Let's face it. This country is in love with violence.

[MoonRiver]

But the love affair is horribly dysfunctional. We are literally destroying ourselves with this codependent relationship.

The insane fact that despite ongoing school massacres, like VT, we REFUSE to institute common sense gun regulation is one example. We also seem to have no ability, on the whole, to stop our top leaders from engaging in illegal and murderous imperialistic adventures. And a real safety net protecting children from domestic and environmental violence, which not so incidentally results in many of those same children becoming perpetrators of violence, is virtually non-existent.

I believe this country must engage in some serious soul searching. Do we desire our own children to be raised in a culture of violence and aggression? (And, no, raising them in squeaky clean all "white" suburbs is no protection. Most, if not all, of the school massacres happened in suburban schools. And now we see that major college campuses are breeding grounds for mass murder.) If the answer is "no", then Americans have to do more than hope and pray.

As a means to begin preventing this type of violence, and the resulting long term individual and societal trauma it promotes, I suggest stripping the NRA of its power hold on our elected officials. Make it clear that if politicians take campaign money from the NRA, we WILL NOT vote for them. BOTTOM LINE. It's a start, and not a very comprehensive one. But we must begin somewhere if we want our children to grow up feeling, and indeed being, relatively safe and secure.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Let's face it.

Tougher campaign finance laws wouldn't have prevented this.

[theboss]

2. "College campuses are breeding grounds for mass murder"

That strikes me a bit as an overstatement. There are 4140 two and four-year colleges in the US. This is the first mass murder of this scale since the 60s.

I would say that disturbed minds are a breeding ground for mass murder. But I am kooky that way.

[MoonRiver]

3. Because he was old enough to buy weapons, and common sense

gun regulation does not exist in Virginia, this deranged mind was able to nurture and execute his fantasy of mass murder.

[theboss]

7. What does that have to do with VaTech being a breeding ground for mass murder?

Couldn't something similar have taken place if he was, like, working in a Wal-Mart in Michigan.

Then it would be, "Wal-Marts are a breeding ground for mass murder."

[MoonRiver]

9. Yes, any place can be a breeding ground.

I mentioned college because it has always been viewed as an unlikely place for such violence. Students are supposed to be involved in learning, sports, and socializing. Not plotting mass murder. But yesterday proved it obviously can happen there.

[kwolf68]

4. Some of your points were good

but a couple are not realistic. NRA support often guarantees election.

Still, while I agree with the general premise and don't consider guns as anything other than instruments of death, I would like someone to tell me what law could have been erected to prevent this event from happening?

Dude was already breaking the law when he took a gun on the campus.

[MoonRiver]

6. Banning automatic weapons could have prevented much of the carnage.

In my opinion, the fact that virtually anybody can get these guns is insane. Nobody needs them for hunting and/or protection.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Automatic weapons are already banned.

And weren't used in this shooting.

So there goes your theory.

[MoonRiver]

17. Maybe you have updated information, but from what I've heard they are no longer banned.

http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/faqs/?page=awb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_assault_weapons_ban

[MoonRiver]

21. Oh, and in answer to your second statement:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x683716

[gratuitous]

5. In love? It's deeper than that

This country is in communion with violence, particularly the redemptive power of violence. That is to say, any problem can be resolved with the proper application of violence, whether it's smacking the side of a malfunctioning television set, smacking the side of the head of a malfunctioning spouse, or smacking the side of a malfunctioning country with shock and awe, violence is the solution of best resort. It's so ingrained in our society, that we barely even realize it's there until someone points it out. We spend over a billion dollars a day, every day, on "defense" even though we're the most heavily-armed country ever seen on the face of the planet.

And yet we're continually "shocked" when someone totters off the deep end and shoots up a school or blows up a building or otherwise tries to resolve the problems with their demons (inner and outer) through violence.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I posted this earlier today.

Sorry, but the US has a culture of death and violence that has been raised to an art form by
Bush and Cheney. When we have taught all of our children that the first and only answer to all conflicts and disagreements is 'pre-emptive' slaughter, what can you expect? I just read that the two goons who ejected a couple of people from King George's speech on Social Security in 2005 are using a defense argument that they had the right because those 2 people 'disagreed with Bush's views'! Bush&co. and the Neocons invaded Iraq because of something that Saddam 'might have thought about doing', 'could someday have done', and 'would have done if he had the opportunity'. We, as a culture, glorify the military might of this country and get our daily 'fix' on the TVs, radios, DVDs, movies, and music, riddled with violent language and scenes of death and destruction.

A third of our population believes that the US military cannot be defeated if they would just break down and use all those wonderful WMD's we have.

I sat in a bar when the first Gulf War began, meeting with an out-of-town client. There were young, college aged men there, who cheered with each missle fired at Baghdad and shown on CNN. I'm sure they did the same with 'shock and awe'.

[Gregorian]

8. Evil is a flux.

The Roman Empire wasn't exactly free of violence.

I strongly believe that evil is a fluid of sorts that latches on to willing carriers. There are loving people living in this society. But those who don't have an education in the rules of living and loving are potential carriers. Reckless living. I only hang out with people who are careful and caring. I keep my distance from those who are cruel. In this world of six billion, and modern society, frustration is also a major problem that can lead to the letting of evil into one's life. I know. I've been there. I've hated. It's the fear I have with this administration. Six years of hatred for me now. That is not how I want to live.

We can live amongst violence and not be violent. I don't believe that is why people become violent. Although it's not how we should be raising people. It can make things more difficult. But I was never tempted to do anything evil in my life. Not seriously. I was raised by parents that said after 911 that we should forgive. Not go to war. They are in the minority.

Peace comes with knowledge.

[johnnie]

11. We are a very angry society

All you need to do is read some of the threads here at DU and you'll see the anger directed at each other. And we are even supposed to be on the same "team".

Americans love their anger....

[Toots]

15. Oh yeah!!!! Come here and say that....

:silly:

[johnnie]

19. .

x(






:P

[bouwob1]

13. we cant do much about it

Look at what happened to clinton when he was issuing gun regulations. The repubs and NRA ran all over him.

Americans today seem to be willing to give up warrents, privacy and big brother looking over your sholder, credit card bills, library check outs, and emails but they are not willing to give up there assult weapons.

Strange how that works.

[MoonRiver]

14. If you believe that not much can be done about it,

I hope you are cheerfully prepared to live with the violence, and the many ways it can impact you and yours. Think about it.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

16. Increase In Stature For Postal Workers...

Everytime there is a mass murder, and a postal worker isn't involved, another Cliff Clavin smiles.

A few more of these, and nobody will remember what the line, "going postal" means.

[damntexdem]

18. Sure, but it's a love/hate relationship.

It's made up of guns, a culture that pushes violence in perverse ways, and its a lack of early response when warning signs appear.

[AZBlue]

20. It's more than love - it's a deep-rooted obsession and it's disgusting.

It's a sad future we face unless we make some serious changes RIGHT NOW.