tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post5635360452404228770..comments2024-03-20T12:34:55.100-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: The Seven Stages of Gun ViolenceJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger352125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-48191836417292735042018-11-11T04:22:33.027-06:002018-11-11T04:22:33.027-06:00Gawd, I hate reading these from you, Jim.
Not tha...<br />Gawd, I hate reading these from you, Jim.<br /><br />Not that I dislike the writing or even the subject matter per se. What I hate is that there is a need for this to be written, that events conspire to occur that all but require such an essay be written.<br /><br />To a certain extent you are preaching to the choir with these. Sure the trolls and the knuckle-draggers browse through and will grief you over your perceived stance of take the goddam guns away, a stance you in no way advocate. But you said that, in no uncertain terms. I'm just repeating it, not that the trolls and the knuckle-draggers will read and comprehend my acknowledgement of your stance any more than they will read and comprehend your disclaimer.<br /><br />No, I rather hate what has been allowed to happen to my country, by well-meaning people on both sides, all sides. And I don't have much of a clue about how to change this sad reality. What little clue, what little hope I have is that there are well-reasoned and thoughtful essays such as this that try to peel back the scab so we can try to get some healing in to the festering wound.<br /><br />And for that small glimmer of hope and insight, I thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-91402040520529506842018-11-10T12:29:27.694-06:002018-11-10T12:29:27.694-06:00When I first moved from California to Arizona in 1...When I first moved from California to Arizona in 1981, my Father suggested, that since I liked the desert perhaps I would enjoy living in Israel. He offered to pay to have my motorcycle, the old Guzzi, shipped there and would help me financially until I was settled. <br />I refused...I did not want to live in a War Zone...I did not then, and do not today, like the political direction Israel has taken...<br />...but here we are...<br />One hundred hundred and eight thousand Americans have died due to gun-violence in the past six years.<br />We ARE in a war zone, but one of our own making. One encouraged more and more by the olefgarchs who want to divide and conquer and have us pointing fingers and guns at one another.<br />And I say this as one who has had at least one hand gun of my own since 1983...thirty five years....and one who lives with shot guns and rifles, here in the country, far from help should we need it....<br />...but I wonder and worry...Sybilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04047822806024627403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-35446632766565851272018-11-09T12:20:19.889-06:002018-11-09T12:20:19.889-06:00Can I say pussies here? Sure I can. They're pu...Can I say pussies here? Sure I can. They're pussies the lot of them. The NRA gun nuts. The "I need protection" sissies. I'm a single woman been living alone most of my adult life. Raised two kids alone without a gun. I love to shoot, like at the range or a turkey shoot, but I never felt the need to have one in the house. Seriously, unless you live in an actual war zone why do you need a gun? Your neighborhood is bad, you say? Well, a few good strong locks and perhaps a dog will keep you safer than a gun. They're all just pussies and that gun is compensating for their lack of courage and character. oldgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14300942268456541949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-51610223355942252082018-11-09T09:38:37.679-06:002018-11-09T09:38:37.679-06:00Cadet Bone Spurs, Our Presidential Talking Cheeto,...Cadet Bone Spurs, Our Presidential Talking Cheeto, managed to get out two tweest about this one. He forgot about the the thoughts and prayers horse shit, but hey, he has a lot on his mind. What with trying to figure out which law enforcement agency that he can put in charge of the electoral process, and appointing even more sycophants to cabinet level positions, he's got a lot on his plate. In any case, as usual, dead on balls accurate. I'm just amazed at how fast we spin through the cycle these days. By Monday, we'll be at acceptance, and pretending that there won't be a next one.Bill Reitznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-45596866419188654282018-11-09T09:37:11.459-06:002018-11-09T09:37:11.459-06:00Facebook has a specific function which allows you ...Facebook has a specific function which allows you to "mark yourself safe" when some event happens in your area that might place you at risk . I got two "I'm safe" notifications from friends during the last three hurricanes and one related to a wildfire. In the last few weeks I've gotten five notifications related to mass shootings. steeleweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02077739629921574784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-41071519442809225872018-11-08T16:56:20.125-06:002018-11-08T16:56:20.125-06:00Hi Jim. I am a Canadian who, along with all of my ...Hi Jim. I am a Canadian who, along with all of my friends have a very hard time wrapping our minds around the idea that every household needs a gun to be safe. We get a ton of American news up here and some Canadians can name more American Governors than they can Canadian Members of Parliament. So we are very in tune with the current events of our neighbours. Up until Sandy Hook, I always believed after every mass shooting that SURELY NOW THEY'LL SEE THAT THERE MUST BE GUN CONTROL. Surely common sense will prevail. When nothing was done after that tragedy, I realized that nothing was going to change because there was too much money involved. Too many would lose power. That sickened me. It mortified me. there is a relationship to guns in America that I simply don't understand no matter how I look at it. I have never even SEEN a gun that was not on a cop or in a museum. I know we have our own pot of troubles up here but worrying about protecting myself and my family against all the evil people with my gun is something I gratefully have never had to worry about. Thank you for your clear, uber smart essays. They help me understand a thing that baffles, confuses and depresses me. Stephanie Wolfenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-21849172912747537472018-11-08T15:00:01.070-06:002018-11-08T15:00:01.070-06:00I didn't read this until after the edit, but w...I didn't read this until after the edit, but wanted to point out that there's still a (probable) error after the edit. "Another massacre. Kids again this time." That sentence is likely incorrect unless you were including the college students. Not trying to be a pedant, but you called out the lack of detail focus by your readers. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120198611257337483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14542251085492816662018-11-08T10:43:14.368-06:002018-11-08T10:43:14.368-06:00So we have made it easier for the little dick wave...So we have made it easier for the little dick wavers to get that kind of weapon. Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16588657943011198242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-4120572976898720972018-11-08T10:10:05.638-06:002018-11-08T10:10:05.638-06:00About 10 years ago I took a series of workshops. B...About 10 years ago I took a series of workshops. Before you call me a hippie/liberal/snowflake (Just kidding, I know you would never call me that!), they brought me to the very stark realization that I have created my life. Just as it is, all that it is, even the tragedies. The tragedies may look as if I were a victim of circumstance but I created those circumstances through choices I made. It’s all choice. That string of relationships? All ended by the other person? I can look at that, now, and say, “Wow, I chose those people to create my life as single.” And what, you may ask, does that have to do with gun violence and mass shootings? <br /><br />I like this piece and hate it. It’s about what we’ve created and the fucking futility of wringing our hands and vomiting, collectively, in all directions. Collectively, we are choosing the violence. We don’t really need to know why, we just need to recognize we’ve chosen it. We act as if we can’t choose something different. Every. Single. Time. So, what we’ve created is a huge pile of blood and vomit. That’s our creation. Not Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02364377160777982626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-35897427243494152352018-11-08T08:34:27.682-06:002018-11-08T08:34:27.682-06:00Update 11/8/2018
This post has been updated and m...<b>Update 11/8/2018<br /><br />This post has been updated and moved forward in the Stonekettle Station timeline. Comments before this one are from previous posts of this article<br /><br />//Jim Wright/Stonekettle Station<br /><br /></b>Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-39263071733554192862018-02-16T01:41:57.690-06:002018-02-16T01:41:57.690-06:00Time to update the intro. We actually can build s...Time to update the intro. We actually can build spaceships again.<br /><br />The mass self-delusion regarding the root causes of gun violence still has a full erection, but we can build spaceships again.<br />d.Stutthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122592524958489432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-63038782112402009302017-11-07T15:05:52.157-06:002017-11-07T15:05:52.157-06:00Chris Rock's now classic joke/rant about "...Chris Rock's now classic joke/rant about "bullet control" was hilarious, but it's on-mark. It's not guns that kill people. It's the projectiles that come from them that kill people. So, we need a nationwide, draconian reordering of bullet control. Here are my proposed policies.<br /><br />1. A one-month moratorium on all new policies.<br />2. 30 days after passing, all bullet owners must turn in ALL commercial or privately-made bullets to a local law enforcement facility, for eventual hand-over to BATF agents. <br />3. Henceforth, all private manufacture is banned.<br />4. A live, digital database is implemented with all licensed gun-owners' identities.<br />5. Private ownership of bullets is limited to 10 of any kind, regardless of the firearms owned. <br />6. Ownership of 10 bullets is registered in the database. <br />7. Bullets now have a 5000% tax levied upon them. <br />8. Anybody caught with more than ten bullets for any reason: life imprisonment.<br />9. Manufacture of bullets by private individuals: life imprisonment. <br />10. Unlimited use/purchase of bullets only at shooting ranges. <br /><br />So, if we can't stop mass shootings, and I don't see how we practically can via weapons bans, we need to find a way to inhibit access to large amounts of bullets. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03891036542024494501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-45472254797465277902017-10-09T12:18:42.758-05:002017-10-09T12:18:42.758-05:00I respect the hell out of you. You always say wha...I respect the hell out of you. You always say what I'm thinking. NO ONE but military should have access to assault rifles and the "meat grinders" you describe. That's clearly not what the Second Amendment is about.<br /><br />And, I agree with you, nothing will be done. The NRA owns congress and as long as they are pouring money into their pockets, innocent lives will be taken. <br /><br />Keep writing your blogs. Perhaps someone, someday, will wake up and do the right thing. But I'm not going to hold my breath.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-72376054812019952842017-10-05T19:14:21.336-05:002017-10-05T19:14:21.336-05:00Let me add emphasis to the obvious. This is econom...Let me add emphasis to the obvious. This is economics, pure and simple. Death is good for the bottom line! We've seen that in the aftermath of every mass shooting in modern times.<br /> TC Langhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10320519973690667692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-60321549223270373812017-10-05T19:05:53.027-05:002017-10-05T19:05:53.027-05:00Anthony, I think I get your point, and although I ...Anthony, I think I get your point, and although I hate the labels, liberal/conservative, one thing is certain. Arms sales are ultimately about making money. It's hyper-capitalism. Again, I hate labels, and I'm not a communist, however the arms industry makes a profit on selling tools, just like Home Depot, etc. They exist to sell a tool that few people will ever use in their lifetime. Yet, in order to meet their quarterly margins, as their shareholders demand, they must continue to sell the same tool, updating it however they can, expanding that market to infinity (as capitalism demands). Yeah, this is pure economics. Anyone who doesn't get it...well...just doesn't get it!TC Langhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10320519973690667692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-54639472270569356152017-10-05T16:35:09.639-05:002017-10-05T16:35:09.639-05:00What a lot of liberals who favor gun control don&#...What a lot of liberals who favor gun control don't understand is that the arms business is big money, and for lot of gun owners their collection is actually a financial investment. Firearms hold their value. And when they hear, "gun control," their translation is "you want to take my money and my lifestyle from me."<br /><br />There is also the feeling of empowerment that stems from owning firearms. The liberals may as well ask these people to cut off their own arms. Gun ownership equals the power over life and death and that in turn equals what they call "protection." <br /><br />There is too much money to be made from dealing in fear and death. As far as they are concerned when firearms are used to murder countless people, is isn't their fault, and it isn't their problem, because "we are responsible gun owners, et cetra..."<br /><br />Like drug kingpins and the insane police state's so called "War on Drugs," The gun community will never acknowledge the pain and death associated with the arms trade. <br /><br />They have washed their hand clean of the blood of the innocent who are victims of the arms trade. The freedom to invest in dealing in firearms trumps any consideration in the eventual outcome (people becoming victims of gun violence) of such an economy.<br /><br />Anthony Rockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09511256103735421392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-64061702876761504982017-10-05T10:21:21.192-05:002017-10-05T10:21:21.192-05:00As someone outside of the USA, the inability to st...As someone outside of the USA, the inability to stop these mass killings is a truly bizarre spectacle. The fact that the small number of NRA members and the quite frankly small amount of money they spend lobbying and donating to politicians is able to prevent anything being done about this is horrifying.<br />Ultimately the 2nd Amendment needs to be removed as no longer necessary but I can't envisage a situation where that would be possible. A well regulated militia is no longer required when the USA has a standing army.<br />Everyone outside the USA is looking on at the moment, and wondering, should we pay to build the wall to keep the madness in?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306516424540212582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-17886837171895181432017-10-04T17:38:51.805-05:002017-10-04T17:38:51.805-05:00Thank you for mentioning suicide. It's often o...Thank you for mentioning suicide. It's often overlooked when we talk about the gun culture in America. <br /><br />The ready access to guns means male suicides are more likely to be successful (e. g. to result in a death; God knows I don't mean that in any sort of a positive fashion) because men are more likely to shoot or hang themselves than women are. https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/<br /><br />All of it is awful. All of it, full stop. Jespahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083427261066367369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-38220834688874219722017-10-04T14:48:19.789-05:002017-10-04T14:48:19.789-05:00Considering that there are now actual Nazis masque...Considering that there are now actual Nazis masquerading as Conservatives, it might be time to rearrange that part of the hyperbole.<br /><br />I wish I could say I was shocked about these things anymore, but as I read all the predictable "thoughts and prayers" pouring across Facebook and the news, I'm just completely weary of it. Like you said, everything is just so damned predictable now. I can't even feign shock, because this isn't anything remotely new or shocking. And that's what makes me sad. That I've become so inured to it, that it doesn't move me anymore.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055264288283511174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-63736983163816097422017-10-04T11:23:19.597-05:002017-10-04T11:23:19.597-05:00Now this, by Brian Bilston...
AMERICA IS A GUN
O...Now this, by Brian Bilston...<br /><br />AMERICA IS A GUN<br /><br />October 3, 2017<br />❝ England is a cup of tea.<br />France, a wheel of ripened brie.<br />Greece, a short, squat olive tree.<br />America is a gun.<br /><br />❝ Brazil is football on the sand.<br />Argentina, Maradona’s hand.<br />Germany, an oompah band.<br />America is a gun.<br /><br />❝ Holland is a wooden shoe.<br />Hungary, a goulash stew.<br />Australia, a kangaroo.<br />America is a gun.<br /><br />❝ Japan is a thermal spring.<br />Scotland is a highland fling.<br />Oh, better to be anything<br />than America as a gun.”Ed Marchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08277667061009521039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-3078554065802763932017-10-04T10:00:39.885-05:002017-10-04T10:00:39.885-05:00Bravo! My husband has made a living for 37 years t...Bravo! My husband has made a living for 37 years teaching people to shoot weapons for the Air Force and Army. He agrees with you. No one needs assault-style weapons outside the military or law enforcement. Gun control is not just about mass shootings. It is about the child who finds a loaded gun and shoots himself; it is about domestic violence; it's about suicide and it is also about mass shootings. To me, it seems that we’re all crazy if we as a country can’t take reasonable steps to reduce the gun related deaths.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-33703472986912442802017-10-04T09:34:22.152-05:002017-10-04T09:34:22.152-05:00OK. I have read this post three times. It is nothi...OK. I have read this post three times. It is nothing less than the pure truth in language every citizen should be able to comprehend. Thank you Mr. Wright<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-25558801465983590842017-10-03T18:21:10.333-05:002017-10-03T18:21:10.333-05:0059 confirmed dead? Maybe 600 maimed, perhaps perma...59 confirmed dead? Maybe 600 maimed, perhaps permanently? I'm not knee jerk blaming video games here, but this seems to have devolved into a game of sorts. The new American pastime. "Hell, I can beat that". I'm not encouraging these psychopaths, but the NRA seems to be doing just that. "If I have a problem with people in society the solution is to kill them". Not by fists, knives, hammers, swords, whatever, it'll be by the most available and efficient tool I have to get the job done. Yeah, swords and knives, etc are inefficient. Can't get my "point" across. An AR-15 can, especially with modern technology...for modern times. TC Langhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10320519973690667692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-57952186058328732262017-10-03T17:30:57.586-05:002017-10-03T17:30:57.586-05:00If Sandy Hook wasn't enough to get Congress to...If Sandy Hook wasn't enough to get Congress to act, I have no idea what it will take. This time it was country music fans. Maybe they sheer number of victims will prompt some action. But I wouldn't hold my breath.<br /><br />-IJ Gilbert Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00882852803603101937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9169532222108426912017-10-03T17:26:41.111-05:002017-10-03T17:26:41.111-05:00As usual, I would be hard pressed to find anything...As usual, I would be hard pressed to find anything to disagree with in your article, sir. Thank you for expressing those thoughts so succinctly.<br /><br />I don't know what it will take to get Congress to do something. If Sandy Hook wasn't enough...<br /><br />-IJ GILBERT Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00882852803603101937noreply@blogger.com