Everyday People

[Anonymous]

I can't stand to miss a good scandal!! Do you suppose you could whisper it in my ear in a PM??

Never, never, never, never mind. I know now the gist of it and I wish I didn't.

Message Edited by Wonderin on 07-31-2008 09:34 AM

[fused]

LouMinotti wrote:

oh. . .the one that's not there anymore. . ? I'm afraid to say...boardlords have already reprimanded me for breaking the rules twice now, and I've been here, what? a month?

:::hand covering mouth::::

someone calling me...

[Anonymous]

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@fused wrote:

@LouMinotti wrote:

oh. . .the one that's not there anymore. . ? I'm afraid to say...boardlords have already reprimanded me for breaking the rules twice now, and I've been here, what? a month?

:::hand covering mouth::::

someone calling me...

---

I think you're only Mod I haven't broken the rules in front of!!! :/

(or maybe I have???)

Gotta learn to keep my big ol' mouth shut! o_O

[Anonymous]

I may be out of line here, and if I am PLEASE feel MORE than free to delete my post. I do NOT mean to stir anything up, whatsoever. Just get a few facts out there.

This was NOT a hate crime as the psychiatric society and FBI (and other agencies) will see it. It was, heartingbreakingly simply, a mass murder. A mentally ill (but not clinically insane) man who felt disenfranchised, most likely suffering from paranoia, feelings of persecution, possibly with a "twist" of schizophrenia. Perhaps a tad bit Bipolar.

The note blasting liberals means nothing. Charles Whitman left a similar note before he made the horrible trip up the watchtower steps. He was certainly not a "hate crime" killer. Robert John Bardo, the stalker that murdered Rebecca Ann Shaeffer (My Sister Sam), also left similar writings in a diary. Heck, even David Berkowitz left "hate writings." We can even include Seung-Hui Cho, the VA Tech mass murderer. The lists goes on.

This was, as per the FBI's Crime Classification Manual, "personal-cause" murder, not "group-cause" murder (which is the classification "hate crimes" fall under). In fact, "hate crime" is merely a legal construct meant to give more protection, under the law, to those most likely to be victims of prejudice (thus hoping to deter "hate crimes" ).

This was a mentally ill man who just happened to choose Liberals as his "tormentors" and his victims. Much like Charles Carl Roberts chose the Amish girls in '06 as his "tormentors." Just like Charles Whitman chose innocent families.

Anyone who thinks this tragedy is somehow political group related needs to do a bit of research into what actually constitutes a "hate crime."

Or better yet, have a heart and help with the healing process. Pointing a finger and blaming someone for just being who they are has been done enough, hasn't it?

Again, Mod, please feel free to delete. I just had to share a few words.

Message Edited by Wonderin on 07-31-2008 10:09 AM

[MidnightVoice]

Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword

Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.

Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.

He does not die a death of shame
On a day of dark disgrace,
Nor have a noose about his neck,
Nor a cloth upon his face,
Nor drop feet foremost through the floor
Into an empty space.

[marty56]

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Wonderin wrote:
Anyone who thinks this tragedy is somehow political group related needs to do a bit of research into what actually constitutes a "hate crime."

---

I agree 100%.  Crazies/disturbed are in a group all by themselves.  You cant reasonwith crazy.  I wish more people would get that.

[haulingthescoreup]

The other thread was removed because some members objected to some political comments in it.

I'd like to point out that we had to fight a long time to have an off-topic forum before we got Smorgasboard. (Coming up with the name took a week, lol.) These forums are sponsored by myFICO as a form of consumer outreach. And as these forums aren't the typical ones that are started and run by individuals, they are more limited in scope and focus. This is why we have a lot of restrictions on what can be discussed in terms of "credit repair."

And if you re-read the stickied message at the top of this forum, you will be reminded that politics, religion, and other inflammatory topics aren't OK, even here on Smorgasboard. And it's pretty obvious why, when you see how inflamed some reactions have gotten. We've gotten really close to the edge on several topics, and it has involved a lot of behind-the-scenes discussion to try to keep things within the boundaries.

So it's not censorship, or heavy-handed lords (or ladies), it's just a need to keep things within the TOS. There are plenty of other places more free-wheeling where you can post, and many of us do so. But as for here, I would really hate to see Smorgasboard be discontinued due to repeatedly crossing the well-publicized lines.

[MidnightVoice]

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haulingthescoreup wrote:
The other thread was removed because some members objected to some political comments in it.

---

[Anonymous]

Hauling, I don't know if that was directed at me for my post. If it WAS, please let me say that I was NOT trying to stir up a political debate -- only "educate" people on what is and what isn't, by legal and psychiatric standards, a hate crime. There IS a huge difference between the two!

I posted because I really don't think this world needs any more "hate" issues -- and we certainly don't need any more encouragement to find reasons to compare ourselves, or separate ourselves from another more than we already do. There's enough pain the world as it is.

I consider this forum to be much like a family in my mind. I don't think, considering how many people here devote their time to helping others, that I'm alone in that thinking. And I would be sad indeed, if something as silly as political affiliations were to jeopardize that.

But I also posted what I did because we ARE like a family here, I'd rather not think that there are those here that are feeling slighted, maligned, etc, because of their political views (and that includes both Liberals -- who might feel that the RWs in this fora aren't taking them seriously and Right Wingers -- who might feel that they're being "accused" ).

This was NOT a hate crime ... it was the act of a sick, alienated individual. Someone who's life was so miserable (at least, in their mind it was ... and it probably was. Self-perception determines a large part of who we are) that they had to blame another person(s) in order to make sense of their world and their situation.

And most importantly, EVERYONE -- Liberal, RW, Independent, Green -- **EVERYONE** needs to be supported and EVERYONE needs to heal. Something like this tends to shatter an innocence that transcends race, religion, political affiliation and region. It's not a matter of "Them" and "Us" -- it's a matter of human beings. And I think that makes it ALL "US." No "Them" in the equation.

Thank you for letting me say my piece, you guys. I honestly hope that we can all get past this and FEEL like a family again.

{{{{{{{{Hugs to ALL}}}}}}

Message Edited by Wonderin on 07-31-2008 08:40 PM

[haulingthescoreup]

Heavens no, I was just explaining what happened to the other post.

Message Edited by haulingthescoreup on 07-31-2008 06:52 PM