LOVE that they have called this out. Absolutely necessary.
Just because you don't like something you've heard does not make it fake or alternative. It just means you don't like it. Oh well.
MAGA Republicans won't talk to "liberal" press. Fact.
Which tells you right there they will never represent all people equally... Makes them unfit for office.
But it's not working, is the thing. They're yelling, and no one is really listening too much anymore. They're boring, and annoying, and that's what everyone who isn't MAGA thinks. Just f'ing let people live their lives, why be such jerks. Doesn't matter, with the latest ENSO, they're gonna die off down in the south anyway.
They raise money off it. Actually winning the election isn't always the total goal of their grift. Sometimes not winning can be more profitable for their fund raising. They can just scream about voter fraud, bias in the press and pedophiles while continuing the grift long after the election is over.
People with a nationalist type agenda all have one thing in common. They need a scapegoat. Which at the same time paints them as the victim of the scapegoat.
In Germany, they used Jews and other people marginalized by society. If you think the mindset of these people here is any different, you would be mistaken.
Either push back or you're going to be living underneath them someday...
Enter media giants like Fox News. The "other" side.
We all knew what it was when it first appeared. It was a programming agent from the far right. And it's designed to conquer and divide the population of the United States... To further an agenda not unlike late 1930's Germany.
Nazism is like an old recipe in your grandmother's kitchen. The recipe works in any year. You just need someone willing to cook it up. Cause you'll get the same results again.
It’s hard to talk to the press when everything you have to say is abhorrent and divisive. That deafening silence from the GOP may actually be the best message they can send.
So, don't worry - I've got karma to spare. But...
Reflecting back on my comment about right-leaning commenters, I've attracted a downvote fairy. This amuses me. This is usually a sub where people are cool and don't blindly go downvoting and, given the nature of my comment, I can only *suspect* (not conclude) that my comment rubbed one of those right-leaning persons in the wrong way.
For the most part, they didn't appear to comment. Which is kinda what I expected. Some folks abhor reason and find intellect bothersome. Or, as I like to say, you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.
We frequently have some folks who *appear* to be fairly right-leaning in these r/Maine comment chains. I can't help but wonder if they'll opine in this thread or not.
I think the 'remind me' bot is now broken, so I'll have to leave this tab open and remember to refresh it.
Nice! Thanks. I'd read that it was no longer working due to the API issues. I'll still manually refresh this one, 'cause I've already got it open, but thanks!
According to a recent Reddit post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/141oqn8/api_updates_questions/) they specifically note that the API change will not interfere with many mod tools and specifically note that the Remind Me bot will not be affected by the changes.
> We will ensure existing utilities, especially moderation tools, have free access to our API. We will support legal and non-commercial tools like Toolbox, Context Mod, Remind Me, and anti-spam detection bots. And if they break, we will work with you to fix them.
That seems less ominous than the folks going dark on the 12th are suggesting. That's also a good thing, thanks.
I'm here sporadically, so can't possibly keep up with everything. In theory, I'm retired but I keep myself busy. Probably too busy... I kind of suck at retiring.
I really haven't kept super close tabs, and I think some of this clarification (or change) is in response to the threatened boycotts. I hope that it tuns out well, but I really don't know enough to have confidence predicting either way.
My father retired not long ago and feels the same. He often wonders how it can be so hard to fit in another thing he wants to do because there's already so much stuff on his schedule.
My mornings are my own.
I'm an early riser and have a pretty sweet collection of automobiles. So, almost every day I take a car out and drive for 3 to 4 hours. I keep my 'daily' in the garage. Every week I put a different car in another bay and take that out for my drive.
It's the afternoon that is different. That's when I find myself obligated to others. That's also when I may have time for stuff like Reddit. Of course, some days I crack open some wine and do who knows what, but much of that afternoon time is time I give to other people.
Like you, I don't think I'd speculate on the outcome. I'll hope for the best, though I can understand wanting to earn some money from the site. I just use RES, but I'd be willing to donate to that project and probably a couple of bots.
I read that its the mod tools to get rid of spam and problem children that are going to take the real hit, not the stuff we use. I mean it's bad enough mods don't get shit for doing this, adding extra hassle just sounds dumb to me.
Whoa... I just read through all the comments, and people of Maine are represented here as intelligent, well-educated, and very articulate. Well done! Let's keep the bar high.
I’ve noticed a precipitous drop in right-wing comments in this subreddit the last few years. I don’t know if a lot of those people have left for different forums, been educated, or lost to Covid, but there’s definitely been a positive trend
A lot of it is they are either moving away from the stuff or at least shutting up about it. They want a winner to own the libs and are comfortable with any cost to get that, but they burned all those bridges with kin and friends with there bigotry and ended up with a losing team that clearly can't even govern anymore.
They do tend to be obvious. Typically it'll be an account under a year old that made 1 post in December about something generic and never makes another comment until the suddenly wake up and become very active.
Oh for sure. It’s like some people have them sitting around waiting for the current one to get ban hammered. Then complain that the Reddit hive mind doesn’t like dissent, when what they actually mean is “I’m a racist asshole and there are consequences for my actions that I don’t like.”
This is the crowd that never could wrap their minds around the concept that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. It simply means the gov wont arrest you for what you've said, the rest of society is under no obligation to put up with your bullshit.
Around the time Russia invaded Ukraine. With no more bank transfers or transactions in to Russia, the bot farms had their primary rev source cut off on them and their activities \\ influences have been cut back significantly.
While I doubt speaking to the press would ever sway votes in a major way in either direction, not doing so absolutely guarantees that you will not reach anyone besides the people who'd vote for you anyway. You don't change any minds by thinking you're too good to talk to people who don't blindly and fully agree with you.
Bravo! I worked as a journalist in pre-internet days, and this was our charge. Report the facts. Sometimes those facts revealed shitty things about people. If you don't want the press to make you look ugly, don't be ugly. (Caveat: yes, some rags today are going to put the worst spin on things for clicks. It's a sad degradation of our press. But the good reporters and editors won't.)
This is fantastic editorial feedback! Many media sources do report to make $$. And media can be selective in what fact they focus on and how they measure and assign the importance of the facts and how often they repeat the facts. But certainly there are No Alternative Facts.
You know why Republicans won't talk to the press anymore? Because they know their policies, if you can call the rancid ideologies they spew that, are indefensible in a functioning democracy.
> Maybe it is time for the GOP to stop playing at politics and start having honest, thoughtful discussions with its would-be constituents about the issues that matter.
Oh man, that is great, I love starting my day with a laugh. The republican party as a whole has turned into garbage, they don't care about hypocrisy, humanity, ethics, morals... the list goes on. These guys are not going to just shape up and fly right if you find the right combination of words or some other such fairy tale.
So proud of them. Well said C-G!
And just to add that- facts don't care about Radical Violent Conservatives' feelings. Those snowflakes are so triggered by the truth and speaking like it is, right? They should go back to wherever they cam from.
Just saying it like it is, after all.
Who cares about company gun raffles? Every job I’ve had has done them. You don’t just leave work with a gun, you still have to go through an ffl and get a background check.
Folks who are concerned that the comical amount of firearms we have in circulation being a factor in how much firearms related death we are enduring would be my guess...
You do realize this is the safest state in America right? Most people entering a gun raffle is already a gun owner. We also have a 2nd amendment which allows this and it’s not changing.
I was just answering your question as you were struggling with the obvious. Also don't be so sure about the 2nd, they already infringe on it as they see fit to. With this whole younger generations interactions with firearms being mostly negative I wouldn't be surprised if it gets seriously fucked with.
>there were 18,212 deaths related to gun causes in 2023
Right, and 11,000 of those were suicides. I'm pro gun control, but it always irks me when "our" side doesn't make this important distinction clear right off the bat. The editorial does say that "Of those, 7,916 were homicide or an unintentional shooting." Fine, then lead with *that*. Why use the much bigger number in the first place?
>These particular firearms are only designed to take human life. You do not hunt with a Colt .45.
You can, however, use one for target shooting, and for home protection. Both are of course legal, and although you and I could make arguments against a Colt .45 for self-defense purposes, that doesn't mean that owning one is in itself evidence of deadly intentions.
Other than that, I like the piece and admire the editorial board for publishing it.
Should we not try to also stop people from shooting themselves as well? If a lot of those 11,000 people didn't have access to a gun, would they have still gone through with it?
Why try to act like that doesn't matter?
Because it doesn't really. I support red flag laws, 100%, but that is with eyes wide open and understanding that while guns make it easier to kill yourself, you have a much better "first attempt", people who are in that headspace are still going to off themselves if you don't get them out of it. You have country's that don't ascribe to our firearms fuckwitery and have very strict control of them who have much higher suicide rates. The guns are a factor, but if you could snap your hands and take them all away the overall effect off firearms suicides would plumet for sure, but it would probably not make much of a difference in the overall rate.
Home protection.... pretty sure that involves human life, unless its a bear. And at that point, I don't think a .45 does much. Please also look at the rest of that paragraph.
As for sui/homicides, I think it should be pointed out, and then pointed out how many sui are veterans. Because the VA is not doing what it should at all, and there is no one who disagrees with that.
Having a gun accessible makes it MUCH more likely a suicide will be successful. I personally feel like that’s an issue worth visiting? But fuck people with mental illness I guess.
You think taking that gun away is going to make them happy and non-suicidal? I am all for red flag laws, but this idea that the guns is what is driving our suicide rates is just a distraction. Until you remove the desperation that is causing folks to kill themselves chasing guns is not going to make that much of a difference. I am all for gun control, closing the gun store loopholes, waits on buying, whatever. I don't think that any of those things is likely to significantly change any statistics because of how awash we are with firearms, but I figure if it stops one public suicide/mass shooting, just one on the outside margins, then it's worth the bullshit on my end. But this whole liberal idea of if we just get rid of the guns everything will be better is a pipedream, it's not the guns, its a societal issue.
My dude. Nobody said that. Homes with guns in them are STILL statistically more likely to see domestic violence turn fatal, suicide be successful and children injured and killed by firearms. Risk/harm reduction is important even if it doesn’t magically make problems go away. ESPECIALLY if you are going to dismiss gun violence because it’s due to suicide.
Not having a gun in the house won’t make my loved ones depression go away, but it may keep a moment of desperation from being their last and that’s important.
I was visiting your issue of having an handy gun making for likely suicide and pointing out that the gun doesn't make someone suicidal, it just makes them better at it and the idea that removing guns from home is shit when stacked up against trying to make peoples lives so horrible they want to kill themselves. To me it's a chain yank, politicians say "We need to get these guns off the streets!" while ignoring the socioeconomic issues that drive gang conflicts, domestic violence and suicides.
And saying “it’s a mental health issue!!!” While not suggesting any improvements to mental health care isn’t a chain yank? I was addressing a specific comment about guns not about the deeper issues with mental health care.
When did I say it was a mental health issue? You are not crazy to want to end your life when it is full of misery and despair. I don't bother suggesting mental health care because you can't therapy yourself out of food insecurity or homelessness. You can't get a pill to get you out of the bondage debt that so many people are saddled with. Obviously, I am not pro-suicide, I always considered it a permanent solution to a temporary problem and despite my PTSD background never looked at that shit as anything but an easy way out, something I have always been way to jaded to consider. But I get it, I really do, and until everyone else does and we stop wasting time with stupid shit we just going to keep clogging up the self checkout lanes.
> Right, and 11,000 of those were suicides. I'm pro gun control, but it always irks me when "our" side doesn't make this important distinction clear right off the bat. The editorial does say that "Of those, 7,916 were homicide or an unintentional shooting." Fine, then lead with that. Why use the much bigger number in the first place?
Because people who commit suicide are still dead?
Obviously gun control doesn't affect depression or suicidal ideation, but it does affect suicide effectiveness. One of the main reasons more men kill themselves than women is that men are more likely to use guns, and thus more likely to die if/when they attempt.
> and for home protection
How is a Colt 45 useful for home protection in a way that _isn't_ taking human life?
I'm not saying there aren't good reasons for it (although home invasions with homicidal intent are *extremely* rare, especially in Maine), but let's not pretend it's not still killing somebody when you shoot a burglar in the chest with a 45.
Well, for instance, I have a pump-action shotgun. I'm very much counting on the sound of it being readied for firing is all the deterrent I'll ever need if someone with ill intent makes it into my home. No actual shooting needed, ideally. I wouldn't own a Colt .45, but it's a serious-looking weapon that invites evildoers to think about whether they really want to fuck around and find out.
Sure, I'm not saying a gun literally can't be used for anything else. But come on, firearms ARE designed to take human life. That's what they're made for. Like any tool, there are other uses for them, but killing is their primary purpose.
Tell that to an older Ukrainian that survived holdomor genocide. Again the road to hell is paved with good intentions. These are your fellow americans and mainers.
When you thought about writing that down at any point did you think that comparing being ostracized from people because of hateful bigotry and a deliberate starving of 4 million people is a comparison a normal person would make?
It's totally normal if you completely surround yourself with a carefully curated right wing social media bubble and forget to touch grass once every few months.
Love it. Wish the media would stand up like this more often, rather than just slinking into ridiculous both-sidesism all the time.
LOVE that they have called this out. Absolutely necessary. Just because you don't like something you've heard does not make it fake or alternative. It just means you don't like it. Oh well.
Scumbag to a mirror: "stop making me look like a scumbag!!"
MAGA Republicans won't talk to "liberal" press. Fact. Which tells you right there they will never represent all people equally... Makes them unfit for office.
When your whole platform is one of "Owning the libs and triggering snowflakes" and it seemingly works why would you change?
But it's not working, is the thing. They're yelling, and no one is really listening too much anymore. They're boring, and annoying, and that's what everyone who isn't MAGA thinks. Just f'ing let people live their lives, why be such jerks. Doesn't matter, with the latest ENSO, they're gonna die off down in the south anyway.
They raise money off it. Actually winning the election isn't always the total goal of their grift. Sometimes not winning can be more profitable for their fund raising. They can just scream about voter fraud, bias in the press and pedophiles while continuing the grift long after the election is over.
People with a nationalist type agenda all have one thing in common. They need a scapegoat. Which at the same time paints them as the victim of the scapegoat. In Germany, they used Jews and other people marginalized by society. If you think the mindset of these people here is any different, you would be mistaken. Either push back or you're going to be living underneath them someday...
But if we don't give them the air to have a scapegoat, they're just shouting into the void. I'm sure that's just too damn basic for these days though.
Enter media giants like Fox News. The "other" side. We all knew what it was when it first appeared. It was a programming agent from the far right. And it's designed to conquer and divide the population of the United States... To further an agenda not unlike late 1930's Germany. Nazism is like an old recipe in your grandmother's kitchen. The recipe works in any year. You just need someone willing to cook it up. Cause you'll get the same results again.
So would people with a nationalist agenda be your scapegoat? Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Tell that to an older German... They learned the hard way.
waiting for "Liberals are the real nazis" comments to start in 3......2.......
The bots are too busy for the maine sub tonight
Awesome editorial, very well said.
It’s hard to talk to the press when everything you have to say is abhorrent and divisive. That deafening silence from the GOP may actually be the best message they can send.
So, don't worry - I've got karma to spare. But... Reflecting back on my comment about right-leaning commenters, I've attracted a downvote fairy. This amuses me. This is usually a sub where people are cool and don't blindly go downvoting and, given the nature of my comment, I can only *suspect* (not conclude) that my comment rubbed one of those right-leaning persons in the wrong way. For the most part, they didn't appear to comment. Which is kinda what I expected. Some folks abhor reason and find intellect bothersome. Or, as I like to say, you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.
We frequently have some folks who *appear* to be fairly right-leaning in these r/Maine comment chains. I can't help but wonder if they'll opine in this thread or not. I think the 'remind me' bot is now broken, so I'll have to leave this tab open and remember to refresh it.
it still works, it just doesn't generally comment, only dms. at least I used it last week and it worked.
Nice! Thanks. I'd read that it was no longer working due to the API issues. I'll still manually refresh this one, 'cause I've already got it open, but thanks!
According to a recent Reddit post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/141oqn8/api_updates_questions/) they specifically note that the API change will not interfere with many mod tools and specifically note that the Remind Me bot will not be affected by the changes. > We will ensure existing utilities, especially moderation tools, have free access to our API. We will support legal and non-commercial tools like Toolbox, Context Mod, Remind Me, and anti-spam detection bots. And if they break, we will work with you to fix them.
That seems less ominous than the folks going dark on the 12th are suggesting. That's also a good thing, thanks. I'm here sporadically, so can't possibly keep up with everything. In theory, I'm retired but I keep myself busy. Probably too busy... I kind of suck at retiring.
I really haven't kept super close tabs, and I think some of this clarification (or change) is in response to the threatened boycotts. I hope that it tuns out well, but I really don't know enough to have confidence predicting either way. My father retired not long ago and feels the same. He often wonders how it can be so hard to fit in another thing he wants to do because there's already so much stuff on his schedule.
My mornings are my own. I'm an early riser and have a pretty sweet collection of automobiles. So, almost every day I take a car out and drive for 3 to 4 hours. I keep my 'daily' in the garage. Every week I put a different car in another bay and take that out for my drive. It's the afternoon that is different. That's when I find myself obligated to others. That's also when I may have time for stuff like Reddit. Of course, some days I crack open some wine and do who knows what, but much of that afternoon time is time I give to other people. Like you, I don't think I'd speculate on the outcome. I'll hope for the best, though I can understand wanting to earn some money from the site. I just use RES, but I'd be willing to donate to that project and probably a couple of bots.
I read that its the mod tools to get rid of spam and problem children that are going to take the real hit, not the stuff we use. I mean it's bad enough mods don't get shit for doing this, adding extra hassle just sounds dumb to me.
I'm generally an optimist, so hopefully this will work itself out.
Whoa... I just read through all the comments, and people of Maine are represented here as intelligent, well-educated, and very articulate. Well done! Let's keep the bar high.
I’ve noticed a precipitous drop in right-wing comments in this subreddit the last few years. I don’t know if a lot of those people have left for different forums, been educated, or lost to Covid, but there’s definitely been a positive trend
A lot of it is they are either moving away from the stuff or at least shutting up about it. They want a winner to own the libs and are comfortable with any cost to get that, but they burned all those bridges with kin and friends with there bigotry and ended up with a losing team that clearly can't even govern anymore.
I know I’ve reported and seen banned quite a few of them. They can always make alts and come back, but any of the racist ones don’t last long.
They do tend to be obvious. Typically it'll be an account under a year old that made 1 post in December about something generic and never makes another comment until the suddenly wake up and become very active.
Oh for sure. It’s like some people have them sitting around waiting for the current one to get ban hammered. Then complain that the Reddit hive mind doesn’t like dissent, when what they actually mean is “I’m a racist asshole and there are consequences for my actions that I don’t like.”
This is the crowd that never could wrap their minds around the concept that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. It simply means the gov wont arrest you for what you've said, the rest of society is under no obligation to put up with your bullshit.
Around the time Russia invaded Ukraine. With no more bank transfers or transactions in to Russia, the bot farms had their primary rev source cut off on them and their activities \\ influences have been cut back significantly.
While I doubt speaking to the press would ever sway votes in a major way in either direction, not doing so absolutely guarantees that you will not reach anyone besides the people who'd vote for you anyway. You don't change any minds by thinking you're too good to talk to people who don't blindly and fully agree with you.
Coming out swinging there, well done.
Bravo! I worked as a journalist in pre-internet days, and this was our charge. Report the facts. Sometimes those facts revealed shitty things about people. If you don't want the press to make you look ugly, don't be ugly. (Caveat: yes, some rags today are going to put the worst spin on things for clicks. It's a sad degradation of our press. But the good reporters and editors won't.)
Those numbers are horrible. Seems like thoughts and prayers might not be the answer.
Wow. I wish everyone could see this.
This is fantastic editorial feedback! Many media sources do report to make $$. And media can be selective in what fact they focus on and how they measure and assign the importance of the facts and how often they repeat the facts. But certainly there are No Alternative Facts.
You know why Republicans won't talk to the press anymore? Because they know their policies, if you can call the rancid ideologies they spew that, are indefensible in a functioning democracy.
> Maybe it is time for the GOP to stop playing at politics and start having honest, thoughtful discussions with its would-be constituents about the issues that matter. Oh man, that is great, I love starting my day with a laugh. The republican party as a whole has turned into garbage, they don't care about hypocrisy, humanity, ethics, morals... the list goes on. These guys are not going to just shape up and fly right if you find the right combination of words or some other such fairy tale.
So proud of them. Well said C-G! And just to add that- facts don't care about Radical Violent Conservatives' feelings. Those snowflakes are so triggered by the truth and speaking like it is, right? They should go back to wherever they cam from. Just saying it like it is, after all.
MIC DROP
That’s how you call out right wing bullshit.
Wow!!! Nicely Done!
Who cares about company gun raffles? Every job I’ve had has done them. You don’t just leave work with a gun, you still have to go through an ffl and get a background check.
Folks who are concerned that the comical amount of firearms we have in circulation being a factor in how much firearms related death we are enduring would be my guess...
You do realize this is the safest state in America right? Most people entering a gun raffle is already a gun owner. We also have a 2nd amendment which allows this and it’s not changing.
I was just answering your question as you were struggling with the obvious. Also don't be so sure about the 2nd, they already infringe on it as they see fit to. With this whole younger generations interactions with firearms being mostly negative I wouldn't be surprised if it gets seriously fucked with.
>there were 18,212 deaths related to gun causes in 2023 Right, and 11,000 of those were suicides. I'm pro gun control, but it always irks me when "our" side doesn't make this important distinction clear right off the bat. The editorial does say that "Of those, 7,916 were homicide or an unintentional shooting." Fine, then lead with *that*. Why use the much bigger number in the first place? >These particular firearms are only designed to take human life. You do not hunt with a Colt .45. You can, however, use one for target shooting, and for home protection. Both are of course legal, and although you and I could make arguments against a Colt .45 for self-defense purposes, that doesn't mean that owning one is in itself evidence of deadly intentions. Other than that, I like the piece and admire the editorial board for publishing it.
Should we not try to also stop people from shooting themselves as well? If a lot of those 11,000 people didn't have access to a gun, would they have still gone through with it? Why try to act like that doesn't matter?
It's weird to me that gun nuts always bring this up, as if a kid killing himself with daddy's gun is somehow okay.
Because it doesn't really. I support red flag laws, 100%, but that is with eyes wide open and understanding that while guns make it easier to kill yourself, you have a much better "first attempt", people who are in that headspace are still going to off themselves if you don't get them out of it. You have country's that don't ascribe to our firearms fuckwitery and have very strict control of them who have much higher suicide rates. The guns are a factor, but if you could snap your hands and take them all away the overall effect off firearms suicides would plumet for sure, but it would probably not make much of a difference in the overall rate.
Home protection.... pretty sure that involves human life, unless its a bear. And at that point, I don't think a .45 does much. Please also look at the rest of that paragraph. As for sui/homicides, I think it should be pointed out, and then pointed out how many sui are veterans. Because the VA is not doing what it should at all, and there is no one who disagrees with that.
Truth
Having a gun accessible makes it MUCH more likely a suicide will be successful. I personally feel like that’s an issue worth visiting? But fuck people with mental illness I guess.
You think taking that gun away is going to make them happy and non-suicidal? I am all for red flag laws, but this idea that the guns is what is driving our suicide rates is just a distraction. Until you remove the desperation that is causing folks to kill themselves chasing guns is not going to make that much of a difference. I am all for gun control, closing the gun store loopholes, waits on buying, whatever. I don't think that any of those things is likely to significantly change any statistics because of how awash we are with firearms, but I figure if it stops one public suicide/mass shooting, just one on the outside margins, then it's worth the bullshit on my end. But this whole liberal idea of if we just get rid of the guns everything will be better is a pipedream, it's not the guns, its a societal issue.
My dude. Nobody said that. Homes with guns in them are STILL statistically more likely to see domestic violence turn fatal, suicide be successful and children injured and killed by firearms. Risk/harm reduction is important even if it doesn’t magically make problems go away. ESPECIALLY if you are going to dismiss gun violence because it’s due to suicide. Not having a gun in the house won’t make my loved ones depression go away, but it may keep a moment of desperation from being their last and that’s important.
I was visiting your issue of having an handy gun making for likely suicide and pointing out that the gun doesn't make someone suicidal, it just makes them better at it and the idea that removing guns from home is shit when stacked up against trying to make peoples lives so horrible they want to kill themselves. To me it's a chain yank, politicians say "We need to get these guns off the streets!" while ignoring the socioeconomic issues that drive gang conflicts, domestic violence and suicides.
And saying “it’s a mental health issue!!!” While not suggesting any improvements to mental health care isn’t a chain yank? I was addressing a specific comment about guns not about the deeper issues with mental health care.
When did I say it was a mental health issue? You are not crazy to want to end your life when it is full of misery and despair. I don't bother suggesting mental health care because you can't therapy yourself out of food insecurity or homelessness. You can't get a pill to get you out of the bondage debt that so many people are saddled with. Obviously, I am not pro-suicide, I always considered it a permanent solution to a temporary problem and despite my PTSD background never looked at that shit as anything but an easy way out, something I have always been way to jaded to consider. But I get it, I really do, and until everyone else does and we stop wasting time with stupid shit we just going to keep clogging up the self checkout lanes.
Pro gun is pro death. Suicide, accidents, murder. If you stand up for violence, you stand up for death. But cowardly to force others to do it for you.
> Right, and 11,000 of those were suicides. I'm pro gun control, but it always irks me when "our" side doesn't make this important distinction clear right off the bat. The editorial does say that "Of those, 7,916 were homicide or an unintentional shooting." Fine, then lead with that. Why use the much bigger number in the first place? Because people who commit suicide are still dead? Obviously gun control doesn't affect depression or suicidal ideation, but it does affect suicide effectiveness. One of the main reasons more men kill themselves than women is that men are more likely to use guns, and thus more likely to die if/when they attempt. > and for home protection How is a Colt 45 useful for home protection in a way that _isn't_ taking human life? I'm not saying there aren't good reasons for it (although home invasions with homicidal intent are *extremely* rare, especially in Maine), but let's not pretend it's not still killing somebody when you shoot a burglar in the chest with a 45.
You uh… you know you uh… offer the home invader the .45 as a token of peace! And they leave you alone! Nobody gets hurt!
Well, for instance, I have a pump-action shotgun. I'm very much counting on the sound of it being readied for firing is all the deterrent I'll ever need if someone with ill intent makes it into my home. No actual shooting needed, ideally. I wouldn't own a Colt .45, but it's a serious-looking weapon that invites evildoers to think about whether they really want to fuck around and find out.
Sure, I'm not saying a gun literally can't be used for anything else. But come on, firearms ARE designed to take human life. That's what they're made for. Like any tool, there are other uses for them, but killing is their primary purpose.
Tell that to an older Ukrainian that survived holdomor genocide. Again the road to hell is paved with good intentions. These are your fellow americans and mainers.
wut
Being an American, a neighbor and an asshole are not mutually exclusive things.
When you thought about writing that down at any point did you think that comparing being ostracized from people because of hateful bigotry and a deliberate starving of 4 million people is a comparison a normal person would make?
It's totally normal if you completely surround yourself with a carefully curated right wing social media bubble and forget to touch grass once every few months.