The Front Page At HuffPo Is CHILLING

[Me.]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

[Leopolds Ghost]

1. What I worry about is they'll use this to go against civil liberties instead of sensible gun control

They'll put armed guards in our schools, claim that there is no right to self-defense or some such, while allowing the gun cartels to continue selling assault weapons (I wonder who the biggest buyer is of those?)

Here's something fun in time for the Mayan Apocalypse:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-plait/defending-earth-from-asteroids_b_2341804.html

[Enthusiast]

3. Interesting clip on the asteroids........nt

[Me.]

4. Mayan Apocalypse:?

Are you still here? Are any of us?

[NYC_SKP]

8. Exactly. nt

[Enthusiast]

2. Sure is.

We have a tendency to forget just how pervasive the nation's gun violence.

[formercia]

5. I thought about this for a while...

My thinking is the majority of these shootings can be attributed directly or indirectly to two things: Drugs and Domestic Violence, unless one considers Domestic violence a subset of Drugs. The Day Drugs become decriminalized and dependency is treated as a medical issue, the violence will decrease significantly.

What really concerns me is the massive numbers of people that die unnecessarily every Year from inadequate or lack of proper medical care.

Guns are only a symptom of the Disease.

[Enthusiast]

6. You are so on point, formercia!

Much of it stems from drugs. And even drugs are a symptom of horribly inadequate American mental health care. Practically everyone sick is self medicating. Then they become criminals. Then they become violent in a quest for their drugs. It is ridiculous. But we have to stop spending! :eyes:

[formercia]

7. The first thing they will cut is Medicaid

And all the other services that chemically-dependent people depend on for recovery.

Good point about self-medication. Then there's the situation where their doctor refuses to renew their meds, due to fear of the DEA, so the patient has to look elsewhere for relief.

Most Chemically-dependent people take drugs in an effort to feel normal, not to get High.

It's easy to fall down that hole. When I left the VA Hospital, I was issued an open-ended prescription for Codeine. 5 grain, Pure Codeine. They handed me a bottle of 100 and told me to come back if I needed more. The tech told me not to take one before I got home. It knocked me out. That was enough for me...for a lot of people, it would have been just the beginning......I never went back for a refill.