Controversial Gun Crime

[Hunter28]

The link below happened over 14 hours ago and not one post here about it. I guess that is what I miss about IMDb. Posters would have been discussing it all day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/steve-scalise-congress-shot-alexandria-virginia.html?_r=0

 

[ant-mac]

The link below happened over 14 hours ago and not one post here about it. I guess that is what I miss about IMDb. Posters would have been discussing it all day.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/steve-scalise-congress-shot-alexandria-virginia.html?_r=0

Why? It's a terrible occurrence, but it's not exactly ground-breaking news.

It seems like there's a news story on TV every few days that involves one American shooting another one with a gun. It's truly horrible, but until you guys bite the bullet - if you'll pardon the expression - and make a serious attempt to do something about gun control, nothing is going to change.

 

[Hunter28]

Why? It's a terrible occurrence, but it's not exactly ground-breaking news.

It seems like there's a news story on TV every few days that involves one American shooting another one with a gun. It's truly horrible, but until you guys bite the bullet - if you'll pardon the expression - and make a serious attempt to do something about gun control, nothing is going to change.

I disagree. We have a Sanders supporter shooting and trying to kill Republicans. That is big news. And being this is a political board you would think people would be discussing it right here.

 

[ant-mac]

I disagree.

As is your right.

We have a Sanders supporter shooting and trying to kill Republicans.

Strange... I don't remember that being one of his policies during the election campaign last year.

However, in recent years, we have had armed and unstable individuals attempting to shoot and kill members of both political persuasions in the USA.

That is big news.

It might be big news, but it is not exactly ground-breaking news. After all, there are news stories on TV every few days that involve people shooting each other in the USA.

Besides, it is not the only big news story going on at present. There is the recent election held in the UK, the tower block inferno in the UK, several recent terrorist attacks in the UK, the investigation of POTUS for obstruction of justice and of course who could possibly ignore the never ending flow of emergencies and embarrassments that seem to emanate on a daily basis from the office of the Dear Leader...

These days, it's hard work just trying to keep up with the non-stop, overwhelming flood of diarrhoea from the internet, radio and TV.

And being this is a political board you would think people would be discussing it right here.

We are discussing it, aren't we?

Or are you just a figment of my imagination?

Besides, while it might be big news for American citizens, for the rest of us, who live in countries all over the world, it's simply another in a long line of horrific shooting incidents from the USA. It's terrible, but there's nothing we can do to help, except to recommend to you that you do something about improving gun control.

 

[Gavin]

Seems to me to be just another normal day in the US. And the evidence for it being a politically motivated shooting seems pretty much based on hearsay. Based on the evidence available I don't see that there's much to talk about. I agree that on IMDB this probably would have been a hot topic but that would only have been among those motivated to make it into a political statement - "look at how bad all those people on the left are". Fortunately we don't seem to have picked up a lot of those people on these boards.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

The problem in our country is that there are too many "one issue" voters. I know a lot of people who will continue to vote republican for one reason - the second amendment. Never mind that they have disastrous fiscal policies that continue to give tax cuts to the rich when it has been proven time and again that trickle-down economics do not work, they are working to take away health care from millions who voted from them, because many of them didn't understand that "Obamacare" was actually helping them, but they just listened to their party who told them it was bad (because a black man set it in motion, even though it was based on a republican plan), and they refuse to work to save the planet because "it's bad for business". But any time someone talks about sensible gun control, all these people hear is "they;re coming to take our guns!" Pretty damned sad.

Then there are the ones who vote that way for "religious freedom", even though that's just code for "christian-based sharia law".

 

[Hunter28]

The problem in our country is that there are too many "one issue" voters.

Its not just "one issue" voters. With the election well over 3 years away there are millions of people who are going to vote for the Democrat just because he or she is a Democrat. Same goes for the Republican candidate. They vote party not issues.

 

[ant-mac]

Its not just "one issue" voters. With the election well over 3 years away there are millions of people who are going to vote for the Democrat just because he or she is a Democrat. Same goes for the Republican candidate. They vote party not issues.

That sort of thing occurs in other countries too, Hunter.

In Australia, we also have "the party faithful", who are dedicated to a specific political party.

 

[Hunter28]

That sort of thing occurs in other countries too, Hunter.

In Australia, we also have "the party faithful", who are dedicated to a specific political party.

I just don't get it. Yes its OK to lean right or left. But if your party candidate does not have issues you agree with why vote for them. I am conservative but I could not bring myself to vote for John McCain. Did I vote for Obama then. Heck no. I wrote someone in.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

But 9 times out of 10, my party's candidate does have issues I agree with. Add to that the fact that, since I have been old enough to vote, I have yet to see a single republican candidate who shares the majority of my views. Does that make me some idealistic twat who would like to see equality for all and a future where we can live in some sort of Star Trek-like utopia? Probably. But those are my "values", if that's the word that should be used.

As for the next election, I probably will vote democrat. If the republicans could find a candidate who greatly resembles Teddy Roosevelt (without the racism and neo-imperialism) - who would bust monopolies and kick the rich down a few rungs - then maybe I'd switch. But I'm not above voting third party. It's just that the third party candidates were morons this time around, and I wasn't about to vote for a sexual predator.

 

[ant-mac]

I just don't get it. Yes its OK to lean right or left. But if your party candidate does not have issues you agree with why vote for them. I am conservative but I could not bring myself to vote for John McCain. Did I vote for Obama then. Heck no. I wrote someone in.

I wasn't casting a judgement on the merits - or lack thereof - of voting consistently with one side of politics or the other. I was simply stating that it is a phenomenon that occurs outside as well as inside the USA. Of course, if the political party someone supports actually represents the values they believe in, then it is only logical for them to vote that way. And of course, not everyone shares the same values, so not everyone will support the same political party.

I have always been to the left on most - but not all - issues. However, over the years and decades, I've grown steadily more disillusioned with both sides of politics in my country. About the only thing they seem to have in common is that they can't fucking agree on anything - even when it's clearly in the interest of the country - and they refuse to negotiate on just about everything. With the possible exception of their employment benefits and wages.

Their common goal seems to solely be about obtaining power for it's own sake, so they can improve living circumstances for themselves and their small base of hard-core supporters, not the general population of the country that they're supposed to be governing. Of course, with a few exceptions, this is a pattern that is repeated on all levels of government - local, state and federal. It's all so fucking depressing and predictable.

That's why I now vote for one of the multitude of smaller political parties that have emerged onto the political landscape of my country in the last decade or so. At the last federal election, approximately 30 per cent of Australians voted for someone who did not represent one of the two or three mainstream political parties. I'm not sure if it will make much of a difference in the long run, but it's certainly pleasing in the short term to see the amount of chaos and stress it causes for our illustrious lords and masters...

 

[Hunter28]

About the only thing they seem to have in common is that they can't fucking agree on anything - even when it's clearly in the interest of the country

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I totally agree with that.