Police shootings, mass shootings, terrorism, and humanity's descent into madness

[GermanDunk]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Munich shooting: Police operation underway, report says several killed at mall

Reports of 3 shooters, 3 people dead, 10 injured... So far.

Ugh. A GSG9 unit is flown in from Bonn. This is far from over.

[GermanDunk]

Yeah. First suicide bomber in Germany.

@Ehrhausl 5 Min.Vor 5 Minuten
Axe attack in #Würzburg, mass shooting in #München. machete attack in #Reutlingen and a suicide bombing in #Ansbach. All in a week!

[Underdog]

2 ISIS bros chopped off the head of a 92-year-old priest in France, police shot them dead... I changed the thread title as a catch-all for all the crazy violence going on in the world right now.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I changed the thread title as a catch-all for all the crazy violence going on in the world right now.

appropriate - but sad that this is the case.
The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasing and evil character of man and people who actively “oppose the truth” (2 Tim.3:1–9; 2 Thess 2:3).

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

appropriate - but sad that this is the case.
The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasing and evil character of man and people who actively “oppose the truth” (2 Tim.3:1–9; 2 Thess 2:3).

Why, then, would the period from 1936-1945 not have been the Last Days?
Or 1914-1918? Or 1861-1865?

As disturbing as events are today, there are plenty of times throughout history when they have been far worse. The difference is that technology makes every outrageous act instant news.

Last Days predictions are a dime a dozen.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by Jack.Kerr

Why, then, would the period from 1936-1945 not have been the Last Days?
Or 1914-1918? Or 1861-1865?

As disturbing as events are today, there are plenty of times throughout history when they have been far worse. The difference is that technology makes every outrageous act instant news.

Last Days predictions are a dime a dozen.

Great points - And I'm sure the people of those days thought the same thing. And I
agree that no one can predict the "end times". Just pointing out that the depravity of man
knows no end.

[Underdog]

[MavzMan]

It's hard to tell if things are truly getting worse or if instant-news is just making it look that way. It's obvious that doom and gloom is the only thing news media wants to show us now. I want to believe that the world is better place than it was 10, 20, 30 years ago, but it's hard when you hear about a 13 year old girl shooting an elderly couple so that she can steal hair supplies.

[GermanDunk]

Over here, it has become very bad. Currently there is another police mission underway. Mall in Bremen evacuated, because a 19 yr. old citizen from Algeria has vanished from a psychiatric hospital. Again SEK or MEK at the scene ...



Meanwhile ...

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

It's hard to tell if things are truly getting worse or if instant-news is just making it look that way. It's obvious that doom and gloom is the only thing news media wants to show us now. I want to believe that the world is better place than it was 10, 20, 30 years ago, but it's hard when you hear about a 13 year old girl shooting an elderly couple so that she can steal hair supplies.

The impression I'm under is that gun-related deaths are up overall and that police shootings (meaning private citizens killing cops) are down.

In 2016, so far 32 police officers have been killed by gunfire (plus one accidental friendly-fire death). Last year it was 42, in 2014 it was 50, and in 2013 it was 32. These figures are according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

So far in 2016, there have been 7909 deaths from gun violence, compared to about 13,000 in 2015. Both reflect about 36 deaths per day. These figures are according to the Gun Violence Archive. The CDC estimates 11,208 firearm homicides in 2013 and 10,945 in 2014. According to the CDC, there are usually twice as many gun-related deaths ruled suicides.

For gun-related homicides, the death rate is about half what it is today than it was in 1980.

For comparison's sake, deaths from terrorism since 2001 are about 0.08% as many as are related to gun-related deaths (homicide, suicide and accidental discharges).

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

Great points - And I'm sure the people of those days thought the same thing. And I
agree that no one can predict the "end times". Just pointing out that the depravity of man
knows no end.

Your post along with the 50th anniversary of the UT sniper attack made me think about the decade of the 60s in comparison to now, and I have to think that was a much more frightening time given everything that was happening then:

1960 Lunch Counter Protests
1961 Freedom Riders in Mississippi
1961 Bay of Pigs
1961 U.S. Troops isent to Indochina
1961 Soviet Hydrogen Bomb Explosion
1962 Desegregation in Mississippi
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
1963 Medgar Evers Assassination in Mississippi
1963 Birmingham Church Bombing- Birmingham, AL
1963 John F. Kennedy Assassination- Dallas
1964 Bloody Tuesday-Tuscaloosa, Alabama
1964 Chaney Goodman Schwermer Murders in Mississippi
1965 Bloody Sunday- Selma to Montgomery Marches Alabama
1965 U.S. Military Engagament in Vietnam
1965 Malcolm X Assassination in New York City
1965 Watts Riots in Los Angeles
1966 University of Texas Tower Sniper
1968 Martin Luther King Assassination in Memphis
1968 Robert F. Kennedy Assassination in Los Angeles
1968 Protests at Democratic National Convention in Chicago
1969 Campus Protests- Berkeley
1969 Stonewall Protests- New York
1969 Tate-Labianca Killings- Los Angeles
1970 Kent State Shootings - Ohio

The violent reactions to the Civil Rights movement, the assassinations of political leaders and civil rights activists, the Vietnam war, the constant anti-war protests and campus unrest, inner city riots, mass murders, the threat of nuclear war....even with the terrorist attacks of today, the mass gun murders, the bad acts of some members of law enforcement.... the 1960s still sounds like a much more turbulent time, and it was before people were as inured to public violence.

I still think that things have gotten better overall, even as terrorism and gun violence have become more acute.

[Underdog]

On the topic of "are things better or worse than they've ever been?"

Is War Over? — A Paradox Explained

[GermanDunk]

That is quite reasonable, i think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm5SYxRXHsI

[GermanDunk]

... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ter_mailonline

[GermanDunk]

[GermanDunk]

3 bombs go off at Champions League clash in Dortmund. Defender injured. Match postponed

[sefant77]

That was hooligan shit and no terrorism.

Maybe Schalke, maybe even their own banned groups who wanted to give Watzke some payback

[GermanDunk]

Is you serious @ hooliganism ?

[sefant77]

Focus is horseshit, but something like that

http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschl...d_6960121.html

[GermanDunk]

Interesting. They use a technique, called "linking". By mentioning the new player -and competitor- on the magazine market ( the name COMPACT is mentioned 4 x - the editor 2 x ) in one sentence with the bombers´ "confession", they create a "link". They rely on the fact, that the normal reader does not know the trick.

But i don´t go with that. Planting three road bomb devices is not typical for violent supporters and i don´t think RB has already build C+ category fans.

[GermanDunk]

Van hits pedestrians' on London Bridge - ~ 20 injured - stabbing wounds reported

[GermanDunk]

3rd incident in Vauxhall, London, reported.

[sefant77]

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!
08:43 - 4 Jun 2017

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._United_States

Orange idiot strikes again....didnt count the number of mass shooting victims in the USA in 2016, but wouldnt be surprised if its kind of the same number than victims of terror in entire europe in 2016

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by sefant77

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._United_States

Orange idiot strikes again....didnt count the number of mass shooting victims in the USA in 2016, but wouldnt be surprised if its kind of the same number than victims of terror in entire europe in 2016

Don't have the 2016 numbers, but here's the 2015 numbers:

People killed by terrorism in Europe: 175
People killed by mass shootings in America: 475

[sefant77]

So...i assume there is no tweet from Donald...seven dead in London, four dead in Orlando....

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/05/us...ies/index.html

[DirkFTW]

Report: After Charlottesville, ESPN Pulls Announcer Robert Lee From Virginia Game

In the wake of the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Va., ESPN has pulled announcer Robert Lee from broadcasting University of Virginia football games because he shares a name with the famous Confederate general Robert E. Lee, according to Outkick the Coverage's Clay Travis.

Travis discussed the removal of Lee, who is of Asian descent, on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

wat

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DirkFTW

wat

@DennisWalkerJr: In light of the ESPN Robert Lee fiasco, can we try to find a confederate general named Joe Buck?

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@DennisWalkerJr: In light of the ESPN Robert Lee fiasco, can we try to find a confederate general named Joe Buck?

No such luck, but Stephen Smith needs to go!

[sefant77]

So Bruce Lee was a Nazi too...or?

[Underdog]

At least 50 dead, more than 400 hurt in Las Vegas concert attack

The first step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem... Get help, America. You have a gun problem.


@GunDeaths: First 9 months of 2017:

[EricaLubarsky]

http://www.theonion.com/article/no-w...ere-this-36131

[sefant77]

Your 2nd amendment is outdated horseshit

And of course

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!
08:43 - 4 Jun 2017

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Your 2nd amendment is outdated horseshit

The 2nd Amendment became obsolete the moment a centralized military replaced militias.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

The US has a violence problem as much as they have a gun problem. I'm not against stricter gun laws, but it's a cultural problem that doesn't seem to have an easy fix. Mix in the fact that we are so behind in helping people (esp Vets) with mental illness that it doesn't surprise me that these things keep happening.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

The US has a violence problem as much as they have a gun problem. I'm not against stricter gun laws, but it's a cultural problem that doesn't seem to have an easy fix. Mix in the fact that we are so behind in helping people (esp Vets) with mental illness that it doesn't surprise me that these things keep happening.

I see the "mental illness" thing touted often when these killing sprees occur, so I guess we can be thankful that Trump reversed Obama's ban on selling guns to mentally ill people... Wait, what??

Wouldn't tighter gun regulations help quell the culture of violence? Only a gun-fetishist would advocate for the right to own an AR-15, seeing as how there's no practical use for them outside of military applications -- use it to hunt and there won't be anything left to eat/display, use it to protect your home and the bullets go through your wall and into your neighbor's home... Not to mention that people who fetishize guns are definitely part of the problem, since they've taken a tool and turned it into a lifestyle/political statement (all of these mass murderers have gun porn plastered all over their Facebook page -- you can see them coming from a mile away).

[MavzMan]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I see the "mental illness" thing touted often when these killing sprees occur, so I guess we can be thankful that Trump reversed Obama's ban on selling guns to mentally ill people... Wait, what??

You are obviously much more in tune with everything political than I am and rather than make it seem like I'm trying to pick a fight, which I honestly am not, will you read these and let me know your thoughts for/against? From my quick scanning, it looks like the repeal was against the Social Security Administration deeming someone mentally ill based on the sole fact they were in financial distress.

gop-did-not-just-repeal-background-check-system-or-give-guns-mentally-ill

This is the ACLU letter referenced in the article actually asking for the repeal:

https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-co...17/01/ACLU.pdf

So my brother is on disability and struggles financially, should he be declared "mentally ill" by the SSA and prevented from buying a gun? Actually, he is an OKC Thunder fan so there is that also.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

You are obviously much more in tune with everything political than I am and rather than make it seem like I'm trying to pick a fight, which I honestly am not, will you read these and let me know your thoughts for/against? From my quick scanning, it looks like the repeal was against the Social Security Administration deeming someone mentally ill based on the sole fact they were in financial distress.

gop-did-not-just-repeal-background-check-system-or-give-guns-mentally-ill

This is the ACLU letter referenced in the article actually asking for the repeal:

https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-co...17/01/ACLU.pdf

So my brother is on disability and struggles financially, should he be declared "mentally ill" by the SSA and prevented from buying a gun? Actually, he is an OKC Thunder fan so there is that also.

That article makes assumptions of the type of people who COULD be on that watch list rather than the type of people who were actually on it... I absolutely agree that barring someone from owning a handgun because they can't manage their money is unconstitutional, but none of the 75,000 people on that list fell under that designation. True, the Social Security Administration can (and does) deem people mentally ill because they can't manage their finances (which I also don't agree with), and that DOES open up the door for abuse of the rule down the line, but the only people who were on that watch list were so mentally disabled that they required a trustee for personal management. In other words, the people banned from buying a gun under that law were schizophrenic, autistic, had severe brain damage from drug abuse or injuries, etc.

So instead of repealing the law, Trump should have amended what the SSA can deem as "legally unfit" and closed the door on possible future abuse of ticky-tacky mental illness designations... But instead, he falaciated the gun industry and tossed the whole thing out because they contributed $30,000,000 to his campaign... So now people with severe mental illness can buy guns AND the SSA can still call poor people mentally unfit -- it's lose-lose for everybody except the gun manufacturers.

The GOP is also currently trying to legalize silencers so the gun industry can find yet another way to make a buck... Which is insane when you consider how many more people would have been killed last night if they couldn't hear the gun shots. The only people who need silencers are mafia hitmen, yet the GOP is trying to make them available to everyone so they can line the pockets of their political donors.


EDIT: sorry to hear about your brother... I don't want to say there's no hope for him, but Westbrook/George/Melo is going to make it impossible for him to recover. It's sad, but true. Sometimes you just have to accept that you can't save the ones you love.

[MavzMan]

Actually, according to snopes, it was already illegal to sell to anyone "who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or who has been committed to a mental institution”. Another article says that "eating and sleep disorders as examples of illnesses that could allow a beneficiary to be reported to the background check system". I can't find an article listing who was or was not actually on the list and even then how it would be used. If Joe Sleepwalker has a sleep disorder and wants to buy a .22 to kill that damn armadillo tearing up his yard, is he automatically flagged as mentally ill? Looks like there needs to be a better way to manage the mentally ill red flags of purchasing a gun rather than letting the Social Security Administration do it.

Don't get me started on donations and PACs and don't even think it's just Trump. The amount of money being thrown into Washington ... i literally cannot even imagine. That is where corruption is running rampant and I have no idea what it will take to fix ... or at least not a good idea. The only ideas I can come up with are all bad as in revolution and splitting this country again.

Silencers were already legal. It just required $200 and a waiting period. But yeah, I'm not seeing why that should be changed. If I really wanted a silencer, I would not mind the extra money and wait. Why i would want a silencer? I don't know honestly. After I went through the gun safety course, I asked about it and was shocked that it was even an option.

[sefant77]

[sefant77]

There's something going on in the world. A situation we cannot ignore any longer and we need to address it:

https://youtu.be/a-o9pwWUzz0?list=UU...vzpHwMNwlz88Zw