Boston marathon explosions
Who do you think is behind this? I think there are 3 options:
1. Some random american anarchist
2. North Korea
3. Middle-eastern group of terrorists
I think it might be some domestic group or person. Those bombs were not very powerful and it seems little amateurish to be organized by some country. Lets hope there won't be other sad events like this.
1. Some random american anarchist
2. North Korea
3. Middle-eastern group of terrorists
I think it might be some domestic group or person. Those bombs were not very powerful and it seems little amateurish to be organized by some country. Lets hope there won't be other sad events like this.
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http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Boston-Marathon-suspect-killed-second-sought-after-Watertown-explosions-gunfire/-/11971628/19812240/-/8jn3t7/-/index.html
When someone goes off the deep end, it becomes an extremely dangerous situation because of widespread availability of guns. Sometimes seemingly normal people just seem to go "nuts" for whatever reason. This could be due to mental illness, life problems they can't see past or temporary insanity. I would point to this event, along with the Christopher Dorner manhunt to support my view.
Relatedly, some groups say arming teachers would have stopped school shootings at Sandy Hook. Maybe. Or maybe it would lead to more incidents like this.
Armed residents in Boston are not being asked by the police if they can come outside and help or anything, police are asking people to lock themselves indoors. So I would use that to counter someone who might say that "if everyone was armed this guy wouldn't make it around the block!"
This seems to me to be a bad situation made more tragic by easy access to fire arms.
I really like the folks in the town applauding the law enforcement cars as they drive away from the scene. I'd applaud too but a little too far away.
My 50 cents, and a different perspective coming from the UK:
Even though guns are illegal here, it doesn't stop nutjobs or gangs or any criminals from getting hold of them. Sure, it makes them less prevalent. But it doesn't stop a lunatic from getting his hands on them. It also doesn't stop people getting "Licensed Firearms" and using them anyway, in the unfortunate case of a man named Derek Bird, who killed 12 people here and was "licensed".
In my own opinion it doesn't matter if you make it "illegal" for this man to own a gun. He's trying to kill people: his care for the legal system is pretty much 0 at that point.
However, I would be willing to bet that while hypothetically guns help to deter thieves and "holdups" at stores, some form of legislation on gun control WOULD help to lessen things like accidental deaths via firearms and would help to promote a more friendly culture between people (as @smeagolheart notes above this post).
I can't say for certain, but I would say that the "friendly" European culture and particularly the "overly polite" British culture would change drastically if everybody could "open carry", as you guys call it.
On a similar subject, I find it terrifying that many of your police openly carry guns. In the UK there are only our versions of SWAT teams who carry guns (armed response units). It makes the police a LOT less intimidating and a lot more... well... sociable. Although, as with all professions, I have met some seriously idiotic policemen, too.
Curiously, there was a study here in which they asked officers whether they would like guns or not. The majority declined to have them, even though many of our criminals possess guns.
(Just because I can: IMO Government is taking all of your guns to prepare for a "Brave New World" styled USA. Authoritarian tyrannical regimes inevitably spring from democracy, as Plato once suggested. But that is tangential.)
If I want to kidnap and murder a random person, I will be able to pull this off tonight (again, I won't, I'm not crazy, please don't think I'm crazy or call the cops, I'm a likable little dwarf). Police will have to patrol all the streets and a curfew will have to be instated if they'd want to stop me.
They can catch me afterwards, but the deed will have been done. And most rampage shooters don't expect to survive (they usually kill themselves anyway).
More security can't prevent this from happening. A good mental healthcare system, more social security (so people will call for help when they notice their neighbour is stockpiling weapons) might *lessen* the chances of this happening. Restricting access to guns makes this more difficult but it's not a magical solution. In the end, it's the people that kill people, in any way they'll think of, when they feel like doing it.
That said, I'm glad I live in a country where firearms are strictly prohibited and there's a distinct lack of violence glorification.
The American dream is (roughly) if you apply yourself you can achieve anything regardless of socioeconomic starting point. This is interpreted by some in a selfish manner (*cough* Romney) as it's your fault if you are falling behind. You don't deserve any help, just go earn a million dollars ya bum. This is all well and good if you are Charlie Sheen and #winning but if you get cancer or disabled then it's not so great.
So I am not surprised to hear what recently happened to my brother-in-law. He is cancer riddled and has lingered on for 4 years after he was given 6 months to live. He has "coded" several times (unresponsive), has several secondary health issues such as renal failure and memory problems was denied for disability. He's not too sick to work. I suppose he'll be too sick to work when he finally dies, but then it will be a bit late.
Land of the free, home of the brave my ass, rather zealous, blind, and spitting on what their founding fathers once were fighting for.
Still the lockdown remains. I mean 1 million people, forced to remain at home? Is this their so-called freedom? There is one person on the run and your first idea is to lock up a whole region? How long was this supposed to last, in case the second bomber wouldn't get caught?
For those who still wonder why the did this.. or as Biden said yesterday: "two twisted, perverted, cowardly knockoff jihadis".
That said, there is no excuse for these acts and I hope everyone in Boston is doing as good as possible considering the circumstances.