tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post1095119724906088539..comments2023-04-29T12:11:37.739+01:00Comments on FortyTwo: Guns and Roses...poetjanstiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-39569228552582074442017-08-17T20:41:33.945+01:002017-08-17T20:41:33.945+01:00Belatedly, in light of the current presidency - an...Belatedly, in light of the current presidency - and its woeful inadequacy - this was brought to my attention by Jamie Dedes. A visit to the school and a very personal embracing of each and every family member of the murdered infants by Barack Obama. How Americans must miss the touch of this man, whose humanity towers by orders of magnitude over the present incumbent of the White House. poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-55516408017462593152013-01-02T23:50:44.809+00:002013-01-02T23:50:44.809+00:00I consider your words well marked, Eden, well mark...I consider your words well marked, Eden, well marked.<br /><br />And, if it's not eleven o'clock in the morning (aka 'elevenses') then tea it is at all other times ;).poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-29836080170134587522013-01-02T16:16:14.110+00:002013-01-02T16:16:14.110+00:00Hahah! John, Love your response, but I must say - ...Hahah! John, Love your response, but I must say - a cup of coffee? What kind of Englishman are you? <br />You and I are both tea drinkers, I suspect - Early Grey or chai for me, and I'll make the chai with real cardomon, ginger, and nutmeg if you'd care for a cup. <br /><br />As for the debate of gun laws that continue in the US - there was no gesture more apparent to prove the American "right" to bear arms than the immediate stockpiling of weaponry after the Newton incident. Gun sales went up for fear of impending legislation that would ban it. How sick is this logic? Who is the enemy?<br /><br />Under the guise of protecting the 2nd amendment, the NRA is making money hand over fist with its fear mongering. To your point, this fear is aimed toward those who (in general), are ignorant of the rest of the world, have never traveled, and don't even own a passport. The unknown breeds an illogical fear. Xenophobia is compounded by news networks such as FOX that do nothing but divide the right and left. <br /><br />The worse thing about this is it will not be the last time. Mark my words, John. Until the Americans take up arms in an attempt to reduce arms, bloodshed will continue. <br /><br />edenEden Bayleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08043540142363106345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-30103295157936827682013-01-02T12:37:06.364+00:002013-01-02T12:37:06.364+00:00Joe, my friend, you must think me rude for not ack...Joe, my friend, you must think me rude for not acknowledging your kind comment, but it disappeared into spam, oddly! You've commented before on this blog, so I've no idea why that should have happened.<br /><br />Anyway I do appreciate your input here.poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-89659656283866234782013-01-02T09:03:00.897+00:002013-01-02T09:03:00.897+00:00Wow and double wow, Eden! I can always trust you t...Wow and double wow, Eden! I can always trust you to give me a considered and lengthy comment! Very gratifying, but I am sorry if it upset your equanimity at New Year's end ;). <br /><br />Observing the polarised and sometimes vitriolic debate on the pro's and con's of gun control on social media recently makes me realise one thing. That the Second Amendment is ingrained in the psyche and culture of a significant number of United States citizens, but ingrained in a way that suggests a real fear, which seems to amount to serious paranoia in some cases, of being emasculated without their guns, that such a change would remove the last means they have of defending themselves against... and this is a worrying aspect of the posture adopted, the language used, when 'the enemy' is mentioned, whoever that 'enemy' might be; like a big stick waved over the heads of Second Amendment detractors. <br /><br />If only that section of the population, who feel so insecure about losing their weapons, could experience how it feels to live in the continent of Europe, which is integrally attached to form a much larger land mass than North America, not separated from the rest of the world by such large oceans, then they might get that fear into some perspective. There will always be a gun problem everywhere, but none so acute as in the USA. In continental Europe we are not being overrun by hoards of enemy invaders and, whilst we can never be complacent about the security of our democracy, we still retain our electoral voting rights; we don't need a gun to enable that!<br /><br />Thanks again, Eden, I always value your contribution to the debate. One day we shall sit down with a cup of coffee and debate the world's problems.poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-86166028361506966662012-12-31T23:53:48.266+00:002012-12-31T23:53:48.266+00:00Wow, John, heavy post for me to read just hours fr...Wow, John, heavy post for me to read just hours from a new year, but it’s an important subject, no doubt.<br /><br />As with everyone else across the globe, I was outraged by the killings of children and adults in this latest incident of gun violence in the US, but I have to say I was not surprised. These horrific incidents have become much too commonplace in America. Each time a killing occurs, there is an outpouring of grief, debate and then more debate, and then the outrage passes … until the next time. <br /><br />I’m Canadian, as you know. We don’t have the fascination with guns that Americans do. We have the same concerns for our own safety, but arming ourselves to the hilt is not top of the list for self-preservation. As an Englishman, you would probably agree.<br /><br />I’m sorry to say, but American attitudes about guns are complacent. In all the outpouring of bewilderment that has followed every one of the shootings prior to Newton, there was never much made about the fact that there are too many guns in the US, they are just too easy to get. Finally this is being said, perhaps due to the gruesome nature of killing children, but the subject of gun control now competes with the ongoing issues of the mental health system.<br /><br />Mental illness is a legitimate problem, and people with it need proper care. I don’t dispute this, but gun control and mental health are each huge problems. Tackling both together is impossible. It’s splitting hairs as to which problem is worse and caused the killings in Newton. In the interim, my fear is there will be another shooting. What will it take to realize that guns must be controlled? A massacre of a hospital nursery filled with newborns?<br /><br />There are so many things to blame for gun violence - violent TV, movies, Satanic rock music, mental illness, but these conditions exist all over the world, and you don’t have massacres like this all over the world with the same frequency. So ultimately, I conclude what distinguishes America is its access to guns, and its deep-seeded belief in the Second Amendment as the means to justify their rights to own guns.<br /><br />Surely, the American forefathers could not predict that suburbanites living in peacetime should have access to high-powered rifles and handguns that could shoot hundreds of rounds of ammunition.<br /><br />The Second Amendment was intended to give rights to bear arms and protect its citizens from tyranny, to allow people the ability to overthrow an oppressive regime. Exactly what was a suburban middle-aged woman living in Connecticut doing with a Bushmaster rifle, that eventually fell into the hands of her son, who then used it to kill 26 people?<br /><br />Nobody wants their rights stepped on, but like you, I agree laws were not written in a vacuum, and they can be changed. Consider some that have: Women can now vote, blacks don’t have to sit at the back of the bus, and gays can now marry. Whether you agree with all these new laws or not, they have changed as society has moved forward.<br /><br />I think Americans will need to reconsider their ‘so-called’ rights to bear arms. As far as gun control law is concerned, the only one I see that’s benefited is the NRA, which lobbies so tirelessly to protect the constitutional rights of its citizens. <br /><br />Exactly how has that right helped the 26 people who were massacred in Newton? <br /><br /><br />All the best to you and your family for 2013, John. Thanks for getting me riled up, as usual. <br />xox<br />eden<br />Eden Bayleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08043540142363106345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-58866215216676745652012-12-22T23:54:37.821+00:002012-12-22T23:54:37.821+00:00Thanks for calling in Andy, and, indeed, we wonder...Thanks for calling in Andy, and, indeed, we wonder. <br /><br />Maybe, just maybe, in his last moments, he might have had a sudden awful moment of remorse, in the light of what he'd just done. But, then, I wonder how a seriously disturbed mind works under such circumstances; we'll never know.poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-22465706903499971522012-12-22T15:38:40.093+00:002012-12-22T15:38:40.093+00:00just a shame he didnt just take his own life and h...just a shame he didnt just take his own life and have done with it instead of killing all the rest. very selfish really but the good thing is I dont envy where he now finds himself after what he's done.Afghan Andy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-19551353758651026292012-12-21T23:42:44.206+00:002012-12-21T23:42:44.206+00:00Rachel, thank you for your comment and it's ve...Rachel, thank you for your comment and it's very good to hear from you again.<br /><br />Yes, like you, I count my lucky stars and particularly this Christmas will be thinking of those families in Newtown, Connecticut, who will be deprived, not only of little innocents, but also of the opportunity to renew their joy at seeing the sparkle in the eyes of a child at first sight of the Christmas tree and how this can refresh the otherwise laden grownup spirit. These families will be feeling crushed this year.<br /><br />God bless you and yours.poetjanstiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07366592443925617507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-4468368512754367912012-12-21T13:56:48.035+00:002012-12-21T13:56:48.035+00:00Such a thoughtful, considered & well researche...Such a thoughtful, considered & well researched post, John. I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing. The mental health issue/problem is one that I can only see increasing, sadly. Something must be done to address it. I am very thankful to be having a happy & peaceful Christmas, surrounded by loved ones. I wish you the same, and everything good in 2013 xRachel - Mozart's Girlhttp://ww.mozartsgirl.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2977373995716589134.post-70149144343359157302012-12-21T13:09:41.979+00:002012-12-21T13:09:41.979+00:00The fact that this essay simmered on a back burner...The fact that this essay simmered on a back burner, while you had to attend all those other bits of your holiday menu, is a grand thing, John. <br /><br />It shows the distilled and intense thought of a man not given to carelessly boiling over with leap-before-looking discourse.<br /><br />Thank you for your reasoned and heartfelt thoughts, my dear friend.Joseph Heschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13217169295029029233noreply@blogger.com