14 Comments
User's avatar
Deanna Jarvis's avatar

Never thought about that.

Expand full comment
Flora M Brown's avatar

Walter, I made the mistake of listening to this while eating my dinner. Once I started listening, however, I had to listen to the end.

Sadly, what you share about the US fascination with death and killing is true in the many respects.

Then there are the people in denial about these atrocities.

In the aftermath of children being slaughtered in the Sandy Hook massacre, for example, I couldn’t believe people, one of whom was a popular preacher, who decided the whole thing didn’t really happen.

Some people even went on record accusing parents of lying about their children being killed.

It’s not just the existence of guns.

I once saw watched a documentary about a Nordic country where people enjoyed visiting shooting ranges, but where there had never been a mass shooting.

Expand full comment
Walter Rhein's avatar

Yes, there is a deeply rooted psychosis in this country. People are so cruel. It has to be fixed. Thanks for your kind comment!

Expand full comment
Jo Burns's avatar

I actually took a gun safety/shooting class in high school. I learned how to clean shot guns and handguns. We took target practice too. Kids drove to school with their rifles in their trucks. Never really thought much about it, just took note. I do not own a gun, although inherented some from my father, a farm boy and Korean Marine and my brother, desert wars Marine. My son now has them except for a collector gun my brother had purchased. They are kept in a safe. He'll get the collector gun too. I'm a pacifist. So against war and violence, although I stand behind our military without question. After all Marine daughter and sister. I think the pacifist is from my mother's vintage. They were Quakers.

This piece really made me think about roots and heritage and the fact we took gun training in high school and kids brought guns to school in their vehicles. 🙄

Expand full comment
Walter Rhein's avatar

Yup, it was a big part of my high school too

Expand full comment
Martha Redsecker's avatar

I know this because I owned several farms back in my youth (;0), and my children went to public schools with them. My girls NEVER held a weapon for shooting in their lives with us, as I believe. But what did I know when they were in school with these children.

Expand full comment
Blueheart22's avatar

Not all young white kids in the country know how to shoot guns. My boys didn’t and they still don’t except for the one that’s a marine. But I will admit a lot have.

Expand full comment
Walter Rhein's avatar

There’s more to killing than just guns. White supremacy indoctrination is everywhere in the US, but it’s especially toxic in rural areas. That’s why rural areas made a convict into the president.

Expand full comment
Jo Burns's avatar

I absolutely agree with this opinion. All I need do is look to my left ir look to my right in my little subdivision in the corner fields.

Expand full comment
Blueheart22's avatar

Sadly, Walter I completely agree. I could name Many people that I believe would jump at the job to do these ice raids. And I know so many people that voted for him just because of the gaslighting by Fox. All these catchy phrases, like make America great again, peace through strength, bringing religion into the White House. A lot are not intelligent enough to understand the reason why there’s a division between church and state. It’s so frustrating, but you can’t talk sense to people with sixth grade education, and have them grasp the enormity of the issue. I feel like mainstream media should be sued for everything. It’s done to our country and everything. It’s done to personal families. They have outright lied over and over day after day! It just makes me angry. Honestly, even if I was good with handling a gun for safety, My cornea is or damaged from my auto immune disease so I can even really see very far. Luckily, my spouse knows how to use guns but he works a lot and I live in an area that nobody lives around, but us with no fence.

Expand full comment
Walter Rhein's avatar

Thanks Blueheart! I agree they should be sued. Be well!

Expand full comment
Blueheart22's avatar

Thank you and you as well!

Expand full comment
peggy stokes's avatar

Not true

Expand full comment
Walter Rhein's avatar

You'd be surprised.

Expand full comment