The Swamp

I see from FB this morning we've once again managed to turn our eyes to an "Army Veteran Hero" during this event rather than talk about the real problems plaguing us. I'm so excited for the first Rush Limbaugh or similar ass hat to twist this into "You see? That's why a strong military is so important! Because they run at bad guys with guns in crisis situations!"

No disrespect to the man who allegedly tried to protect people from this psycho, but it's sad that this is the narrative that is going to go on display for all of us. I'd like to think I'd be brave enough to charge a dude trying to shoot up a place, but I'm really not sure.


Edit: I clicked on the little hashtag with his name on FB right after I posted this and the 3rd article down says "He should be hailed as a hero by Obama, but nope: because gun control." -- Guy is lying in a hospital bed and Captain Internet Conservative has already decided this is a good in for him. Fucking sad.

Now is not the time to push narratives the right doesn't like.



(Assuming that story is true, the dude is amazing and deserves all the praise he gets. But even better would have been him not getting shot 5 times in the first place.)

I think the more we can talk about him the better. It's morbid, but if he wasn't the target for that period of time, how many other people would have been the target? I don't care what the right says, or the left, the dude is awesome.

A_B wrote:I think the more we can talk about him the better. It's morbid, but if he wasn't the target for that period of time, how many other people would have been the target? I don't care what the right says, or the left, the dude is awesome.

I don't want to lose the heroism in the guy's act. It was incredibly brave. I'm just upset that it takes away from the discussion we really need to be having, which is why a guy like this is put in the position to be a bullet sponge. The fact that he is US Army is only going to make the hardrighties latch on to this even more and drive the discussion away for the real points.

Nothing but respect for that man, it is just a shitty set of circumstances.

Johnnie wrote:I was just reading that the shooter targeted Christians.

The War on Christianity continues...

You know what? I'd hold off on that whole "shooter targeted Christians" story. Why? Remember the whole Cassie Bernall/"She answered yes" story that came out of Columbine? Completely false. Never happened. But people (looking at you, Rick Santorum) still repeat that story like its the god's honest truth.

DaveInSeattle wrote:

Johnnie wrote:I was just reading that the shooter targeted Christians.

The War on Christianity continues...

You know what? I'd hold off on that whole "shooter targeted Christians" story. Why? Remember the whole Cassie Bernall/"She answered yes" story that came out of Columbine? Completely false. Never happened. But people (looking at you, Rick Santorum) still repeat that story like its the god's honest truth.

BUT THEY'RE MAKING A MOVIE OUT OF IT WITH A DUGGAR! SAY IT AIN'T SO DIS!!!

This seems like some questionable lieutenant governing...

Reading the AP story about the shootings and came across this:

There didn't seem to be many recent connections on the social media sites linked to Mercer, with his MySpace page just showing two friends.

While I'm sure the guy was the stereotypical loner I wouldn't actually be using activity on his MySpace page as proof of anything. Is anyone still on MySpace?

He posted on 4Chan the night before.

Also from 4Chan.

SEDALIA, MO—Following yesterday’s speech by the president addressing the recent events in Roseburg, OR, local 42-year-old Tim Moss expressed his outrage to reporters that President Obama was attempting to capitalize off a tragedy to push his anti-tragedy agenda. “It’s just disgusting and shameful that, once again, the first thing out of Obama’s mouth after a tragedy is that he wants to limit tragedies,” said Moss, adding that it is both insensitive and opportunistic of the president to suddenly shift the conversation toward curbing the number of tragedies as the nation mourns in the wake of this tragedy. “Every single time this happens, he makes the tragedy all about clamping down on tragedies, and it’s simply not the time or the place for him to be going in front of the camera and pushing for steps to decrease the number of tragedies. Christ, this is a national tragedy we’re dealing with right now.” Moss added that he hopes Obama conducts himself more appropriately during the next tragedy.

http://www.theonion.com/article/man-can ... anti-51455" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's just all so sickening.

And people are just so moronic - the attention span of dogs. They might be on the verge of looking at gun control as being something to pursue, but then the the loud voices scream about Christians being targeted and SQUIRREL.

How people can buy the lie that 70% of the population is a persecuted minority is just beyond what an intelligent person should have to believe.

Fuck, just arm everybody.

Pruitt wrote:It's just all so sickening.

And people are just so moronic - the attention span of dogs. They might be on the verge of looking at gun control as being something to pursue, but then the the loud voices scream about Christians being targeted and SQUIRREL.

How people can buy the lie that 70% of the population is a persecuted minority is just beyond what an intelligent person should have to believe.

Fuck, just arm everybody.

How the hell would you know commie? You don't got a damn Muslim as your president.

Ehhhhhhh ... suicide should be backed out. Not that it hasn't enabled someone who might otherwise not, but it seems intentionally misleading since a terrorist can't suicide you and that's the comp.

mister d wrote:Ehhhhhhh ... suicide should be backed out. Not that it hasn't enabled someone who might otherwise not, but it seems intentionally misleading since a terrorist can't suicide you and that's the comp.

Yeah, violence against oneself doesn't fit.

CDC has 21,000 suicides by firearms in 2013. Yikes.

mister d wrote:Ehhhhhhh ... suicide should be backed out. Not that it hasn't enabled someone who might otherwise not, but it seems intentionally misleading since a terrorist can't suicide you and that's the comp.

If the comparison is just "things that can kill you," then I would agree. But "things that can kill people" or even "things that can kill your kids" then I think you include them.

Brontoburglar wrote:Stuff Happens

That was so incoherent it would have made his brother proud.

Pruitt wrote:

Brontoburglar wrote:Stuff Happens

That was so incoherent it would have made his brother proud.

Remember when JEB! was called "The Smart One"?

Brontoburglar wrote:Stuff Happens

Holy shit...he actually just dug in deeper...

Jeb Bush Is Criticized for Saying ‘Stuff Happens’ in Reaction to Shootings

Asked afterward about the comments, Mr. Bush said, “it wasn’t a mistake,” and requested that a reporter point out “what I said wrong.”

“Things happen all the time,” Mr. Bush said. “Things. Is that better?”

Asked what he meant, Mr. Bush said he was talking more generally about the tendency to pass laws in response to tragic events.

“Tragedies,” he said. “A child drowned in a pool and the impulse is to pass a law that puts fencing around pools. Well it may not change it. Or you have a car accident and the impulse is to pass a law that deals with that unique event. And the cumulative effect of this is, in some cases, you don’t solve the problem by passing the law, and you’re imposing on large numbers of people burdens that make it harder for our economy to grow, make it harder to protect liberty.”

Funny thing is...JEB! actually signed a law when he was Governor...that mandated fences around pools!

After 3-year Fight, Safe-pool Act Passes

Preston de Ibern could only smile up from his wheelchair and attempt to focus on the tearful adults standing over him, not comprehending that a law to keep other children from near-drownings will be named for him.

After the House voted 109-8 for the bill on Friday, Preston met Gov. Jeb Bush, who committed to signing a bill that requires new pool owners to pick a way to keep unsupervised children out of the water.

It ended three years of legislative haggling by sponsor Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, and four years of lobbying by Preston's mother.

My god....his campaign staffers are probably telling him "JEB!...maybe you should stop talking for a while" and furiously updating their resumes...

Wow - Trump actually looks like the smartest of the bunch.

*this in no way implies an acceptance of Trump or his policies.

Moreta wrote:http://whatever.scalzi.com/2016/06/12/t ... d-prayers/

Well put.

Maybe God just hates America.

brian wrote:Maybe God just hates America.

And many Americans hate other Americans.

That was pretty dark. It took me a while to get used to Archer's voice coming out of that guy's mouth. Actually, I never fully got used to it.

The truth hurts. And I love American's delicate sensibilities. She couldn't have that skit on her show because why? Someone's feelings would get hurt? Pretty lame. But the point gets across.

Johnnie wrote:The truth hurts. And I love American's delicate sensibilities. She couldn't have that skit on her show because why? Someone's feelings would get hurt? Pretty lame. But the point gets across.

Maybe if it was actually funny, too?

This one happened very close to me and it's pretty horrifying. The mom had previously made an anti-gun control post on her Facebook feed referencing protecting one's family, but that "gotcha" fizzled when it turns out she was denied a permit to carry a weapon. Anyway, just another very sad story.

rass wrote:

Johnnie wrote:The truth hurts. And I love American's delicate sensibilities. She couldn't have that skit on her show because why? Someone's feelings would get hurt? Pretty lame. But the point gets across.

Maybe if it was actually funny, too?

Things have to be funny to get the point across?

Johnnie wrote:

rass wrote:

Johnnie wrote:The truth hurts. And I love American's delicate sensibilities. She couldn't have that skit on her show because why? Someone's feelings would get hurt? Pretty lame. But the point gets across.

Maybe if it was actually funny, too?

Things have to be funny to get the point across?

No, but it wouldn't hurt if someone is looking for it to be included on a sketch comedy show.

Johnnie wrote:

rass wrote:

Johnnie wrote:The truth hurts. And I love American's delicate sensibilities. She couldn't have that skit on her show because why? Someone's feelings would get hurt? Pretty lame. But the point gets across.

Maybe if it was actually funny, too?

Things have to be funny to get the point across?

That's typically how comedy shows work yeah.

Edit: my bad

Giff wrote:This one happened very close to me and it's pretty horrifying.

I was waiting to hear the motive for that one, and yeah she sure showed him.

Shocking, yet another shooter on (and off) psychiatric medications, specifically antidepressants.

Speaking of which, this happened last night about five miles from me.

Another lovely domestic violence, mental health, access to guns fairy tale.

Bump.

tennbengal wrote:Bump.

Stock?

Probably people should stop going to church.

Prescient thread name.