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Catowner
Member since Jan 25, 2018
Recent Comments
Re: “Unfunny Money? Anonymous Satirical Outfit Skewers Vermont Pols”
I don't know what's more disturbing -- the criminal unfunniness, or the idea they seem to sincerely believe they can influence Vermonters by pretending so cluelessly to be Vermonters. Surely there are 1,000's of talented comedic actors looking for work, yet these 2 were hired?
Posted by
Catowner
on 03/15/2018 at 10:46 PM
Re: “Walters: Scott Shifts Gun Stance Following Fair Haven Threat”
SnowCeek, it was not entirely clear from your words whether you were likening the Fair Haven student's journal to an event in the plot of Carrie, or to the writing of a piece of fiction, using Carrie as an example of fiction. (Just FYI, Spoiler Alert: Carrie does, in fact, entirely destroy the high school during the prom.)
I see now you are asserting the journal was only a harmless work of fiction and no grounds for an arrest. My points are (a) King himself did not find his own writings about HS violence to be harmless, so your choice of King does not support your argument well; and (b) he was not arrested solely on the basis of his writings. There was much additional evidence that indicated the journal was not simply a creative writing exercise, but an actual study and plan for a school attack.
Posted by
Catowner
on 02/20/2018 at 1:44 PM
Re: “Walters: Scott Shifts Gun Stance Following Fair Haven Threat”
SnowCreek, Why do you keep referring to Stephen King's 'Carrie,' which it seems you have never read. Carrie never writes out a revenge plan in a journal -- she enacts revenge on school bullies spontaneously through powers of telekinesis, and burns down the town. She had no gun. Also, Carrie was a work of fiction, not a "To-Do" list.
Are you thinking of the King novel 'Rage,' published in 1977? That novel was, in fact, cited as inspiration by school shooters in 1988, and onward. King was so horrified that he took the novel out of publication, and it will forever remain out of print. That is a mature and appropriate response.
It was not the Fair Haven student's written plan alone that caused law enforcement to act. It was his words, hisory, behavior and own admissions that led to a credible threat.
Posted by
Catowner
on 02/19/2018 at 8:44 PM
Re: “Zeroing In? A New Senate Proposal Aims for Common Ground on Gun Safety”
Hey Bobdepino: So, you've done research. Are those all proposals for full confiscation and outlaw of guns in the State of Vermont? Wow. Missed the headlines on that.
Posted by
Catowner
on 01/26/2018 at 9:50 PM
Re: “Zeroing In? A New Senate Proposal Aims for Common Ground on Gun Safety”
Interesting language by Chris Bradley in saying the police officer cannot be "judge, jury, and executioner," with the ability to confiscate firearms. Seems those words more aptly describe a vengeful and unbalanced domestic abuser with a loaded gun.
Also, this paranoid notion that any attempt to regulate guns is a sneaky first step to inevitable full confiscation and outlaw has to stop! It's absurd and irrational, and often seems to be a first line of argument against the slightest inconvenience to gun owners.
Posted by
Catowner
on 01/25/2018 at 11:48 AM
Re: “Feds Drop Burlington College Probe, According to Sanders Aide”
Jane Sanders' decision-making is often cited as the cause of the collapse of Burlington College, but this is a simplistic distortion. In fact it was the Board of Trustees who had ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the College, not Jane Sanders, who as president was an employee. Also frequently lost in this discussion is the fact that Sanders managed to obtain an extraordinarily valuable, irreplaceable tract of real estate at a bargain basement price, and had plans to sell or develop parts to raise funds as part of the master plan. The Board of Trustees did not approve of this plan. Instead, the land was sold in the end to a self-interested commercial developer who has destroyed the nature of the lot, turning it into an eyesore, and reaping millions.