The Horrors in Norway

[Meg]

Doesn't your heart go out to everyone involved in this hell on earth - everyone interviewed just looks shocked and stunned. A more tolerant, easy going society would be hard to find, and still there's a madman (a right wing Christian fundamentalist Norwegian I believe) who has planned and carried out this monstrosity. God help them, someone needs to.

Meg

[ellenyoung31]

Yes Meg I think it is awful. Ellen.

[scottyd]

I go to Scandanavia reasonably frequently and the people are so laid back and friendly.
Just shows you we all have "dark" places in all our societies - lunatics with guns aren't confined to the USA as we well know.
As a parent, my heart goes out to all those families trying to come to terms with their loss.

Yet again I am reminded how precious life is and yet how cruel life can be.

[Penny Tray]

Meg, thanks for this post and for the importance you, Ellen and Scottyd have attached to it.

I watched the tragedy unfold yesterday afternoon on Skys News and could scarcely believe it as the death toll became apparent.

I was bitterly disappointed this morning however, when I sought more detailed information only to find that the Scottish Daily Express had relegated the story to page 5. Apparently a free bat and ball for every reader, and a free six pack of Kit Kat biscuits; the Queens opinion on kate's wedding dress as it is to be displayed at an exhibition, and the main headline - SCOTTISH STARS IN HACKING SCANDAL were more important events, the stars, incidentally, being Kenny Logan and his wife Gabby, 'Jethro Tull' frontman Ian Anderson, and Emerdale actress Natalie Robb.

Still, the other story holding my attention this week, the arrest of a nurse in Stockport for allegedly killing 5 patients only got a small mention on page 35.

I'm not currently impressed with the media in this country.

[scottyd]

I agree Peeny - brings back memories of "Titanic sinks - Aberdeen man feared missing" type of headline.
Mind you - living in England means we rarely see any Scottish news unless it is of the sensationalist ot sterotypical drunken violent Scotsman type.
The top sports story of the day is "Scottish football season starts early" !!!!

[morag]

There has been quite a bit of coverage in the 2 papers I get, front page openers and more inside. It certainly is horrific and the callousness of this murderer second to none. It looks like the death toll will be higher yet. We have to try and read the signs better, loner in school, extreme beliefs etc. I know every society has these madmen, Dunblane comes to mind, but we need more rigorous tests before we hand guns over.

[scottyd]

Morag,
This is meant to be a serious reply.
"loner in school, extremist beliefs" - loads of them in the West of Scotland !
Hate to bring it down to basics but the Threetowners has its share of sad individuals with extremist beliefs - on both sides of the religious divide.
There but for the grace of god ................

[Meg]

we need more rigorous tests before we hand guns over.

I really wish this could be the case Morag - but somehow I think the mighty dollar will continue to forge policy rather than common sense.

Meg

[calleytwo]

We have good gun laws here in Oz - it is hard to get a gun but nutters and crims manage to get them on the black market. As to headlines - certainly the Norway thing is terrible and deserves the main headline - but dont relegate the hacking to back pages. One of the worst things in the world today is the manipulation of people and governments by newspaper magnates. What ever faults our government has here in OZ the newspapers and TV stations owned by the organization in the headlines are totally biased against it, mainly because the media leader is violently anti union and anti tax of any kind. Wee Ali

[morag]

Unfortunately the mindset for many is arm everyone, then they'd have a fighting chance, but I don't want to be part of that world. Meg, I don't think the almighty dollar has as much to do with this as the evil and darkness in some hearts. As wee Ali says, criminals will always find a way, via dollar, pound, euro, ruble...yes, 'the right to bear arms' sticks in my craw, but they WERE fighting the British and couldn't know who to trust, brother against brother - again. Psychiatric profiling, tighter import laws..unfortunately, although the internet is a great thing in many ways, it probably makes purchase of weapons easier. Harsher sentences for those found guilty, please, I'm quite often appalled by court decisions. Especially in Europe which seems to be extremely lenient.

[down south]

the other story holding my attention this week, the arrest of a nurse in Stockport for allegedly killing 5 patients

Stepping Hill is our local hospital here, only a few minutes drive away, somewhere I'm quite familiar with; and it has a very good reputation in general. The awful thing is that the same thing could have happened anywhere; and no way really to be sure of preventing it short of taking extreme measures disruptive to everyday activities, like having all the medical staff watching each other as they've been doing since they found out about it. There are some risks you just can't guard against without making normal life impossible.

Susan

[scottyd]

We live near ro Stepping Hill as well and it always seems much worse when things like that are close to home.
We all take risks every day - otherwise you wouldn't leave home (and probably fall down the stairs).
You can't prevent things like this happening but that doesn't stop us learning lessons.
Why do we tolerate guns at all ??????