The numbing down of America

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
The numbing down of America
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The litany of senseless gun murders in the US will continue as long as so many citizens continue labouring under the mistaken belief that personal weapons are essential

It was difficult not to sympathise with US President Barack Obama last week when he expressed anguish over what has become utterly mundane in modern-day America: the gunning down of multiple people in single, horrific incidents.

"Somehow this has become routine," the president said after a 26-year-old gunman killed nine people at a community college in Oregon on Thursday and then himself. "The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it - we have become numb to this.

"This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America."

Obama issued yet another call for tougher gun legislation, an echo of his pleas following the Newtown, Connecticut, school killings in 2012. Despite an immense groundswell of public support for gun control at that time, US legislators ultimately ignored the pleas, leaving the president of the world's most powerful nation powerless to make a difference.

The Oregon man who perpetrated last week's terror carried six firearms, including a rifle, to the college and had eight more at home. It was the 45th school shooting in the US this year alone. Yet such awful numbers never add up to legislation that might curb the carnage, so strong is the pro-gun lobby and so deep-rooted the belief among many Americans that they have a "God-given right" to own weapons.

The US has become a virtual armed camp, with an estimated one gun for every American. To those who say that's too many, the gun lobby counters that, if everyone carried a weapon as a deterrent, there would be no crime at all. The problem of school shootings would vanish if teachers were armed, they insist.

In a recent study Harvard University found that, between 1982 and 2011, there were on average mass shootings in America every 200 days, and since 2011 every 64 days. No other country in the world has a problem with gun murders on this scale.

It is wearying to hear these people and the National Rifle Association (funded by US weapons manufacturers) continually evoke the Second Amendment to the US Constitution that gives citizens the right to arm themselves. The authors of that amendment specifically had in mind an armed militia of civilians that could be quickly mustered in the event of any threat to the nation. In its modern-day interpretation, however, it enables individuals to stockpile weapons of high calibre and brutal force for the sheer pleasure of it - or for mass homicide.

But the Second Amendment is only a small part of this ghastly picture. Legal access to firearms - including assault rifles and machine guns banned as war weapons in most countries - is widespread and easy, legislation varies from state to state, and enforcement of existing laws is spotty. The much-vaunted use of "background checks" on prospective gun buyers is readily undercut by online vendors. And then there are the black-market suppliers.

All of these gaping holes need to be closed if America is ever to emerge from this nightmare, but then what to do about the reform-busting senators and congressmen (and Republican presidential candidates) who have no interest in taking action on any of the above? And what to do about the vast segment of American voters, on whose support they depend, who count gun ownership among their inalienable rights not to be touched by government, as a key element in "the pursuit of happiness"?

As long as this mindset remains a significant factor in American society, and as long as the arms industry and the gun lobby can fool people into believing that guns are essential to everyday life, the litany of mass shootings will continue.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/The-numbing-down-of-America-30270460.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-09

[phuketandsee]

Oh boy, this will be interesting.

[yellowboat]

Concerns Americans face are the lessons from history, despotic rule. That is what spawned the 2nd amendment. The British treating the colonies as servants to a king who could search and seize at will. The last 80 years of history has also recorded despots killing millions of unarmed civilians.

The answer will probably be either more or less guns. Many Americans prefer to protect themselves, so it looks like more guns rather than less.

[ggt]

I have collected over 20 firearms: Shotguns of all gages, Many Rifles (WWI and WWII Military Issue), and a few hand guns. The price of firearms continue to go up as the government actually does make it more difficult to obtain them.

Neither me nor my guns are a problem for American society...it is the person with a criminal mind...that will find a way to obtain a weapon...regardless of what regulations are in place...that is the problem...

We have crimes committed using everything from a firearm to a screwdriver...a person bent on doing someone harm will find a way...

You can not legislate human behavior...

[TooPoopedToPop]

I have collected over 20 firearms: Shotguns of all gages, Many Rifles (WWI and WWII Military Issue), and a few hand guns. The price of firearms continue to go up as the government actually does make it more difficult to obtain them.

Neither me nor my guns are a problem for American society...it is the person with a criminal mind...that will find a way to obtain a weapon...regardless of what regulations are in place...that is the problem...

We have crimes committed using everything from a firearm to a screwdriver...a person bent on doing someone harm will find a way...

You can not legislate human behavior...

What you say is quite true and I agree - but the fact remains that a semi-automatic rifle with a large magazine can kill more people, and do it faster than a knife or a screwdriver.

[Johnsy]

"More Americans have died from guns in the US since 1968 than on the battlefields of all the wars in American history, 33,000 dead a year!"

"Outside of war zones and struggling nations, nobody comes close to the United States when it comes to gun violence and death by guns."

[zackattack]

I'm American and carrying guns is my constitutional right

[zackattack]

We will keep on carrying guns and that's a fact of life they will never stop that. When they do that's the day the government will be shut down for a long time

[oneday]

People have to vote those out of office that support the NRA. If they can't do that then it will be business as usual.

This is called Democracy. As bad as this is, I still prefer a Democracy over other forms of government.

[Emster23]

Total gun homicides in Thailand are higher than US total (not per capita, but total). I don't accept Americans getting numb, which means they don't care and don't want change. Thailand is different: the people don't know, don't care, and have been powerless so long that "mai pen rai" is about as far as they go. Becoming numb assumes once had feelings, which is not the case here.

[ausbeat999]

There's two sides to this and yes it will be interesting, Australia has strict gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre. But you can still buy a gun "black market" for a hefty price unlike the US were it would be much more affordable, and the price difference I read is massive, so that eliminates the school kid acquiring a mass killing firearm unless his parents or friends have stock of this.

The other side to this is the disarming of its citizens so they can't respond to the over powering control the US government want. This also includes the dumbing down of education, media control, suppression of history, vaccines the list goes on. you must remember there is a government behind the government. As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country although I think they might dumb this down here as well. As well you know the conspiracy thing on a one world government is all out in the open now and people like David Rockefeller and his cohorts have admitted this. Basically the Us citizens are being screwed to conform or else. It is a christian country that was established that way weather you like it or not, but Obama takes the liberty to criticise and mock the religion of his power and the US citizens. It will all come out in the wash one day and it will be too late.

[razer]

Would someone explain how stricter gun laws would affect law abiding gun owners who bought their gun legally in their state of residence?

[godden]

Be interesting to see what happens when only the bad guys have guns.

[Honkeydog]

And then there are the black-market suppliers. They will always exist and the facts confirm where there are more guns there is less use of them. Most violence happens in "gun free zones". Saw it all has except one incident? That speaks louder than any words. There is some thought the violence is orchestrated by Obama adm as a way to meet his end socialistic goal of gun control. I am inclined to agree. See what happens after he is gone. NO stopping 100% with or without gun control. Nice thinking but just a dream!

[topt]

There's two sides to this and yes it will be interesting, Australia has strict gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre. But you can still buy a gun "black market" for a hefty price unlike the US were it would be much more affordable, and the price difference I read is massive, so that eliminates the school kid acquiring a mass killing firearm unless his parents or friends have stock of this.

The other side to this is the disarming of its citizens so they can't respond to the over powering control the US government want. This also includes the dumbing down of education, media control, suppression of history, vaccines the list goes on. you must remember there is a government behind the government. As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country although I think they might dumb this down here as well. As well you know the conspiracy thing on a one world government is all out in the open now and people like David Rockefeller and his cohorts have admitted this. Basically the Us citizens are being screwed to conform or else. It is a christian country that was established that way weather you like it or not, but Obama takes the liberty to criticise and mock the religion of his power and the US citizens. It will all come out in the wash one day and it will be too late.

As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country

No I don't know - and I have never heard anybody suggest this before. If anything the opposite. Care to give some examples?

Oh and just curious but do you wear a permanent tin foil hat as well..................

[TheCruncher]

Be interesting to see what happens when only the bad guys have guns.

I guess about the same as in the numerous other countries in the world where only the bad boys have guns.

In short, there will be much less gun violence.

[Soutpeel]

I'm American and carrying guns is my constitutional right

For now

[BarnicaleBob]

At the time the United States was formed, our forefathers who had lived through oppression wanted to insure that the new government they were forming would never be able to oppress its citizens as the British had done. Therefore, the Second Amendment was written into the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was primarily written to protect the people of the United States from their own government.

The Bill of Rights enumerates freedoms not explicitly indicated in the main body of the Constitution, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, and free assembly; the right to keep and bear arms; freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, security in personal effects, and freedom from warrants issued without probable cause; indictment by a grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime"; guarantee of a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury; and prohibition of double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights reserves for the people any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and reserves all powers not specifically granted to the federal government to the people or the States.

[FangFerang]

Congress passed a bill a few months ago forbidding the WHO form conducting any investigations into gun violence in the United States. Both parties want a distracting American football to toss around anytime people start paying attention.

And that is a ridiculous pair of facts.

PS: For all you supporters of no gun restrictions who cite the Second Amendment of the Constitution, I have to ask: Have you ever read the Second Amendment? It states "..a well-regulated militia...". People quoting documents to defend their positions should at least read the documents they quote. How is it well-regulated when people with mental problems and violent histories can buy guns?

I'm a sport shooter and hunting enthusiast. Letting guns be sold to mentally unstable people and criminals is sheer stupidity.

Edited October 9, 2015 by FangFerang

[ausbeat999]

There's two sides to this and yes it will be interesting, Australia has strict gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre. But you can still buy a gun "black market" for a hefty price unlike the US were it would be much more affordable, and the price difference I read is massive, so that eliminates the school kid acquiring a mass killing firearm unless his parents or friends have stock of this.

The other side to this is the disarming of its citizens so they can't respond to the over powering control the US government want. This also includes the dumbing down of education, media control, suppression of history, vaccines the list goes on. you must remember there is a government behind the government. As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country although I think they might dumb this down here as well. As well you know the conspiracy thing on a one world government is all out in the open now and people like David Rockefeller and his cohorts have admitted this. Basically the Us citizens are being screwed to conform or else. It is a christian country that was established that way weather you like it or not, but Obama takes the liberty to criticise and mock the religion of his power and the US citizens. It will all come out in the wash one day and it will be too late.

As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country

No I don't know - and I have never heard anybody suggest this before. If anything the opposite. Care to give some examples?

Oh and just curious but do you wear a permanent tin foil hat as well..................

I am from australia and many things I had been looking at here in thailand , were not available in australia mostly youtube, they were blocked or not available. When I came back to Thailand they were still here on the internet. So I know first hand whats happening. everything is wrong even going back to your basic education of looking at the world in your classroom...If you are from america, and are not in the know, you would have been shielded from so much info...even when I go back to australia and show friends articles from real journalists or other paraphernalia, they are gob smacked, as you know most media is controlled and if you don't believe that you are either a fool or you are a troll.

[MaeJoMTB]

What you say is quite true and I agree - but the fact remains that a semi-automatic rifle with a large magazine can kill more people, and do it faster than a knife or a screwdriver.

That just isn't true.

Generally only the first shot will hit anything .... after that, they're shooting in the air.

And that's even with trained shooters.

Give me a Beretta M92, with a standard 15 shot mag, and I'll get 15.

As for gun Vs knife, it would again depend on the training, and gun type.

A confident guy with a knife up close will cut you every time.

If I wanted to kill a lot of people in a hurry, and didn't care who they were, my weapon of choice would be a truck (or passenger aircraft).

Edited October 9, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[spidermike007]

"More Americans have died from guns in the US since 1968 than on the battlefields of all the wars in American history, 33,000 dead a year!"

"Outside of war zones and struggling nations, nobody comes close to the United States when it comes to gun violence and death by guns."

Please do your research before you post such inane drivel, and false information.

Civil war deaths: 618,222

WWI deaths - 116,516

WWI deaths - 405,399

Vietnam war - 58,177

Korean War - 36,568

And these are only American deaths. The amount of deaths inflicted on the enemy, with the obvious exception of the Civil war, was astoundingly higher. In Vietnam alone, well over 2 million.

[David in the north]

U.K. has some of the strictest firearms regulations in the world. There are now more illegal firearms in the U.K. than ever before..............

Edited October 9, 2015 by metisdead
Bold font removed.

[topt]

There's two sides to this and yes it will be interesting, Australia has strict gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre. But you can still buy a gun "black market" for a hefty price unlike the US were it would be much more affordable, and the price difference I read is massive, so that eliminates the school kid acquiring a mass killing firearm unless his parents or friends have stock of this.

The other side to this is the disarming of its citizens so they can't respond to the over powering control the US government want. This also includes the dumbing down of education, media control, suppression of history, vaccines the list goes on. you must remember there is a government behind the government. As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country although I think they might dumb this down here as well. As well you know the conspiracy thing on a one world government is all out in the open now and people like David Rockefeller and his cohorts have admitted this. Basically the Us citizens are being screwed to conform or else. It is a christian country that was established that way weather you like it or not, but Obama takes the liberty to criticise and mock the religion of his power and the US citizens. It will all come out in the wash one day and it will be too late.

As you know the information you can acquire from the internet in Thailand is far greater than your home country

No I don't know - and I have never heard anybody suggest this before. If anything the opposite. Care to give some examples?

Oh and just curious but do you wear a permanent tin foil hat as well..................

I am from australia and many things I had been looking at here in thailand , were not available in australia mostly youtube, they were blocked or not available. When I came back to Thailand they were still here on the internet. So I know first hand whats happening. everything is wrong even going back to your basic education of looking at the world in your classroom...If you are from america, and are not in the know, you would have been shielded from so much info...even when I go back to australia and show friends articles from real journalists or other paraphernalia, they are gob smacked, as you know most media is controlled and if you don't believe that you are either a fool or you are a troll.

You Tube - the shining light in the darkness, the oracle............

[Ulic]

"More Americans have died from guns in the US since 1968 than on the battlefields of all the wars in American history, 33,000 dead a year!"

"Outside of war zones and struggling nations, nobody comes close to the United States when it comes to gun violence and death by guns."

Please do your research before you post such inane drivel, and false information.

Civil war deaths: 618,222

WWI deaths - 116,516

WWI deaths - 405,399

Vietnam war - 58,177

Korean War - 36,568

And these are only American deaths. The amount of deaths inflicted on the enemy, with the obvious exception of the Civil war, was astoundingly higher. In Vietnam alone, well over 2 million.

You do realize he says Americans that have been killed and he says 33,000 killed per year

(I don't know if he is correct) but that would make for over 1.5 million and that would be greater

than the numbers you have listed.

[TPI]

Be interesting to see what happens when only the bad guys have guns.

I guess about the same as in the numerous other countries in the world where only the bad boys have guns.

In short, there will be much less gun violence.

Sorry mate but that's not correct! Crimes involving firearms have climbed in the UK and Australia, all involve illegal firearms! This arguement blaming the weapon for the crime doesn't hold water, admittingly mass killing or spur of the moment killing are made easier with a firearm but more to the point must be the mental health of the perpetrator!

In Australia the mass shootings were carried out by men with serious mental health problems, nearly all were under medical care and usually on "Prosac"! Nobody ever questions the treatment or the drugs perscribed......that would be taboo!

[GeorgesAbitbol]

U.K. has some of the strictest firearms regulations in the world. There are now more illegal firearms in the U.K. than ever before..............

yes, because there is a regulation which make them easily illegals. And that means if a cop find your gun and it was illegally owned or not declared, it will be confiscated

[GeorgesAbitbol]

History, facts, stats and studies show USA is more violent that any country with tough gun regulation.

But I guess most of the pro guns (who at the same times are the ones who say they own one to 'be ready' for any oppressive government) are the ones who are owned by the NRA.

When it is more difficult to have a driving licence than a gun licence you know which kind of country you're in.

When you have a country which promotes the use of guns and even design "small rifles" for kids with bubblegum colors, you know it won't change.

When you can buy a gun at the same place you buy vegetables, you know the whole system is f.cked up.

[jerome2]

Acording to the war on kids it is the medication school force uppon children that is responsible and many more chidren commit scuicide

[MaeJoMTB]

When it is more difficult to have a driving licence than a gun licence you know which kind of country you're in.

More people in the USA are killed by cars than by guns!

RTA deaths 2012 = 36,000

Gun deaths 2012 = 30,000

So logically the US authorities have that right.

Edited October 9, 2015 by MaeJoMTB