Massacre Occurred Because We ‘Removed God From Our Schools’

[J'ean Skirt]

I can't stand Huckabee. Mass shootings have happened everywhere. There was a shooting at a Christian college in California where 6 people died. Fuck that "removed God from schools" crap.

A friend of mine lost a friend of hers in that shooting. And if I remember the news, it was a pretty fundy college.

[Visionoyahweh]

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/ ... -theres-no

[JMarie]

How long until the Westboro people chime in?

[ADoyle90815]

Exactly.

This.

After all, that God let someone shoot children in a Christian school.

[Minerva]

How long until the Westboro people chime in?

I'm sure they'll consider the funerals a most lucrative opportunity. Here's hoping no one bites.

[OkToBeTakei]

Ah right I see.

From my perspective, being able to purchase a gun with only ID is terrifying. Given that the population of Northern Ireland is probably only about a tenth of even small American states, if that was the case over here, we'd all have been dead years ago. I mean that literally. They are bad enough with a bit of petrol and some milk bottles.

I don't feel qualified to really hold an informed opinion on it, but I would guess there will be a gun control discussion pretty damn quick, so yes...

Aisling..you are more than qualified. Remember most of the money came from the country that had no idea that your neighbours were killing one another. The 'old' country you know. I think it seemed romantic then.

[wild little fox]

when I bought my rifle I had to have a background check and wait several days to take it home. That is standard, federal law. But there are tons of loopholes with private buyers and gun shows.

IIRC in both Chicago and New York City one has to have a permit to own a handgun.

[Cannelle]

We also have incredibly lax gun laws in a country with little affordable mental health care (which is already stigmatized as it is). That no one in charge thinks this is a bad idea is mind-blowing. I could be batshit out of my fucking mind and buy a gun within minutes in some states.

We also have a culture that practically humps the leg of violence. It's everywhere. It's on TV, in our movies, in our music, in cartoons, in video games...God forbid children see a scantily clad woman, oh no, but they can see plenty of television shows and movies where people mow down scores of others with automatic weapons. Our culture is incredibly fucked up in regards to violence, and that totally feeds into the problem.

[Convicted Blossom]

snip

I know that some people believe that "today is not the day" to discuss reasonable gun control. I would argue that if not this day, what day?

This.

Let's be done with morons like Fuckabee and listen to people like Mayor Bloomberg who has said that now is the time for more gun control. Dear god, twenty innocent kids and their teachers. Now is the time.

[AnnieC 305]

If God lets a bunch of babies be slaughtered because he's too much of a diva to allow one place that doesn't constantly put him in the spotlight, then he is evil.

And then people turn to the exact same God who allowed it for comfort and to give him all praise and attention.

Explain this to me, please. Because to me it looks like god allows this sort of thing just so he can have the attention and lavish worship. And that is evil.

[Austin]

I think it's natural for people to turn to their faith in circumstances like this. It doesn't make sense that "God allowed this to happen" because the country is too evil or whatever, as people like Huckabee and his ilk suggest, but most Christians don't believe that.

[OkToBeTakei]

I think it's natural for people to turn to their faith in circumstances like this. It doesn't make sense that "God allowed this to happen" because the country is too evil or whatever, as people like Huckabee and his ilk suggest, but most Christians don't believe that.

Yes but that seems to be the get out apology. Sometimes people just need to relate to people and not try separate themselves from circumstance. I think it would be convenient for everybody if today's evil guy wore a less American look. Well he did not. It doesn't matter. It is still wrong. But that would be easier. (for some)

[AnnieC 305]

I think it's natural for people to turn to their faith in circumstances like this. It doesn't make sense that "God allowed this to happen" because the country is too evil or whatever, as people like Huckabee and his ilk suggest, but most Christians don't believe that.

My point is that if there is a god then he did allow this to happen today. Omniscient, omnipresent, whatever, if he's a god then he could have stopped it and he didn't.

So either god couldn't stop it, in which case what the hell is a god anyway, or he could have and didn't, in which case he's evil.

Anyone have a third option here?

[Miggy]

First of all, I extend my sympathy to anyone affected by this tragedy; family, friends, community members and others. I hope you are able to find comfort and support from each other in this terrible time.

I find it interesting that when a tragedy like this occurs in the USA that there are instantly a lot of people commenting on the lack of religion in schools and/or society in general. I remember when the Port Arthur Massacre occurred in Australia in 1996 there were instantly screams about gun control and treatment for the mentally ill. (It turned out the gun man had intellectual disabilities rather than being mentally ill but this did not come out until the court case.)

[JesusFightClub]

S "funny". We had Dunblane here, my brother knew someone who died in that. I remember being told in class and one kid covering his face and running out the room. He was from Lockerbie.

Scottish schools have no separation of church and state. We get religious assembly from a very early age. Dunblane still happened. God wasn't "being a gentleman" and bowing out of schools and letting other people get harmed. Explain that one away Huckabee why don't you.

[MissBeaufort]

This.

Let's be done with morons like Fuckabee and listen to people like Mayor Bloomberg who has said that now is the time for more gun control. Dear god, twenty innocent kids and their teachers. Now is the time.

Ugh, and you just know that the first person who mentions gun control is going to have Fox News piling all over them- "I can't believe you're politicizing this tragedy! Now is not the time!" Of COURSE now is the time to be politicizing! It's the best thing to do to try and prevent this from happening again! Not harping about how this is happening because God isn't it schools, which is... Utter fucking nonsense.

Also, if one more person says to me "the solution is for teachers to have a gun nearby", I might just flip out and punch them in the nose.

[luckylibrarian]

My question for Fuckabee is if this happened because we removed God from our schools, then why did a man shoot up a mall a few days ago? What about the man who killed his family on the reservation in California? I hate the assholes who are exploiting this to promote a pro-prayer or anti-abortion agenda.

[JesusFightClub]

Oh fuck, the TEACHER SHOULD HAVE HAD A GUN? That's someone who doesn't know how guns or people work.

Something that really annoys me, sorry. I see this cropping up constantly on RW websites. They always say "If [whoever] had a gun they could shoot the bad guy in the head" or "Headshots to everyone in [rioting crowd]." Those are the words of someone who's played Battlefield 3 extensively and has never fired a gun in his life.

Headshots are really fucking difficult. You need to go for the centre mass to drop someone. I would definitely be very wary of firing to the centre mass in a class full of terrified children running and screaming. There's no guarantee that you will drop the guy, NOT HIT A CHILD and that you won't get shot yourself.

If you've ever fired a gun, the calm precision you can have on the range is nothing like what it is IRL. When I've fired a gun I got to line up my shot, aim via sights sometimes (when firing a rifle) and wait until I was confident of making the shot. (I'm not any use with the pistol, I'm OK at sighted rifle).

If I was a teacher in a classroom and I had a gun under my desk I wouldn't use it. Why not? Getting a clear aim is VITAL. You don't have that. You're in a room with scared small children and a gunman with murderous intent.

You might own a gun but not be proficient. Most gun owners aren't. If I had a pistol style gun I'd fuck up. I don't aim correctly with pistol style weaponry. I especially wouldn't in a situation like that. There aren't many people who can truthfully say they'd do the drill and the guy would go down. Does not happen.

It also scares me to have a gun around small children. This is a good plan how?

It's just a fantasy, similar to the people who say "I'll never be attacked. I do everything right." In reality it's a horrible chaotic situation and all bets are off.

[Three and Done]

My question for Fuckabee is if this happened because we removed God from our schools, then why did a man shoot up a mall a few days ago? What about the man who killed his family on the reservation in California? I hate the assholes who are exploiting this to promote a pro-prayer or anti-abortion agenda.

Here in our area, there was a mass shooting in 2009, by a disturbed man at the local American Civic Association. It had NOTHING to do with "GOD" or "removing religion from schools" - it was one sad, sick individual who took out his anger on defenseless people because he could. Link -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binghamton_shootings

FUCK all of the assholes who are trying to make this something it isn't! I do hope they spend their "eternal lives" in the Hell they so fervently wish on us!

[Wandering]

This makes my blood boil. This horrible tragedy occurred because fuckers like Huckabee make it easier for mentally ill people to obtain assault weapons rather than medical help. And it may boogle your mind Mr. Huckabee but I say that as a devout Christian who thinks that you are full of bullshit.

[GeoBQn]

On MSNBC, they were interviewing a man who's twin sons attend the school and are safe. The man is the president of a nearby synagogue, and looked like he was wearing a kippah (my guess is that he is Reform, since he was talking about Friday night services). His sons were friends with two adult victims who were connected with the synagogue, they got an outpouring of support from members at services tonight, and they have family coming over tomorrow who were originally coming to celebrate the last night of Chanukah. His children clearly come from a family where religion is a major part of their lives and will be a large source of support in the days to come. And yet, Huckabee will dismiss all of this, because it is 1. Not in a public school and 2. Not the "right" religion.

[moodygirl86]

What a fucking tragedy. Those poor kids and their families.

[doggie]

Nothing like justifying god being a asshat letting it happen by blaming the lack of prayer.

[freejoytoo]

It depends upon the state. In some states, one can walk into a gun retailer and purchase a firearm that day with just ID. In some other states, there are waiting periods or more hurdles through which to jump. When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, for instance, one could purchase a gun as long as you had a driver's license or official ID and your name didn't pop up in a federal database. A lot of hurdles, though, no matter what the state, can be circumvented by gun shows.

And this is not directed at you, but just in general, I know that some people believe that "today is not the day" to discuss reasonable gun control. I would argue that if not this day, what day?

That is fucking terrifying. I seriously don't understand how anyone can think it's a good idea to let basically anyone own a gun.

I don't understand this attitude of 'guns don't kill people, people kill people'. A gun is a weapon that enables people to kill people - and a lot of them at that. People talk so much about their right to bear arms - what about the rights of kindergartners to go to school without the threat of being shot?

[Zoom]

And in Sweden where we DO teach religion but as an ACADEMIC subject we don't have shootings like this.