Trolling for people! (or Shooting Fish in A Barrel)

Peace on Earth - U2

Another mass shooting in the United States this past week (on Friday December 14, 2012). And I am going to say it again, I don't want to celebrate the name of the shooter and have their name at the forefront of my memory. I am annoyed at myself for remembering Marc Lepine, Paul Bernardo, Ted Bundy etc but I am hard pressed to recall the victims so quickly. That's sad. 

But it is the first thing that comes out in a news story as traumatic as this. We want to know who and why. It seems to me that the perpetrator of these heinous acts seem to take the cowardly route and turn the gun on themselves before society can mete out justice. Among the bodies strewn about the location, the gunman is easily identified with weapons nearby and bullets on the person. The name is released to the media quickly. And then it is repeated over and over again. I will not fall into that frenzy again. The names of 26 victims may be a lot to recall, but I will celebrate their life and mourn their loss and their families sorrow without the attachment of the name (or mental picture of) the one who mowed them down.

And so within moments of the news leaking to the world that a gunman with an assault rifle entered the Sandy Hook elementary school in the picturesque community of Newton, Connecticut, USA and opened fire. From hallway to classroom he sprayed more than 100 bullets and 26 found their mark and claimed a life. Sadly according to some reports, after being shot from a distance the killing became up close and personal and some children were shot up to 11 times. This isn't random, to me it is a personal vendetta that he carried out - but for what reason we may only ever be able to speculate about. Maybe it doesn't really matter why? 20 children never got to give their families one last kiss, 6 adults never got to say good bye to their loved ones. 

But wait, their were two more victims. The gunman and his mother. I understand not wanting to lump the murderer in with the death toll he caused but why is his mother left out? Is it because it was her weapons that were used. Ah yes, it seems that Mom had an arsenal of hand guns and rifles and enjoyed taking her children out for a family outing of target practice. Bizarre behaviour in my mind but I live in a nation that has different outlooks on gun ownership. And this is where I am going with this.


There is no need for your average Joe Citizen to own an assault rifle or automatic weapon of any type. Certainly I think it is time that the parameters of who, how many and what types of guns should be allowed in a household in the United States. NRA be damned. The death toll would not have been so high with a single shot weapon. If there were no weapons ready for the taking in the home, the gun man may have released some of his rage before acting on it. We know that we can get our hands on a weapon if we are really intent on it, but with the time it takes to get it, our murderous rage may be calmed somewhat. But if your second amendment right to bear arms supersedes my right to life then at least please take the deadly velocity out of the equation.  

I equate hunting game with a rifle or shotgun in the same vein as fishing with a lure or live bait. One animal or fish is captured. No excessive killing. Then there is the semi-automatic or automatic weapon that has the capability to mow down an entire herd of animals in moments. Like the fishing net that captures everything in its path with no chance of survival. It is no longer a sport or survival. It is business with a devastating impact, socially or environmentally.  

Melt the Guns - XTC

Bottom line, I suppose is that a mass killing can and does happen regardless of the weapon involved. Case in point, the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City (168 people dead, many injured), the commercial airliners into the World Trade Center (2,753 dead), Jonestown massacre by poisoning (909 dead). While the number of victims here may be greater, these attacks against humanity where planned out events that took considerable time and preparation. Comparatively, Sandy Hook elementary school had fewer casualties, but an interesting analogy was brought up concerning another elementary school being targeted on the other side of our planet. In China a man with an unknown vendetta against school age children went on a spree that left 23 victims in his wake. The difference being that his weapon was a knife and there was not one fatality! The man was subdued by witnesses. I too, would risk a stab wound over a barrage of bullets to attempt to stop an attacker in his tracks. A no-brainer really. You would expend very little personal energy squeezing a trigger than you would pounding a knife through flesh and bone.  

                                                                        

But this tragedy is really not just about the argument for or against gun ownership. It is about mental illness as well. For I think it is safe to say that someone who flies into a murderous rage and takes a weapon to slaughter countless innocent people before himself is not quite right in the head. Whether it is a means to an end in seeking revenge and final retribution for wrongs that have been committed against the attacker, or some perverse ideal of achieving infamy and notoriety for all the days after our life - the thinking process is skewed. 

Considering this picture, it is true that the steps are harder to climb than it is to walk into the visually attracting gun store, but sometimes we have to swallow some of our own pride to reach out and climb those stairs. It is not an easy thing for people to go against societal expectations and admit that we are weak and incapable of handling life and need help. And often times we don't know ourselves that we need help and can't cope on our own. But that doesn't mean that it is society's fault if we don't recognize that need. Some people go to the doctor for a small ache or pain and practice preventative care, some people are riddled with cancer before they know something is not right. The same can and does hold true for mental illness. We don't necessarily know that the way we view the world is skewed, our neighbours and society tell us that problems are solved with guns. Movies and media preach the notoriety garnered by revenge. It's what we learn and know. Restriction of access to guns will not stop mass violence against humanity but it might make it harder. What the US is doing now sure isn't working! 

I'm familiar with the mental health system in Canada. Unless you are in crisis (ready to snap) there are simply not enough professional to care for the growing number of people who are having difficulty coping with society's expectations. And of course there are always abuses to the system that makes it harder for those in real need. For every little misbehaviour it seems that parents are running to look for a diagnosis to be used as an excuse for what is nothing more than lack of effective parenting. And where there is a real problem with a dysfunctional teen, parents are often oblivious because of the demands that are placed on them from family and work obligations. 

I don't know what the answer is. I do know that someone had to recognize when I was in crisis and take steps to remedy it because I wasn't climbing those stairs to shout it out for the world to hear.  

If someone has it in their head that they are going out with a bang, banning gun ownership is not going to stop them. We can't outlaw knife ownership, and certainly vehicles have been used to intentionally kill the innocent. We can't ban cars. Most schools are locked to the public, but there will always be the crack that someone slips through. Tragedy on a grand scale can happen at a school, business, shopping venue or public transit. We can't prevent it all but we have to try and make it harder to do the deed and help the ones we can. That is all



Final note: Morgan Freeman has had some words to share about this topic and it isn't difficult to find the associated commentary shared all over social media sites.  I would like to share that according to snopes.com, Morgan Freeman never made the comments attributed to him. But I did! The synopsis of his first paragraph is found in my musings from October 2012 entitled You Don't Have to Win the Race to Succeed! This is the link. http://pinkpantherfancanada.blogspot.ca/2012/10/you-dont-have-to-win-race-to-succeed_9.html

Final Final note: There was a lot of commentary about this subject posted on the internet and on social media and much centered around the unprovoked attack, gun ownership and mental illness. But there was one comment that was different and stopped me in my tracks to re-read it several times. While expressing great sorrow and compassion for the victims and families in Connecticut, there was a resentment that hundreds of children have been massacred at the hands of the US Drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. On one hand the American people are expected to be grief stricken by the senseless actions of a madman while at the same time be supportive of the government and people who continue to kill children and innocent people off their shores filling an agenda that is possibly just as insane. But permissible and not questioned in the name of war. Hmmmm?

Credit where credit is due:
snopes.com
pinkpantherfancanada.blogspot.ca

The Next Freak Show!

American Psycho - Treble Charger

In an attempt to organize our lives, we make lists. We have grocery lists, to do lists, to read lists. Our PVR's have lists of shows that we want to watch. We organize the music on our I-Pods into lists - romantic music, workout music, inspirational music. We take the time to make the lists, but we often don't do much beyond that. The grocery list with the coupons we had intended to bring along is still sitting on the fridge as we cruise up and down the aisles trying to remember what we wrote. The homework that was assigned was neatly printed in the checklist format of the agenda book and left in the locker. If you think about it, even these "competition" shows on tv can be organized in list format. Starting with 20 contestants and whittled down week by week until only one is standing. The creation of lists is big business. We all want to know what is number one. Whether it is car sales, or mobile phone preference, the longest lasting, biggest. The Guinness Book of World Records is  probably the most well known book of lists, but not to be outdone, Macleans magazine has just put out an all Canadian version of lists. And after all these years we must accept that the CN Tower is no longer the tallest and Yonge Street is not the longest street in the world either. Say what? What happened to shrink it? Calculation error it seems.

Anyways, not to be out done - I have a list. A list of oddities I have come across. In no particular order...you decide what is number one for you.

1. Walk Off the Earth is a quirky name for a band when you stop to think about it. It has been said before that if the world didn't suck we would fall off, so it is not even possible to walk off the earth given the definitive proof that the world is not flat. While you ponder this, head on over to YouTube and check out some of their equally quirky videos. This independent band from Burlington, Ontario has made a name for themselves by one of their most bizarre videos - the Gotye's cover of Somebody That I Used to Know. If you haven't seen it, all five members of the band play on a single acoustic guitar, even the drummer keeps the beat on it. Other videos have band members throwing and catching various instruments mid-note. Watch for the Beard Guy who has his own cult following. They make this list because they have amassed more than 127 million views and an international fan-base because of talent and originality.

2. The world is indeed becoming a dangerous place and nowhere can we see the heightened security and paranoia than at the worlds international airports. One fellow was annoyed at beeping every time he stepped through the metal detector that he finally stripped down naked to prove he had nothing illegal on his person. I can feel his frustration when I witnessed a woman being slowly disrobed trying to rid herself of the offending metal. In her case it may have been the underwire bra. Did you hear about the man who was stopped in San Francisco because he had an obvious bulge in his pants. Turns out he is just well endowed with 9" flaccid and 13.5" erect. He was released after showing his Guinness Record award. The embarrassed and decidedly average security guards were glad to see his go on his way. I doubt many women would consider him a threat.

3. Now here is real danger to the welfare of children - well children with unmindful parents perhaps. KinderEggs are banned in the USA because the toys inside the hollow chocolate eggs could pose a chocking hazard. This threat to security came to light when two gentlemen were detained at customs for more than two hours after American border guards found 6 offending chocolate treats in the trunk of their car. They were threatened with a fine of $2,500 per egg ($15,000) but eventually let go with a warning and the contraband in hand. I wonder how many Canadian children have been injured by these dangerous treats? I must have been a horrible parent for my kids enjoyed the toys and the chocolate and never confused which was which. They played with the toy and ate the chocolate. And I profited with all the Pink Panther Kinder toys I amassed as they chomped. One question for the border guards - are you equally good at spotting more dangerous goods like illegal drugs and weapons? People living in the bullet-ridden streets of Toronto would probably think not.

Pink Panther KinderEgg Toys

4. Speaking of Toronto and the second time for the declaration of the "summer of the gun", the illegal handguns have made their way into the hands of the gang members who seem to quick to turn the muzzle onto the innocent. It's not just Toronto, but that happens to be in my backyard so it's personal. Earlier this year, when the numbers were not yet above average, there was a call for a ban on the sale of bullets in the city. I don't even know how you can make this suggestion with a straight face. Unless transportation to neighbouring communities would be banned as well, how could this possibly be seen as a viable solution? Besides, if you can smuggle a gun with ease, then smuggling bullets would be a no-brainer. I know that our friends to the south have much more liberal gun laws and while I don't agree with the NRA (National Rifle Association) stance on the right to bear arms, I don't live there. I prefer to believe the statistics that show weapons in the home for the protection of family are more often used in the killing of family members - accidentally or in a moment of rage. But to each his own, I guess. Except when it comes to weapons that can shoot multiple rounds which are the preferred mode when taking aim at the innocent. 

5. Baskin-Robbins is closing a plant just outside of the Toronto area because even though it has been running around the clock to keep up demand it is unable to do so. Say what? You need more product to satisfy consumers and you are going to achieve your quota by closing a factory able to produce the goods. 80 people working 24/7 surely must have put a dent (however small) into your supply. Instead, production is going to shift to a plant halfway across the country in Nova Scotia and be shipped back to the gluttonous market in the GTA? I'm thrilled if this mean a boost for the employment status for Truro and I am no business expert but it all seems a little foolish to me. 

6. Back on the crime front, a tale from the bizarre. A 70 year old man shot his 50 year old son and has been charged with attempted murder. The son is said to be grateful for his fathers poor eyesight and onset of Parkinson's for saving his life. Okay, I made that part up. But seriously, maybe if the father had some hearing loss this incident might never have come to this. It seems that the reason for the shots fired was to stop the "young" man from singing. His father didn't like his sons country karaoke singing. Maybe he would have been happier with some rapping? Opera? Yodeling? Or the NRA can look into age restrictions for weapon ownership?

7. A simple search on the internet will get you to a bizarre list of ways to cheat at the Olympics. Anything that increases your percentage of red blood cells seems to work, although it is referred to as blood doping and is illegal. Athletes find ways around it, but most methods appear to involve removal of blood before manipulation like exposure to ultraviolet light or spinning in a centrifuge. Depending on the sport, manipulation of clothing and equipment or manufacture therein can enhance performance. The same old song and dance, money can buy you an edge over the competition. Winning on your own merits will of course be the greatest win of all. 

8. Being as it is Olympic Time for the summer games in London, England - let's consider the value in the spectacle. I suppose I may raise a few eyebrows and tempers, but I am not convinced that the Olympics should be continuing in modern times. It is not the competition and show of excellence that I object to, it is the money. From the initial gargantuan deposit to make a bid to host the games, to the building of the one time use facilities - the cost is astronomical. And some cities make repeated bids to be called hosts of the games until they are finally successful. As for the athletes, there are a lot of kids who have natural ability in sport, but it takes money to go beyond community sports league. If we can pay for the private coaching, we can turn a driven competitor into a winner. And therein you have another issue with the Olympics - children from a young age are removed from a life of childhood to one of glory in sport. Pre-teen competitors are not the norm nor are they the exception. 10 years of age is the youngest recorded...so far. 

9. You can find just about anything for sale or wanted on e-bay, Craigslist or Kijiji. Up for bids - an entire town including the title of mayor, an Australian man sold his entire life (car, house, job and friends). The internet is the go-to place to make a life also. Dating site for the love lorn abound, whether you are looking for a one time encounter, discreet hook-ups or long term matches. But some people go a little too far and post ads for illegal activity. For reasons not disclosed, a man in the US posed as his wife wanting a rape fantasy fulfilled. E-mails were exchanged with willing participants and the men were told to force there way into the home and perform the rape no matter no much resistance was encountered. That is just sick. Luckily for the first man on the scene, when the woman managed to get a hold of her gun she didn't shoot to kill but did hold him at gunpoint until police arrived. Hmm...about those gun laws...

10. Facebook used to be a great place to go to socially connect with people who were your friends and to make new friends. Parker Brothers game night took on a life of its own with Farmville, Cityville and Mafia Wars. All of a sudden playing games was fun again. But for most, the constant demands of the games and bugs that made play too frustrating lost its appeal. But there was so much more. Nowhere else could you show a picture of yourself...sit back and let the positive comments flow. Egos soared high. But now there seems to be a concerted effort to make us feel inadequate. You know what I am talking about..it's "Click and share if":

- you love your mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, dog, cat, rat

- you had the greatest parents, childhood, family, job, breakfast

- your son, daughter, pet, boss mean the world to you

- you love your life, your car, house, heritage, trash can

Newsflash people, I love my family and children. I know people who have died and have been ill and I love them too. My spirituality is important to me as is my happiness and friends. If I don't click and share doesn't change those facts. You would almost think that someone was earning money for every click. Like the chain letters from days gone by that we were afraid to break. Click if you want but don't be afraid not to. The heavens will not fall down on your shoulders I promise.

11. Tattoos have become the new norm, like the piercing of the eyebrows, lips and even gentiles used to be. The safety pins in the cheeks of the 80's era punk rockers used to gross me out but at least they could take them out when the fad passed and maturity set in. Even psychedelic hair colours and styles could return to normalcy and you could pass as a CEO with your youthful discretions well hidden in grainy photographs. But a tattoo is without surgical intervention, permanent. And there are medical considerations - you may be denied MRI or epidurals. Any one who has been pregnant can vouch for what happens to skin when it is stretched and then the tension is released - what happens to a tattoo placed in this area? And when that 20 year old is 80 and the skin is wrinkled and covered with age spots, how do the tattoos look now? I shudder to think. But the most important question I have is: When you encounter a person who is well-blanketed in tattoos, do you want to make out with them or read them? Being an avid reader, yes even of picture books and comics I would...lol! As artistic and beautiful the pictures may be, sometimes you have to get up close and personal to understand what exactly you are looking at, especially if it is partly covered by clothing or part of a collage of images. When I hear about inked errors or less than satisfactory work performed I have to admit that I am amused. 

12. Have you ever worried about losing your wedding ring? How about having it pierced right into the skin of your finger? Actually looks kind of gross close up and it's gotta hurt getting it done. I think I would rather insure the jewelry and risk losing it. 


13. Did you hear about the 11 year old boy who without a passport, ticket or boarding pass managed to fly from England to Italy all on his own. How comfortable are you feeling about the level of security at our airports now? If a child can do it so can anyone else. A child travelling alone should have raised all kinds of flags, but it wasn't until he was seated on the plane and bragging to other passengers about his exploits that the crew was alerted to his presence. Travelling 1700 km undetected and for free...maybe I should have a chat with the lad, I may get back to Europe yet!


14. Who jokes about running over a turtle? American country music star Blake Shelton, that's who! Feathers were ruffled all over Twitter, lambasting the celebrity for making light of animal cruelty. Why even Ellen DeGeneres got in on the action. In the end, Blake Shelton apologized for the cruel joke saying he wasn't even in the state where he said the incident occurred. So what's his excuse then? Drunk? Bad publicity is better than no publicity to ramp up concert attendance? 

That's my list of oddities in the world around me. For now! Because the world just seems to be getting more and more bizarre all the time. It seems for some there are no boundaries no lines of social acceptableness that can't be crossed. God bless the generations to come.