Charlie Rose

CJANS  01/13/2011 11:05 AM Report

The danger in blaming rhetoric, or violent video games for severe mental illness is that a parent who's child is showing symptons might think the proper treatment is to turn off Fox News and restrict the XBox. This may delay or prohibit this family from seeking out the proper treatment their child desperately needs. There is great need for public education and funding for treatment.

CJANS  01/13/2011 10:47 AM Report

Mr. Brooks, much thanks for the thought and reason in your comments. I understand that, thankfully, very few people have had to deal with family and friends with severe mental illness. As one of the few who has this experience I'm very frustrated that more of the discussion does not focus on how incredibly difficult (if not impossible) it is to get treatment for our loved ones battling these horrible diseases.

rickado  01/13/2011 03:45 AM Report

as tragic as the events in arizona are nothing will be done to curb the violence that is done by people with guns you hear all the rhetoric from the politicians for several weeks and then its business as usual, but never a word about the large number people killed by guns in this country annually the number for 2009 30.000 killed by guns as for palin's comments and symbols of rife scope crosshairs and the lock and load comment some deranged person somewhere could take those comments and symbols as a call to arms and its their duty and god given right to correct the perceived wrongs congress needs to take action and take the american rifle association head on and stop the lobbyist in their tracks all lobbyist

Giolander  01/12/2011 09:13 PM Report

Mentally ill people are a warning light on the dashboard that something is going wrong in society and our political climate. Most of us can stop and say I don't like what is going on and maybe become ambivalent so not to have to process the craziness around us, a mentally ill individual does something crazy, like this killing in Arizona. We Should not ignore the warning signs of our society and a political system gone amuck, these are real signs that there are real problems. Mental people like manic depressed people are mirrors of the truth in society that normal or the average person does not act on or want to display openly because our perimeters are in check but just like the check engine light on the dash board that goes off and the car seem to be running fine , going uncheck will lead to a meltdown and eventually to a catastrophic failure of a functional system.

robdverity  01/12/2011 05:38 PM Report

In terms of causes, let's not overlook the NRA and the financial industry. Oozi's, AK47s, Glock 9mms, et al with 31+ shells/clip will continue to be trafficked here - and particularly in and to the Mexican drug cartels - so the US banking can continue to skim and launder the drug/gun-sale money.

Most all evil is traceable to money. US banking and its wise-guys are validation of this. Refer current ec. mess.

Bill Maher made a good (tho radicalized) case against NRA, gunslingers in general, Republicans (and yes Sarah) on Jay Leno. Offensive to many? No doubt.

charlizecourriers  01/12/2011 04:09 PM Report

In terms of causes, let's not overlook the New Yorker cartoons.

REMant  01/12/2011 12:22 PM Report

Well, I think the question has to be what Obama is going there for if not politics, to show solidarity with females and Democrats, and refocus attention on himself.

CBS found in a nationwide telephone poll yesterday that 57 percent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, compared to 32 percent who felt it did. But rejection of a link was strongest among Republicans, 69 percent of whom felt harsh rhetoric was not related to the attack, while 19 percent thought it played a part. Among Democrats 49 percent placed no blame on the heated political tone against 42 percent who did. Among independents the split was 56 percent to 33 percent.

Psychiatrists no doubt will think the shooter paranoid, particularly with the bit about words, but some will argue like Richard Hofstadter - the Margaret Mead of historians - that all anti-liberalism is paranoid. Others will take up the the gun argument, which apparently the Supreme Court still has not put to rest. Talk of "civil" discourse is liberal almost by definition. The issue, as I explained yesterday, is fundamentally religious, just as it is in the area of economics - a question of virtue vs license. As such it will not do to talk about law and order, either.

More sensible ppl would I think look at the care and parenting this young man received, how he got the weapon and reached this point, but to summarily label him insane invites comparison with the Soviets. Mass killers can have basically legitimate complaints and make excellent sense in their ways. It could be said that they, like nations, simply go to war. The "Unabomber," the Washington sniper, Timothy McVey, the Ft Hood psychiatrist, the Symbionese Liberation Army, come to mind. We may find violence, martyrdom and suicide irrational, but clearly not all do.

I think a little self-examination is rather in order. Aside from the content of our literature and films, we might consider what we do that leads ppl to think they must carry guns to protect themselves, makes possible the sale of drugs, puts ppl out of work, makes them envious, disrespects them, and so forth. We might ask as well why we are wont to paint ourselves as perpetual victims.