Mass shootings can be stopped if we treat the conflicted

Mass shootings bring a myriad of emotions to me. First of all, sorrow that innocent people who were going about their daily business were mowed down, and all the lost potential and grieving for their families that mass shootings cause. Secondly, anger - it always seems that there were clues leading up to the incident, and no one cared enough to act on them, or else they felt it was futile to try, because our laws prevent acting on them.


Federal legislation should be tightened in the subject of threats - threats to family members, disputes within the community, etc. How often have we heard of a tragedy, but the law could do little to protect the victim because no crime had actually occurred previously?

A threat IS a crime, and should be treated as a serious one. My anger also includes our too-liberal "patient rights" laws, which allow mentally unstable people to carry out harm to others, because they're not in their right minds. We've all seen in the news examples of (not exclusively, just as an example) schizophrenics who are off their medicine (and a hallmark of this condition is that they don't want to take their medicine, as they think it's everyone else who has a problem) harm or kill someone. If prevention is disallowed and all we can do is mourn after the fact, we have a situation that needs to be remedied immediately.

Mass shootings are more common than in the past, because of today's mobility, greater population, gun culture, and general violence. No one likes intrusion of privacy, but these crimes merit having the law's ability to monitor, control and prevent such clues, threats, etc. that are usually present before a mass killing.

We are failing as a society to help the individuals who have mental illnesses. We do not have the resources allocated to help to stop these people who act out their fears. Mental illnesses can take many forms, just as physical illnesses do. Mental illnesses are still feared and misunderstood by many people, but the fear will disappear as people learn more about them.

Mental illness is common. Statistics show that one in every five people will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Mental illnesses account for a large percentage of hospital stays every year. Yet, in spite of the fact that every Canadian knows someone who has been, or will be, affected by mental illness, few people know very much about it.

It is human nature to fear what we don't understand. As such, mental illness is feared by many people and, unfortunately, still carries a stigma (a stigma is defined as a mark or sign of disgrace). Because of this stigma, many people hesitate to get help for a mental health problem for fear of being looked down upon. It is unfortunate that this happens because effective treatment exists for almost all mental illnesses. Worse, the stigma experienced by people with a mental illness can be more destructive than the illness itself.

People with mental disorders are, many times, not described accurately or realistically in the media. Movies, television and books often present people with mental illnesses as dangerous or unstable. News stories sometimes highlight mental illness to create a sensation in a news report, even if the mental illness is not relevant to the story. Advertisers use words like "crazy" to convey that their prices are unrealistically low and to suggest the consumer can take advantage of them. This is part of the bigger problem, people will not seek help if they are stigmatized in the media.

All of us can help the way people think about mental illness.

Start with yourself. Be careful about your own choice of words. Use accurate and sensitive words when talking about people with mental illness. Your positive attitude can affect everyone with whom you have contact.

Try to influence all the people in your life constructively. Whenever you hear people say things that show they do not really understand mental illness, use the opportunity to share with them some of the information that you have.

We have already changed the way we refer to women, minorities and people with physical disabilities. Why stop there? Maybe if we can avert one mass killing, it will be worth it.

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Abolish the Death Penalty

The mastermind of the deadly "Beltway Sniper" attacks that terrorized the Washington, DC, area seven years ago was executed last night.

John Allen Muhammad -- who directed one of the worst outbreaks of crime in the nation's history -- died in Virginia's death chamber as some of his victims' relatives looked on.

While I wish Muhammad spent the rest of his days experiencing the hell he gave to his victims and their families, I did not wish that he would perish by the hands of lethal injection. There was a time in my life that I believed in the death penalty for crimes of murder and rape, I do not now. Taking a life as a way of a punishment is not only inhumane it is downright wrong. We do not live in the Wild West anymore. We cannot just string someone up by the nearest tree and expect to gain justice from it.

The American Civil Liberties Union believes the death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and the guarantees of due process of law and of equal protection under the law. Furthermore, the ACLU believes that the state should not arrogate unto itself the right to kill human beings – especially when it kills with premeditation and ceremony, in the name of the law or in the name of its people, or when it does so in an arbitrary and discriminatory fashion.

To have a “ceremony”, where the victims’ relatives watch the death penalty being carried out is not a way to end their grieving.

Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties, and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic system. Therefore, through litigation, legislation, commutation and by helping to foster a renewed public outcry against this barbarous and brutalizing institution, the ACLU strives to prevent executions and seek the abolition of capital punishment.

I for one have never believed that I would have anything in common with the ACLU. I do agree with their position wholeheartedly. I am a practicing catholic and the death penalty is against catholic doctrine, but it not just my faith that guides my feelings. How can someone be pro-life and be pro-death penalty?

A majority of governments in the United Nations General Assembly voted on November 15, 2008 to support a global moratorium on the death penalty, over the objections of the U.S., China, Iran and Sudan.

The non-binding resolution, adopted by a vote of 99 members in favor, 52 against and 33 abstaining, asks all governments in the world body to “establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.” The measure says the death penalty “undermines human dignity” and that there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value.

The use of the death penalty places the United States in an uncomfortable position, since most of the other countries that use capital punishment are, at best, only marginal democracies. International human rights discourse generally assumes a right not to be executed by the state. The death penalty is wrong and it needs to be abolished.

Recently, opponents have focused on the possibility of mistakes in the application of the death penalty, which might lead to the execution of an innocent person. Advances in investigative technology have bolstered their argument. While none of the individuals actually executed has been retrospectively proven innocent, a number of inmates currently awaiting execution have had their convictions thrown into doubt.

The Supreme Court recently halted executions of the mentally handicapped, and this year extended the ban to those under 18 years of age at the time of the crime. These rulings were partly in response to public disapproval of such executions, but also stimulated by the perceived U.S. deviation from international norms. The Court has chosen to manage the death penalty at the margins, rather than directly challenge the process. How can we as a people on this earth make putting a person to death arbitrary?

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How to become popular the wrong way

Do I understand the Oprah Winfrey phenomenon? Absolutely, positively not. I do not understand many of the things that get people to become fixated on a person or a television show or why people who have little talent become the most popular people in pop culture. I started thinking about this today as I watched Dr. Phil discuss parenting. I would take Lucy’s advice from the peanuts before I would listen to Dr. Phil.

David Letterman has never been funny, yet he gets 6 million people to watch his show every night.

Tim McCarver from Fox Sports is the second worst baseball announcer on television. Joe Morgan from ESPN is without a doubt the worst. How these two individuals are allowed in our living rooms is just amazing.

Wanda Syke’s has a new television show coming out on TBS. Can anyone remember the last time she did anything worth watching? Yeah, me neither.

Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, and The Kardashians, shall I say any more?

How about how Celebrity Rehab? Can you imagine watching a show about D-list actors who spend most of the day wondering why they are where they are? I was a ball player before I was a professor, I could have just packed it in when my ball playing days were over, but I decided to get a better education instead of doing drugs and putting on weight to get on Celebrity Fat Camp. Oh, god!

Bruce Jenner was an Olympic hero; Brody Jenner is a no talent reality “star”. Better thank dad for all of those Wheaties boxes he appeared on.

Wesley Snipes was an actor with a great career until he took on Uncle Sam and was charged with tax evasion charges. Now he just plays in B-movies and his once budding career is a thing of the past. People now only care about his fall and never care about the actor, why?

Brittany Spears is a talented performer and she is a train wreck of a person. Lindsey Lohan is a talented actress and just as big a train wreck, if not worse. They let their lives personal struggles get in the way of their careers. Yet we watch them intently become the anti media darlings for the wrong reasons.

Jose Canseco was the first 40 homerun and 40 stolen base man in Major League Baseball history. We no longer speak of his five hundred home runs; we only speak of his steroid use and his Celebrity Boxing. Canseco’s book, Juiced, outed the steroid use in professional sports and put baseball into the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Not until the congressional hearings was baseball’s steroid use handled in baseball. Canseco was right on the money with his steroid allegations, but off the mark with his career.

We are fixated on the rise and fall of individuals and it is a terrible shame when a former star becomes the punch line for late night television jokes. Maybe if we decided to read the classics, watch National Geographic specials, or better yet, worry about our own lives; we can spend less time reading Star magazine and more time being productive every day.


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Weekly thought Bonanza November 8

On Sunday/Monday, I produce a column called “The Weekly Thought Bonanza”. The column is based on all of the random thoughts that run through my head all week, and trust me there are a plethora of them. I will try to share as many of these thoughts as I can, so each one of my readers can think just a little bit extra over the coming week.


Fort Hood is a prime example of the military not paying attention to a soldier’s mental stability. Ever watch that scene from the movie Hamburger Hill where the soldier killed the Drill Sergeant? When I was in basic training I witnessed a person in my platoon try to commit suicide right in front of the group. The soldier stayed in the unit for a week until he was sent to psyche. Just incredible.

Cats are now getting the H1N1 virus. What next, pigeons?

Billions of dollars of taxpayer money went to most of the banking institutions in this country. Several countries around the world did the same thing to their financial institutions. If you’re a small business or need a personal loan it is almost impossible to borrow money from one of these institutions. How can we give all of this money and not get it into the hands of the people who need it?

Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, is the perfect student athlete. He is definitely one to emulate.

UFC fighting has become more popular than boxing. Professional boxing, I am afraid is going by the wayside. Too many champions in each division has so diluted the sport, it is tough to recognize who is the real champion. Do we really need five heavyweight title holders?

ESPN films are outstanding.

Is anyone monitoring what children put on U tube nowadays? I cannot believe some of the content that young people are posting on that site. Parents please monitor your children’s internet usage more closely.

Green Mountain Coffee’s Chai Latte is absolutely fabulous. My Kuerig Machine has never been so happy.

ABC’s Flash Forward is absolutely a phenomenal new show that has kept my interest each week it has been on. Finally, a new show to talk about at the water cooler in the morning.

The new Cherry Dr. Pepper commercial with Gene Simmons and his son is an instant classic.

Sesame Street producers are getting criticized for a parody that appears to take a stab at Fox News, and the ombudsman for the show says that the criticism is justified.

In a two-year old episode that was rebroadcast on October 29, the 40-year-old PBS children’s show features Oscar the Grouch making the decision to star in his own news network, called the Grouch News Network, or GNN. The skit features CNN’s Anderson Cooper filling in for Oscar as he chats with “Walter Cranky” and “Dan Rather-Not,” parodies on Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.

But when a muppet caller decides that the news is not grouchy enough, she says she is changing the channel to Pox News. When PBS starts to get into politics, then we have a seriously situation here. PBS is supported with taxpayer money and has always leaned to the left in the political spectrum. When Sesame Street becomes political, it is time to review their funding.

The “Weekly Thought Bonanza” thought of the week. The family show V, had its season premiere on Tuesday night to great ratings. My problem with the show is that the episode was sponsored by K-Y Jelly is ludicrous. This was a family show and to have it sponsored by an adult product makes no sense to me

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