Another Prayer Vigil

[Browneagle]

Well, I just watched another prayer vigil on TV complete with a cupola choir that I can add to my list of those I have seen in the past decade, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Columbine, and I suppose there was one for the Luby's and GMAC massacres along with the one involving the Gifford shooting, but I must have missed them. So, what good did they do? Did they change anything? Did they prevent future mass killings? Will they get rid of the assault weapons? Will they help pay the hospital bills for the injured who seemed to be too young to have health insurance of their own or too old to be on their parent's policy in many cases? Will all of those prayers put together give our elected representatives the courage to enact effective gun control legislation on a national basis? I am reminded that there are only 4 million members of the NRA out of a population of over 311 million Americans.

I guess that it is a lot easier to attend a prayer vigil than it is to write a check to pay for some of those medical bills. It is certainly a lot easier than hitting the Internet's social media and to try to get something organized among those 311 million Americans who are not NRA fanatics to get them to bug the hell out of our representatives in Congress to at least reinstate the Feingold legislation which banned assault weapons that recently lapsed.

For those in attendance that I watched at the vigil, tomorrow will be another day, their consciences will be soothed smoothly away with a few prayers, and they can go about their way, waiting for another massacre to provide enough fodder to keep the media busy for a few days. It is a lot easier than writing a check or pounding on a few doors. It is said that prayer changes things, but it hasn't changed a thing so far. Has it?

[foxyred73]

They have program in the hosp set up to help pay for medical bills in this matter that you are talking about.

[Browneagle]

Originally Posted by foxyred73

They have program in the hosp set up to help pay for medical bills in this matter that you are talking about.

Foxyred, are you suggesting that all victims, regardless of their injuries and whether or not they have health insurance, will be able to have their medical expenses taken care of by local hospitals?

[foxyred73]

yes..it deps what there inj from...if the got hurt in car acc or got shoot it will get paid on way or other in the hosp.(car ins,the other parties ins company and the list goes on)

if your child got hurt at school and the school carry ins on your child durning sports ,
the school will be billed for that service.

[Browneagle]

i understand, but the problem is that many of the victims will still face a long recovery period along with the associated medical costs — without health insurance after being provided initial financial help by the hospitals. Ongoing help will not be there for someone who will need medical treatment for remainder of their life. The following article sheds some light on this issue.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48328035.../#.UBGyWPnAHos

[Guest083013]

I understand your obvious distain for the 2nd Amendment and the NRA my friend which is obviously your right; however, there are many ways to create havoc on citizens in great numbers other than firearms. Obviously - IEDs, the 747 downed over Lockerbee and the WTC definitely come to mind.

I have worked in and around the medical/nursing field for more years than I care to remember at times.

Somehow Case Managers, Social Workers and the like seem to always come through on behalf of their patients. As much as I hate to say it - many long term care (once catastrophic parameters have been met for the insured) are usually handled through litigation. I have seen outstanding six figure bills being paid for like 20 bucks a month - and as long as an agreed upon payment is made - no legal action can be pursued.

And seriously - a more tempered network other than MSNBC wiould probably cast a little different light on many things.

[Likinikki]

Very true Dennis! And, as unfortunate as it is...it's not the guns...it's the unstable people of the world. Like Dennis said...if it's not an assault weapon ...it'll be something else.

[Jed Clampett]

The sign posted by Dennis is the truth! Agree with Nikki too! Most of us are responsible firearms owneer, and to control us is not the answer. I'm not an NRA member, but I love to shoot skeet at the gun range. I wish the University would have read the warning letter sent to them by the shooter, it may have helped to prevent this sad tragedy.

[Harro69]

Wait a sec.. why is a guy with a bald eagle talking up an anti constitutional game? Something ain't right with that. Just move to California if you want AWB ban rules or better NYC and have no guns. Crime is lower there right? How come crimes went up in UK and Australia after the bans?

[Browneagle]

Dennis, one of the purposes of the 2nd Amendment was to arm southern militias to put down slave revolts. http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/hidhist.htm

For example, at the time of the Founding Fathers, half the population of Virgina was slaves. The white people were a little edgy about the possibility of some Sparatus thingie (you know, like "conservatives" today with minorities voting and gays getting married).

Squirrel hunting with muskets or repelling foreign invasions had nothing to do with it.

(BTW, there was an interesting New Yorker article that traces the meaning of the second amendment. The notion that it was meant to apply to private citizens, as opposed to organized state militias, is actually a fairly new one, dating to the middle of last century).

[foxyred73]

brownealge...you can still get heath ins after reading the news articale after the shooting in the future for those poeple....they are waving for any pre exting cause do to the shooting.

[RudeDog777]

The 2nd is more then just guns; it goes hand in hand with the 1st. Take the 2nd away and the next target could be the right to freedom of speech. Both of these serve to let our Gov know Citizens still have a say in this country and it lets the world know we are not defenseless. Take for instance our neighbor south of the border, in that country typically the LE, Military and criminals have the weapons but not the avg citizen. I'm willing to bet they would luv to have a 2nd amendment...

Presidents come and go but the Constitution & Bill of Rights will be around for a long time. My dos centavos...

The oath I took many moons ago...and believe in even after my EOS.
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God

[Gramatik]

While I am a gun owner, and a big proponent of less government intrusion in to our lives, I personally can't see the point in non military individuals owning large capacity assault rifles. Their sole purpose is killing humans in war, they are very efficient at it. Civilians should have no need for that capability. But then again a Bugatti Veyron is a race car, but I still want one!! We live in America, and I would rather government stay out of telling me what I can or can't buy. Its a slippery slope. I'd rather just leave it alone. There probably should be some fairly stringent background checks when purchasing assault rifles.

[colonburns]

"Assualt Weapons" as defined by law are not automatic weapons (those have been benned for 25 years), they are rifles with cool guy gear on them and the assualt banhad a negilgible effect on killings.

Assault weapons, rifles and shotguns (lumped together by the FBI) are responsbile for 2.4% of shootings.

The crime rate is at its lowets since the 1960s and there are twice as many guns as there were then, and the overwhelming majority of big cities with gun bans have crimerates that are astronimical. In the cities with astronimical rates that do allow guns, most of the crime is focused in pockets of high poverty and poor opportunity. Don't punish the rest of us becaue people behave like animals to each other.

There hasn't been a major gun law in the US for 20 years. I don't expect anything to change, especially before an election

Now that the CDC, FBI and Burueau of Justice Statistics data is easily available online, the NRA and Brady Campaign are being kept honest. I strongly suggest people go pour over stats on those sources and not listen to cable pundits and politicians. The other day I heard 2 things on CNN: "100,000 people killed a year by guns" (more like 35,000... half of shich are suicides and 5% are justified) and my personal favorite "accidental shooting are at an all time high" (yes.... one half a percentage point (.5%)of all accidents... wow, more people get injured/die from electrocution and drowning than gun accidents)

Look this shit up yourselves