What the rest of the world is thinking...and saying...

So Brian Williams Mr NBC must think the rest of the world is "unseemly", and Smirky couldn't care less (this is the old Europe after all), but the rest of the world is talking about what we can't mention for several days or weeks or whatever, and the dems continue to run away...

U.S. gun laws draw heat after massacre

http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/71387.html


The Virginia Tech shootings sparked criticism of U.S. gun control laws around the world Tuesday. Editorials lashed out at the availability of weapons, and the leader of Australia - one of America's closest allies - declared that America's gun culture was costing lives.

(snip)

"Only the names change - And the numbers," read a headline in the Times of London. "Why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?"

The French daily Le Monde said the regularity of mass shootings across the Atlantic was a blotch on America's image.

"It would be unjust and especially false to reduce the United States to the image created, in a recurrent way, from the bursts of murderous fury that some isolated individuals succumb to. But acts like this are rare elsewhere, and tend to often disfigure the 'American dream.'"

(end snip)

We are an armed madhouse.

Not of the articles you reference above. Of the killing itself. Of the non stop media fetish. Of our country's gun fetish. No sense at all.

But they are not ones to cast stones. The whole world is as fucked up as Hogan's goat. Know what I mean, Vern?

The well-adjusted, peaceable folks stayed behind in the "old country" and engaged in imperialism, colonialism, and endless wars amongst themselves, including the launch of two world wars. Not to mention the occasional burst of genocide, just to keep things interesting. Yes, the U.S. is an armed madhouse, and yes, there is FAR too much mass murder here, but we're not the only ones with bloody hands. Human beings, wherever they are found, are killer apes, no more and no less. We forget that at our peril.

Americans do seem to have a big hard-on about guns. Folks in most other countries got over guns when they grew out of playing cowboys and Indians. Why are guns so sexy to so many Americans? Or are the gun-lovers just more vocal?

the Remington corporation to back them up.

Here's another foreign media source. Note the caption on their link:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,266,00.html

OMG any attempt at control has them frothing at the mouth - it's sad, really

today in a country where ALL handguns are banned.

You can make all the anti gun laws you want but the crazy people will get them anyway. We would be much more productive banning Presidents if we really want to stop mass murder.

now we all have to have guns to protect ourselves - IT IS F***ING INSANE and ALL GUN NUTS CAN GO TO HELL

just a really loud minority.

And, don't forget rich - they donate lots and lots of money all over to make sure the gun situation stays just the way it is.

never have even thought of that. But hey, long nozzle, extra hard, cold steel. Let me think about it later.

Our Constitution here requires a well armed citizenry. You want to come over here and fuck with our Constitution. Give us a minute, we are dealing with traitors at the moment. We'll get back to you in 08.

and misfits but of outright criminals. And even THEY think we have a serious problem here. Shouldn't that give us pause? I sure think so.

:thumbsup:

I'm just a little bit curious.

For example, how many gun related deaths in the U.S.? Total numbers? Compared to Europe, let's say.

How about gun deaths per capita, to keep things fair? Like 50,000 divided by the U.S. population.

I'm just willing to guess.....

it's gonna be high.

have to find it, or do a search on my stuff in last two days.

I did not, unfortunately, bookmark the thread in which you posted the study and could not find it again.

EUROPE in a year! Now, THAT is disgusting.

snip

Britain's 46 homicides involving firearms last year was the lowest since the late 1980s. New York City, with 8 million people compared to 53 million in England and Wales, recorded 590 homicides last year.

They have 6+ times as many citizens as NY and a FRACTION of the crimes. Sad. This is so damn sad.

..and why we can't seem to win at any game we invented...

:7

I wish our greatest worries were over football, baseball or soccer.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir_percap-crime-murders-firearms-per-capita

1998-2000

US ranks # 8 in the world.

Thanks to a link from another GD poster here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x685677

Had no idea they were so violent.

from THIS country.

I think the American Dream was disfigured YEARS ago.

I remember cruising the "boy" toy aisles at ToysRUs in the 80's and being utterly sickened - toy uzis and zillions of kinds of elaborate deadly weapons and Rambo shit. I remember opening a Rambo coloring book. On the first page Rambo was holding his big-ass weapon (Uzi? flame thrower? I don't know) and the caption said "Got that one!" Meaning "got that gook", I suppose. Lovely, huh? Saw a woman in line buying some huge Rambo weapon for a fokkin' 3 or 4 year old. Made me want to :puke:
In 1986, after the above episode, now-hubby and I took a trip to Europe. I made a point of checking out the toy sections of stores there. I know that we checked the toy section of Harrod's (the huge one in Knightsbridge) and a pretty large toy store in Amsterdam. One of those places had no toy guns or war toys at all. In the other, all we could find was a pistol and holster "Cowboys and Indians" type set - NO other violent toys.

Our culture glorifies guns and violence, starting in toddlerhood, and then when tragedy occurs we wring our hands and wonder why.
Well duh fuckin' duh.

We're the bullies of the world. We're still on the playground. Violence is good, sex is bad (ewww! might get cooties!)

I was looking at the Easter baskets with the war toys and camo stuff in it this year--now that is a surreal juxtaposition. :( :( :(