At Least 12 Dead After A Shooting At A Showing Of The Dark Knight Rises (UPDATES)
Well, here's some scary, terrible, horrific, fucked up shit for a Friday morning. During a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, a 24-year-old crazy kicked open the emergency exit door and opened fire on everyone inside. Yeah, I'll pause as you trade your cup of morning liquid caffeine for a bottle of something brain-numbing.
Witnesses tell The Denver Post that the gunman was wearing camo all-black, a riot helmet on his head, a gas mask on his face and a bullet-proof vest. When he busted into the theater, he threw some kind of canister, which started hissing and spitting out some kind of gas. That's when he started shooting. I don't know if he timed it or it was just a tragic coincidence, but he started shooting during a shootout scene early in the movie. One witness said that many people thought the gun shots were coming from the movie and one thought that the smoke was some kind of special effect. When they realized what was going on, they ran for the doors.
So far, 12 people are confirmed dead (there are reports that 14 are dead) and 50 71 are wounded. A witness told Matt Lauer on Today this morning that she believes several children were shot.
The shooter, who has been ID'ed as 24-year-old James Holmes, didn't kill himself, which surprised me. He also didn't put up a fight when cops arrested him and grabbed his shot gun, a hand gun and an AK rifle. Police found a third gun inside of the theater. His apartment building in North Aurora was evacuated after he told police that there were explosives in his apartment. Police believe the shooter acted alone.
Here's cell phone video taken outside of the theater right after the shooting:
UPDATE: ABC News is real quick, because they have already contacted the maniac's mother in San Diego. She hasn't been contacted by police yet, didn't know of the shooting before ABC News told her and she also wasn't at all surprised. She only said, “You have the right person. I need to fly out to Colorado."
UPDATE II: The Paris premiere has been canceled. Also, Reddit has a detailed timeline of the events. It basically translates into: the world is fucked.
UPDATE III: Aaaaand here's a picture of the shooter.
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@ Lisbet,
Okay I'm done with this. Yes, I think that social intimidation, harsh enforcement AND harsh sentencing goes quite a ways to impress in people's minds that they better not fuck up. So?
YOU were the one to compare DC (a federal enclave) to VA. (a state.) That's where you went wrong.
And I've provided a more even comparison of data in an earlier post. It's up to you to make sense of it or look for more examples to refute or buttress your argument.
Otherwise, I'm chillin out on this debate.
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
Submitted by ethang on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:18pm.
Submitted by M.E. on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 1:50pm. bambam - kids DO need a schedule. Their growing bodies and brains need the regularity and also the much needed sleep. ________________________________________
Absolutely agree with this. I work in child care and the children who are up late cannot function and participate in activities because they are too sleepy. We usually find them dozing off in the corner of the room.
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Oh hell. My son was a damn mess when he was born until I put him on a schedule. The inlaws fucked with the schedule ALL the time then brought him back to me and I paid for it for days. On a schedule, he was perfect. Off, he could not do schoolwork etc effectively.
And, I will say it again. No six year old should be viewing that Batman movie. It's not a damn cartoon. It's an adult movie. My son is 10 and he still hasn't seen the Batman with Heath Ledger.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 3:01pm.
Since she wants to compare crime rates maybe Lisbet can make sense of this, a city to city comparison;
http://richmondva.areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm?c1=Richmond&s1=VA&c2...
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VA is 19% black. Richmond is 50% black. Considering that black men comprise 6% of the population, and commit 54% of the murders, that's going to have an impact.
Plus, if it's unfair to compare murder in rural areas with that of urban areas, purely in its own right, that doesn't disprove my point that guns aren't to blame. It simply means that the urban/rural divide means more than guns or gun laws.
Submitted by M.E. on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:45pm.
Mel-Tang - I live in fear of being shot in traffic. No longer are the days you can honk your horn and flip off an asshole driver muttering FUCK YOU and drive angrily off. Nope, now you get shot here.
You also get shot if you cut someone off.
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I know! Simple things like flashing your lights at someone coming at you if there's a cop, an animal crossing (turtle) or big ass garbage that can damage your car and bitches be crazy freaking out. On the highway, if a trucker puts on his blinker to get in front of you, you flash the high beams once so they know it's cool. Others would be all WTF over it and raging the hell out.
Submitted by Lisbet459 on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:57pm.
Why? And why do you find it so difficult to hold people responsible for their actions?
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Do I? How do you know that?
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God don't like ugly.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:55pm.
As far as Va. goes, I can't speak for the entire state, only for the area I'm closest to, NoVa. It is a hostile atmosphere, police enforcement can be intimidating.
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When I asked what was different about VA and DC to cause such differences in crime rates, you brought up the death penalty, a conservative ethos, and intimidation of blacks. I can only, from your own words, believe that these factors go a long way to keeping the state safer.
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Va. has a history, harsher jail terms for minorities compared to whites. I'm certain if you studied data from Va's urban areas you'd likely find higher crime rates.
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Okay. Now show me evidence that that's down to racist police, as opposed to differing crime rates. You yourself admit that the "urban areas" have higher crime rates.
RIP to the 6 year old little girl that was killed. Interview with father in 5 min.
This just brought tears to my eyes.
Why??? So fucking senseless.
Since she wants to compare crime rates maybe Lisbet can make sense of this, a city to city comparison;
http://richmondva.areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm?c1=Richmond&s1=VA&c2...
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:55pm.
@ Sushi,
Really? I'm sorry, I thought I was piggybacking on your points. I apologize if you thought otherwise.
As far as Va. goes, I can't speak for the entire state, only for the area I'm closest to, NoVa. It is a hostile atmosphere, police enforcement can be intimidating. Va. has a history, harsher jail terms for minorities compared to whites. I'm certain if you studied data from Va's urban areas you'd likely find higher crime rates. But even in these enlightened times Va. has a social hierarchy, blacks aren't near the top. Va's a state that will throw it's weight around, if you don't conform you will be ostracized. I refuse to spend my money there if I can help it and I can.
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No need to apololgize! It's an interesting topic and thank you for your comments. Like I said, I don't know what the answers are. It's all very sad. Hugs.
please allow me to invite you to throw local poverty and employment statistics into that VA-DC gun laws/crime comparison. maybe if you do that it will help some of you exclude race from the discussion. if you want to exclude race, which clearly some of you never do
"Voodoo is forgetting who's the john and who's the whore." MK, 3/20/12
Horrifying. : (
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The poster formerly known as SnowOwl, formerly known as Nightowl!
Submitted by TelevisedRevolution on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:50pm.
Lisbet - I'll make one last point and then I have to go, I'm really swamped here in the Material World. :)
I haven't the time right now to do the research, but this is importnat enough that I probably will do some late tonight.
It seems that Virginia's guns find their way all up and down the Eastern seaboard, according to, from what was said earlier in this thread, a prominent NY politician.
This may be one way of accounting for the disparity in numbers that you seem to be blaming on race.
I also think you are comparing what is essentially a city (DC) - where the population is very dense, thousands of people per square mile in often very oppressive living conditions - to a state (VA), where there is farm land and many small towns, rural areas, etc.
I believe wholeheartedly in the scientific method, honey - but you have to apply it without having your outcome predetermined.
Open your mind, if you really want to help find solutions that will help save peoples lives.
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I'm so sick of the tendency of some of the commenters here. Y'know, the one where they can't convince you, (sometimes they can't even come up with anything approaching an argument) but they dismiss your arguments with: "Open your mind. Clearly your mind can't be open. If your mind was open you'd agree with me."
Even if what you say is true, and the differing crime rates are down to the urban/rural divide, then guess what? That's not down to guns! That's a different factor!
Also, what's missing from your "thinking" is any conception of personal responsibility. You're more angry at people who are allegedly supplying guns, than you are at the people pulling the trigger. The guns don't "find their way" anywhere - they are bought by people who use them for radically different ends in places like DC than in VA.
Why? And why do you find it so difficult to hold people responsible for their actions?
Submitted by M.E. on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:45pm.
me to, M.E. -- although i've lived in CA for decades i still flip the bird like i'm driving back East. one day i'm going to flip the wrong person and rat-a-tat-tat ... ;-(
p.s. hope all went well at the rx yesterday, i didn't have time yesterday to get back to OP
"Voodoo is forgetting who's the john and who's the whore." MK, 3/20/12
@ Sushi,
Really? I'm sorry, I thought I was piggybacking on your points. I apologize if you thought otherwise.
As far as Va. goes, I can't speak for the entire state, only for the area I'm closest to, NoVa. It is a hostile atmosphere, police enforcement can be intimidating. Va. has a history, harsher jail terms for minorities compared to whites. I'm certain if you studied data from Va's urban areas you'd likely find higher crime rates. But even in these enlightened times Va. has a social hierarchy, blacks aren't near the top. Va's a state that will throw it's weight around, if you don't conform you will be ostracized. I refuse to spend my money there if I can help it and I can.
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
I also think you are comparing what is essentially a city (DC) - where the population is very dense, thousands of people per square mile in often very oppressive living conditions - to a state (VA), where there is farm land and many small towns, rural areas, etc.
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Virginia has several densely populated cities with diverse populations. It's not just farm land and many small towns. It is 12th in population in the US.
Aaaaand this is how easily the guns wind up illegal....
Case is in our courts as we speak.
http://www.saanichnews.com/news/143540916.html
Shut up you ugly poo-faced git!
only way I can see to fix this situation is to put a bullet between the perp's eyes, then throw his body in a barbecue pit burn the body and then pee on it, and let the MSM publicize THAT, without mentioning the name of the perp.
that way, all the potential perps out there see is someone who got taken out without hesitation and desecrated, with anonymity.
I'd hope that would be crazy enough to stop those perps but I'm sure there's some sicky sick fuck who would like the idea of that being done to his/her body.
Submitted by stinky on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:45pm.
1. IN A ROOM WITH VICTIM'S FAMILIES ARMED WITH BASEBALL BATS AND PLIERS.
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SPOILERS AHOY!
Have you seen the end of Lady Vengeance? Where the families of the murder victim get the guy in a room, and wait in line to torture him?
I don't know what should be done with this guy, but that scene above seems to describe what you're saying.
Lisbet - I'll make one last point and then I have to go, I'm really swamped here in the Material World. :)
I haven't the time right now to do the research, but this is importnat enough that I probably will do some late tonight.
It seems that Virginia's guns find their way all up and down the Eastern seaboard, according to, from what was said earlier in this thread, a prominent NY politician.
This may be one way of accounting for the disparity in numbers that you seem to be blaming on race.
I also think you are comparing what is essentially a city (DC) - where the population is very dense, thousands of people per square mile in often very oppressive living conditions - to a state (VA), where there is farm land and many small towns, rural areas, etc.
I believe wholeheartedly in the scientific method, honey - but you have to apply it without having your outcome predetermined.
Open your mind, if you really want to help find solutions that will help save peoples lives.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God don't like ugly.
probably going to be another situation where everyone who regularly observed this guy -- family, doctors, med school staff, fellow students -- heard and saw signs of homicidal intent (planning, buying massive weapons, ammo, explosives, weird activity in the med school apt bldg, hostile and threatening communications) but ignored or avoided finding out more
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Probably true.
Submitted by ethang on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 11:27am.
Submitted by Snarkley on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 10:52am.
I'm glad the suspect wasn't killed by police. This bastard should rot in prison, or go to meet Jesus with a lethal injection.
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But he'll get famous, Barbara Walters will want an interview, he'll sit in jail for years going back and forth with his trial while the victim's families mourn, etc.,
This bastard deserves to suffer. If it were up to me, I'd throw him in a room full of hungry hyenas and let him die a painful death.
MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES:
1. IN A ROOM WITH VICTIM'S FAMILIES ARMED WITH BASEBALL BATS AND PLIERS.
2. PUSHED OUT OF AN AEROPLANE.
3. BURIED ALIVE.
Shut up you ugly poo-faced git!
Mel-Tang - I live in fear of being shot in traffic. No longer are the days you can honk your horn and flip off an asshole driver muttering FUCK YOU and drive angrily off. Nope, now you get shot here.
You also get shot if you cut someone off.
OMG those poor victims, and their families.
His mom sure didn't seem surprised. I wonder if she ever told anyone how psycho her son was or tried to get him help.
Jokes have started :(
And I thought Fred Willard getting his pistol out in a movie theater was bad.
I deleted it straightaway, disgusting.
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My Lover!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9p0NUNlSk&feature=fvwrel
i was just telling my roommate last night that i have given up hope for humanity in every possible way i could. waking up and seeing this this a.m. has not helped. reading some of these comments has sealed the deal. people are fucking hopeless
probably going to be another situation where everyone who regularly observed this guy -- family, doctors, med school staff, fellow students -- heard and saw signs of homicidal intent (planning, buying massive weapons, ammo, explosives, weird activity in the med school apt bldg, hostile and threatening communications) but ignored or avoided finding out more
i commend those of you who have been making (tasteful) attempts at levity. i'm on my way to a job interview where i'm supposed to be my bright shining best but it's more like i just got beaten in the soul this morning with everything that is wrong with the world around me.
/also, great - now there will be metal detectors at theater entrances and i won't be able to get my metal flasks in anymore. thanks, asshole
"Voodoo is forgetting who's the john and who's the whore." MK, 3/20/12
we. are. doomed.
there is no fixing this mess.
This is horrible. What has the world come to? You can't even take your family out anymore without worrying about shootings, cannibal zombie attacks, flesh and brain eating bacteria from swimming. It's insane.
Rest in peace to all of the victims. :'(
www.poopreport.com :)
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RIMADYL KILLS
Damn. It's sickening to think that all these people were at the theatre to have a good time and watch an awesome movie, and this happens. Who the hell ever expects this kind of shit to happen to them?
I'll second (third? fourth?) what MK said when I say that this world is fucked. I know you guys are debating about gun control and censorship and all that, but I honestly think no matter what we try to do, Earth is screwed and there's not much we can do about it. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, though, because there was a shooting here in Toronto this week where a guy opened fire on a crowd of people having a picnic, and killed two people, including a teenage girl. When will this end?
Submitted by Cake666 on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:25pm.
Here come the people who blame violent movies/games/music!
And short skirts make rapists, and arts & crafts makes you gay!
Fucktards.
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I agree. How about all those kids who do the same stuff and never hurt anyone? They are the majority, not this POS fucker shooting up people in a movie theater.
How sad.
Submitted by Lisbet459 on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:25pm.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:21pm.
Submitted by TelevisedRevolution on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:16pm.
Thank you. She hasn't a clue.
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Huh?
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Bam Bam, you've been respectfully debating with me and while I understand your points, I don't understand the intolerance for Lisbet's questions.
She makes in my mind points -- if guns are so prevalent in VA, then why hasn't the crime rate gone up there? Just saying that VA profits off of gun sales to others doesn't explain why if guns are readily accessible to Virginian's that gun violence hasn't gone through the roof.
As I said, I am all for strict gun control laws. I don't think assault rifles should be accessible to civilians. However, I also know that this would likely not alleviate the problem b/c of the black market.
Anyone who wants to commit violence and is blood thirsty will find a way.
In short, I haven't a fucking clue what really can be done in this world anymore.
Here come the people who blame violent movies/games/music!
And short skirts make rapists, and arts & crafts makes you gay!
Fucktards.
B!i!i!iD~
For your health.
Civilians do not need and should not be allowed to own assault rifles. I almost lost my father because of some armed robbing jackhole that owned an AK-47.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:21pm.
Submitted by TelevisedRevolution on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:16pm.
Thank you. She hasn't a clue.
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Huh?
Submitted by Athina on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:19pm.
I don't believe for a second he chose a random movie to shoot up. No doubt this sleazy little fucker was raised his whole life on a diet of violent movies and violent video games. A normal kid can handle it. A kid who is already fucked up or has mental issues will just be pushed closer to something like this. New reports say he told police he believed he was "The Joker."
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So basically what you are saying is he is mentally ill.
There's no way to prevent this from occcuring unless you censor every fucking form of entertainment.
Submitted by TelevisedRevolution on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:16pm.
Thank you. She hasn't a clue.
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
I don't believe for a second he chose a random movie to shoot up. No doubt this sleazy little fucker was raised his whole life on a diet of violent movies and violent video games. A normal kid can handle it. A kid who is already fucked up or has mental issues will just be pushed closer to something like this. New reports say he told police he believed he was "The Joker."
Submitted by M.E. on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 1:50pm.
bambam - kids DO need a schedule. Their growing bodies and brains need the regularity and also the much needed sleep.
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Absolutely agree with this. I work in child care and the children who are up late cannot function and participate in activities because they are too sleepy. We usually find them dozing off in the corner of the room.
I think the other point is that it is erroneous to compare the gun violence rate of what is basically a city (DC) to that of a state (VA).
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Submitted by TelevisedRevolution on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:16pm.
Lisbet, I think Bambam's logic is that the guns are crossing the state line - they aren't being used in Virginia. Virginia's just pocketing the cash.
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And *why* aren't they being used in Virginia? What's different?
Submitted by Lisbet459 on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 1:56pm.
"If guns cause crime, then why was Virginia's murder rate in 2010 4.6 per 100,000, and Washington DC's murder rate in the same year 21.9 per 100,000?"
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Lisbet, I think Bambam's logic is that the guns are crossing the state line - they aren't being used in Virginia. Virginia's just pocketing the cash.
EDITED TO ADD: oh, now that I read your more recent comments I see where you're going with this. never mind.
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God don't like ugly.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:11pm.
@ Lisbet,
Va. has the death penalty, they excercise it gleefully. It's social climate is conservative and intimidating (this I know, I've had a few bad experiences in NoVa just minding my own business.)
Va. is a state so they measure their data based on the entire state, not a small jurisdiction like DC.
And Va. has been proven to be a major source for guns used in crimes along the east coast or have you never heard the governor of New York speak on the subject?
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So, basically, having the death penalty, a conservative atmosphere and keeping blacks (?) from staying there long is the key to a low murder rate?
Who knew?
You're also missing the point: If guns - and loose gun laws - cause crime...and the VA laws are contributing to crime...
Then the first place where that should have been seen is in VA itself. And if they're not seeing it, because of the factors you describe, then something other than guns is causing the crime in the other areas.
Submitted by Lisbet459 on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:02pm
No doubt about that. You guys like to go all ethnic on people.
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
@ Lisbet,
Va. has the death penalty, they excercise it gleefully. It's social climate is conservative and intimidating (this I know, I've had a few bad experiences in NoVa just minding my own business.)
Va. is a state so they measure their data based on the entire state, not a small jurisdiction like DC.
And Va. has been proven to be a major source for guns used in crimes along the east coast or have you never heard the governor of New York speak on the subject?
***************
Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
The whole thing makes me sick. The media are lapping this shit up, they love the drama, In the last 3 hours Iv'e seen expert upon expert giving their opinion when nobody really knows the facts yet. Some guy on the news just said that The Dark knight Rises is known as the Jokers revenge or some shit and the Joker isn't even in the movie!
This will go on for days.
Anyway the guy is fucked, someone will take him out, just a matter of when.
Submitted by Aunt Doobie on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 1:20pm.
I feel you.
yes. gun control. never gonna happen in America, though.
we're violence addicts, and then we act all surprised when this happens - at least we do when the shooter is white. something similar happened in my hometown last week, and not only did it not make the national news (certainly not at Dlisted level), general commentary was "those people are always shooting each other up, blah blah blah..." never mind that it happened in a ritzy theater district, and lost lives are lost lives......
but that's beside the point.
whether it is wise to take your kid to a violent movie at midnight or not, you shouldn't have to be afraid they they are going to get gunned down in the theater. this is why there are stop and frisk laws in NYC - profiling kids like my son, though, and not like this shooter - and why pretty soon we'll all have to submit to cavity searches just to go out to a public gathering at all.
we'll all end up voluntarily house bound, "for our own safety."
because guns are too damn sexy to be regulated.
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God don't like ugly.
Submitted by bambam on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 2:00pm.
But your last statement makes me wonder how much of that world wide violence is influenced by American culture, like movie exports.
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I'm fairly certain that us foreigners can be violent without American culture.
@ Sushi
Well, we'll never have no violence, maybe no gun generated violence. That would take an other worldly effort of social engineering to achieve that.
But your last statement makes me wonder how much of that world wide violence is influenced by American culture, like movie exports.
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Can guys and gals be "just friends?" Gals are "just friends." Guys are "just waitin."
Totally off topic but since that's what people are talking about now I'll just share. I have 3 nieces. 6 months, 2 1/2, and 5. These little animals eat whatever the hell they want (cokes, candy, sugar) and they go to sleep whenever they want (usually after midnight) we just moved to Atlanta so we are all living together and anytime I mention their horrible eating habits or lack of sleep schedule, you can tell that their mom gets annoyed. Kids do need a schedule. That's all :)
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I'm not a slut, I'm sexually liberated. There's a difference.
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