Society's Child

Local communities, not government intervention hold the key to halting mass shootings

Jen Kuznicki
Conservative Review
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 00:00 UTC

The mass killing this week in Parkland, Florida, by a 19-year-old troubled young man undoubtedly hurts the arguments and intentions of law-abiding gun owners everywhere. Unfortunately, if reports are true, this case gives those clamoring for gun control space and momentum because of several failures of what is expected with current laws now in place.

For instance, law-abiding gun owners assume that there are sufficient background checks, since they themselves have to answer to whether they are mentally ill and so forth on forms before purchasing firearms. In this case if the shooter had never been declared mentally ill by a court and if nobody connected the dots between one stray comment on a YouTube account that prompted an investigation by the FBI and a comment on the shooter's Instagram account which CBS reported resulted in an alert to the Broward County Sheriff's Office a year before the purchase of the gun, the argument that there are cracks in the system has legs.

As a responsible gun owner, I don't want people like the shooter being able to attain high-powered rifles. That is not to say I want gun control, but I think responsible gun owners assume that the papers we fill out serve a purpose and someone who is a potential threat would be flagged.

When the Left automatically attacks the NRA they're attacking law-abiding gun owners who don't want people like the Parkland shooter getting a gun either. If we could cut through all of the lightning rod hysteria and address the problems - and there are a plethora with this case - perhaps we could do some good.

Comment: See also:

School shooting fallout: Ohio sheriff offers free concealed carry classes to teachers

Timothy Meads
Townhall
Sun, 18 Feb 2018 15:26 UTC

On Sunday afternoon, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced that he will be offering an opportunity for educators to learn how to defend themselves and potentially protect the lives of their students.

Sheriff Jones tweeted that he will offer free concealed carry classes to teachers in Butler County, OH. Jones emphasized that there will be a limited number.

On Thursday, he shared a Facebook video, saying, "the current way we do things in the school system needs to be changed." He also called for "armed guards in the schools, we need to look at metal detectors. This is not going to stop or go away, but we need to be prepared and not have our heads in the sand."

Report: German intel seeks new spy satellites to become 'independent of US'

RT
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:34 UTC

© The inscription 'Bundesnachrichtendienst' ('Federal Intelligence Service', BND) seen on the facade of the Federal Intelligence Service' new headquarters in Berlin, Germany.
The inscription 'Bundesnachrichtendienst' ('Federal Intelligence Service', BND) seen on the facade of the Federal Intelligence Service' new headquarters in Berlin, Germany.

Berlin has launched a new satellite program for its intelligence service (BND) in an attempt to escape US influence in spying matters, Die Zeit daily reports. The project has already proven to be costlier than planned.

Germany plans to spend €400 million ($465 million) on two of the "latest-generation satellites" for its foreign intelligence service. The budget committee of the German parliament (Bundestag) already approved the financing of the costly project back in early November 2017.

The two reconnaissance satellites, which are now being constructed by the Bremen-based aerospace company OHB, are expected to be able to identify and capture images of objects as small as an A4 paper sheet. They are scheduled to be launched into orbit in 2022, where they will be able to keep an eye on "any place on Earth" within 24 hours, according to a "top secret" intelligence document obtained by Die Zeit.

Sarah Silverman attacked for saying 'Jews must stand up to Israeli wrongdoing'

RT
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:34 UTC

Jewish-American actress and comedian Sarah Silverman is facing an avalanche of criticism and praise online after saying that Jews should denounce the Israeli government for its wrongdoing.

Silverman took to Twitter to show her support for detained Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who is facing up to 10 years in prison after slapping an Israeli soldier.

"Jews have to stand up EVEN when - ESPECIALLY when - the wrongdoing is BY Jews/the Israeli government,"Silverman said, adding a link to an Amnesty International campaign calling for Tamimi's release.

Comment: Further reading: The IDF vs The Teenage Girl: Palestinian Activist Ahed Tamimi Arrested For Slapping Soldiers Who Shot Boy

Since 2000, at least 8,000 Palestinian children as young as 12 have been arrested and prosecuted by the Israeli military. The Israeli military detention system is notorious for the ill-treatment of children.The extent to which Shin Bet interrogators practice torture has been described as 'institutional'. In its 2016 report, Amnesty International found that Israeli forces and Shin Bet personnel had "tortured and otherwise ill-treated Palestinian detainees, including children, particularly during arrest and interrogation", with methods such as "beating with batons, slapping, throttling, prolonged shackling, stress positions, sleep deprivation and threats".

Cashless society: More payments made by card as cash use declines in UK

Kate Lyons
The Guardian
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:00 UTC

© Alamy Stock Photo
In 2006, 62% of all payments in the UK were made using cash; in 2016 the proportion had fallen to 40%.

Britain will move beyond "peak cash" this year, according to data gathered by the Guardian that suggests notes and coins are rapidly being supplanted as the favoured payment method, particularly in cities.

Debit cards are set to overtake cash as the most frequently used payment method in the UK later this year, according to UK Finance, which represents leading finance and banking firms.

The volume of cash removed from cash machines (ATMs) is falling fast, while other data shows customers are eschewing cash for cards - even for small purchases such as a coffee or a beer.

Comment: The freedom to choose whether you will pay by cash or by card is a welcome one for many, but the established powers are working towards a cashless society which would give them to total control and surveillance over your transactions. And in our corrupted society where banks and governments have proven themselves untrustworthy, this is a disturbing prospect;. See:

Goldie Hawn says her horrible sexual harassment experience will 'top all of them'

The Telegraph
Tue, 13 Feb 2018 10:59 UTC

Goldie Hawn in April 2017

Goldie Hawn has spoken about her experiences of sexual harassment while trying to make her way into showbusiness.

Hawn, 72, was speaking to US network CNBC and said that sexual harassment has "been there forever", explaining that she "had some horrible experiences as a young dancer in New York City. I mean I'll top all of them."

The First Wives Club star said that she was lucky that her circumstances were tempered by her upbringing: "I had a very strong mom, a very strong dad and I had a lot of resilience and I really knew who I was," she said, "and you know the answer was always no I'll never get a job like that. A lot of girls don't."

Comment: Better to wait for the facts before commenting on this one. For now, her declarations are mere suggestions.

A letter to the boys & young men of America.

J. Ishiro Finney
jishirofinney.com
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 08:49 UTC

A response to the mass shooting in Florida.

The bodies aren't even cold yet and already you are being blamed.

Yes you.

All of you.

The boys and young men who will grow up to become one half of America's future.

Once again, due to society's failure to raise you, to teach you, to properly guide you on your path to manhood, your mere existence is being held responsible for seventeen more deaths—this time in Florida, and once again, at a school. The headlines of the last few days say it all:

"Guns don't kill people; men and boys kill people, experts say"
-USA TODAY

"Michael Ian Black reacts to Florida shooting: Boys are broken"
-New York Daily News

"How Gun Violence And Toxic Masculinity Are Linked, In 8 Tweets"
-The Huffington Post

"Toxic white masculinity: The killer that haunts American life"
-Salon

"Toxic Masculinity Is Killing Us"
-The Boston Globe

"Toxic Masculinity Is Killing Us"
-Harpers Bazaar

"Don't Blame Mental Illness for Mass Shootings; Blame Men"
-Politico

Six arrested in Paragonah, Utah child sex crime sting

John W. Yelland
KUTV
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 19:59 UTC

Six men were arrested in Paragonah as a result of a child sex crime sting. The suspects had made arrangements to have sex with 13-year-old girls.

The joint criminal operation was conducted by Parowan authorities alongside authorities from Iron, Garfield and Beaver counties, and others.

The joint operation used a confidential informant to place an ad on websites known to produce child trafficking activities and child predators. The ad used in the sting had a picture of two young girls, with a phone number and a link to other sites.

The suspects all traveled to Paragonah, where they met with a confidential informant and agreed to have sex with one or more 13-year-old girls.

Comment: Army recruiter among 6 arrested in soliciting a minor sting

At least 20 students told police about receiving death threats from Nikolas Cruz - police did nothing

Rachel Blevins
The Free Thought Project
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:03 UTC

As new information surfaces surrounding the mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week, it is becoming even more apparent that law enforcement blatantly ignored a number of warning signs about the suspected gunman, which included 20 calls to police detailing death threats and violent behavior.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel admitted that there were at least "20 calls for services in the last few years" regarding Nikolas Cruz, who is now accused of entering the school he was expelled from and opening fire on his former classmates and teachers. Israel said that given the latest allegations against Cruz, the department now plans to review the reports they have received in the past.

Comment:

Israel's right wing has never told the truth: Without lies the country could not exist

Gideon Levy
KBnews
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 01:43 UTC

Jerusalem is united, there's no occupation, the settlements are legal - all lies. That's why the right finds nothing wrong with Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a loyal representative of the latest on Israel's right wing. The right never eschewed lying and so it doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. Even when Education Minister Naftali Bennett dared preach to Netanyahu, he was sanctimonious about it; he too knows that lying is the language of his camp. It's in its DNA, part of its life cycle. Without it, it wouldn't exist.

After all, for the sake of the Land of Israel one is permitted to lie - and steal, too. And for the sake of other matters. And so the Israeli right never stopped lying; that's why it finds nothing wrong with Netanyahu.

The Israeli right has someone to learn from; there's nothing like the American right wing when it comes to lies. Guns everywhere are portrayed as the protection of individual rights, health insurance for everyone is considered a violation of rights, and neoliberal economic policies are said to be an example for the entire society.

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bentpenny

Society's Child

Local communities, not government intervention hold the key to halting mass shootings

School shooting fallout: Ohio sheriff offers free concealed carry classes to teachers

Report: German intel seeks new spy satellites to become 'independent of US'

Sarah Silverman attacked for saying 'Jews must stand up to Israeli wrongdoing'

Cashless society: More payments made by card as cash use declines in UK

Goldie Hawn says her horrible sexual harassment experience will 'top all of them'

A letter to the boys & young men of America.

Six arrested in Paragonah, Utah child sex crime sting

At least 20 students told police about receiving death threats from Nikolas Cruz - police did nothing

Israel's right wing has never told the truth: Without lies the country could not exist

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