#601 – Dick Bernard: Dark Knight Rises: In the wake of the Aurora tragedy. Part Two.

UPDATE July 23, 5:15 p.m.: I went to Dark Night Rises this afternoon at the Woodbury Theatre, where it is showing on three screens, thirteen times today. I admit that had the tragedy not occurred, I probably would not have gone to the film. But it did, and I did. Of course, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. In mine, the film deserves the four stars (out of four) it received. It is well worth the nearly 2 1/2 hours. You decide.
Friday I remembered Columbine, as experienced 13 years ago by a grandparent nearly a thousand miles away.
I also noted the reality of any tragedy: there is a short and definable life to any crisis, and then people move on. It is a survival strategy. We react, then retreat.
Only if a Crisis is kept in mind to carry on year after year, will it be much remembered after a few months.
For now we are all in Aurora in one sense or another. We have things to learn from Aurora, but it will take stamina to keep it from disappearing from view, as have all the others.
A local friend in law enforcement noted this morning that his sons good friend was in the Aurora theatre, was shot, and for a time was in critical condition (he’s doing okay). He tweeted “the first half hour of the movie was great”, or words to that effect…. Another friends daughter lives in LA, and one of her friends was in the Aurora complex the night of the killings.
In this global age, “six degrees of separation” is very much alive and well. We can’t build walls to keep people out. There are no borders. We’re on one earth.
Now comes the matter of the future after the news media depart Aurora. What will happen to the necessary conversation among ourselves, about violence in word and deed*, about deadly weapons and such? It is an essential conversation that deserves to live on.
I noted in the local Patch on-line newspaper yesterday a survey about Gun Control. Normally, I don’t take the bait for these, but yesterday I did, filing the following comment.
Posted 7:40 a.m. July 21, 2012, on Eagan Patch
Dick Bernard: “I follow and support the Brady Campaign. At upper right on the home page of their website is an ongoing tally of people shot in America each day. About 1 a.m. today, for today, the tally was 8; at 7:30 a.m. it was 84. Tally for the year thus far over 54,000…. In your poll I voted “Sometimes”, though I don’t hunt, have never owned a gun, and qualified as expert as a marksman in the Army. There is no need or excuse for weapons of mass destruction in circulation in a civilized society. Last I heard we don’t need machine guns to hunt deer; and the self-defense argument can easily be reduced to absurdity. But this won’t be dealt with in the next four months before the election. People need to have the stamina of the NRA to change course on this insane business of guns in this country.”
Right before commenting, I’d chosen the “sometimes” response about “Should gun ownership be tightened?” in this “non-scientific” poll. (“Sometimes: Some guns—those primarily used for hunting or personal protection—are fine. But weapons primarily designed for violence shouldn’t be available.”) (The other options were Yes, No and Unsure.)
At last reading, 55%s of the respondents want no gun control, so the comments are quite predictable. 26% say “yes”, 17% “Sometimes” and 1% unsure.
I found the observations interesting, and rather than try to summarize them, here** is the entire thread, which is now up to 147 comments.
Where do you stand on this. This deserves deep face-to-face conversation neighbor to neighbor.
Final post on this thread here.
UPDATE:
From Greg: Here’s the problem: we have allowed the NRA to be taken hostage by people who demand absolute right to bear arms, all types, all amounts, all time and all places.
The solution is so obvious: right thinking people need to pay their dues, become members and take back the NRA from the radical fringe for the benefit of us all! Imagine what the next NRA convention would look like: the exhibitor’s hall full of vendors selling the latest in new orchids, quilts, hiking tour organizers, etc. It can happen, if we make it happen.
The Twin Cities as with most other large cities has a problem with certain night clubs attracting violent people who consume ample amounts of liquor and then begin stabbing and shooting people. Each of these establishments has an occupancy limit. If hoards of 7-Up drinking people fill these problem-causing establishments early in the evening, order rounds of 7-Up and engage in quiet conversation the violent people would never be able to enter.
Why, we could call these events Rosa Parks Parties in honor of that great lady from Montgomery Alabama.
Remember, all that is needed for evil people to succeed is for good people to stay glued to their computers.
From Bruce: “Gun Insane” by Darcy Burner, listed numerous shootings over the last 23yrs [see it here: An Adult Conversation about Guns. I most certainly agree that it is a horrible shame these happened, and that we need to have an adult gun control conversation in this country. I hope its raised in the 2012 election cycle, but I’m not sure either candidate want to go up against the mind set in this country that sees these senseless killings as the price we pay to protect our freedom with guns. For the NRA and the patriots on the right, a little loss of life is an acceptable price, and the answer is more guns with conceal and carry hand gun laws to protect us from these crazy killers. Its insane, and this is where we live.

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