They've Got To Be $#!TT!N' Us!

You know what the thing I wonder most actually is. With all these countermeasures... including a school in texas where the teacher actually is allowed to carry a gun now... how can they be sure that the guard or teacher, is not the one that will at some point get trigger happy? I don't buy that it's exclusive for people that are diagnosed with whatever. Everyone has a breaking point.

Heck; The last few major shootings here, in a country that has rather strict gun control (thus; you need to be cleared mentally to get it for a range, and leave it there. Or you have a gun for your job; police for instance), were done by people that have access to guns for their jobs mostly. About 10 years ago a soldier killed his family, last year some guy from the gun range got on a spree in a mall, and every now and then a cop shoots up his family. Yes, they're tragedies, but they're not blamed on mental illness. All of those people had jobs that required some kind of clearing even. Being mentally ill and a cop is a no-go.

As for the list. The list itself isn't stupid. It's the entire trouble that comes with it, that's stupid. Stigmatizing mentally ill in a world where they're already at a disadvantage will do them no good. And what if I'm mentally ill and on that list? Does that mean I have to sit out in jail for life just for being mentally ill. Because having that list and me going places are two different things. And having everyone on a close leash to see what they're up to, monitoring their bankaccounts and all... I believe that it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to surpass that.

The biggest problem in terms of mentally ill people and autism, and especially the stigmatized aspies is that Asperger's isn't medicatable like.. say; a depression. I mean, I can follow therapy all year long, but still, that therapist might have no clue that I still think about stabbing him in a dark alley. I'm not saying that Asperger's is like that, but a therapist cannot look inside my mind. So any ill intentions might be well hidden from this person.

Ok, so they bring in guns into the classroom and everywhere. What do you think is going to happen? I'll tell you what is going to happen--we are going to see an increase in suicide bombers like in the Middle East. That is what is going to happen. We are going to have a bloody arms race until we come back to our senses.

This whole thing reminds me of the Cold War. Build your bomb shelters in the back yard just in case the Russians decide to press the button. Work everyone up into a hysterical fit. And don't forget the witch hunts.

I've heard over and over about "we need to make more help available to those suffering from mental conditions." ********! I am not denying the need for such services but I am saying that we as a society (American society) do not have the WILL to help those with mental conditions. We begrudge every cent of taxpayer money that is spent on helping the poor, on the schools, on the mentally ill. But there is plenty of money to shell out at the mall, or concerts or sports events. There is plenty of money to spend on other things. The truth is we really do not want to do anything for anyone else that might interfere with our own comfortable lives.

Oh, and "rational thinking". You really are asking a lot there, Soup. Come on, now. Rational thinking isn't fun, it hurts, it's work, it might cause you to give up some cherished beliefs. The United States is many things, but a nation of rational thinkers it is not.

It's true about not being able to read what is in the thoughts of a person with a truly malicious intent. As I read what you guys wrote, I thought of famed serial killer Herb Baumeister. He was an affluent married business owner (grocery stores). He had been in a stable relationship with the same woman he'd met in college. They had 3 kids & a very nice life together. He treated his kids well, had no history of any kind of mental issues whatsoever. He was as bland & ordinary in appearance as oatmeal is. Everyone who knew him was in utter astonishment when his crimes became known & he committed suicide. The most surprised person was his wife who had known him since college. The human mind & personality is, to a large extent, inscrutable. You only see as much as someone is willing to show you & even then, much depends upon whether or not one chooses to believe the person.

Something else (besides the pervasive gun culture) must be considered about America. While leaders talk about how people 'fled' from Europe to America largely seeking so-called 'religious freedoms', history tells a different tale. Europe dumped its religious fanatics & wild-eyed cultists into the new world. Shakers & Quakers, Mennonites, Hutterites & the Amish to name a few. Then, came the Salem witch hunts & then the Oneida Perfectionists, Mormonism & Jehovah's Witnesses developed. America was founded by many people who were, to put it politely, more than a little bit cracked. Toss in 4 centuries of slavery, genocide of the Natives & Jim Crow, & it isn't difficult to see the Christian lunacy, paranoia, lack of reason & fanaticism of today as simply a continuation of the past.

I agree with Compass too that America lacks the political will to care for its mentally ill. Here too, although we're nowhere near as far-gone as the States, we're not doing enough & there are calls for change. Fortunately, with the kinds of taxes we;re paying up here & the lower population, more can get done more rapidly. America as a concept doesn't exist without 'enemies' real & imagined against whom 'we the people' must unite because 'they' are a threat to America. In the early days, it was The British who were coming. Ever since, there's been an attitude of armed to the teeth fearfulness & hyper-vigilance. So many super hero-type cartoons & comics & movies have as a theme, a bad guy who is an evil genius (you see the American suspicion of very intelligent people capable of critical thought & reasoning here). He is always very articulate, uses a sophisticated vocabulary AND he has a FOREIGN ACCENT! Sometimes, he sounds British, sometimes East European, sometimes even vaguely Canadian (like the bad lion Scar in The Lion King). If you're highly intelligent, you're suspect. If you're foreign, you're BAD. How can we relate to a nation that sees all the rest of us as evil & wanting to 'take over the world'? From whom? From America who thinks it is 'exceptional' & is 'entitled' to be the world's leader?!? I've heard the American press on many occasions refer to the president as 'The Leader of The Free World'!!! You've got to be $#!TT!N' me! I know I didn't vote in any US election & I've never met the Canadian who considered Bush to be anything other than a frightfully dumb buffoon. Obama, we like more, but feel very sorry for. In QC, nobody & I mean NOBODY even thinks of America as anything other than a few warm beaches to escape to during winter. My husband is European. I won't even repeat what he thinks of US politics, gun & religious fanaticism.

America keeps trying to sell itself to the world as its rightful leader. The gov't needs to stop lying to its people: nobody is following America. In the wake of this most recent mass shooting (actually, there was another last week where some guy killed 6 family members & then himself) all the world is watching to see what Americans choose to do. While there are many reasoned voices calling for severe restrictions on arsenal ownership, there are those calling for a 'hair of the dog' strategy: even more guns.

This was one horrific crime that made the entire world stop & stare. How Americans choose to handle the issues it raises will determine, for the next several years, how the world perceives it as a nation.

Soup--you make Canada sound more and more attractive every day. I'm telling you, tell Ottawa to start building a wall to keep us crazies out.

Seriously. The United States has a history of going in and grabbing whatever it wants and you guys have a lot of resources up there. And there have been plots to invade Canada before, such as the Fenians after the Civil War. I'm just warning you as an American, I know what my country is capable of, and your analysis of its history is 100% correct. There was a reason why Europe said to its dissidents, "Good riddance to bad rubbish." Unfortunately that sort of history isn't taught in our schools (wonder why).

Many of us here do look askance at our cousins to the south & yet, on a small scale basis, many of us have cultivated very positive relationships with Americans: especially along the border towns. Whenever we have a black-out or some other crisis, Americans along the border reach out to us & we do the same when they have their Spring flooding. We're just hoping that the sane & less vocal people out-number the ranting paranoid ones.

Canada has been quietly cultivating stronger relationships with both China & Russia: we've always gotten along better with these 2 nations & don't view them with the same cold war anti-Commie fear. Plus, our nation leans towards Scandinavian style socialism. Much of our relationship with Russia began on a populist level with our shared love of hockey (virtually a religion here), ballet & fine circus performance. Many members of Quebec's Cirque Du Soleil are Russians & we had a Ukrainian Governor General. He gave his acceptance speech in English, French & Ukrainian & nobody batted an eye. The head of the Socialist & wildly popular NDP, the late Jack Layton (from QC) was married to a woman who is a Chinese immigrant & the fact that they were a 'mixed couple' was a non-issue. Our last Governor General was a Haitian woman married to a white guy. There seems to be a climate of greater acceptance here. I can see how the USA's Michelle Bachman & her followers tried to brand an Aide ro Hillary Clinton as a terrorist because of some distant relatives who knew some guy who knew some other guy. It's nuts! Guilt by association- & in her case, by remote 6 degree separation.

I know that there are many fantastic Americans because I've met some. I just hope that one movie theme does play out: the good guys have to win the day!

"Many of us here do look askance at our cousins to the south & yet, on a small scale basis, many of us have cultivated very positive relationships with Americans: especially along the border towns.'

One day God was telling the angels about his plans for Canada. He said he would create a huge country with magnificent mountains and glaciers, vast hardwood and softwood forests. He would situate it between three oceans. It would be a country teeming with abundant wildlife and inexhaustible resources. It would be a land with a small population who would share this great land and immense space. The angels then asked God; Why are you giving so much to these Canadians? And God answered, wait until you see the neighbors I put to the south of them.