Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Tellemurius]

......time machine, but then we would have to deal with butterfly effect.

[Phmcw]

Let's not assume that in this case. In the case of the Colombine killers, Yes few things could have stopped them.
They were a group, clever, had forbidden weapon, even in the US.
In this case, it's a complete nutjob, armed with a weapon you can find everywhere, and we don't even know if he was a fair shooter.
There is chances that a good security may have saved her. But then again, would you like to never meet any politician in a public even, only after passing a metal detector and with sniper overlooking the crowd.

[Alexhans]

While I agree that he probably had serious mental problems, that might not necessary mean that he couldn't carry himself around with sufficient skill to achieve his "objective".  We just don't know enough yet and your concerns between the balance of public contact vs security make me wonder as well.  Prediction seems to be impossible in this case, leaving just reaction.

EDIT: I've read an interesting theory that assumes he wrote his language in such a way that would force people to really read what he was saying.

[Derekristow]

EDIT: I've read an interesting theory that assumes he wrote his language in such a way that would force people to really read what he was saying.

This is what I thought at one point while reading over this thread.  By writing in such a confusing manner, he has caused people to go to great lengths to understand his message and how he feels about the world.  His message is getting more light than it ever would have before.

[de5me7]

You do get both crazy people shootings and political attacks in the UK, i expect they dont make international news though. So there was a guy in the lake district this summer that drove round in his car gunning people down, and there was a depressed business man in london that started offloading a shotgun out of an office block or apartment window (cant rememver which), and an escaped prisoner with a shotty, that got tazered down. A politician was stabed in london in a very similar situation to the topic of this thread. But being a knife rather than a gun, no one else was hurt. Political murders, some times involving guns are not that uncommon in Northern Ireland, but then thats in some ways a political legacy of the UK government http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1972)#Perspectives_and_analyses_on_the_day

To an extent the international press like to portray the US as a country with a major gun problem, and crazy southern problem, so whilst i find this news shocking, i dont find it supprising, and i doubt many in europe will. Having said this, our view of the southern US is probably rather unfair.

In the uk you can only legally own long barrel weapons, with a manual fireing mechanism (no semi, or full auto), so basically bolt action rifles, and twin barrel shotguns. You need a license, which requires clean record, and a reason for ownership, reasons are usually; member of shooting club, pest control, or hunting.

[Virex]

There is chances that a good security may have saved her. But then again, would you like to never meet any politician in a public even, only after passing a metal detector and with sniper overlooking the crowd.

I bet JFK would've loved the idea..


Inappropriate jokes aside, while there are always Idiots With Guns in every country, the main problem I feel is that often these idiots go unnoticed for far too long. Seriously if someone's talking dead serious about killing someone and obviously completely flipped over the fence, then why the hell hasn't he got "involuntary psychiatric aid" yet?

[Sheb]

Because the NSA cannot listen to every single phone call?

[Virex]

O realy?

[G-Flex]

Seriously if someone's talking dead serious about killing someone and obviously completely flipped over the fence, then why the hell hasn't he got "involuntary psychiatric aid" yet?

I thought we weren't talking about Glenn Beck here.

[Sheb]

Virex: You seriously believe they're listening to every single conversation? Even if they could intercept any conversation, that doesn't mean that they have the manpower to listen to them all.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The processing power to track every conversation is possible, if unlikely in the extreme. The manpower to actually listen to them is not. You would need a person for every communication, which would amount to a good portion of the world's population. All that work for what is mostly junk data is simply a stupid course of action for a government agency (or anyone else), no matter how much money they have.

[Aqizzar]

O realy?

That's what you're going with?  Bullshit conspiracy theories from the development of ARPANET?  I'm not going to deny that there's some factual basis for attempts at the claim.  Like how a good chunk of AT&T's phone traffic was routed through one locked room in the NSA's headquarters back in 2004.  But the NSA and intelligence communities were the first people to complain about it, because they didn't want to be shafted with the job of monitoring every phonecall and email in the country, and then having to either explain in court how they did so if they ever wanted to use that evidence, or explain how they missed anything when all the data is right there c'mon guys.

They've tried to resolve the manpower problem by farming out data analysis to private contractors (run by retired government analysts who realized they could make more money doing the same job without the government ID badge).  Which is why there's now something close to three million Americans with some level of Secret access, which is exactly how WikiLeaks gets its bread buttered.

So when you think about it, the massive overexpansion of thoroughly useless data mining by the government is directly responsible for the proliferation of "important" data being leaked.  And in turn, the blatant illegality of actually using any information collect has thrown the federal prosecution system in the toilet, because the Justice Department can hardly try anybody anymore without charges being thrown out because of improper searches and tampering.  And you wonder why the American intelligence community has been so pissed off since 9/11.

[Bouchart]

And you wonder why the American intelligence community has been so pissed off since 9/11.

They probably caused 9/11 but that's a different matter.

You highly underestimate the power of advanced heuristic search algorithms and the willingness of the political class to oppress American citizens.

[Leafsnail]

They probably caused 9/11 but that's a different matter.

Ah... so this is what you meant by "false flag".

I kindof hope Aqizzar doesn't dignify this with a response, entertaining though it will doubtless be.

[Virex]

O realy?

That's what you're going with?  Bullshit conspiracy theories from the development of ARPANET?  I'm not going to deny that there's some factual basis for attempts at the claim.  Like how a good chunk of AT&T's phone traffic was routed through one locked room in the NSA's headquarters back in 2004.  But the NSA and intelligence communities were the first people to complain about it, because they didn't want to be shafted with the job of monitoring every phonecall and email in the country, and then having to either explain in court how they did so if they ever wanted to use that evidence, or explain how they missed anything when all the data is right there c'mon guys.

They've tried to resolve the manpower problem by farming out data analysis to private contractors (run by retired government analysts who realized they could make more money doing the same job without the government ID badge).  Which is why there's now something close to three million Americans with some level of Secret access, which is exactly how WikiLeaks gets its bread buttered.

So when you think about it, the massive overexpansion of thoroughly useless data mining by the government is directly responsible for the proliferation of "important" data being leaked.  And in turn, the blatant illegality of actually using any information collect has thrown the federal prosecution system in the toilet, because the Justice Department can hardly try anybody anymore without charges being thrown out because of improper searches and tampering.  And you wonder why the American intelligence community has been so pissed off since 9/11.

You're right in identifying the problem here. I have little doubt that it is possible to, given the right search techniques, monitor the phone calls of suspected people (note that monitoring the whole country is only something the Dutch would try to pull off), but since it's currently illegal to use this information it's deployment is being limited to the CIA and the NSA only, while the ones that could benefit most of it, like local police departments, are not able to use these techniques to monitor the people who need monitoring. It's because it's illegal that the government would need to monitor the whole country, because they can't ask people to report suspect behavior so the police can keep tabs on future criminals and step in before shit hits the fan.