Two
Important Points Overlooked In These Mass Shootings
We got the heart-breaking news of two mass
shootings yesterday. 30 people lost their lives. We only give secondary
thoughts to the 42 people injured in these two insane rampages.
When an assault rifle is used in a
shooting, even the injured suffer grievous wounds. I will not go into graphic
detail here. Those of you who served in the military know what I’m talking
about. If you have worked in a hospital emergency room when gunshot wounds are
treated, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re curious, Google will give
you information. These people suffer terrible injuries that could result in
disability. If the wounded are lucky to avoid this fate, they will suffer for
years to come through rehabilitation, medical treatments, etc. There is the
equal problem of who will pay for this care. Rarely are the shooters wealthy
with a big estate that can be taken. Health insurers might pay some of the
costs but not all the costs. Government might help. Sometimes private donors
help.
There is something more sinister and
troubling than the wounded and dead. My wife summed it all up yesterday with
the following words:
“We are not
safe anywhere.”
A feeling of hopelessness and public outrage
is going to follow. Where does it lead? The shooters are all males. In general,
they rely on the internet to get their direction and warped ideology. You are
going to start to see draconian monitoring of the internet that people in
mainland China are accustomed to. You are going to see take downs of websites
and the loss of free speech rights that will never come back. The US is going
to become a police state in the name of protecting people. It matters not if
Donald Trump or Elizabeth Warren is president (for example).
Long ago, President Richard Nixon advocated
preventive detention of those prone to commit serious and violent crimes. This
was called The Houston Plan. The 2002 Tom Cruse film Minority Report pursued
this theme.
With rapidly-advancing technology including
artificial intelligence, it will become possible to identity potential shooters
before they act. Even with the best technology and design, mistakes will be
made. Innocent people will be incarcerated.
No comments:
Post a Comment