I will share this frank post with my 86-year-old father, who grew up on a Michigan farm. He and his brothers fished and hunted. The gun then was just another tool on the farm.
The comments on the kneejerk reaction to the George Floyd murder (defund the police) and the lasting impact on Minneapolis are resounding with me.
That's a really bad phrase for what was a really good idea. More mental health professionals backing up cops who also have knee jerk reactions sometimes, and can overreact and go for their guns too soon. Democrats are REALLY bad at messaging. Republicans are really good at putting their own spin on words.
Thank you for this straight forward powerful piece. I agree with everything you said and I am so grateful you said it. I confess, I had to take a second look to make sure I was reading a Keillor piece, having grown accustomed to your light hearted missives on being in your twilight years and not needing to take on the cares of the world too deeply anymore. But this, this was old school, clear thinking, heartfelt truth...saying what needs to be said. We need ALL of those stories to be told. We all need to be grown up enough to face the truth of who we are, who we've become, and who we could aspire to be. I can't thank you enough.
Saw it on TV. I was a little concerned that those truly brave boys weren't wearing helmets, but I guess they knew what they were doing. They took care of business.
Sorry, it's the end of March and I've lost count of USA mass shootings! I mourn your dead and share your grief. I often despair of our politicians but (I'm Australian) even the conservatives here enacted gun control legislation. I still hope ...
Bravo, It’s about time that you chimed in on this hotkey topic. What is this pubic sickness with assoult weapons? Are we indoctirnated by Hollywood about the benign effects of violence and the devaluation of human life? Is it the paranoia of crime and violence we see and hear about in our daily lives?
Schools shooting are the bottom of the barrel in human respect and value. Children, growing children who are innocent bystanders in this grim tragedy American living. Making children a target for shooters who confused and mixed up lives direct them to hunt and kill for what? Is it a scream for help or a chance of notoriety in this “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” modern life. I am not a psychologist so I wouldn’t know.
What I do know is that pubic opinion has to change. The sale of assault weapons have to stop. Its like Oxycoton and Drinking and Driving. We all know the harm they cause. They can’t be allowed anymore.
Any and every poll on the topic makes it clear that there is overwhelming support (often in the 70-80% range or greater) to take serious steps to end this plague.
It’s not the public --the people-- who are opposing these changes. It is the cowards that GK calls out.
And yet, this 70-80%+ are voters, but somehow continue to re-elect the same politicians who enable this carnage to continue. What's wrong with this picture?
Who knows? Our dog-eat-dog economy? Buy low, sell high, even if it's the fundamentals people need to live a decent life? Most of the 70-80% will, when push comes to shove, rate the price of gas and the availability of employment above restricting public sale of arms of war. And we males, we sure do get prickly if we feel our 'manhood' is being challenged. And much of what we see we define as exactly that (again, due to our status as 'contestants' in life).
I’m not sure what your suggesting. Should the police have shot the Minneapolis rioters in order to protect property? If you continue to watch the videoes that come after the one you linked to on Youtube you’ll end up seeing many that are promoting AR15 ownership. Even the video you posted glorifies violence.
The issues are complicated by the shooter is apparently a trans, who went to the school, and is deemed to have "mental issues". There's the possibility that their gender identity did not fit in with the views of this religious school, possibly not even with the parents. The resulting mental issues could the result of reaction to bullying and non-acceptance for who the shooter was, afraid to come out. Granted, that's no reason to go on a shooting rampage but bullying and non-acceptance (which is also non-Christian) may be the root cause. Of course the ability of the shooter to easily purchase 7 weapons and ammo is also a problem.
This is bullshit, Mr. Buntrock. The issue isn't bullying, it's the fact that this person was able to buy AR-15s as casually as you'd buy kitchen chairs and people who knew of her anger did nothing to stop her.
No need to condemn in its entirety. There are several issues including these, both very important. These issues have been discussed elsewhere on this and on this string so I was adding an additional, seldom discussed.
Politicians receive money from the gun industry to win their elections so they do NOT dare do anything against them. They pick on trans, books, immigration and the poor who cannot defend themselves. They look busy in their jobs avoiding the real issues that they CANNOT focus on like guns and other corporations of whom they are indebted to. When Democrats wanted to defund the police, they wanted money spent on programs of social issues and the poor rather than more weapons. Republicans, of course, take that ball and run with it making it sound bad.
Dear Garrison, I listened to PHC for years and adore it. Loved the movie too and now I love reading your thoughts and ramblings! "Defund" was a very poor choice and wrong word for what was being proposed as I understand it. "Redistribute" to other sources such as trained mental health folks to back up our police officers was the point. Many officers agree and like that idea. Many of them have gone on record saying they were not trained to handle a person with bipolar disorder, autism, etc. and would love the assistance of folks who are. Everything else you point out is 100% right too!!!
Mental health workers wouldn't have gone running into the school where the shooter was killing kids and teachers. Cops do that, at least in Nashville they did. They saved lives.
And yet we are told daily that the real dangers in schools --dangers against which laws _are_ being passed in order to “protect” these students-- are that those student could be told that gay people might actually exist or that slavery did happen.
Or state laws that protect those students and their parents from their healthcare workers even discussing home gun safety with them. Or that protect them from undergoing even minimal background checks to buy weapons to which they would have no access in any other civilized country.
Maybe it wasn't blaming him for the shootings as much as blaming him for the glorifying of guns on a Christmas card that mattered. Guns and Christmas -Guns and Jesus birth - that is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?
Just because I believe in accuracy, this was about two different politicians. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee (Nashville) is the one who sent out a Christmas card photo showing his whole family—himself, his wife and three children—toting rifles. Locked and loaded, so to speak. He did not apologize after the school shooting, defending his family’s “right to bear arms.” Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is a woman. She went all in on the “defund the police” issue and did not back down even following the George Floyd riots that did about half a billion in damage in downtown Minneapolis, and resulted in at least two deaths.
I don't blame him for the shooting. I blame him for his cowardice in facing up to it. He wants to look into the underlying causes. We need to reunstate gun controls. Let the mentally ill kick a wall or stick forks in their chest. Don't let them buy the weapons of war.
You've got to be kidding.
I qualify on both counts and I wouldn't touch one.
Politicians know very well what's driving people mad. They don't care.
Is this comment sarcasm? I hope so.
I will share this frank post with my 86-year-old father, who grew up on a Michigan farm. He and his brothers fished and hunted. The gun then was just another tool on the farm.
The comments on the kneejerk reaction to the George Floyd murder (defund the police) and the lasting impact on Minneapolis are resounding with me.
Amen, Mr. Keillor, Amen.
That's a really bad phrase for what was a really good idea. More mental health professionals backing up cops who also have knee jerk reactions sometimes, and can overreact and go for their guns too soon. Democrats are REALLY bad at messaging. Republicans are really good at putting their own spin on words.
Yes, thank you, this is an important point.
Dear Mr. Keillor,
Thank you for this straight forward powerful piece. I agree with everything you said and I am so grateful you said it. I confess, I had to take a second look to make sure I was reading a Keillor piece, having grown accustomed to your light hearted missives on being in your twilight years and not needing to take on the cares of the world too deeply anymore. But this, this was old school, clear thinking, heartfelt truth...saying what needs to be said. We need ALL of those stories to be told. We all need to be grown up enough to face the truth of who we are, who we've become, and who we could aspire to be. I can't thank you enough.
Saw it on TV. I was a little concerned that those truly brave boys weren't wearing helmets, but I guess they knew what they were doing. They took care of business.
Sorry, it's the end of March and I've lost count of USA mass shootings! I mourn your dead and share your grief. I often despair of our politicians but (I'm Australian) even the conservatives here enacted gun control legislation. I still hope ...
Mass shootings in the US are one per week this year.
Bravo, It’s about time that you chimed in on this hotkey topic. What is this pubic sickness with assoult weapons? Are we indoctirnated by Hollywood about the benign effects of violence and the devaluation of human life? Is it the paranoia of crime and violence we see and hear about in our daily lives?
Schools shooting are the bottom of the barrel in human respect and value. Children, growing children who are innocent bystanders in this grim tragedy American living. Making children a target for shooters who confused and mixed up lives direct them to hunt and kill for what? Is it a scream for help or a chance of notoriety in this “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” modern life. I am not a psychologist so I wouldn’t know.
What I do know is that pubic opinion has to change. The sale of assault weapons have to stop. Its like Oxycoton and Drinking and Driving. We all know the harm they cause. They can’t be allowed anymore.
To be precise, public opinion is not the issue.
Any and every poll on the topic makes it clear that there is overwhelming support (often in the 70-80% range or greater) to take serious steps to end this plague.
It’s not the public --the people-- who are opposing these changes. It is the cowards that GK calls out.
And yet, this 70-80%+ are voters, but somehow continue to re-elect the same politicians who enable this carnage to continue. What's wrong with this picture?
Who knows? Our dog-eat-dog economy? Buy low, sell high, even if it's the fundamentals people need to live a decent life? Most of the 70-80% will, when push comes to shove, rate the price of gas and the availability of employment above restricting public sale of arms of war. And we males, we sure do get prickly if we feel our 'manhood' is being challenged. And much of what we see we define as exactly that (again, due to our status as 'contestants' in life).
heroic action by the police. damn that perpetrator.
I’m not sure what your suggesting. Should the police have shot the Minneapolis rioters in order to protect property? If you continue to watch the videoes that come after the one you linked to on Youtube you’ll end up seeing many that are promoting AR15 ownership. Even the video you posted glorifies violence.
The young progressives who run city government need to take responsibility for what they've done to our Minneapolis.
I agree with all you said. Enough with the hand wringing. Thank you
Exactly! Thank you, Mr. Keillor. Too many people know in their hearts what needs to be done but lack the courage to do it. Yes, they are cowards.
The issues are complicated by the shooter is apparently a trans, who went to the school, and is deemed to have "mental issues". There's the possibility that their gender identity did not fit in with the views of this religious school, possibly not even with the parents. The resulting mental issues could the result of reaction to bullying and non-acceptance for who the shooter was, afraid to come out. Granted, that's no reason to go on a shooting rampage but bullying and non-acceptance (which is also non-Christian) may be the root cause. Of course the ability of the shooter to easily purchase 7 weapons and ammo is also a problem.
This is bullshit, Mr. Buntrock. The issue isn't bullying, it's the fact that this person was able to buy AR-15s as casually as you'd buy kitchen chairs and people who knew of her anger did nothing to stop her.
No need to condemn in its entirety. There are several issues including these, both very important. These issues have been discussed elsewhere on this and on this string so I was adding an additional, seldom discussed.
When you have clowns on the right and jokers on the left….there’s carnage all over.
GREED of the gun manufacturers and the lawmakers….they would rather ban books than ban these weapons of war.
Politicians receive money from the gun industry to win their elections so they do NOT dare do anything against them. They pick on trans, books, immigration and the poor who cannot defend themselves. They look busy in their jobs avoiding the real issues that they CANNOT focus on like guns and other corporations of whom they are indebted to. When Democrats wanted to defund the police, they wanted money spent on programs of social issues and the poor rather than more weapons. Republicans, of course, take that ball and run with it making it sound bad.
Dear Garrison, I listened to PHC for years and adore it. Loved the movie too and now I love reading your thoughts and ramblings! "Defund" was a very poor choice and wrong word for what was being proposed as I understand it. "Redistribute" to other sources such as trained mental health folks to back up our police officers was the point. Many officers agree and like that idea. Many of them have gone on record saying they were not trained to handle a person with bipolar disorder, autism, etc. and would love the assistance of folks who are. Everything else you point out is 100% right too!!!
Mental health workers wouldn't have gone running into the school where the shooter was killing kids and teachers. Cops do that, at least in Nashville they did. They saved lives.
And yet we are told daily that the real dangers in schools --dangers against which laws _are_ being passed in order to “protect” these students-- are that those student could be told that gay people might actually exist or that slavery did happen.
Or state laws that protect those students and their parents from their healthcare workers even discussing home gun safety with them. Or that protect them from undergoing even minimal background checks to buy weapons to which they would have no access in any other civilized country.
Blaming Rep. Omar for the Nashville school shootings is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?
Maybe it wasn't blaming him for the shootings as much as blaming him for the glorifying of guns on a Christmas card that mattered. Guns and Christmas -Guns and Jesus birth - that is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?
Just because I believe in accuracy, this was about two different politicians. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee (Nashville) is the one who sent out a Christmas card photo showing his whole family—himself, his wife and three children—toting rifles. Locked and loaded, so to speak. He did not apologize after the school shooting, defending his family’s “right to bear arms.” Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is a woman. She went all in on the “defund the police” issue and did not back down even following the George Floyd riots that did about half a billion in damage in downtown Minneapolis, and resulted in at least two deaths.
I don't blame him for the shooting. I blame him for his cowardice in facing up to it. He wants to look into the underlying causes. We need to reunstate gun controls. Let the mentally ill kick a wall or stick forks in their chest. Don't let them buy the weapons of war.