally lean to the right politically. You can’t only support them when they are investigating Dems.

If I hang out here long enough, maybe someday I will achieve enlightenment to see and understand the truth.

I have never heard reporters describe a mass killer as a “straight white man”. So this is about debunking the emphasis on white supremacy being a motivation for violence? That makes no sense, but okay… The motivation of the killer is always something to be investigated but that alone won’t stop future killings. Personally, I believe the good Americans working at the FBI if they claim white supremacy groups are a rising source of violence.

I don’t understand the relevance of the shooter being trans. Does the media investigate and report the straight/gay/trans status of other mass killers? A more productive activity would be working on how to prevent future mass killings, regardless of who the shooter is.

I’m no psychologist but there sure seems to be an association between child predators and the conservative movement and especially Christian conservatives. There are obviously good pastors and Christians not involved in child abuse, but the number of abuse cases associated with those ideologies is shocking.

Dude - Google is your friend https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/23/trump-putin-ukraine-invasion-00010923 Within the story is a link to the full Trump interview if you want to listen….l

So what were the zip cuffs and tasers for? Did you forget the videos of the police being sprayed and beaten with bats and flagpoles? Some police surrendered to the mob, others did their job defending as best they could. The mob that day had a variety of people with different intents. The nuts in the paramilitary gear were there for a purpose. They got their wild day. Now they can enjoy a wild time in prison.

The one “wild day” Trump promised them is the gift that keeps on giving for many of them. Like going to a frat party and coming home with an STD.

There is obviously also differences in offense levels between Federal crimes against the government vs State level crimes against property. Any common criminal knows you don’t want to face federal crimes. The J6ers didn’t think about that one. As they say… you can’t cure stupid.

Records rebut claims of unequal treatment of Jan. 6 rioters https://apnews.com/article/records-rebut-claims-jan-6-rioters-55adf4d46aff57b91af2fdd3345dace8

For those that believe it wasn’t a serious attempt to stop the Democratic transition of power, Rhodes regretted them not having their ARs. If there is a next time, they will bring them. Hopefully his fitting prison sentence deters another J6. “My only regret is that they should have brought rifles,” Rhodes said in a recording from Jan. 10 played by the government. He added that they could’ve “fixed it right then and there” if they had weapons with them at the Capitol.

I don’t think any of us are completely defined by our political beliefs. I’ve met many damn good people on both sides with completely opposite views on the world. We all develop our opinions based on our different life experiences and environments we grow up in.

When it comes to creating laws to remove weapons from individuals who may use them to kill themselves or others, no law or system is going to be perfect. So the question comes down to which side does the law lean towards - protecting people or leaving guns in the hands of mentally unstable individuals. The police appear to support the intent of the laws but are currently overwhelmed by requests. At minimum, it sounds like a lot of mentally unstable people have guns that their family/friends are concerned about. In NY it sounds like we need more police staff to deal with the increased workload. That problem can be resolved over time.

Isn’t this what red flag laws are for? Maybe it’s all in the details of how the laws are worded.

As someone who is in the mental health field, do you think there is any mental health condition that would justify removing guns from a person’s possession?

Yea, I don’t know what you do about the gang bangers other than enforce current laws. Half of Americans are idiots. They may be good people, but they are clueless. Some things like voluntary give back to police seem obvious but sometimes dumb people just need reminding that these are options if they have unwanted guns in their home. As for doctors, gun shootings are the number one cause of death to teens and younger. Kids are curious and too many get their hands on their parents guns. Teens go through emotional difficulties. People usually pay attention to their docs. It’s the same as if the parent has lead paint in their home.

The problem of gun violence should be addressed as a public health problem, similar to the way society addressed smoking and drunk driving. A culture of gun safety needs to be developed and promoted through PSAs. Some of the best advocates should be responsible gun owners. Education programs could address safe storage, theft prevention, safe use, removal of guns from the mentally ill, Red Flag laws, voluntary gun give back to police, reporting concerns to police, education on the risks associated with gun ownership, doctors should talk to parents of children about gun risks, funding mental health programs, etc. The goal should be to change the way society thinks about guns and gun ownership. Education health programs have worked with DWI and smoking, without banning cigarettes or alcohol.