elkabong82

I'm a teacher and a gun owner. While it may make sense to have a couple staff members trained and conceal carry, you wouldn't be able to have enough to make a significance difference in response time without sacrificing the safe school environment. Students and staff mostly will not be comfortable going to a school every day where they think half the teachers are packing. School shooting isn't ominous every day like that would be, so it's not something most parents and students are going to agree to unless it's just a few staff members. Besides that, your solution is flawed because it's focused on dealing with the shooting as it happens and not on stopping it from ever taking place. Find the commonalities among these shooters, determine warning signs to watch for, teach this in homes, workplaces, and schools. This incident today, students said they knew who it was before the name was released. They expected it of that kid. Imagine if some had spoke up before now. Like looking for signs of suicide is taught, so can this. And of course there needs to be better gun laws on the books. Training and mental health screening conducted by gov. should be required on first purchase and renewed every so often like a license.

Honestly, when I first saw that tweet posted it came across as if Reilly was trying to downplay black-on-black crime. Not sure if he truly was, but that is exactly how it came across. He neglects to mention that the rate for black-on-black has never dropped below white-on-white at the same time. So while violence is dropping overall in the country, black-on-black remains higher than white-on-white. When you add the context that whites are the majority of the population at 61.3% and African-Americans account for just 13% of the population, that shows much, much more how bad the black-on-black violence problem truly is. When 13% of the population are killing each other at a higher rate than 61% of the population, that is a major problem. But Reilly asserts that a valid retort to black-on-black violence is that the rate is lower than whites were several years ago, while ignoring that rates have dropped for all and 13% remains higher than 61%

Disgusting. He should have gotten life, not a manslaughter charge w/ a 15 years recommendation from the jury. He shot an unarmed black kid for dating his daughter and lied trying to claim he thought the kid had a gun (dude's own sister even said the kid was extending his hand to shake as he had just introduced himself).

So does US History with prohibition and the drug war. Once something desirable is introduced to the population, bans only serve to create black markets and thus more crime. What the right wing misses, however, is that just because control didn't work doesn't mean that it can't work. Instead of poitning out where it hasn't worked, WHY it hasn't worked should be looked at and seen if it can be fixed. Since mental health seems to usually be the root cause of mass shootings here, then a good first step would be to do what they've done with alcohol and create programs and awareness for mental health. There are AA programs all over the place. We need similar for mental health issues. Another big help would be to mandate all health insurance companies cover therapy so it's like a regular doctor visit. So far every one of these mass shootings it seems mental health is a concern, even gets brought up, yet the political morons butt in and ruin that conversation by turning it into another pointless, tractionless gun control debate. In fact, the absolute BEST solution that can be implemented right now, and it will do a ton of good all over the place for countless issues, is for people to wake the hell up and demand an end to the toxic, divisive culture that American politics has created.

Fair enough, but my original point is that many claiming they care about standing during the anthem are only doing so at face value and for symbolism. Most don't stand at home, most do little-to-nothing to show they actually care about the crappy pay and care for soldiers and vets, and while you may be a soldier that has served, thevast majority of folks are not yet take no qualms in our country upping the death toll in wars that are pointless and/or poorly executed/planned. If people had voiced themselves as loudly over the fake reasons for the Iraq war and troops dying there, as they do over people kneeling during a song, maybe those who wrongly sent troops to war would have actually faced consequences. Maybe troops would be paid better. Maybe vets would be better taken care of. And this point is being made with me only scratching the surface of the messed up ways this country has treated soliders. I wonder if all the service members who have come out in support of the kneeling should have their opinions matter to? So far it seems those decrying the action are ignoring them.

Easy to view it that way when it's not you going over there. Add to it that I'll bet every dollar I have that most don't stand for the anthem when watching at home. Don't see many raising a stink over how poorly troops are paid and taken care of as vets, But hey, let's all freak out over symbolism instead of actual actions. It's much easier! The newest protests are in response to Trump's words. Trump deserves every bit of the dumping and if you're anti-protest against those protesting race-based police brutality, which historically has been terrible in this country, then you too deserve that same dumping.

Many of the same people (not all) who get all up in arms about people not standing during the anthem being, claiming it is disrespecting our troops, never seem to get up in arms over those troops being sent into pointless wars and being killed

They are advocting being traitors. Can't be an actual one until an action is taken. Texas vs White, 1869, Supreme Court ruled no state can secede.

The South left the Union over slavery. Their cause was not just, plus no action was even taken by Lincoln to end slavery before secession was declared by each state. In fact, South Carolina seceded before Lincoln was even inaugaurated. They were traitors. They fit the literal definition of the word. Their actions led to the deaths of over half a million.

How could I have replied to your post if I didn't read it? lol And given what you now claim you actually meant isn't conveyed in that post, at all, it's definitely an undeserved comment. "Or just maybe we can come up with a better argument than...." That's directly from your post, and if you have seen better arguments in here then you wouldn't have posted that. Nobody would say maybe we can come up with a better one if they think they've already seen better ones. A significantly better response would be "the victor/spoils argument is a poor one for such and such reason, there are better arguments being made in here, such as ... "

If you really think that's the only argument being made for taking down Confederate statues then you need to actually read through the thread.

Disagree. Lee and Jackson and all others who chose to fight for the Confederacy of their own free will ALL deserve to be disparaged. They chose treason. They chose to contribute to killing Americans. Had Lee sided with the Union the war would have been over probably in under a year. Instead it continued on for 4 years with millions dead. Preserving the Union was the right choice, not siding with your state who seceded because they were mad at the election results. Each of those states that left committed treason, and did so over the BELIEF, not the action because it wasn't taken, but only the BELIEF that they wouldn't be allowed to enslave other human beings. Much of the rest of the civilized world at this time had already seen the light and banned slavery, so it's not like it was some insane, unprecedented notion that slavery was wrong. There were even some Founding fathers who took issue with it and knew eventually it would have to be outlawed in the US. No sympathy for Lee, Jackson, et. al. And there shouldn't be any monuments to confederate soldiers. Near all of them enlisted of their own volition. They were all traitors to the US, for reasons that went against what the US stands for, even though the action of banning slavery hadn't actually been done. It's one of the most disgraceful and darkest chapters in our history, there should be NO honoring the traitors at all. Only thing should be reminders in useums of their disgusting decision, its ramifications, to serve as stark reminders of their dangers should the past be forgotten. None of us think there should be statues/monuments to Nazis, whether it be leaders or soliders who were "just Germans fighting for their country." Same should apply to the Confederacy. It's time the entire country recognized them as traitors who caused the deaths of millions because they wanted to keep slaves.

Tragedies tend to spark action. All throughout history. Removing Confederate eye sores was already a growing trend, but the recent events have caused the pace to pick up considerably. Why are you sticking to this talking point though? This is a good thing and something that should have been done a long, long time ago (well, actually it should have never been alowed in the first place).

Good. Tear down every last dedication to treasonous deserters. After all, why give participation trophies to losers?

Already becoming one of the strangest Presidencies in history

I liked Baby Driver a lot. The driving in that movie was insane! This is driving movie to enjoy, not the fast and furious garbage. I had a couple minor issues with characters, and others have already pointed them out, but that was it. I loved how the music synched up with the movie, especially the gun fire! Also a big fan of the driector. Solid movie. Very enjoyable.

12 Monkeys is going the binge route and realeasing all episodes for season 3 over this weekend, starting with episodes 1-4 tonight!

GAME 7 HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ho.Lee.Crap!!!

DC sports curse pushed Horford's shot in

Isaiah Thomas can take 6 steps. Must be nice.

There you go Porter. Grown man shot!

Wiz have got to stop leaving the perimeter open

Not sure which is more annoying, Beal's constant missed 3s, or the one woman near the announcers being heard over the crowd all game long. A group chant is fun, a single person with a shrill voice gets annoying quick.