norsegirl | A grizzly anniversary

Media vultures all seem to be enjoying the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High massacre today. I was annoyed by one reporter's comment that the shootings were committed by two seniors who "saw themselves as outcasts". Question to all the outcasts out there... did you "see yourself as an outcast" or would you say you "were an outcast". Is your social status something purely in your own mind, or did others outside your head share the assessment of your social standing? Seems to me saying they "saw themselves" that way absolves everyone around them of any possible guilt, like this was all in their head, and there's no way that the way others treated them could have lead them to that conclusion. Heaven forbid that when everyone treats you like an outcast that you identify yourself as one.

And no, I'm not saying that this is an excuse for what they did, I'm just saying that pretending that the way everyone treated them had no influence at all on the eventual outcome is pretty short-sighted and frankly, dishonest.

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Of course there was an influence. In my view (and it is limited), they were made to feel like outcasts because their schoolmates did not respect them. Just guessing, but I think they felt isolated. I am not defending what they did. This is not even the issue. The issue is access to guns. I still think this country would be in a better shape if it had some kind of gun control. But nah. - As for the media vultures on this 10th anniversary, they always hitch on to something when they can't find any other compelling news (latest gossip: Britney Spears in bed with Kevin Federline - ouch!!!). It is just boring, and the next mass shooting will be coming up before we know it. This is a country that is founded on things I just can't believe in. The Land of the Free. He, he he. I also still don't get their urge to spread their version of democracy in the middle east, when it is so obvious that all they want is oil. I think this country is a very hypocritical state. It does not know how to take care of its own citizens. It does not know how to improve basic services, healthcare and infrastructure come to mind. Playing world police does not cut it. Aside: I am not an American citizen. Nor will I ever become one. Unless things change. I hope that this president can do something, but perhaps I am just dreaming here.

I am not an American citizen.

You and me both. Taxation without representation all the way - sigh. In other words, what you and I think (gun control, basic services, healthcare) is irrelevant to the politicians. We can sit here saying these people are complete idiots until we're blue in the face and all it's going to get us is a weird complexion.

And yes, it is a very hypocritical state of confused citizens. They mindlessly accept the brainwashing that has been fed to them about it being the greatest place on earth, and never stop to question if maybe, people elsewhere do in fact have it better. Nor do they question the motivation of their politicians when it comes to starting wars. The Bush administration didn't believe for a second that they were spreading democracy, that's just one of many lines they've fed to the American public (along with WMDs), it's all about oil and lining their own pockets through their involvement with the corporations that run the war machine.

That said, I'm still living here, so it can't be all that bad for me. As much as I cannot vote or really affect any change, I'm part of the problem by hanging around here complacently with my "I'm covered" attitude.

I don't necessarily think that being grateful for being covered is a bad attitude. Check out http://www.covertheuninsured.org, they send out free materials, so you can spread the message. And yes, I am also still here :) - only I have learned to keep my mouth shut about politics (apart from this blog). We have a bunch of liberal friends, but they're from Houston. Houston, Austin and San Antonio are probably the hubs of intelligent life in TX. These are the only people I can share my thoughts with. The neighbors across the street had their lawn 'decorated' with "McCain/Palin" signs. Made me want to puke... oh, and they always call the cops if they see a pet on the street. These pets belong to someone. Even I know where they belong. Of course they believe they are only doing their "civic duty". I hope that's the correct term.

I wasn't just talking "covered" in the sense of health insurance, though that is the most obvious way I'm taken care of and others are not. I'm talking about all the ways my life has really worked out and all the great opportunities I've had that others have not. Everything from higher education to international travel. The degree to which my life has been better than the people living under the bridge or begging on the corner is staggering, and our system in the West is in part to blame for this disparity.

I feel a bit guilty because I'm living the easy life and I'm not helping those who have it a lot more difficult.

As for intelligent life in Texas, as far as I can figure, not many of my neighbours are Texan. I'm surrounded by people from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and other foreigners. That's a large part of why I like my neighbourhood. We had the good fortune of house-hunting during the election, and nothing made me walk away from a neighbourhood faster than a big ol' McCain/Palin sign on the lawn.

A grizzly anniversary

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