Posted by jay on October 26, 2002, at 16:35:03
In reply to PRAY it's them!, posted by BeardedLady on October 24, 2002, at 7:04:27
I think one thing *everyone* should realize this is VERY much a political issue. I don't want to go on to big debates, but it is the lawmakers and politicians to be responsible for the safety of any community. Especially with the upcoming U.S. elections. This is a subjective political opinion, so please Dr. Bob keep that in mind. :-)
The U.S. voter turnout is usually between the 50-60 percent mark, at best. If people 'care' about what happened with the 'Sniper', they should also think of the thousands of deaths each year by guns. Politicians and government CAN sort the gun-control issue out, but with NRA and such, it seems everything is woven into the American 'gun-culture'. On a per capita basis, the U.S. has thousands upon thousands greater the gun-related violence death rate than any other country.
If people REALLY care, they will do everything they can to go to the polls and vote for the person who will *do the RIGHT and moralistic thing*. People cannot just sit idly by, humming and haw over what is in the news, and then refuse to go out on election day to vote for your desired "change" on the issues. It is a "show, don't tell" issue, and we have to put our money where our mouth is. Gun violence and control is a MASSIVE political issue, and we can not be armchair critics. If we wants some social issue to change, you *gotta* vote. Otherwise, the apathy is a negligence that does bear some greater societal costs.
Again, I know how strongly Americans value their guns, but I think it is about time you look at why gun homicide and suicide rates are far beyond those of any other country.
AND..if you want to see a good movie about the issue..go see 'Bowling for Comlumbine'. (It is from the GREAT Michael Moore, and his websites are www.michaelmoore.com and www.bowlingforcolumbine.com) This man has become the massive 'conscience of American society, and his books and movies easily sell in the millions.
So, read and learn about the issues..check out the excellent social and political science research out there. It is time people protest and raise their voices, and we can no longer afford to just read or watch the news and say..."..ahhh..someone else will look after it."
OK..sorry about the rant...but I feel it is vital. Raise your fists..and get involved. Here is a letter from Michael Moore which sums up the situation great:
October 25, 2002Dear friends,
Yesterday, Larry Bennett, a 16-year old, was shot in the head after he was
involved in a minor traffic accident. You probably didn't hear about it
because, well, how could he be dead if he wasn't shot by The Sniper?Yesterday, an unidentified woman was shot to death in her car in Fenton,
MI. You probably didn't hear about it because she had the misfortune of not
being shot by The Sniper.Two nights ago, Charles D. Bennett, 48, an apartment security guard, was
shot to death after confronting two teenagers in his parking lot in
Memphis, TN. You probably didn't hear about it because the sniper was too
busy sleeping in his car that night, and thus, poor Charles was not shot by
The Sniper.Yes, The Sniper has apparently been caught, so we can go back now to NOT
reporting the DOZENS of gun deaths that occur every day, the ones that just
aren't newsworthy because they happen in all those old boring ways --
unlike the ways of The Sniper, who was interesting and creative and
exciting and scary! He played so much better on the news.Of course, had Congress not caved in to the NRA we would have known after
the first HOUR of the first day of the killings three weeks ago that those
bullets were coming out of a rifle that belonged to John Williams/Mohammad.
How would we know this? It's right there in the state records in New
Jersey: this gun was purchased this past July, under the name of John
Mohammad!Many more people died needlessly in the days and weeks after that first
hour of the shootings, and every one of their deaths could have probably
been prevented had we had a national ballistics fingerprinting data base.Thank you, Mr. Heston for this unnecessary carnage. Thank you, Mr. Bush,
for supporting Mr. Heston and his group's agenda -- which protects only the
criminals.And thank you, Bushmaster Firearms, Inc., for providing the gun used to
shoot the 13 people in the DC area. Bushmaster's president, Richard E.
Dyke, was the Maine finance chairman of George W. Bush's 2000 Presidential
campaign. According to Business Week, Dyke had to step down as Bush's
finance chair "after reporters began quizzing him about his business
dealings. Bushmaster Firearms Inc., is notorious for using loopholes to
sidestep a 1994 federal ban on assault rifles." Bush and Bushmaster. Too
tragically perfect.
If everyone reading this letter (and you now number in the millions) would
share this fact with just one person who is thinking of skipping going to
the polls on Nov. 5th, I believe that on Nov. 6th, Mr. Bush will have
neither the Senate nor the House doing his or Heston's bidding. Americans
don't like people who assist serial killers in being able to ratchet up
their kills because The Sniper knows that his bullets are prohibited by law
from being traced to his gun.That, in a nutshell, is what the NRA is all about -- and I implore all
responsible gun owners and hunters to join with me in putting an end to the
NRA agenda once and for all. Don't give Bush his majority on November 5th.
He's already seen to it that his cronies in big business have wiped out
your 401 (K), and they are doing their best to see that you are left with
no pension at all. That alone should be reason enough to NOT pull a single
lever for a Republican on Nov. 5th. Send a message. Do something brave.Yours,
Michael Moore
mike@michaelmoore.com
www.michaelmoore.com <http://www.michaelmoore.com>;
PS. "Bowling for Columbine" opens in a few dozen new cities this weekend,
including Portland, Minneapolis, Sacramento, South Florida, Atlanta,
Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, a bunch of
towns in New Jersey, that village in Connecticut where we liberated the
beaches, a theatre in Times Square, Detroit (Royal Oak), and Denver. Click
here (http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/about/theaters.php) to see the
full list of theatres where it opens today.PPS. Don't forget to show up in DC or SF tomorrow to voice your opposition
to the War on Iraq. Many other cities are holding rallies. Check out my
mission from the Office of Homeland Security (http://www.michaelmoore.com)
for details.PPPS. You can find out more about the candidates to beat and the ones to
support in the upcoming election here:
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/involved/gop.php.
> Just woke up from yet another 3:00 a.m. sleeping pill to news that a father-son team has been captured in the exact vehicle police have been looking for. Fingerprints of the son match those left on one of the notes.
>
> Someone at a rest stop thirty minutes from here reported the two men sleeping in the vehicle, and they were arrested two hours later, while police carefully dotted Is and crossed Ts.
>
> Please pray it's them that we are no longer the sniper's prey.
>
> beardy
poster:jay
thread:31596
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20021022/msgs/31690.html