We're still dealing with winter here. Real winter for a change, which basically I like. I'll take 0°F temperatures and 30 mph winds anytime over snow-mud-snow-mud.
But it's taking a bunch of time right now, due to our low firewood stocks, and having to haul water from the greenhouse - by sled much of the time, because I can't start the tractor when it's below 10°F, because the diesel tank is full of #2 diesel, because the heavy rains that kept me from doing firewood last fall also kept me from doing fall tractor work, so the tank didn't get emptied out so I could put #1 diesel in...
And it keeps snowing. Our porch has 3 steps up to the deck- only one of them is still above the snow right now, in spite of that snow being well packed.
Today is a gotta plow, gotta get wood and water, and go to town day. Kinda busy. So I'm going to re-cycle an old post-
We're going through another college-shooting spasm at the moment. I did write about that previously - here.
If you don't want to read it, I'll understand. It's depressing, of course.
Doubly so to me, because the CAUSE is so totally obvious- and so is the response.
But we're not doing it. The reality is, it's become another purely American form of entertainment. Weeks of orgies of orgasmic analysis, in ALL the media; hours and hours- of immortality for the shooter. This garbage now survives forever on the internet of course; any unbalanced person can spend days reading about the past events- and dwelling on it-
Our stupidity, and blindness here, is depressing. How many voices are there calling for careful self censorship here? Very very few. So- the shootings will continue.
Off to hew and haul; less depressing stuff tomorrow, I hope.
It is very sad to hear that more needless shootings are occurring, when something can be done about it. Memorializing and gratifying is part of the problem, I agree. I also think the roots of the problem lie in how we treat children at schools, how children get lost in the system of underpaid and overworked teachers, how parenting gets put aside so that parents can work more hours to buy bigger houses and more stuff... Our priorities are out of balance, and when things like this happen all most of us do is stare at the tv in shock...
ReplyDeleteOn a happier but much more superficial note, I've nominated you for an Excellent Blog Award. See my post today. Thanks for all the wonderful stories and information you share with us on your blog. I've been following off and on for about a year now, and I thoroughly enjoy - and have been inspired by - what you're doing.
Melinda, Elements In Time
What's so very sad to me is that we end up knowing more about the nutcase than we do about the victims. How about immoralitizing those who fall victim to the crazies rather than the crazies? I know all about the guy at VTech, but nothing about any of the students he killed. Isn't that awful? Just awful.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's worse is that I don't even watch much news. I only get snippits when I'm trying to catch tomorrow's weather.
Lots of snow here, too, and according to Farmer's Almanac, we're in for more of the same in March and into April. We underestimated how much wood we'd need, too. This winter has been a really good learning experience for us ;).
You know why blackjack counters still exist? Any casino can wreck the counters just by raising the shoe or half a dozen other techniques. And they tried that, but if they change things to screw the counters, the losers don't lose money quite as quickly. So the casinos tolerate a few counters as part of the price for fleecing the sheep.
ReplyDeleteThe media could deny the crazies their immortality, but they'd lose a little edge with the regular watchers. As long as advertisers want ratings at any cost, and psychoanalyzing crazies gets ratings, thats the game the channels will play. It would take the watchers, the advertisers (or the govt's old public interest doctrine coming back) to change that. Ah well
Just found your blog. Most excellent. I'm the midst of disserting right now so I'll not be commenting extensively but I want you to know I am here and appreciative. Brandon in Berkeley and bdwc.net
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