I just finished watching the morbid manifesto video (be advised it is pretty intense, graphic in the mental picture he paints, and not for the weak of heart or young children) allegedly left by Elliot Rodger prior to his allegedly killing 7 people and wounding others in Isla Vista, CA. I also read up some more on it as I have been doing on and off all day.
To me, the most disturbing thing of all was the fact that his parents notified the police, weeks ago, about YouTube videos that the alleged shooter had posted and that reportedly dealt with killing people and suicide (source); and then the police investigated and it seems it was left at that, with the soon to be alleged shooter remaining free. Had the laws been more similar, than not, to those in effect when I was a young lad, the guy would have been detained at the very least for a mental evaluation in someplace like Bellevue (a hospital in NYC with a mental facility where police often bring emotionally disturbed suspects) and if found to be bonkers and a threat to others he would have been detained in a mental institution, by force if necessary, possibly for the long term. That surely does not happen today, as regularly as it once did, when potentially harmful crazies are encountered by the authorities.
It truly is a crying shame that dangerous lunatics are allowed to roam freely among us and yet we law abiding citizens are punished for their, the crazy people's, actions by repeatedly having our rights and liberties restricted more and more after each such act of madmen. What makes it worse is that our rights and liberties are continually restricted more and more not to really protect anyone but merely for political reasons so leftists can get votes and gain control over us. After all, isn't California one of the most restrictive states when it comes to firearms! Yet, this obviously, in my opinion, very mentally ill person was able to acquire a gun or guns and kill people even. That even after the police were forewarned (and I am not blaming the police) weeks in advance of his potential and or his intentions to kill folks. I would bet that their hands were tied because being tolerant of loonies is par for the course in CA (as it is in too much of the USA). If that is not a shameful situation for us to be in then nothing is and something really ought to be done about dealing with the real problem - the people who are out of their minds and who actually pull the trigger in such shootings because they are free to do as they please even when seemingly an obvious threat.
All the best,
Glenn B
To me, the most disturbing thing of all was the fact that his parents notified the police, weeks ago, about YouTube videos that the alleged shooter had posted and that reportedly dealt with killing people and suicide (source); and then the police investigated and it seems it was left at that, with the soon to be alleged shooter remaining free. Had the laws been more similar, than not, to those in effect when I was a young lad, the guy would have been detained at the very least for a mental evaluation in someplace like Bellevue (a hospital in NYC with a mental facility where police often bring emotionally disturbed suspects) and if found to be bonkers and a threat to others he would have been detained in a mental institution, by force if necessary, possibly for the long term. That surely does not happen today, as regularly as it once did, when potentially harmful crazies are encountered by the authorities.
It truly is a crying shame that dangerous lunatics are allowed to roam freely among us and yet we law abiding citizens are punished for their, the crazy people's, actions by repeatedly having our rights and liberties restricted more and more after each such act of madmen. What makes it worse is that our rights and liberties are continually restricted more and more not to really protect anyone but merely for political reasons so leftists can get votes and gain control over us. After all, isn't California one of the most restrictive states when it comes to firearms! Yet, this obviously, in my opinion, very mentally ill person was able to acquire a gun or guns and kill people even. That even after the police were forewarned (and I am not blaming the police) weeks in advance of his potential and or his intentions to kill folks. I would bet that their hands were tied because being tolerant of loonies is par for the course in CA (as it is in too much of the USA). If that is not a shameful situation for us to be in then nothing is and something really ought to be done about dealing with the real problem - the people who are out of their minds and who actually pull the trigger in such shootings because they are free to do as they please even when seemingly an obvious threat.
All the best,
Glenn B
