Only in America can we take a genuine tragedy and fuel it with so much political rhetoric, misinformation and ultimately fear mongering in an effort to appease our sense of duty. Then typically we make grandiose speeches, pass ineffective laws proposed by special interests and ultimately never deal with the real problem facing us. Biden is convening a “commission” to study remedies to gun violence. Today the “law enforcement element” are all people from O’s cabinet hastily convened for dramatic photo ops to show how serious they are. Biden is an avowed gun control proponent. Obama choose him because he has good connections in the senate. Real objectivity shown there, that’s for sure.Will we really deal with mental health issues and look at the real core of violence in our society and do something about it? Of course not. We’re broke and Obama’s plans for health care don’t include a significant expansion of the mental health system and he’s having enough problems with Obamacare being implemented. For all the crime related violence, gangs, drugs, poverty, real education programs needed for job training, there is no money. So the ultimate result will be lots of political cartoons, indignant speeches, a law passed to ban the sale of assault weapons and high cap magazines and improve purchasing controls (which is long overdue). I wouldn’t want to bet on the effectiveness of our efforts. Here’s a common sense question for those who will land on this post with both feet and accuse me of being a radical conservative (I’m a Libertarian). Why is it that when you could buy guns from a catalog these school SHOOTINGS (not explosives re. 1928) were rare to non-existent? Oh yes, that was prohibition that killed more innocent people with the shoot outs by the gangsters. “Tommy guns” were outlawed, but it didn’t stop the gangsters. What flamed me out this morning was reading about the citizens of Newtown having to almost forcibly restrict the media because “real people” couldn’t get to funerals for all the media ghouls. Now the cops are restricting them and people have houses and neighborhoods with “no media” signs up to try to get some peace during this painful process..
Dr. C, out of curiosity I looked up your profile here. A Phd in “epistemology” and you are teaching in West Virginia! You must constantly feel like the proverbial fish out of water. I studied a bit of philosophy and logic and always found it fascinating. Logic was really helpful when I was learning to program computers.
Well, try this. Maybe it works. A philosopher is someone who loves wisdom. Anyone who loves wisdom will want to encourage those around him also to love wisdom. Thus any philosopher is a teacher. (Whoever escapes from the cave will eventually go back to the cave to help others escape.) Anyone who claims to be teacher but does not love wisdom is not going to teach anyone anything; the one who is rightly called a teacher must be a lover of wisdom.
Mickey 13 over 11 years ago
Only in America can we take a genuine tragedy and fuel it with so much political rhetoric, misinformation and ultimately fear mongering in an effort to appease our sense of duty. Then typically we make grandiose speeches, pass ineffective laws proposed by special interests and ultimately never deal with the real problem facing us. Biden is convening a “commission” to study remedies to gun violence. Today the “law enforcement element” are all people from O’s cabinet hastily convened for dramatic photo ops to show how serious they are. Biden is an avowed gun control proponent. Obama choose him because he has good connections in the senate. Real objectivity shown there, that’s for sure.Will we really deal with mental health issues and look at the real core of violence in our society and do something about it? Of course not. We’re broke and Obama’s plans for health care don’t include a significant expansion of the mental health system and he’s having enough problems with Obamacare being implemented. For all the crime related violence, gangs, drugs, poverty, real education programs needed for job training, there is no money. So the ultimate result will be lots of political cartoons, indignant speeches, a law passed to ban the sale of assault weapons and high cap magazines and improve purchasing controls (which is long overdue). I wouldn’t want to bet on the effectiveness of our efforts. Here’s a common sense question for those who will land on this post with both feet and accuse me of being a radical conservative (I’m a Libertarian). Why is it that when you could buy guns from a catalog these school SHOOTINGS (not explosives re. 1928) were rare to non-existent? Oh yes, that was prohibition that killed more innocent people with the shoot outs by the gangsters. “Tommy guns” were outlawed, but it didn’t stop the gangsters. What flamed me out this morning was reading about the citizens of Newtown having to almost forcibly restrict the media because “real people” couldn’t get to funerals for all the media ghouls. Now the cops are restricting them and people have houses and neighborhoods with “no media” signs up to try to get some peace during this painful process..
pam Miner over 11 years ago
that is a very good point!
Mickey 13 over 11 years ago
Dr. C, out of curiosity I looked up your profile here. A Phd in “epistemology” and you are teaching in West Virginia! You must constantly feel like the proverbial fish out of water. I studied a bit of philosophy and logic and always found it fascinating. Logic was really helpful when I was learning to program computers.
marvee over 11 years ago
“We have met the enemy and he is us”.
lonecat over 11 years ago
Was Socrates a philosopher or an educator? Is there a difference?
lonecat over 11 years ago
Socrates might say that a philosopher who is not a teacher is not a philosopher, and a teacher who is not a philosopher is not a teacher. Or not.
lonecat over 11 years ago
Yeah.
lonecat over 11 years ago
Well, try this. Maybe it works. A philosopher is someone who loves wisdom. Anyone who loves wisdom will want to encourage those around him also to love wisdom. Thus any philosopher is a teacher. (Whoever escapes from the cave will eventually go back to the cave to help others escape.) Anyone who claims to be teacher but does not love wisdom is not going to teach anyone anything; the one who is rightly called a teacher must be a lover of wisdom.