tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post2534974068550658315..comments2023-08-05T07:24:04.413-05:00Comments on Hope n' Change Cartoons: Holiday Egg NogginUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-52746027503076325352012-12-23T20:05:34.708-06:002012-12-23T20:05:34.708-06:00I have to wonder how these kinds of things that en...I have to wonder how these kinds of things that end in mass murders nowadays turned out in the times before "science" could even define them. How did the Babylonians or the Greeks handle their Adam Lanzas? Okay, they couldn't use a gun to kill 20 kids, so what did they do? Did they all go into their society's armies or what? Did they go on some kind of sword rampage? Does anyone know?JustaJeepGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-79347363489705806732012-12-20T17:34:02.660-06:002012-12-20T17:34:02.660-06:00@ Chuck
20 little school kids murdered by a lunati...@ Chuck<br /><i>20 little school kids murdered by a lunatic and the left wants to abolish the second amendment. 3300 unborn babies murdered every day by a physician and the left wants to make that cheaper and easier.</i> I just blogged that very thought today! AMEN! One of the reasons our society is in decline is because of abortion. It's practice is dehumanizing all of us. We're sacrificing our most precious resource to the false god of convenience.<br /><br />As always Stilton you're right on the mark! I'm not surprised at anything the Arkansas Mob Celery or Slick do. I've despised and distrusted them since they first came on the scene for the rest of world in the late '80s. I can guarantee that anything that comes out of their mouths is a planned lie.Sparkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09531515666554867421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-79645492381964733942012-12-20T15:12:00.050-06:002012-12-20T15:12:00.050-06:00Ah ... mental illness. How to quantify, qualify a...Ah ... mental illness. How to quantify, qualify and define ...<br /><br />The problem is that it isn't a hard science. Heck, half the country thinks the other half of the county is crazy (and the halves have multiple labels that don't necessarily have anything to do with each other). Especially now, in this time, with this “leadership”, we are adrift and at odds.<br /><br />We are the proverbial house divided against itself. … and you know how that ends, right?Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-6790879959908031802012-12-20T10:26:30.285-06:002012-12-20T10:26:30.285-06:00@Grafton Cheddar- I certainly read the article and...@Grafton Cheddar- I certainly read the article and knew that it had to describe the lives of many people (though I didn't know it would include anyone here). <br /><br />It's not surprising that Obamacare is going to be very bad news for the mental health field. The fundamental idea at the heart of Obamacare is to reduce costs and increase efficiency by <i>depersonalizing</i> medicine. This is done in a host of ways: eliminating "cost ineffective" treatments which some individuals might need, the computerization of records forcing <i>everything</i> into some form of pre-determined governmental code, and refusing payment unless a patient is "cured" and has no recurrence with a government-assigned timeframe.<br /><br />Mental illness, the <i>most</i> personalized of illnesses, simply doesn't get properly treated using this assembly line approach. Like you say, someone can be medicated - but unless they're medicated into near unconsciousness, their behaviors may not be controlled. Moreover, medication may mask a condition rather than cure it (does "painkillers instead of pacemakers" strike a bell?) <br /><br />And what about the many patients who could benefit from talk therapy? How will the government measure the efficacy of such treatments, or determine their length? What constitutes a "cure" (if such a term isn't considered absurd)- simply not killing anyone, or eventually having the individual feeling better and interacting with others more successfully? And who measures THAT?!<br /><br />Sigh...<br /><br />The mental health system is already a mess, much like the medical system in general. Obamacare makes both worse - in the case of mental health, <i>much</i> worse.Stilton Jarlsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503164551782304564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-63826136252930713482012-12-20T08:17:53.536-06:002012-12-20T08:17:53.536-06:00@Stilton, "And who will determine what const...@Stilton, "And who will determine what constitutes a dangerous mental aberration? Is it someone who blogs nonstop expressing (ahem) anti-social anger and suspicion towards the government?"<br /><br />Ooops! I wasn't aware I was that bad! ;-) If I could get three square and avoid lobotomy, I might consider it. And Karl, I have read that piece - I and a number of other families I know could easily have penned it ourselves. Getting a kid with difficulties through intact into young adulthood in this society is not for the faint of heart. The woman in that piece made her decision, clearly a painful one, but that doesn't mean for a minute that it is the right decision for anyone else.<br /><br />I was rather blown away yesterday to hear Andrea Mitchell on MSLSD (yes, I was TV slumming!) saying that the Affordable Care Act is going to be especially detrimental to mental health. She must have gone off the reservation for a moment. I'm not sure it will even matter - here in NH, if you have a mental health crisis, you can't even get in to see a full-fledged shrink for three to six months (assuming you could even afford one, [$400 and hour]: many will not take your insurance, if indeed you have any). So you go to the ER, see a psychiatric resident, get a script, go home (assuming no one is bleeding), and then get lost in the "system". If you are deemed a threat by said junior birdman, you go to the state hospital for a week or two, get loaded up on meds, then you are cut loose - problem solved.<br /><br />But all of this will end with Obamacare... yeah, right!Grafton Cheddarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04825971478192505799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-46589464351077842272012-12-19T23:00:01.211-06:002012-12-19T23:00:01.211-06:00@Chuck- As much as the Left doesn't want to ad...@Chuck- As much as the Left doesn't want to admit it, it's a valid comnparison which deserves honest examination. Either you think life is precious or you don't.<br /><br />@Suzy- Believe me, I understand where you're coming from. Rightly or wrongly, the Sandy Hook parents will be listened to in a way that others won't. I have tremendous sympathy for the grieving families and will listen to what they have to say, but I don't think more stringent gun control laws are the answer.<br /><br />@Colby- You're right that the appointment of Biden says that the "issue" is both high profile (for publicity purposes) and of low importance (c'mon, it's <i>Biden</i>!)<br /><br />@txGreg- Sadly, the real question for the Sandy Hook parents is "do you wish that there were members of the school staff who had been armed?"<br /><br />@Ogrrre- Very tidy and I like your logic!<br /><br />@American Cowboy- I don't think the administration was in any way involved with the massacre, but I think they were ready to announce gun control plans and were simply waiting for some sacrificial lambs with which to make it more palatable.<br /><br />@Grafton Cheddar- Well, it's a good and important rant. What ARE we do do about mental healthcare in this nation? Committing potentially violent people might protect the public - but in this case, it seems that the reason the shooter flipped out was because of fear of being committed. And who will determine what constitutes a dangerous mental aberration? Is it someone who blogs nonstop expressing (ahem) anti-social anger and suspicion towards the government? Believe me, I worry about these things.<br /><br />@Karl Uppiano- Excellent and well-reasoned comments. I certainly don't want to suggest an equivalency between correlation and causation...but I do think it's important to consider it. Do violent entertainments and access to guns play a part in this and similar tragedies? Absolutely. But is mental illness the more central issue? Definitely. But it's a harder and more nuanced subject to argue, which is why so few are suggesting that we really address the problem of mental illness and assessing danger to our communities.Stilton Jarlsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503164551782304564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-63719423861286113072012-12-19T17:06:00.766-06:002012-12-19T17:06:00.766-06:00A very important scientific principle states, &quo...A very important scientific principle states, "correlation does not imply causation". I have used this when urging caution and skepticism about global warming/climate change, and I will use it here too. I will not deny that there is correlation between these goblins who commit mass murder, and violence in the media, video games or whatever. These goblins are no doubt fascinated by it, drawn to it, and in many cases obsessed by it in ways that normal people would find downright creepy. <br /> <br />But I think we could be doing ourselves a disservice by allowing ourselves to be deluded into mistaking correlation for causation, because we'll miss the real cause. If you have not read <a href="http://gawker.com/5968818/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother" rel="nofollow">I Am Adam Lanza's Mother</a>, by all means please do so. It explains so much. And it is very consistent with another report that indicates that Adam went ballistic when he discovered that his mother had initiated proceedings to have him committed. She could see the signs. Unfortunately, it was too late. She woke up dead; the little spring inside Adam's mind was wound up too tight and it snapped. <br /> <br />By the way, I do think guns played some role in all of this. Guns probably are the most convenient and effective way to commit mayhem, if that is your goal. Adam might have smothered his mother in her sleep, perhaps. Or set her bed on fire. But that is less likely to work. He could have blown up the house, but that might have killed the cat. And maybe he liked the house, just not his mum. Blowing up the school could have killed more people, but again, that would have required a lot more up-front planning, expense, risk of detection and so on. <br /> <br />Guns were the best choice (which explains why the good guys prefer them too). Some people abuse alcohol. Some people abuse guns, and some people abuse video games. They just aren't equipped to handle it. The 'progressives' tried saving us from ourselves with prohibition. It didn't work, any more than Bloomberg's ban on Big Gulps will. The illiberal control freaks are missing the forest for the trees, and abusing the freedom and liberty of the rest of us, who can do these things safely, in moderation, keeping it in perspective.Karl Uppianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04857875236624845139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-17211590327583624142012-12-19T16:15:43.185-06:002012-12-19T16:15:43.185-06:00@American Cowboy, "sacrifice children in the...@American Cowboy, "sacrifice children in the pursuit of their agenda"... Well, that might be going a little close to the edge, but one thing is sure: crises are never to be wasted.<br /><br />The real damn shame of this is the opportunity to address the mental health cliff that we have already gone over years ago, and the family of this creepy little guy was right in the middle of it. If you are a parent of a kid with serious psychiatric problems, you are largely eff-you-cee-kayed when it comes to "getting help" (and I use the term with a certain amount of sarcasm). It's worse or worst depending on one's state laws, but generally speaking: crappy and little insurance coverage, a legal system that thwarts or punishes you you at every turn, and providers who are either too busy, or they are not competent to take care of goldfish in a tank, let alone your son or daughter. And the DipSh*t-in-Chief can only drone on and on about his sorry little self-centered opinions about the evil bang-bangs, without anyone having the balls to call him out on it... Aaarggh!<br /><br />Sorry - I should have issued a rant alert!Grafton Cheddarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04825971478192505799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-86905374148028698342012-12-19T15:31:01.117-06:002012-12-19T15:31:01.117-06:00@Colby
Perhaps I am a conspiracy theorist also or...@Colby<br /><br />Perhaps I am a conspiracy theorist also or maybe just a bit too paranoid, but I have a nagging question in the back of my head that I can't seem to silence. Did the powers-that-be perhaps sacrifice children in the pursuit of their agenda? Damn I can see the thought police combing IP addresses now!American Cowboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-33976241188844815872012-12-19T15:07:19.817-06:002012-12-19T15:07:19.817-06:00Hillary already had severe memory problems, and sh...Hillary already had severe memory problems, and should not have been approved by the Republicans in teh Senate. How many times, during her testimony before special prosecutors did she state she did not recall or could not remember the various felonious acts committed by her and Comrade Bubba? Now, with this concussion her memory will be even worse. She should be removed from her position, and the federal government conveniently forget to pay her the pension that congress has approved for her. Surely, if her memory is so bad that she can't remember a damn thing she has done, she won't ever know that she has not received her pension. When she complains about that, that is the time she should be hauled before Congress and forced to testify, as she would have recovered her memory. Works for me.Ogrrrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10367747403389258422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-35286782670127960062012-12-19T13:39:06.898-06:002012-12-19T13:39:06.898-06:00@Colby (and Suzy),
You're almost certainly rig...@Colby (and Suzy),<br />You're almost certainly right. I have already heard one parent - from Columbine - who was interviewed live on FNC last Friday. He advocated for an armed response to criminals rather than creating even more target-rich locations for them. Haven't heard his comments re-broadcast since.txGregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-42638108318476104842012-12-19T12:40:12.414-06:002012-12-19T12:40:12.414-06:00@Suzy,
Nope, you are not wrong. They'll drag ...@Suzy,<br />Nope, you are not wrong. They'll drag out at least one person to be the Joe Soptic or Sandra Fluke of gun control. I'd bet we will see both types speaking out; the ones advocating unconstitutional gun laws, and those advocating having teachers with guns or armed security. The problem is, we will only hear about the anti-gun ones.Colbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-29916175281842845762012-12-19T12:27:40.052-06:002012-12-19T12:27:40.052-06:00VP Joseph Rosannadanna....
This was a briliant mo...VP Joseph Rosannadanna....<br /><br />This was a briliant move by the bamster. It will make it appear that he is actually concerned about gun violence, and it will give Joe some busy work to make him feel like he's actually part of the obama clique. The last thing Crap Weasel wants is to end gun violence because it's a vital part of bringing a country to the point of anarchy. This makes it much easier to be the savior and president for life. Conspiracy theory? Maybe...Colbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-54861491291361397792012-12-19T12:22:48.966-06:002012-12-19T12:22:48.966-06:00@Chuck --- Amen!!!@Chuck --- Amen!!!Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05428506498438400510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-5051563741918162672012-12-19T12:21:24.626-06:002012-12-19T12:21:24.626-06:00Stilt, I guess my thoughts about a parent speaking...Stilt, I guess my thoughts about a parent speaking out came from a dread that by next year we are going to see at least one family bribed to go public for gun control by the Left. I hope I'm wrong.Suzynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-10497280865422032352012-12-19T12:20:56.691-06:002012-12-19T12:20:56.691-06:0020 little school kids murdered by a lunatic and th...20 little school kids murdered by a lunatic and the left wants to abolish the second amendment. 3300 unborn babies murdered every day by a physician and the left wants to make that cheaper and easier.<br /><br />I’m not trying to belittle the tragedies, just illuminate the hypocrisy.<br />Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-68430202483991397112012-12-19T11:47:46.115-06:002012-12-19T11:47:46.115-06:00@John the Econ- I can hear Biden on the stump now:...@John the Econ- I can hear Biden on the stump now: "...and why does anyone need a gun when we're already protected by our Secret Service agents?" (Hmm- if that becomes Friday's cartoon, make believe you didn't see this).<br /><br />@Grafton Cheddar- Well, maybe I'll have just enough to gargle with...<br /><br />@Plank9595- Exactly right. And if I tour the Whitehouse, do I spend the time inside as Undocumented President?Stilton Jarlsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503164551782304564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-39854238275913311152012-12-19T11:33:02.191-06:002012-12-19T11:33:02.191-06:00Comment is from Time's own site discussing the...Comment is from Time's own site discussing the short list for person of the year which I thought was brilliant.<br /><br />"If I go to Mexico illegally am I an undocumented Mexican?"Plank9595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-64525421293084728082012-12-19T11:23:43.114-06:002012-12-19T11:23:43.114-06:00Aaarrgh! He just can't shut up! Stilton, it&...Aaarrgh! He just can't shut up! Stilton, it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world!Grafton Cheddarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04825971478192505799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-51296243018826355982012-12-19T11:10:29.103-06:002012-12-19T11:10:29.103-06:00Oh goodie. Joe Biden has just put in charge of gu...Oh goodie. Joe Biden has just put in charge of gun control. Either we have nothing to worry about, or we're finished.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-71480442237475274302012-12-19T10:48:49.116-06:002012-12-19T10:48:49.116-06:00@Suzy- While I'd be pleased to have one of the...@Suzy- While I'd be pleased to have one of the parents speak out, I'd actually prefer that they be left in peace to grieve. This is a battle for others to fight - and we need to. I'm not against gun control, but I'm entirely unconvinced that there will be greater safety if new laws are added to the books. All that will be accomplished is the disarming of responsible people.<br /><br />@WMD- I have great respect and admiration for churches as an organizing force for good, and for their messages encouraging people to think about more than themselves. There simply is no comparable engine of moral authority in our culture, which is why I'm such a fierce defender of religious liberties.<br /><br />And I'm sick to high heaven (pun not intended but perhaps divinely inspired) of the lack of basic moral instruction in schools. When I was of school age, nobody was specifically teaching morality, but it was interwoven in other materials. Today's moral relativism sends a baffling message to children. And, for that matter, to me.<br /><br />@Emmentaler- No, there's no surprise involved here. Nor is the fact that Hillary's personally appointed investigative committee within the State Department has found a lot of mistakes made in Benghazi, but no reason to discipline anyone involved. Hillary claimed responsibility for Benghazi, but has a very funny way of showing it.<br /><br />@John the Econ- In fairness to TIME, Mr. Soetoro is <i>absolutely</i> the symbol of the new cultural America. <br /><br />By the way, seeing your comment and confirming that Barry is the "person of the year" made me think, "is it too early for a shot of whiskey?" Yes, of course - though when I checked the time it was 10:40 am, and seeing "1040" reminded me of taxes, and I wanted a drink again (but won't have it). <br /><br />By the way, one of the contenders for TIME's person of the year was "Undocumented Americans" - a phrase that pretty much made me fill my pants. <i>There's no such thing as an undocumented AMERICAN</i>.<br /><br />Crap. It's <i>still</i> not 5 pm.<br /><br />@American Cowboy- I <i>try</i> to expose myself to both sides of the news, but must admit that it's gotten harder as time goes by (no "Time" pun intended). TIME and Newsweek are both pure propaganda at this point...like many of their contemporaries.<br /><br />@SusieBee- If Barry chomped a baby on TV, he'd not only be celebrated for supporting women's health, but for recycling protein.Stilton Jarlsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503164551782304564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-63927406467443646762012-12-19T09:53:54.001-06:002012-12-19T09:53:54.001-06:00@John the Econ:
I'm not surprized about the T...@John the Econ:<br /><br />I'm not surprized about the Time Magazine thing. On his video blog, RAMZPAUL basically said that Barry could eat a baby on live TV and a certain demographic would still vote for him. There is a lot of truth in that statement.SusieBeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-35137508757017919892012-12-19T09:46:09.278-06:002012-12-19T09:46:09.278-06:00I am a "newsaholic". I read both liberal...I am a "newsaholic". I read both liberal and conservative sides of any given story as usually the truth lays somewhere between. However I have cancelled my Time subscription with the written explanation that I will not financially support a "news" magazine that is that blatantly pro-0bama and anti-American. I also refuse to capitalize 0bama's name instead using the zero key, that pretty well describes my thought about that guy. And for now my thoughts cannot be censored.American Cowboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-76212833179370279062012-12-19T09:34:53.466-06:002012-12-19T09:34:53.466-06:00I briefly scanned the article about "Celery&q...I briefly scanned the article about "Celery" fainting. I noticed her picture with the article and could not help but wonder if it was an unfiltered look in the mirror that caused her to faint?<br />American Cowboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-79498479866962936962012-12-19T09:19:37.586-06:002012-12-19T09:19:37.586-06:00Too bad this came out too late to be today's c...Too bad this came out too late to be today's cartoon. Guess who is the "Time Magazine Man of the Year", again.<br /><br /><i>"He's basically the beneficiary and the author of a kind new America - a new demographic, a new cultural America that he is now the symbol of,"</i> says Time editor Rick Stengel.<br /><br />How do I escape this book?John the Econnoreply@blogger.com