Comments on: Tennesee church shooter needed help but didn’t get it

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:59:19 +0000

Thanks, Zoe.

By: Zoe Brain

Zoe Brain — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:59:17 +0000

Seriously, no, I wouldn’t. I will grant you though that others would. But no, I wouldn’t because of my mental health training and perspective I think.

Funnily enough.. I believe you. Actually, it never occurred to me that you would.

Integrity is rare, but I can recognise it 9 times out of 10 when I see it.

By: jayhuck

jayhuck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:22:40 +0000

Mein Kampf? – I don’t know – I would hate to speculate about that. I’m simply talking about people who scream and rail against the evils of liberalism – which is as hard a word to define as conservatism – who make all manner of claims regarding liberals and then never have to take responsibility for their words. Words are obviously very powerful things. Does the left have people who do the same sorts of things – yes, they do, but right off the top of my head I can’t think of many who get as much air time or operate under a purportedly fair and balanced banner as Sean and Bill.

However, I think I’m turning this discussion into something that it was not meant to be – Its not, in the end, really about Bill, Sean, Ann Coulter, Moveon.org or the rest of their unbalanced ilk, it is about a mentally unstable man who needs help – who NEEDED help. None of the pundits above were responsible for this man’s instability – I should probably make that very clear – and Warren is absolutely correct when he says:

“if there is anything to be learned it is that we have not figured out how to deal with chronic and severe delusional illness. To me it does not help to align these actions with either liberal or conservative ideologies.”

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:56:20 +0000

If you hadn’t mentioned Besen’ book…

Seriously, no, I wouldn’t. I will grant you though that others would. But no, I wouldn’t because of my mental health training and perspective I think.

Over and over again in these shootings, and I have followed the histories of many of them, the signs of delusions were there and because you can’t make people seek treatment, the needed care is not provided.

IMO, if there is anything to be learned it is that we have not figured out how to deal with chronic and severe delusional illness. To me it does not help to align these actions with either liberal or conservative ideologies.

By: NickC

NickC — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:25:06 +0000

Imagine the following scenario:

The shooting is in an evangelical church that hosts an ex-gay ministry and preaches against gay marriage, etc.
The shooter is a gay man.
He has made previous statements to a neighbor that he didn’t like religion because the Bible was full of contradictions.
He leaves irrational notes full of anger against fundamentalists and opponents of gay rights.
He has a copy of Wayne Besen’s “Bashing Back” in his apartment.

Warren, don’t you think your comments would have a different tone?

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:05:31 +0000

Jayhuck,

If he read Mein Kampf events would have turned out even worse?

By: jayhuck

jayhuck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:28:11 +0000

I’m not saying that the left doesn’t have its own radicals, I’m just trying to bring to light the way people like Sean and Bill try and paint “liberals”. They do not approach the issues in ANY kind of fair and balanced way – and their words do lean towards dire warnings.

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:24:48 +0000

So if a Moveon.org member does something deranged, then it will be their fault?

By: jayhuck

jayhuck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:23:24 +0000

The books found in the man’s house seem to be a testament to his conservatism do they not? I would NEVER go so far as to say his conservative views caused his mental health issues, I’m sure they did not, but anyone who has read the writings of people like Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly with all their dire warnings of liberalism have to wonder just how much these words fed a possibly already deranged mind.

As for the words of a neighbor – well, those are really just the words of a neighbor -

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:36:24 +0000

The Knoxville paper also quoted a neighbor as saying he didn’t like religion saying the Bible was full of contradictions. The man was all over the place, probably with delusions that included liberalism but not caused by the converse – conservativism.