9 Dead in SC church shooting

[Longhorn]

Seriously, just shut your cockhole. 

Thank you for the kind words, but I will continue to speak my mind.  

Your mind is disturbed if you think people being murdered is a good thing

[Brian37]

How's that love affair with guns working out, America?


Boru

There are atheist libertarian gun huggers who have that overlap with tea party religious nuts. But it is on par with worship of holy books. I find worship of objects fucking sick. It is the same with worship of gas hog cars an cheap gas. Total lack of any value of pragmatism of facts that the blind worship and blind protection of such gets humans to ignore the affects of that ignorance has on society. It is nothing short of selfish narcissism at the cost of human lives.

[robvalue]

Wow, I heard about this yesterday and it's shocking. I don't know many details but I can only presume the guy is seriously fucked in the head, one way or another.

I feel so sorry for all the friends and families

[Thumpalumpacus]

Seriously, just shut your cockhole. 

Thank you for the kind words, but I will continue to speak my mind.  

And you'll continue to garner replies for thoughtless posts which have effects beyond your own selfish stupidity, numbnuts.

[Mister Agenda]

Another aspect of this story is how we Seculars are being criticized for our response.  Here is the link: How "Secular Humanists" Responded to Charleston Church Shooting  http://www.fitsnews.com/2015/06/18/how-s...-shooting/

That was the very first thing I wanted to look at after watching the news this morning.  My question was "I know we would criticize the prayer response, but I want to know how we should offer support for the people who are hurting from this."  You know, show our humanity towards those who lost their loved ones.  I am not saying we should not criticize the prayer response, I criticize it.  How would each one of us offer our support to them.  

I for one, would like to offer some kind of support in a fund to help offset their funeral expenses.  The hands that help are better far than lips that pray, as Ingersoll said.

An organization I am proud to have founded, the Freethought Society of the Midlands, has started a fund for the families of survivors that has raised over $3000. I know the Secular Humanists of the Low Country based in Charleston and other humanist groups in the state are also involved.
http://www.fsmidlands.org/

[Mister Agenda]

The shooter is from my county and went to my daughter's high school. He probably lived less than a mile from here.
While officially blacks are at  16% of the population, they appear to be closer to half of the people you see in stores and around town. So this kid was certainly familiar with a mixed race society.

From my observation, there is a fair amount of "closet" racism by whites that see the higher rate of crime as caused by the so called "black culture" as opposed to the normal cause of being raised in unsecured neighborhoods that breed crime in all races. By far though I see the more overt racism to be very much one sided  and coming from the blacks. This terroristic act is a great surprise to us white locals. No one that I have spoken with was even aware of any local pockets of white racist groups. We don't know yet where this came from.

Threats have already started here, from what I'm told. This may get ugly as the locals are not the most rational people in the world here on either race. We can only hope for the best.

Update - There is another Dylann Roof who goes to the same school and from the same neighbor hood, but he is only 19. The poor boy is terrified because so many people think it is him...

I live in Lexington County, too. It's closer to 30% for the state, Lexington has a lower than average black population for SC. That's probably why it seems higher when you're out and about.

Possibly we already know each other if you belong to the Freethought Society of the Midlands. There's a rally tomorrow at 6 PM at the State House to call for the Confederate Battle Flag to be removed from the State House lawn. Maybe you can swing by. I know it's only symbolic, but symbols aren't nothin'.

[Nope]

The shooter is from my county and went to my daughter's high school. He probably lived less than a mile from here.
While officially blacks are at  16% of the population, they appear to be closer to half of the people you see in stores and around town. So this kid was certainly familiar with a mixed race society.

From my observation, there is a fair amount of "closet" racism by whites that see the higher rate of crime as caused by the so called "black culture" as opposed to the normal cause of being raised in unsecured neighborhoods that breed crime in all races. By far though I see the more overt racism to be very much one sided  and coming from the blacks. This terroristic act is a great surprise to us white locals. No one that I have spoken with was even aware of any local pockets of white racist groups. We don't know yet where this came from.

Threats have already started here, from what I'm told. This may get ugly as the locals are not the most rational people in the world here on either race. We can only hope for the best.

Update - There is another Dylann Roof who goes to the same school and from the same neighbor hood, but he is only 19. The poor boy is terrified because so many people think it is him...

I live in Lexington County, too. It's closer to 30% for the state, Lexington has a lower than average black population for SC. That's probably why it seems higher when you're out and about.

Possibly we already know each other if you belong to the Freethought Society of the Midlands. There's a rally tomorrow at 6 PM at the State House to call for the Confederate Battle Flag to be removed from the State House lawn. Maybe you can swing by. I know it's only symbolic, but symbols aren't nothin'.

I wish I could join you but there is no way that I can make it down there this weekend. You might like this article.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arch...ow/396290/

[Dystopia]

I am not ready to call this a racist act. I'd have to know if this murderer said anything while shooting. But it could be simply a mentally disturbed individual just like the Newton shooter. If it was racist you could certainly say outside influences lead that sick fuck to that target, but I'd say mental illness regardless is going to come into play.

Even with that theater shooter, I don't like the legal standard of not guilty by reason of mental defect. I think outside a courtroom in psychology, you can know right from wrong, and be mentally ill at the same time. I think you can be guilty and mentally ill at the same time.

I think even with cases of religious violence, you are still talking about delusion and disenfranchisement combined to create acts of desperation.

This is most certainly racially motivated - It's all over the news, the guy was known for making racist comments and had pictures with white supremacist signs.

I don't think being a bigot qualifies as mental illness. If I beat my girlfriend because I'm sexist can I claim I'm mentally ill just because I'm an idiot?

Correction - The more mentally ill you are, the less guilty. Someone who is fully mentally ill and has no way of reasoning what they're doing is not guilty. They belong in a proper medical facility, not prison. Prison is for those who can be rehabilitated.

[abaris]

This is most certainly racially motivated - It's all over the news, the guy was known for making racist comments and had pictures with white supremacist signs.

Don't make an ass of yourself. When Brian posted it yesterday, they didn't know who the guy was and what his motivations were.

[Nope]

I am not ready to call this a racist act. I'd have to know if this murderer said anything while shooting. But it could be simply a mentally disturbed individual just like the Newton shooter. If it was racist you could certainly say outside influences lead that sick fuck to that target, but I'd say mental illness regardless is going to come into play.

Even with that theater shooter, I don't like the legal standard of not guilty by reason of mental defect. I think outside a courtroom in psychology, you can know right from wrong, and be mentally ill at the same time. I think you can be guilty and mentally ill at the same time.

I think even with cases of religious violence, you are still talking about delusion and disenfranchisement combined to create acts of desperation.

This is most certainly racially motivated - It's all over the news, the guy was known for making racist comments and had pictures with white supremacist signs.

I don't think being a bigot qualifies as mental illness. If I beat my girlfriend because I'm sexist can I claim I'm mentally ill just because I'm an idiot?

Correction - The more mentally ill you are, the less guilty. Someone who is fully mentally ill and has no way of reasoning what they're doing is not guilty. They belong in a proper medical facility, not prison. Prison is for those who can be rehabilitated.

Brian posted this almost as soon as the news broke. At the time, no one knew the shooter's motivations.