FTT Off-Topic: Once More With No Feelings

Least of all gun killings

Not sports, and whatevs.

So yewterday morning, an old white guy with a gun tried to kill a bunch of people who work in the government on a baseball field outside of DC. He hurt some people, scared a ton more, and was killed by security personnel who had much less in the way of firepower.

I have some thoughts about this. Most of them not very polite. Let's have at them, shall we?

> If the politics of the shooter didn't matter a few years ago when a liberal (Gabrielle Giffords) was permanently diminished a few years back in a horrific attack, then the politics of the shooter don't matter now. Except, of course, they do, because that's how the game is played, and this is nothing but a game. One in which only one side gets to be right when they are angry, and despite being outnumbered and outvoted in a purported democracy, they control everything. No idea why people are becoming unhinged, no idea at all.

> Please stop saying that America is better than this, because there is absolutely no evidence that we are not any better than today's depressing, well, reality. If we were better than this, it wouldn't happen, on average, on a daily basis, when the rest of the world isn't like that. If we were better than this, some of us would not like guns more than people, and clearly, that is the case. Especially the people who don't agree with us. If we were better than this, people wouldn't keep guns at all, because they would have the sense God gives a walnut and would think better of having a suicide and murder spree tool in their possession, because everyone is just a teeny tiny amount of brain chemistry from making terrible and permanent choices. All the while insisting that nope, I'm fine, would never, in total command of everything, despite every other person who did the same pretty much thinking the same.

> If you feel like the pace of these killings is increasing, you are correct. Roughly at the same rate as the number of guns per people (yes, guns: more guns than people in this fine land of ours) is rising. What a coinky-dink. Let's pass more laws that encourage more guns in more places. Something something, insanity same results.

> In a side note, there's a big drop in the number of people who identify in this nation as Christian, and there's also a highly growing number of older people. Independent of your views on Christians and old people, are you really looking forward to living in a nation of angry old white dudes with a massive amount of guns and no fear of going to Hell later?

> This will never happen, but if laws and restrictions on gun ownership happens only after Congressional staff is wounded, but not after little kids are killed... well, you'll have your answer about the relative worth of lives in America. Just a little more naked than usual.

> So to the survivors of this killing, and the survivors of the UPS shooting that happened in San Francisco just a few hours later, congratulations. In other countries, death by firearm is right up there, in terms of risk, with lightning strikes and trees falling on you, but here, not so much. By the growth in the numbers, you and yours are going to be shot at during your lives, and you've gotten your moment out of the way without mortality. You've won the lottery! Maybe not as much as the people who sell guns, but no one wins as much as those guys. No one in this country wins as much as those folks. Something something, purported democracy. Hope the money they paid you was worth it.

> Oh, and one last thing... I'm told that in moments like this, we need to be unified and say no to hate and pray for the victims and so forth, and so forth.

Which leaves me with just one, final, question.

Why, when nothing has ever changed as a result of a killing, and nothing will ever change, except for the growing number of people killed with guns?