Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Other thoughts on the Santa Barbara shootings
I was watching the PBS Newshour last night and Judy Woodruff was interviewing reporter Adam Nagourney of The New York Times. I didn't know this but Mr. Nagourney stated quite clearly that the guns 22-yr. old shooter Elliot Rodger used in the seaside massacre in Isla Vista were all legally purchased and CA has some of the nation's strictest gun control laws on the books. I've long felt while I'm fairly in support of gun control in many cases and welcome some legislation to that effect I'm also realistic enough to know it's not the magic bullet if you'll pardon the pun. It was truly a bizarre manifesto Rodger left behind and my first thought was angel dust or bath salts but you know what's scary? if you're this Nutz and you're NOT on drugs, I mean at least ex-rapper Big Lurch can fall back on that. My other thought was let's say Rodger in his YouTube videos and other postings steered clear of the more violent and weirder elements it would have come across as angry and whiny but truth be told many men would have agreed with him. So instead of discussing maybe a valid social issue or two once the person behind the "cause" resorts to violence that invalidates the cause right off the bat so then the trending topic turns to potential armies of psycho virgins training in the caves somewhere instead of maybe what alot of men can relate to. I honestly think if he was this far gone take away ALL his guns he would have easily found another way to commit mayhem perhaps with a samurai sword say. This is one of the very rare times when I actually agree with the Scientologists as I don't put much stock in psychiatry as a whole as the guy had his therapists and counselors and look what happened. The debate needs to go beyond gun control and the latest theories of the shrinks but that's where it seems to be stuck:)
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Yes, swords are an option. I guess one might outrun a sword-wielding
ReplyDeletebanzai, or bean him with a handy chair. A point which occurred to me: the guy
had no history with guns (had a clear record) and it would seem not much experience. Yet he was very accurate from his seat in the BMW; which indicates
that a firearm is simple to effectively use. IMO, range and rate of fire of the gun
makes it more lethal than the samuri sword in this case. Then again, some guy plants bombs all over, which is just as lethal. Regarding psychiatry, just about every
mass murder involves someone who is or was in 'therapy' and doing well, ya know?
I hear your point and yet so many gangbangers in Brooklyn are bad shots and they carry them around like smartphones.
DeleteOther thoughts, Rodger I guess wasn't too into prostitutes. Now granted at that time of life the hormones are in overdrive but he still seemed overly obsessed with sex. Also "Game of Thrones" has come into some bad press in the wake of all this.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThere is no redress for the victims-
Delete"When President George W. Bush signed the newly-passed Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (in pdf format) into law on October 26th, it marked a major victory for the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers, who have been pushing for the legislation for years."
--yet, if one is dumb enough to spill hot coffee on their lap, they can sue
McDonalds for a few million bucks. We are an odd culture.
The proffered repressed latent homosexuality theory was a bit of a dud.
ReplyDeleteI guess you probably know my opinion on this, free speech and all and I'm guessing I probably know Saty's which is you can't opine that freely when you're the spokeperson for a brand.
DeleteI was pondering something else, Rejection. Many years ago at work I didn't go out with this woman mainly because I fancied someone else. Anyway it was like esp. among women "why won't you go out with her?" When a woman is rejected Society comes to her defense, when a man is rejected it's suck it up and move on. Don't tell me this is a patriarchal society.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask it's passing odd, strange that in the wake of such a tragedy nobody in the media brings up the possibility of drugs (e.g. PCP, bath salts). Not saying this is the case but you'd think this is a natural inquiry, elemental even.
ReplyDeleteHe produced a 114 page opus magnus about the whys and wherefores, called
ReplyDeleteMy Twisted World (available in its entirely at present). If you care to read and study such. A brief scan suggests ego/self problems and the later parts extensively mention 'hot blonds'. That's as much as I
cared to peruse. if you do and analysis and study, let me know. :)
..make that magnum opus. Latin declensions not my forte.
DeleteIs it in PDF? Do I need an Adobe Reader?
DeletePDF, Adobe Reader? I don't think so. The entire 141 page manifesto is
Deletea few paragraphs down, you can toggle through and read it. But, if I copy and paste a segment it comes out like some sort of encryption.
Here's the funny thing though, isn't his opus part of the therapeutic model? You know get it all out, express yourself, the whole catharsis thing. Seems to me the shrinks can't have it both ways. We all have issues, if we did the whole opus thing many of us would come up with some pretty funky stuff.
ReplyDeleteCathartic yes. My grown kids were pestering me to do an autobio for them, since they thought my life experiences were more or less hilarious. My childhood was eclectic, sort of like my contemporary, Randy in 'Christmas story' and years in explosives chemistry had their interesting moments.
DeleteWe nerds had lives too.
As far as opuses go you would think he would go for one last proofread, you know how does this sound? (Ayn Rand apparently never did this with Atlas). As far as I know he's the first mass murderer in history who says he's doing this because he can't get laid. WEIRD)
ReplyDeleteCouple other closing thoughts. As usual a good part of the commentary from both Left and Right misses the point. One is blaming Judd Apatow comedies which I'd just as soon avoid anyway and another says we're all to blame somehow with all our selfies on FB and Twitter. Feminism blames the rape culture of course but I had this thought that whether or not you agree with them the chastity advocates must hate when something like this happens. People are finally talking about virginity but not in a good way and Tim Tebow is probably even thinking maybe now's a good time to start having sex. I've not come across any of the usual conspiracy theories although I'll keep looking. Anything else?
ReplyDeleteMy inclination was narcissism/Aspergers, but the Asperger association is fighting the claim (which was also the case with Adam Lanza). His fourteen years of therapy-did it make him better or worse? Tim Tebow; we had the NAIA small college world series here last week. One of the teams was a Mennonite college. Before the first batter up, the shortstop goes into a tebow, communicating with God, who apparently
ReplyDeletewas in left field, which is where the shortstop was tebowing to. Mennonites won the first game and lost their second. God plays no favorites, huh? I see the CA legislature is considering a law that concerned fearful parents can have a dangerous uncontrollable kid into custody. Solution, or silly complicate social engineering?
I'm actually at work and the Internet here sucks. NSA?
ReplyDeleteThis constant immersion in electronic media, can it alter the brain itself? any studies? They seem all wired up.
ReplyDeleteNot so much brain alteration, but probably the way we use our brain. Studies show a decreased attention span , the tendency to look
Deletefor quick summaries, etc. Perhaps, IMO, we have increased our data input,
but lack the focus and critical thinking to understand the data, take the time
to ponder and evaluate and get a depth of understanding? I see constantly
in blog arguments cherry picked data, almost universal talking points, tailored to a specific POV. Hence the refusal to accept Wiki as a legitimate
source when doing school papers. But Wiki has good references and bibliographies, which if followed and read provide more depth. The singularity, Z-Man...PW19, feed the human now.
I raise the question because all these psychos of late tend to be (a) young and (b) very familiar with computers/technology. Adam Lanza dwelt in dark but otherwise obscure chat rooms, James Holmes was into selfies and Elliot Rodger was all over the place. This doesn't strike me as being a loner. A pure loner would (a) not be familiar with the latest technology as he'd be living in a cave and (b) a loner/hater of all others would not be communicating with others via the Internet. I think the stereotypical media depictions of these individuals are off the mark, hell Rodger could have been having virtual sex by now. They're all users or were users of the latest technology, it forms a large portion of these psychos' waking moments so I pose the link and what does it mean?
DeleteNon-gun crime: a few days ago, some guy held up a grocery with a machete. The
ReplyDeletelittle old lady Chinese clerk whacked him with a golf club all the way down the street.
No assault rifles involved and she made par, ya know?
& recently some woman in CA I think was walking her two German Shepards with a friend and she killed two pit bulls who got loose and were attacking her dogs. She stabbed them with a knife and the owner of the pits who got loose was upset and said she overreacted. NO, it's just that people are tired of pit bulls being an ongoing problem. Again no guns involved.
DeleteAn interesting tale of long-distance hiking: A vegan guy (whose mother followed with food & drink and met him most every night. And a woman, totally unsupported,
ReplyDeletedid the 2,663 miles from sea level over 13,153 ft. on the Pacific Crest Trail in 60 continuous days. She overcame her fear of mountain lions when she
did an extra five hours after dark each day, spotting only four interested cougars on the trip. (do what you ant with 'cougar' there, Z-Man). I don't think she has a weight
problem.
I've often felt to really lose the pounds you need to go hardcore not all soft like these Dr. Oz diets (a snack here a snack there). My own metabolism has slowed way down to the point where if I'm to get back into my size 36 pants which I'm doing I have to go easy at lunch, say a salad or a banana and a green tea and then walk at least 3 miles EVERY day. There's no two ways around it, if you don't have the time you have to make the time.
DeleteApparently there is an Irish alternative to abortion?
ReplyDeleteIf he was around then Gosnell would have found himself right at home as director.
DeleteIMO, abortion was not involved. We may suspect that Irish understanding of the
ReplyDeletethoelogical construct regarding babies born and dying shortly after birth in that institution for unwed mothers resulted in the discarding of the 800 tiny corpses in other than hallowed ground.
Gosnell blurred those distinctions legally arbitrary though they are which is quite frankly why he's in prison. Very late-term abortion and infanticide really not much difference morally speaking.
ReplyDeleteMorally speaking; how much difference between a late term abortion and full term
ReplyDeleteanencephaly ?
Gosnell was a monster who outTilleredTiller. You always do this, I bring up late-term abortion and you bring up but the fetus had three penises. The emotionalism of liberalism.
ReplyDeleteTiller was shot and killed in church by some fella that thinks there's an NRA
Deletein heaven, but physicians, gotta love 'em..
Here's the thing about Tiller, soon as you resort to violence for your cause you make somebody into a martyr who in a sane universe would never be a martyr. Only the Left could make somebody like this into a hero.
DeleteIts OK, the followers of Jesus have found a replacement to harrass 24/7 and pray for the young woman doctor's death. Uh, haven't we been over this before? BTW, no one is currently harassing colonoscopists..might get sumpin going?
DeleteIMO there should be more criticism of colonoscopists but on a civil plane but that's another subject. You're making opposition to abortion primarily an evangelical concern. Myself: I'm fairly moderate on a fair range of issues but on abortion I'm pretty much to the right. Taken as a whole I don't consider myself an extremist and as you yourself linked to once there are even gays and the godless who are pro-life. Not saying evangelicals don't oppose abortion but the whole picture is painted that way.
DeleteOn a personal level I don't know how late-term abortionists sleep at night. Do they dream about their bloody work? I don't wanna put it in terms of you've never met an abortion you didn't like but have you ever met an abortion you may have disapproved of? so the puzzle all these years is how in hell can there be common ground on this issue? It rankels and for all these years my blog is just folks talking over each other most of the time. I think your friend Krauthammer has an interesting framework for the issue: he personally feels abortion should be legal but heavily stigmatized and pro-lifers should have every right to discourage women from seeking them. Would seem like a minor crumb the victorious choicers could graciously give out but they seem even against this. OK so then let's continue to talk over each other:)
DeleteThey say weight loss-wise that no matter the protein/sugar/ketone/aerobics & what not, it all boils down to calories in/calories burned. That falls into my school of thought on the matter. Along those lines, there was an early century character that
ReplyDeletepopularized chewing. To the extent that you chewed, but didn't swallow (some of the
nutrients were supposed to be absorbed in the mouth) except after an hour of chewing. His studies showed that by doing so, one could get by on about half the food normally eaten. Several state prisons tried it, thinking to save on meal costs.
Not only did it do that, but the prisoners became so malnourished that they started dying of simple things like the common cold...sort of a $$$ two-fer. My dear departed dad was a chewer aficionado: food should be chewed 20 times, he said.
Like a camel, he said. I remained a gulper, which paid off in basic training where you got a couple minutes for dinner...my dad would have died of the common cold down there at Ft. Leonard Wood. So..ever count calories?
I am using your calories in/out formula with partial success but it's complicated by a slower metabolism due to age.
DeleteAccording to all the old science fiction books and movies, by this time, we our human nutritional needs should be met with a single super pellet of
Deleteenriched scientific gook. (maybe the 'power drinks' are an incipient step?)
Star Trek cuisine - even if true how boring! The art of cooking would become practically extinct. Maybe if we play around with the space/time continuum one minute of sex will seem like an hour and so we can save time. As for all those power drinks I think Chuckie Schumer would like to ban them.
DeleteThen there is the body-type problem. The members of the Lewis-Clark Expedition walked 30 miles a day and consumed 5 lbs daily of buffalo and elk meat. The Virginian, Kentuckian and Ohio fellows remained thin and lanky, but the French Voyageur guys stayed round and plump. Negating the calorie in v burned theory?
DeleteWell these days all the techno-gadgets = lack of exercise. I've literally seen nerds in the library gain weight like time-lapse photography.
DeleteHave you tried the Smartphone Diet ?
ReplyDeleteI've pretty much used his approach in my weight loss. That's not the problem as losing the weight is really easy if you have the willpower. The real challenge is MAINTAINING your ideal weight over the long haul. There's way too much emphasis on the actual dieting and weight loss and not enough emphasis imo on maintaining your ideal weight over years and years. Let's face it when your diet has been successful you're gonna go back to eating in a more normal fashion and what happens then? Well you gain some of it back . Yeah I see joggers with all these armbands and they probably have all the fitness apps but I don't like to be all jiggered up for my walk. My cell, mace and maybe a bottle of water and that's it.
DeleteLooks like Iraq is going to hell. Should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the current neocon justification is now for having gone there in the first place. These countries, Iraq, Nigeria - seems their governments, security forces, armies are ineffective and the bad guys have full sway.
DeleteRegarding Iraqi current state of affairs; meet ISIS , the Islamic State of Iraq In Syria...considered by Al Qaeda as too
ReplyDeleteextreme. Could get ugly, Z-Man.
Things were more stable when what's-his-face ran the country. Do the neocons EVER take responsibility?
DeleteSure, they blame obama . Some of those old neocons are still upset that we left Vietnam. Some folks just need a 'casus belli'; go there, kick ass, raise the flag and convert the autochthonous folk to slick working US type democracy and pat themselves on the back. Doesn't seem to work all that well, ya know?
DeleteThere's quite a few conservatives who feel the real problem with 'Nam was we didn't stick it out like what's 50,000 more body bags if we Win.
DeleteI'm still chuckling over a short comment I made this morning on a Psychology Today post. The article was about 'opposites attract' and how that never works out. My
ReplyDeleteopposite and I celebrated our 49th anniversary this week...heh.
They've gone every which way on that one. I like to think of opposites complementing each other. Let's say you're always depressed the other person picks you up.
DeleteIraq: here's a new one- Jihad vs Jihad . They don't even need
ReplyDeleteMcCain.
I'm gonna scratch this one off my vacation wishlist. Another place I'm not going - Thailand.
DeleteI somewhat follow gun accidents, for example the 38 gun accidents of the week this week. Sort of shrinking the
ReplyDeleteNRA gene pool, IMO.
The sole purpose of a handgun is to maim or kill hence sooner or later you're gonna find a reason to use it. It'd be like having a cell phone and never using it, not plausible. Every other product we use for its intended purpose. My theory anyway.
Delete