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Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 11:36 am
Quote:"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.
It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed
people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."
Speak the truth, Brother Freeman! Speak the truth!
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 11:53 am
Amen to that. +1 kudos to Morgan Freeman.
I can make a start with this from my FB wall:
![[Image: 27893_10151178360515143_520083557_n.jpg]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/27893_10151178360515143_520083557_n.jpg)
Quote:This is Victoria. She died a hero today. She hid her first graders in the cabinets and closets after hearing the gunfire. When the shooter came to her classroom, she told him that her students were in the gym. He then gunned her down and moved on. She saved the lives of all of her students. Please pass this on if you see it. She deserves to be remembered for her bravery.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Stimbo, what's your facebook thing, so I can share that on my FB page?
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Just sent you a PM, Creed.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Apparently Morgan Freeman didn't make the quote attributed to him, as laudable as the words are, and even the details in the Victoria Soto case appear to be confused: http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/newtown.asp
This isn't very surprising, as it happens; early reports in important news stories are often muddled, details are inevitably open to confabulation until all the data is in and most often even for a long time afterwards. The internet, like any other round robin communications network, tends to exacerbate the effect.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 4:31 pm
As much as I'd like to agree with Morgan Freeman, there's quite a bit more to it.
Yes, the shooter does become famous from these shootings. However, if nobody pays any attention to him, we ignore the root issue that led him to do this.
Thing is, that turns things into a bit of a contradiction. If they do these shootings to become famous, yeah, ignoring them will fix things. If they do it for a different reason, ignoring it probably won't fix anything.
I live on facebook. Come see me there. http://www.facebook.com/tara.rizzatto
"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 4:33 pm
I wonder how many new freckles Morgan Freeman earned writing this.
My ignore list
"The lord doesn't work in mysterious ways, but in ways that are indistinguishable from his nonexistence."
-- George Yorgo Veenhuyzen quoted by John W. Loftus in The End of Christianity (p. 103).
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 4:38 pm
If he did. Important point to bear in mind. After all, would you appreciate words attributed to you being propagated and judged? I'm using the word 'you' in its general sense, not aiming at anyone specifically.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Morgan Freeman's take on what happened a few days ago.
December 16, 2012 at 4:56 pm
(December 16, 2012 at 11:53 am)Stimbo Wrote: Amen to that. +1 kudos to Morgan Freeman.
I can make a start with this from my FB wall:
Quote:This is Victoria. She died a hero today. She hid her first graders in the cabinets and closets after hearing the gunfire. When the shooter came to her classroom, she told him that her students were in the gym. He then gunned her down and moved on. She saved the lives of all of her students. Please pass this on if you see it. She deserves to be remembered for her bravery.
Most of us would like to think if in that situation we'd do the same thing, but the truth is, she is a rarity.
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