News Stories

[Haak]

As far as I'm aware of , the Iranian regime itself hasn't condemned it although some close it have denounced it. However the state tv claims it's somehow a victory over Israel:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/f...er-Israel.html

Yeesh...

[Tom Bombadil]

Found this on youtube. It is a recent test flight video of the Chinese stealth fighter J20 shot by the "wall climbers".
I'll put it in spoilers just in case.

Spoiler for video:

[AnimeFan188]

"Around 400 Pakistani soldiers and dozens of political administration officials in
North Waziristan’s Mir Ali subdivision narrowly escaped a drone attack on
Saturday night when a missile fired by a spy plane hit the wreckage of the US
drone that had crashed in the area on Saturday."

See:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrin...D=12767&Cat=13

This is what they should've done to that RQ-170 that crashed in Iran awhile ago.

[solomon]

Papa Le Pen puts his foot in it, says "Assad is defending himself"

http://www.france24.com/en/20120227-...-pen-world-war

[Marulash]

There was a high school shooting today in Ohio, 1 dead, 4 injured.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/27/justic...html?hpt=hp_c1
http://www.onntv.com/content/stories...-shooting.html

I hope the victims that survived get well soon. From what I read the shooter was chased from the school by a teacher... must've been one heck of a experience.

On the other hand this will probably raise questions on gun ownership, gun laws, stuff like that.

[MeoTwister5]

It's not so much a matter of gun rights as it is a matter of parenting and the functions of schoolyard society.

It's been years since Columbine and people have yet to realize this.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Marulash

There was a high school shooting today in Ohio, 1 dead, 4 injured.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/27/justic...html?hpt=hp_c1
http://www.onntv.com/content/stories...-shooting.html

I hope the victims that survived get well soon. From what I read the shooter was chased from the school by a teacher... must've been one heck of a experience.

On the other hand this will probably raise questions on gun ownership, gun laws, stuff like that.

This is suburban Cleveland, shootings at high schools are not that uncommon.
The Chicago SunTimes did a pretty good job of explaining what happened in Ohio.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012...uspect_in.html

I highly doubt this will raise any questions about gun laws.
What it should do is raise questions about gang-bangers, bullying, and the need for Teacher imposed discipline in schools and what can be done about it.

Some of these kids are pushed to their limits from intimidation, bullying, etc.
Others shoot to prove their manhood to a gang.
The problem is that the bullies need to have the crap beaten out of them, and the gangstas need to go to rehabilitation.

[aohige]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

It's not so much a matter of gun rights as it is a matter of parenting and the functions of schoolyard society.

It's been years since Columbine and people have yet to realize this.

You also need to realize the fallacy in That rhetoric.
No, guns do not "cause" the crime. Gun advocates always repeat this point regardless of the fact that is not the point.

Guns do not cause the incident to spark. It simply escalates it.
It increases the severity of the crime.

THAT is the problem with guns.

Yes, you are correct in that cause of such incidents are largely responsible on parenting and social problems.
However, that does not have any relevance to neglicting the gun issue.
They are separate problem that compounds each other.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by aohige

You also need to realize the fallacy in That rhetoric.
No, guns do not "cause" the crime. Gun advocates always repeat this point regardless of the fact that is not the point.

Guns do not cause the incident to spark. It simply escalates it.
It increases the severity of the crime.

THAT is the problem.

Even I, a multi-generational gun owner concede that. But it is really frustrating that so little has been done in the K-12 system to BOTH identify/help these outcasts AND stomp out the kind of subhuman barnyard bullying that leads to this.

When I was in high school (way back in the 70s), a special ed student stabbed a student in the cafeteria line and he died. Everyone boohooed over the death - but the one stabbed had been a A1 jackass bully for as long as I'd known him (he had roughed me up so many times in 3rd grade I finally went nuts on him - lucky for him I was just throwing a desk at him) He had terrorized the spec.ed student, students had reported it, the school had ignored it, and finally the spec.ed student carried a knife for defense. And one final time, the jackass "had fun" with him and he panicked.

[aohige]

While that's true, and everything should be done to mitigate the frequency of its occurence, let me throw you a question, Vexx.
When and where in the entire human history has bullying NOT be a problem?

Unfortunately it's going to happen, to one degree or another.
Taking measures to mitigate damage from these kind of outburst is an efficient way to damage control.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by aohige

While that's true, and everything should be done to mitigate the frequency of its occurence, let me throw you a question, Vexx.
When and where in the entire human history has bullying NOT be a problem?

Unfortunately it's going to happen, to one degree or another.
Taking measures to mitigate damage from these kind of outburst is an efficient way to damage control.

Again, I readily concede that there are additional steps that should be taken that balance self-defense rights against the potential harm to the community. Gun show loop-holes, a proper integration of the crime and mental health databases coupled with better early identification and response. This is one area I'm extraordinarily displeased with the gun lobbies on --- they should be finding solutions NOW, LAST WEEK, because otherwise they will eventually lose it all if the frequency of tragedies keep accelerating.

Bullying has been a problem since before we qualified as homo sapiens.... it doesn't mean we're stuck with it, at least to the degree it seems permitted or even encouraged.

[MeoTwister5]

It should still be a combination of both. Again, address the problem of how a high schooler got access to the guns, and root our the source of the problem (bullying etc.). The thing is that, no matter how good your gun control laws are, people have always found ways to kill each other if they really wanted to.

As an outside observer I sometimes think that Americans are more willing to deal with parenting and school discipline than with gun ownership. On the other hand, it seems like not enough is being done on both ends either way.

[aohige]

^That is certainly true.
On both accounts.

[solomon]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Again, I readily concede that there are additional steps that should be taken that balance self-defense rights against the potential harm to the community. Gun show loop-holes, a proper integration of the crime and mental health databases coupled with better early identification and response. This is one area I'm extraordinarily displeased with the gun lobbies on --- they should be finding solutions NOW, LAST WEEK, because otherwise they will eventually lose it all if the frequency of tragedies keep accelerating.

Bullying has been a problem since before we qualified as homo sapiens.... it doesn't mean we're stuck with it, at least to the degree it seems permitted or even encouraged.

I never really understood the opposition to such policies. Would they drastically inhibit people from getting firearms? Would profits from some parties be lost somehow? I was under the impression that despite the loopholes, most people get their arms from reputable dealers.

I'm no gun lover/owner, but I also don't demonize gun owners as some sort of crazy folk.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by solomon

I never really understood the opposition to such policies. Would they drastically inhibit people from getting firearms? Would profits from some parties be lost somehow? I was under the impression that despite the loopholes, most people get their arms from reputable dealers.

I'm no gun lover/owner, but I also don't demonize gun owners as some sort of crazy folk.

Its the "sliding slope" fear-mongering. I parted company with the NRA back in '96 when it became clear that
1) they'd been hijacked as a single-button issue by the GOP.
2) their leadership would probably benefit from modern drugs to treat psychosis.
3) the shrieking... the never ending shrieking they'd lapsed into.

Gun transactions are supposed to happen with a registered dealer in the loop - I'm unable to find a rational reason for opposing the loophole and we can blame both sides of the aisle for not fixing the ATF or their messy and disconnected pile of databases tracking people who should not have access to guns.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Again, I readily concede that there are additional steps that should be taken that balance self-defense rights against the potential harm to the community. Gun show loop-holes, a proper integration of the crime and mental health databases coupled with better early identification and response. This is one area I'm extraordinarily displeased with the gun lobbies on --- they should be finding solutions NOW, LAST WEEK, because otherwise they will eventually lose it all if the frequency of tragedies keep accelerating.

Bullying has been a problem since before we qualified as homo sapiens.... it doesn't mean we're stuck with it, at least to the degree it seems permitted or even encouraged.

Starting with the abolition of the BATFE (or at least the F part), placing firearms under FBI jurisdiction (since they don't tend to set people up), and ending the practice of banning firearms.
It's one thing to try and prevent persons who should not have access due to criminal or mental issues, it is quite another to attempt to deny access to all.
The "gun-show loophole" is another area of complete nonsense.
Here in Colorado you are not supposed to sell more than one gun to one other person as per Amendment 22 to our state constitution without calling CBI for a background check.
CBI doesn't set anybody up, they don't do sting operations, they don't create crime like the ATF and therefore citizens in Colorado willingly obey this law.
However, if a Federal Law (enforced by ATF) were passed to where all gun show sales had to go through a dealer or through ATF, gun sales would become like drug sales.

Guns would be controlled substances (contraband) akin to illegal drugs and the US isn't winning the "drug war."
I would much rather have voluntary compliance with background checks to get the largest number of gun sales through NICS rather then have ATF totally screw it up and cause most gun sales to go underground.

The NRA and GOA are powerful because of the BATFE and its horrible reputation as a federal agency. Gun owners want protection from the BATFE whom they see as an extention of the Federal government in general.
Get rid of the BATFE and people might be open to better crime-control laws, which is what we really need here.
Gun control should mean "using both hands and knowing how to hit your target."

[Vexx]

Oh.... Koran's burned accidentally, idiot clowns go nuts:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/02...urned-quarans/

I'll go farther - I view this attitude about the Koran as functionally indistinguishable from idol worship: their idol happens to be a book which has written in it, "don't worship idols". Basically, it appears they are committing idolatry with the very book that says not to do that.
.... logic board is on fire, no useful output remains.

[andyjay729]

Remember the Berenstain Bears? Well, one of their co-creators just passed on.

She obviously won't generate all kinds of lurid tabloid speculation like Whitney Houston, but in the wake of one prominent celebrity death, I'm glad Jan Berenstain made Google's Top 10 today. Maybe there's still some hope for us left.

[Ithekro]

I wonder if Bible burning would get such a responce.

I recall from documentaries that the Beatles got some serious bad press for saying they were more popular with teens than Jesus (it being a fact or not meant nothing to those breaking or buring Records and picture of the Beatles). Of course that does make some of the original ablums slightly more rare and valuable.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

I wonder if Bible burning would get such a responce.

Or if to give them a Bible to burn would calm them ? Would probably not work anyway and burning book isn't a solution.