November, 2019 archive
Commonalities 0
The San Francisco Chronicle reports on two social scientists who have taken a step back from immediacy and identified four characteristics common to mass shooters. Here they are; follow the link for details.
First, these mass shooters had early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at an early age.
Second, practically every mass shooter they studied had reached an identifiable crisis point in the weeks or months leading up to the shooting.
Third, most of the shooters had studied the actions of other shooters and sought validation for their motives.
Fourth, the shooters all had the means to carry out their plans.
Only one of them can be addressed by the polity, and that is the last one.
And more guns is not the answer.
“The Emperor’s No Clothes” 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., tells a tale.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness takes practice.
An incident report said (11-year-old Kylee Dawn–ed.) Woods’ father was attempting to unload a .40-caliber handgun, when it accidentally discharged, striking Woods, who was standing beside him.
Disparate Treatment 0
And this surprises you how?
Foxy Shady 0
Nicholas Kristoff argues that Fox News is Donald Trump’s invisible protective shield. A snippet:
The study found that those who regularly watched Fox News actually knew less about both domestic and international issues than those who watched no news at all.
Follow the link for the rest.
A Map of the Future . . . 0
. . . and it ain’t pretty.
And that leaves out the middle of the North America, which in prehistoric times was a sea.
I believe that we are well past the tipping point, and I fear for my children.
Suing for the Whole Enchilada 0
Actually, for a taco and the fine print.
QOTD 0
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
I don’t think any person in America should die because they are too poor to live.
And Now for a Musical Interlude 0
In a side note, the BBC used this tune as the theme song for its radio adaptation of six Philip Marlowe mysteries.