Hey, Mr Agape.
 
I sort of skimmed through those rather large paragraphs you've left for all our enlightenment and I gather you are a bit disappointed with how the thread has gone.
 
Me too I just thought it would just be a nice quiet spot where we could share our grief and offer our condolences to the ether.  Too bad different people had other ideas and my expectations were foiled, other folk'll do that to ya everytime. Bless 'em.
 
Given all that though and the wide range of belief systems being represented by those contributing so far on top of the difficulty posed by the atrocity itself, I would say the debate has mostly been conducted in a thoughtful and caring way and some very difficult divides have been crossed in a largely constructive manner with very large amounts of respect being shown for some very diverse opinions.
 
I'm not seeing fur flying in a hysterical meltdown at all, sure it's got a bit tense at times as the thread has progressed but overall it looks to me to be a triumph of common understanding over some pretty wide divisions.
 
Do you not see it that way or are you here to show us how we should have gone about?
 
A difficult circumstance that has raised all sorts of difficult emotions in many of us and there seems to be very little animosity left over any of it to me.
 
My hope for the thread is that now everyone has got a little bit off their chest, it gets cast into the black pit to be forever forgotten.  Others may have different views however and I'm OK with that too.

Acupuncture? Tai Chi?  A good neck rub.  "Wrasslin" with yor ol dawg. Literally not metaphorically:-)

yorolpal


Acupuncture? Tai Chi?  A good neck rub.  "Wrasslin" with yor ol dawg. Literally not metaphorically:-)

Jonbouy


Hey, Mr Agape.
 
I sort of skimmed through those rather large paragraphs you've left for all our enlightenment and I gather you are a bit disappointed with how the thread has gone.
 
Me too I just thought it would just be a nice quiet spot where we could share our grief and offer our condolences to the ether.  Too bad different people had other ideas and my expectations were foiled, other folk'll do that to ya everytime. Bless 'em.
 
Given all that though and the wide range of belief systems being represented by those contributing so far on top of the difficulty posed by the atrocity itself, I would say the debate has mostly been conducted in a thoughtful and caring way and some very difficult divides have been crossed in a largely constructive manner with very large amounts of respect being shown for some very diverse opinions.
 
I'm not seeing fur flying in a hysterical meltdown at all, sure it's got a bit tense at times as the thread has progressed but overall it looks to me to be a triumph of common understanding over some pretty wide divisions.
 
Do you not see it that way or are you here to show us how we should have gone about?
 
A difficult circumstance that has raised all sorts of difficult emotions in many of us and there seems to be very little animosity left over any of it to me.
 
My hope for the thread is that now everyone has got a little bit off their chest, it gets cast into the black pit to be forever forgotten.  Others may have different views however and I'm OK with that too.

Yes particularly due to the very nature of this topic though this thread may be forgotten the incident (CT, and other similar crimes) will not be forgotten. 


What is sad about this thread is that it shows just how divided everyone is on; beliefs, cultures followed by how to actually resolve; to prevent further crimes such as this. :(  *


The need to bring comfort to those affected by this extremely unsettling incident (CT) is important, of course anything that is done will not bring those kids back but parents all over the nation (and all over the world) are concerned at how one person slipped by unnoticed, people also want to know; what is the gov gonna do?, what next... will this happen again?! 

It's natural to feel sad AND angry when events like this happen so please, please could we all be less critical of each other and respect one another's beliefs and such -- put simply; this is a very sensitive topic discussion and it surely will bring out different reactions. 


* this topic discussion is a sad reflection of human nature because;  no doubt there is a divided on beliefs, cultures and such to the point that the probability of preventing more crimes such as this appears unlikely :(  For crying out loud even the doofuses on capitol hill can't decide on taxes and spending so the probability of agreeing on what measure to take in regards to incidents such as this (CT) being quite complex;  due to the divide in beliefs and such; and involving a lot of areas such as;  security, health, education and such;  followed by strategies and costs;  sadly in regards to capitol hill at the end of the day it's all about the mighty dollar that will likely take precedence over care and well-being!! 

This is all very upsetting and frustrating, and yes I'm also angry! Can't help it; Sorry for the rant!!! 

It is a terrible thing.

I haven't read through all this thread, but thought I'd comment after something I heard today.  

One man in Newton couldn't sleep Friday night and wondered what he could do.  Finally, he thought of something.  The next morning he took his dog down to the local donut shop where he knew lots would be congregating and talking.   He sat outside with a sign that said 'My bulldog gives free hugs.'  Over 100 people got a hug from him and his dog.

For some reason, that brought tears to my eyes like the news hasn't.

Janet


I haven't read through all this thread, but thought I'd comment after something I heard today.  

One man in Newton couldn't sleep Friday night and wondered what he could do.  Finally, he thought of something.  The next morning he took his dog down to the local donut shop where he knew lots would be congregating and talking.   He sat outside with a sign that said 'My bulldog gives free hugs.'  Over 100 people got a hug from him and his dog.

For some reason, that brought tears to my eyes like the news hasn't.

Reminds me of this guy 

Two details from this horrible event reduced me to tears today, sitting in my van listening to the radio.

A little boy told his teacher 'it's OK, I can lead us to safety, I know karate'.

One of the teachers told her class to hide in the cupboards and keep quiet. The gunman appeared and, heroically, she told him her class were all in the gym. He shot her dead. All her class survived.

It's a tragedy. It's horrific in the extreme. We hear about murders and other violent crimes on a daily basis, but the murder of children tears at our souls. Regardless of our philosophical, cultural, religious, or socioeconomic differences, we share this grief. It's natural in such times to look for someone/something to blame. If we can identify the cause, surely we can fix it or at least prevent the next tragedy. So, we study the patterns and look for the cause, the initial flaw we can hold responsible. In the process, it is easy to lose sight of the victims. We remember the names of history's villains more than the names of their victims. This was an evil act perpetuated against innocent children. There is no justification and no satisfactory explanation for their murder. We grieve with the families of the victims. We pray for healing and comfort for the survivors. We rail against the injustice of it all. We raise our children to believe in the goodness of humanity. We shield them from the worst the world has to offer and jealously guard their innocence. We want to believe it ourselves. History has demonstrated that humanity has always had horribly cruel monsters among us. No amount of civility, culture, acts of piety, or education has been sufficient for us to cure this disease in the entire recorded history of our species. (In my opinion, the problem persists because we are not capable of curing the problem of evil in ourselves.) Regardless of differences in belief systems, I grieve with the families of the victims and the survivors. This is a tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

Well said Bubba and I also share your opinion. My prayers will be offered for these innocent souls.