Hurlshort

I'd just say it is safer to say the military is mostly from the US and wouldn't fight their own. You don't really need to qualify it by a specific region. It's not like all the troops that were born in California are going to be okey dokey with fighting American citizens.

My daughter has also been digging the Leappad, while I'm busy playing with my Kindle Fire. I already took down the tree and cleaned up pretty well, we are leaving for Universal Studios tomorrow.

If you scroll down on that page, you have a few folks explaining why those stats are bogus http://nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2011/military-recruitment-2010/ Seems like a better breakdown at the above link.

Yeah, I'd like to see that supported by some evidence. I'm not actually sure what he means by the south, and if Dagon means the traditional Southern states, then I'm pretty sure those states simply don't have the numbers to back that claim up.

That basically supports my argument. The citizens wouldn't need to be armed because the army wouldn't mobilize against them. I'm not actually against gun ownership, but I think gun ownership to protect yourself from the government makes little sense in our modern society. Its the principle of the thing that's worth upholding. There is no real reason citizens shouldn't be armed. The few moronic accidents do not disqualify thousands of responsible gun owners from ownership. I consider disarming people suspicious, and voluntary abandonment of the privileges of owning a weapon disappointing. Most people are likely to go through their whole life without ever needing one, but if circumstances should arise that they need a weapon and they don't have one because they willingly discarded their right to it* - then they deserve whatever happens to them. *That is the current sad state of affairs throughout most of Europe, and the right to bear arms is one thing I admire about the US, even if the climate there leans dangerously towards worshiping guns as a panacea instead of merely treating them as the tools they are. But one of those few moronic accidents leads to a mentally unstable person opening fire on 6 year old children, you have to question the current policies. That is completely reasonable, even if at the end you decide that the gun control policies are adequate. At this point in the thread, I've calmed down from the initial shock of the event and I'm ready address my biggest concerns. Guns are not at the top of the list, but they are on there. 1. Parenting - This was a gross failure of parenting, both by the father and the mother. The mother paid for that with her life. 2. Mental Health Care - We aren't doing enough, or we aren't addressing it correctly. 3. Guns - Extended clips, guns that look like assault rifles, etc. There should be some changes in both the rules and the culture of the gun owning community. This isn't the wild west.

That basically supports my argument. The citizens wouldn't need to be armed because the army wouldn't mobilize against them. I'm not actually against gun ownership, but I think gun ownership to protect yourself from the government makes little sense in our modern society.

Since I get to vote, that basically makes me a board member in our government. Yeah, my vote is only one among a ton, but I can lobby for more, and on a local level I can have a good deal of influence. With corporations I vote with my dollars, but that means someone with more money is more important. Sure, our politicians rely way too heavily on campaign contributions and the like, but my vote is still as valuable as a wealthy individual. I'm not saying I fully trust either, but I do see the government as serving the interests of all people more effectively.

But those scientologists used all those fancy electronics to determine my spiritual trauma!

Our citizens, as they are currently armed, would really not stand any chance against the government at this stage. Military technology is just too advanced. But it's not really a necessity either, because our government has nothing to gain from becoming a tyranny. We have a lot more to fear from the megacorporations than anything else.

Happy Holidays everyone! I'm pretty sure I'm more excited about Christmas than anyone I know. I've been waking up early every day and I have a lot of nervous energy. Even my kids are calmer than me.

I was also going to point to the Reagan era mental health care cuts as a possible catalyst for these types of problems. Although it is a tough balancing act, we obviously can't go back to the 50's where we just institutionalized everyone.

That's a good point, digital media really can make social problems seem all encompassing. It has been quite a challenge as a teacher to address digital citizenship along with all the other struggles of being a student.

Yeah, but schools as a target seems to be a fairly new phenomenon.

Dead Island, hands down. The constant fetch-quest to feed your kid anti-zombie meds, or whatever she needed, is annoying as hell and really detracts from the game. That kind of attitude won't help you on the adoption resume's Deadly Aren't they fairly different on a lot of levels? I only played the original Dead Rising, but it struck me more as a fun stunts with zombies game, while Dead Island I heard is more of a co-op action game with RPG elements and crafting.

Princess and the Frog actually has some awesome Disney songs, but that's no surprise since it is set in New Orleans.

I set up a scavenger hunt for my wife using QR codes, so Christmas morning should be entertaining. I used to be better at poetry and would do these things in verse, but age or the children has clearly addled my brain. I figure the fact that they have to be scanned made up for my lack of creativity in the riddle department.

Thanks for that. Now I just need to decide if I want it badly enough to register for another place to buy games.

I was hoping they would drop Sleeping Dogs to 50%, that's really the only one I'm interested in. I doubt you will see any games that were released in the Fall go for less than 50% though. Heck, I was surprised the Hitman game was half off, it's been out like 6 weeks.

I'd say that is $2,757 too much though.

I'm currently typing this from a higher plane of existence, so I'm sorry it didn't work out for you guys.

I love my Ikea stuff. It's not really long term type furniture, like I don't expect it to last through many moves, but it looks good, functions properly, and was cheap as heck.

Shoot, all I have are these VHS cassettes! Sorry about that.

I did change my mind on the presents after reading everyone's posts. You folks are right and it was good to get a perspective that wasn't as emotional as my own. My children are 2 and 5, so they aren't quite old enough to understand much of anything about the situation. They already didn't have much of a relationship with my parents, we only saw them a few times a year when things were good (well, when I was under the assumption that things were good.) I will take equal responsibility for that, although I have always felt my parents were less than interested in getting to know my children. They've never asked to have them over or anything like that. I always assumed it was because they have 7 other grandchildren, but after this stuff with my wife went down, I'm guessing there was more to it than that. Frankly my mom has always been cold with the women in my life. My first girlfriend, my wife, and now possibly my daughter. It's odd and I'm not sure how to explain it. This has strengthened my relationship with my wife, which I didn't even think was possible because we are pretty dang tight. But it has also made me appreciate her parents, who always accepted me unconditionally (despite my many personality quirks!) and all my other close friends. I've been letting them know that regularly at this point. Oh yeah, I appreciate all of you too. This is remarkably helpful and I know I keep saying it, but you guys are all awesome.

Just as a side note, I suggested family counseling or therapy, where we could sit down and discuss this stuff with a third party. My parents declined. My current plan is to just give it time, I'll take their calls if they want to talk, but I'm going to try and stop thinking about it so much. Thanks again for everyone's feedback, it really does help.

Wow, these are some great responses guys (and LC ). This community really just continues to amaze me. I appreciate all your insights and perspectives, and it really did make me feel better to read them this morning. You folks convinced me to switch gears on the presents issue. I think it is important to get to the point where I am accepting the situation and not having nightmares, and I believe you all have helped me toward that. If it comes down to choosing family or my wife, I barely even consider it a choice. I'll stick by my wife's side all the way. She does have her flaws, we all do, but she's also an amazing women, mother, wife, and teacher who gives herself fully to everything she does. Oh, and she was a showgirl Seriously, I didn't post this just to brag about that