Very dark day, with occasional rain and strong winds. We are once more in line for some gales. It is in fact so dark that the lighthouse at Arnish is on at the moment, as are the floodlights at the Coastguard Station, across the bay. As I type, the clock shows midday.
I was saddened to learn of a shooting in a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska last night. Eight people were killed when a 19-year old gunman opened fire from a balcony. Seven were injured, two critically. The culprit, Robert Hawkins, had suffered from depression in the past, had lost his job and split up with his girlfriend. His alleged suicide note said he wanted to be famous, and was sorry to have been a burden to anyone. His mother phoned him upon finding the note, but he said it was too late, and hung up.
Once again, a mass shooting by someone with mental health problems in the US. I briefly glance back at the Virginia Tech shootings in April. And once again, I foresee that the gunlobby in the States will block any attempts at reducing the availability of firearms.
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I just heard this on the news ,horific ..love Jan xx
ReplyDeleteHello Guido...the weather is awful here as well in the South...gun shooting there, knives here, terrorists every where...this is the world of today...killers would find anything when they want to kill or mass murder...anyway, I got a very good week end, Picadilly is a fantastic place for a Saturday evening, they closed the roads, too many people around...it smelled xmas...and celebration, and everything stays open very very late...the kind of chinese cabs were fun...this week end it shall be Brighton with another set of shots :D
ReplyDeleteValerie
With me also having mental illness I never know what to think when I see this happening. Some doctor's say that teens should not take anti-depressants...because they become suicidal....I just don't know what to think about it. I guess right now I'm thinking there but for the grace of God go I....June
ReplyDeletehello guido, what sad news. There is too much violence in the world. We have had alot of rain here too and strong winds, hope it's not too bad up there. take care mrs t
ReplyDeleteYes another shopping mall shooting. Awful, just awful. I haven't been to our Mall since the shooting there in 2005. That shooter didn't kill himself & was just sentenced to 163 years in prison for his crimes. Unfortunately, I think these people get guns illegally. A lot of the guns used in crimes are stolen or sold illegally. There should be an enforceable law for the selling of firearms. There's laws in place but there's always those few people who act outside the law. Bob has rifles (he used to do alot of hunting) and I've encouraged him to turn them over to a licensed gun dealer to sell on consignment. My son in laws father was a sheriff deputy before he retired and also had a gun shop. But they sold guns by the rules...a two week waiting period, a complete background check, etc. Linda in Washington http://journals.aol.com/lsfp1960/LindasWorld/ By the way there are only little sprinkles here today and a very slight breeze. I haven't heard a weather forecast today so don't know what's in store.
ReplyDeleteI imagine to those outside the US it appears we are just a nation of gun toting, unstable people. This is tragic, as were all of the other ones. I don't even know at this point in time if control on the availability of guns would make a difference. Part of the problem is this stupid HIPPA crap....nobody is "allowed" to tell anyone anything about someone. If a teacher states a student is off balance they will be in trouble for a violation of privacy - it is bull and from what I understand a few professors at VA Tech raised red flags about that boy to no avail. It is a sad sad world we live in.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I will add that there are often times when people find ways to get a hold of guns, legally or not.
ReplyDeleteThere have been lengthy articles about the followup review of mental services in Virginia (and sometimes about their applicability in other states/district), what is going overboard at forcing involuntary commitment, and what is appropriate caution seems to be the biggest are of discussion, how and where to draw that dividing line.
But, yes, VERY sad. Every single murder/suicide, or attempt at such, is a tragedy.