Shooting at CT elementary school leaves at least 27 dead, 18 of them children

[© tweed]

and the courts send ('divert') hundreds of thousands into mental health and addiction 'treatment' every year. 

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

[© tweed]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

and, again I reiterate, we are talking about a place where it is more normal to be deemed psychiatrically abnormal than otherwise.

[Paul Kemp]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

No, nothing has been said in that regard. They haven't even publicly ID'd the suspect yet; just "reports."

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

and, again I reiterate, we are talking about a place where it is more normal to be deemed psychiatrically abnormal than otherwise.

You live in a society - as do I - where nobody wants to be normal. Yet most of us are, funny that, isn't it?

But I can't think of a single spree shooting in Irish history. What is wrong with you people?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Of course, at the risk of 'politicizing' this tragedy (ha!), I will note that most of the mental discussion seems to be of the "Can we please not talk about guns?" nature.

Of course, when guns are fetishized the ultimate security agent - none of the 'social security' thank you, sir - that expression of pathological individualism like this are always more likely to occur. What did Homer Simpson say? "[When a holding gun] I must feel like God does, when he holds a gun".

[Tetro Kornbluth]

And, oh yeah, RIP to everyone. This is simply terrible.

[J. J.]

It is reported he was "troubled," and his brother said he was autistic.  That would be high unusual and perhaps unique with any mass murderer.

[© tweed]

he also reportedly may have lacked anger management skills.

[patrick1]

Unfathomably sad, eminently predictable. 

[Franzl]

The entire world facepalms at the US when events like this occur.

But we're not allowed to talk about the really relevant issue here, that's abusing a tragedy for politics....and disrespectful to the dead.

Seriously, I'm as horrified as everyone about someone killing 20 children. I can't imagine how terrible this must be for those that have direct connections to these families and this community.

But we're doing the dead more disrespect if we keep playing this game "no no, we can talk politics another day....now's the time for mourning, no policy debates!", instead of actaully saying what needs to be said. It's not a coincidence that 90% of these mass shootings happen in the US. If we don't speak the truth after tragedies like this....it gets forgotten. And we begin the cycle again, when the next horrific spree happens, where we are, once again, not supposed to politicize is. It f**king needs to stop.

If this makes me a horrible person for saying it, so be it.

[© tweed]

politicizing it is fine.  everything should be political, only people who have or perceive that they have something to protect seek to go around forcing the de-politicization of this and that issue.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Talking about gun control is unseemly because it means we are politicizing a tragedy. But this kind of crap from the right wingers is fine and dandy.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/12/14/huckabee_blames_shooting_on_removing_god_from_schools.html

Mike Huckabee told Fox News that today's deadly massacre in an elementary school in Connecticut was due to the lack of religion in public schools.

Said Huckabee: "We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we've systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage because we've made it a palce where we don't want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability?"

[© tweed]

Talking about gun control is unseemly because it means we are politicizing a tragedy. But this kind of crap from the right wingers is fine and dandy.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/12/14/huckabee_blames_shooting_on_removing_god_from_schools.html

Mike Huckabee told Fox News that today's deadly massacre in an elementary school in Connecticut was due to the lack of religion in public schools.

Said Huckabee: "We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we've systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage because we've made it a palce where we don't want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability?"

viewed in a certain light, he is not wrong -- there is a chronic moral disengagement at every level of the society, schools included.

[patrick1]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

and, again I reiterate, we are talking about a place where it is more normal to be deemed psychiatrically abnormal than otherwise.

You live in a society - as do I - where nobody wants to be normal. Yet most of us are, funny that, isn't it?

But I can't think of a single spree shooting in Irish history. What is wrong with you people?

Probably a topic for another thread but I think the Irish societal sicknesses manifested themselves in greater than normal incidences of sex abuse, alcoholism and religious/sociopolitical murder.

There is quite a bit wrong here and with the structure of of modern society. I wish I had something more profound to say but like Joe I'm just wondering how long until the next one.

[Boris]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

and, again I reiterate, we are talking about a place where it is more normal to be deemed psychiatrically abnormal than otherwise.

You live in a society - as do I - where nobody wants to be normal. Yet most of us are, funny that, isn't it?

But I can't think of a single spree shooting in Irish history. What is wrong with you people?

Probably a topic for another thread but I think the Irish societal sicknesses manifested themselves in greater than normal incidences of sex abuse, alcoholism and religious/sociopolitical murder.

There is quite a bit wrong here and with the structure of of modern society. I wish I had something more profound to say but like Joe I'm just wondering how long until the next one.

I don't think this would qualify as a "spree killing" since that entails murder at two or more different locations within a "short" period of time. There have obviously been incidents of mass murder in relatively recent Irish history with the UVF bombings and whatnot.

Edit: Apparently the shooter killed family member(s) at a different location, so i guess this would qualify

[Donerail]

It's not a coincidence that 90% of these mass shootings happen in the US.

And not in, say, Switzerland?

[Frodo]

How many times do we have to see this happen before we do something, anything about it? Not even with guns, but with mental health?

Because according to the usual suspects here, that would be considered discrimination against the mentally ill, and they won't stand for it.  

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The entire world facepalms at the US when events like this occur.

That's simply uncalled for.

[© tweed]

How many times do we have to see this happen before we do something, anything about it? Not even with guns, but with mental health?

Because according to the usual suspects here, that would be considered discrimination against the mentally ill, and they won't stand for it. 

who said that?

[Boris]

It's not a coincidence that 90% of these mass shootings happen in the US.

Too lazy to check wiki, but is that true? Off the top of my head in recent US history we've had:

1. Connecticut
2. Aurora
3. Sikh Temple
4. NIU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Indian Reservation
7. Columbine

Europe we have:

1. Breivik
2. Cumbria
3. Toulouse
4. Winnenden, Germany
5. 2008 Finland
6. 2007 Finland
7. Dunblane

[RogueBeaver]

Deepest sympathies on this horrific tragedy.

[patrick1]

I haven't read enough about this horrible, horrible case but is it the case that the suspected shooter actually had publicly known mental health issues before this? Because that hasn't been the case with many of these spree shooters.

and, again I reiterate, we are talking about a place where it is more normal to be deemed psychiatrically abnormal than otherwise.

You live in a society - as do I - where nobody wants to be normal. Yet most of us are, funny that, isn't it?

But I can't think of a single spree shooting in Irish history. What is wrong with you people?

Probably a topic for another thread but I think the Irish societal sicknesses manifested themselves in greater than normal incidences of sex abuse, alcoholism and religious/sociopolitical murder.

There is quite a bit wrong here and with the structure of of modern society. I wish I had something more profound to say but like Joe I'm just wondering how long until the next one.

I don't think this would qualify as a "spree killing" since that entails murder at two or more different locations within a "short" period of time. There have obviously been incidents of mass murder in relatively recent Irish history with the UVF bombings and whatnot.

Edit: Apparently the shooter killed family member(s) at a different location, so i guess this would qualify

My point more was that you had sick people killing people and using politics as a cloak for their behavior. There were many instances of nutters who just wrapped their warped behavior in a flag. I think each culture has their own sets of issues and they manifest them in different ways. I really can't play arm chair shrink as to the why American is the leader in mass shootings. I think the how should be painfully obvious.  

[hawkeye59]

It's not a coincidence that 90% of these mass shootings happen in the US.

Too lazy to check wiki, but is that true? Off the top of my head in recent US history we've had:

1. Connecticut
2. Aurora
3. Sikh Temple
4. NIU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Indian Reservation
7. Columbine

Europe we have:

1. Breivik
2. Cumbria
3. Toulouse
4. Winnenden, Germany
5. 2008 Finland
6. 2007 Finland
7. Dunblane

Where do the smaller shootings happen. The US. There are so many smaller shootings in the US that it vastly outnumbers Europe.

[Frodo]

How many times do we have to see this happen before we do something, anything about it? Not even with guns, but with mental health?

Because according to the usual suspects here, that would be considered discrimination against the mentally ill, and they won't stand for it.  

who said that?

Read.

And for the record, I don't make distinctions regarding the mentally ill.  If you have a mental illness, you shouldn't have access to guns.  Period.  No exceptions, and I don't give a damn how discriminatory it is.