Connecticut school shooting

[caulfield12]

Some kids were shot between 3 and 11 times.

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football...ticle-1.1221800

 

Victor Cruz's cleats pay tribute to Jack Pinto, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shootings.

ATLANTA — Every time Victor Cruz went back to the Giants bench and sat down, his eyes immediately fell to his feet and his hands. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the Georgia Dome — not his teammates, his coaches, the fans or the Falcons — were feeling as much emotional weight as Cruz was feeling at those moments.

 

“Jack Pinto, My Hero” was written on one of his cleats and “R.I.P Jack Pinto” on the other. On the back of his gloves, Cruz wrote “Jack Pinto This one is 4 U.!” Cruz was paying tribute to 6-year-old Jack Pinto, one of the 20 children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Friday. The wide receiver spoke to the family on Saturday night and discovered that Pinto was such a Cruz fan the family is considering burying the child in a Cruz jersey.

 

“There are no words that can describe the type of feeling you get when a kid idolizes you so much that they want to, unfortunately, put him in a casket with your jersey on,” Cruz said. “I can’t even explain it.”

 

The acknowledgement felt strange. The tribute felt good. And then the outcome felt bad. Cruz experienced one of the worst days of his pro career, catching three passes for 15 yards and the Giants lost 34-0 their first regular-season shutout loss since 1996.

 

“I’m pretty down to say the least,” Cruz said after the game. “It’s a game that we needed and it’s a game that we wanted to play well in. Unfortunately we didn’t do that at all. To compound that with the tribute that I paid to Jack today, it’s unfortunate. I’m sad about it. As an athlete, we have to go through it and get over it, and as a person I have to keep plugging and understand that I did something good for a good family.”

 

It was the culmination of an emotional 24-hour period for Cruz, whose personable nature has made him one of the most popular Giants in the last two years. He became aware of Jack Pinto after his Twitter feed started to blow up with talk that the 6-year-old had been one of his biggest fans. He instructed his fiancée/publicist, Elaina Watley, to find the family. It took her 20 minutes. She asked the family members if they wanted to talk to Cruz. They did.

 

“I was in the hotel (in Atlanta) and as I was talking to them I was fighting back tears. You could hear everybody in the background crying as well. It was tough to listen to,” Cruz said.

 

He spoke to Pinto’s 11-year-old brother, who was obviously distraught.

 

“He could barely speak to me. I was just talking to him, telling him to stay strong, to stay positive and I’m going to help the family any way I can,’’ Cruz said.

 

All those emotions came flooding back when Cruz went to write the tribute on his cleats and gloves – something that came to him immediately. “It was emotional,’’ Cruz said of taking out the black Sharpie to write his tribute messages. “I was fighting back tears to do it. It felt good.’’

 

It is not an easy thing for an athlete to perform under such emotional stress.

 

“It’s tough. If anything you try to play for that kid. I’m sure that’s what Victor tried to do. You try to go out and perform,’’ said Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez. “I don’t want to overstate what we do. It is just a football game in the end, but it does give people a nice escape to go out and enjoy themselves and have a little bit of peace.’’

 

As soon as the impact of the tragedy struck on Friday, Cruz did what most parents did. He grabbed hold of his 11-month old daughter, Kennedy, and hugged her close and tight.

 

“That night I put my daughter in the bed with me and we slept together, even though that was a mission within itself,” he said. “We slept together that night and it was a good feeling and it was one that I cherished.”

 

It has not been an easy year for Cruz, who is still grieving the death of his grandmother, Lucy Molina, who died in September. He does his post-touchdown salsa dance to honor her.

 

“It’s been an emotional year for me, leading up to this point,’’ he said. “It’s just a matter of getting through it. I have a good support system at home. They’ve been helping me a lot with it. It’s tough. It’s a part of life. You have to go through ups and downs. It shows what type of person you are, what type of character you have when you proceed to go through it in your daily life. That’s what I’m trying to do.’’

 

It is a message he will try to convey to Jack Pinto’s family when he visits them next week and presents them with the gloves and cleats that he wore in tribute, and tries to help them make sense of something so senseless.

 

.

Edited December 17, 2012 by caulfield12

[southsider2k5]

Seems like the Westboro Baptist Church finally crossed the line. They plan to picket the children's funerals.

 

And now America is pissed.

 

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/l...H2d#thank-you=p

 

Sign this petition to have them legally recognized as a hate group.

 

I'll be honest, I'd be shocked if they didn't do this.

[Balta1701]

Somehow, I have a hard time imagining the Founding Fathers wanting to protect a CHURCH that presents such vitriolic beliefs as their cornerstone.

Yes. They did. This is exactly what free speech is supposed to be.

 

I have no problem with them being forced back places (hell, go protest a political convention and say hi to the "Free Speech Zones" for me). But free speech means that there will be speech no one likes.

[southsider2k5]

Yes. They did. This is exactly what free speech is supposed to be.

 

I have no problem with them being forced back places (hell, go protest a political convention and say hi to the "Free Speech Zones" for me). But free speech means that there will be speech no one likes.

 

We actually agree here. I was actually at a funeral years back where these assholes showed up. Still I believe they have the right to say what they want, as angry as it might make me.

[Reddy]

but isn't hate speech not protected speech? why don't these guys fall under that category?

[StrangeSox]

Hate speech is protected speech. Even speech advocating violence is protected speech as long as it's not a call for immediate, specific violence.

[Reddy]

Hate speech is protected speech. Even speech advocating violence is protected speech as long as it's not a call for immediate, specific violence.

gotcha ok. i forgotted.

[Balta1701]

gotcha ok. i forgotted.

In several European countries, hate speech is not protected speech.

 

They wind up having to deal with the shifting realities, based on politics...of what exactly is hate speech.

[caulfield12]

We actually agree here. I was actually at a funeral years back where these assholes showed up. Still I believe they have the right to say what they want, as angry as it might make me.

 

 

It's one thing to be at a "generic" funeral.

 

But the funeral of a child killed in a fashion and situation like this...?

 

I know the crossing the line and inciting violence or something that will put someone directly into harm's way part of the law...and surely it's something they (WBC) are very careful to avoid, but with things being as touchy as they are, look what happened with Terry Jones burning Korans in Florida. That had real life consequences, although not directly in the area or city where he was located.

[Balta1701]

It's one thing to be at a "generic" funeral.

 

But the funeral of a child killed in a fashion and situation like this...?

 

I know the crossing the line and inciting violence or something that will put someone directly into harm's way part of the law...and surely it's something they (WBC) are very careful to avoid, but with things being as touchy as they are, look what happened with Terry Jones burning Korans in Florida. That had real life consequences, although not directly in the area or city where he was located.

I don't want to live in a society where people are denied the rights to stupid speech.

 

I want to live in a society where those type of people are given their rights to speech...and everyone else is repelled by it if they're dumb enough to use it.

 

I want to live in a society where people are raised better than that. Where people are better people than the WBC.

[caulfield12]

I don't want to live in a society where people are denied the rights to stupid speech.

 

I want to live in a society where those type of people are given their rights to speech...and everyone else is repelled by it if they're dumb enough to use it.

 

I want to live in a society where people are raised better than that. Where people are better people than the WBC.

 

 

I think it's easier to say that if you've never been the victim.

 

Granted, a good percentage of white people nowadays feel they are the victims of reverse racism or discrimination, lol.

 

What I can't imagine is leaving a church on the way to a cemetery and hearing that God in punishing my son/daughter...with the atmosphere being as charged as it is, I just can't imagine them having the courage to actually show up in that CT community all the way from Topeka.

 

We shall see. But the funerals are already starting on Monday.

Edited December 17, 2012 by caulfield12

[southsider2k5]

It's one thing to be at a "generic" funeral.

 

But the funeral of a child killed in a fashion and situation like this...?

 

I know the crossing the line and inciting violence or something that will put someone directly into harm's way part of the law...and surely it's something they (WBC) are very careful to avoid, but with things being as touchy as they are, look what happened with Terry Jones burning Korans in Florida. That had real life consequences, although not directly in the area or city where he was located.

 

It wasn't a generic funeral. It was vicitims of a bank robbery that made the national news, just like most of the events they target. They knew media would be there, which is the whole point. They don't target "generic", they target publicity.

[southsider2k5]

I don't want to live in a society where people are denied the rights to stupid speech.

 

I want to live in a society where those type of people are given their rights to speech...and everyone else is repelled by it if they're dumb enough to use it.

 

I want to live in a society where people are raised better than that. Where people are better people than the WBC.

 

And keep in mind, the type of society that denies you the right to dumb speech, probably is going to deny you the right to respond to dumb speech, unless it is in a governmentally accepted form.

[Balta1701]

I think it's easier to say that if you've never been the victim.

This state would ban me from talking about my religious beliefs (or lack thereof) if they could.

[mr_genius]

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., on "Fox News Sunday," called for a "national commission" looking at "violence and the entertainment culture" -- at video games, at movies, and asking whether they are causing "vulnerable young men, particularly, to be more violent."

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/17...inment-culture/

 

[Steve9347]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/17...inment-culture/

Guns don't kill people! Video games do!

 

 

I guess I could bludgeon someone to death with that.

[Balta1701]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/17...inment-culture/

I'd be more than happy to consider this as well...but the data I've seen on this is inconclusive at best. Here's a 2010 study:

Dr. [Christopher J.] Fergusson and Dr. Stephanie M. Rueda…took a sample of 103 young adults and had them solve a “frustration task.” Separating the participants into four groups, the researches [sic] had one group play no video game, one play a non-violent video game, one play as good guys in a violent game, and one play as bad guys in a violent game.

 

They found that the games had no impact on aggressive behavior whatsoever, and that the group which played no game at all was the most aggressive after the task, whereas the group that played the violent games were the least hostile and depressed.

Now, the caveat on this of course is that this is a single incident...you're not testing the sociological impact of people playing them for years...but at least in that study, the video games werent' an immediate trigger.

 

At best we currently can say we have an anecdotal connection where some shooters also play video games or go to violent movies..but given how widespread "Violent movies and video games" are in our society it's a hard one to look at. The Batman shooter, for example...focused on a fairly violent set of movies, but is the answer to that to ban that kind of violence from movies? Maybe it is, but you have to show me that it would have a decent chance of being effective.

[mr_genius]

I'd be more than happy to consider this as well...but the data I've seen on this is inconclusive at best. Here's a 2010 study:

Now, the caveat on this of course is that this is a single incident...you're not testing the sociological impact of people playing them for years...but at least in that study, the video games werent' an immediate trigger.

 

At best we currently can say we have an anecdotal connection where some shooters also play video games or go to violent movies..but given how widespread "Violent movies and video games" are in our society it's a hard one to look at. The Batman shooter, for example...focused on a fairly violent set of movies, but is the answer to that to ban that kind of violence from movies? Maybe it is, but you have to show me that it would have a decent chance of being effective.

 

Maybe the Joe Liberman commission on violent media will give some more insight.

[bmags]

I'd be more than happy to consider this as well...but the data I've seen on this is inconclusive at best. Here's a 2010 study:

Now, the caveat on this of course is that this is a single incident...you're not testing the sociological impact of people playing them for years...but at least in that study, the video games werent' an immediate trigger.

 

At best we currently can say we have an anecdotal connection where some shooters also play video games or go to violent movies..but given how widespread "Violent movies and video games" are in our society it's a hard one to look at. The Batman shooter, for example...focused on a fairly violent set of movies, but is the answer to that to ban that kind of violence from movies? Maybe it is, but you have to show me that it would have a decent chance of being effective.

 

I'm not interested in this type of regulation. I do think our country needs some introspection on our fetishism of violence. I'm not convinced that large amounts of the country aren't entertained by these incidents, and eat them up like it's reading about a battle.

 

In all of our popular shows, csi, ets, it's a detective chasing after a bad person that murders. We always get to see the bad persons motive. They get humanized, meanwhile a nameless person gets killed in the beginning as the appetizer.

 

But there's a lot in there. There's a lot in our bizarre sense of righteous violence. And there's a lot that American men need to confront in themselves.

[witesoxfan]

Yeah that's aburd. I have played video games all my life - anything from goofy, cartoony, and cheesy to realistic, violent, bloody, gory, and immoral - and I haven't been affected as a sane and functioning citizen of the United States because I can separate reality from fantasy.

 

The biggest message we could send as a loving and caring society is to raise your children properly. Love and care for your children, raise them properly, spend time with them, nurish and nurture them, but also let them grow up, let them be independent, let them scrape their knees and fall in the grass. Without a good foundation, any person tends to lose focus and touch with reality and they can find themselves in a situation like this, or using drugs, or whatever you can imagine.

[Balta1701]

Yeah that's aburd. I have played video games all my life - anything from goofy, cartoony, and cheesy to realistic, violent, bloody, gory, and immoral - and I haven't been affected as a sane and functioning citizen of the United States because I can separate reality from fantasy.

 

The biggest message we could send as a loving and caring society is to raise your children properly. Love and care for your children, raise them properly, spend time with them, nurish and nurture them, but also let them grow up, let them be independent, let them scrape their knees and fall in the grass. Without a good foundation, any person tends to lose focus and touch with reality and they can find themselves in a situation like this, or using drugs, or whatever you can imagine.

Again, you and I are anecdotes. I played an a**load of Goldeneye myself and can't stand guns...but that's an anecdote.

 

Let's just say that, in the hypothetical, you found that banning a certain type of video game and movie decreased these type of attacks by 90%. You and I would still be anecdotes, but the results could be incredibly striking for a certain type of individual with a real chance of carrying out something like this.

 

Now, that data doesn't exist, so I'm just hoping to illustrate the flaw in the anecdotal argument. If there was data saying it would work, I would listen.

[Y2HH]

Again, you and I are anecdotes. I played an a**load of Goldeneye myself and can't stand guns...but that's an anecdote.

 

Let's just say that, in the hypothetical, you found that banning a certain type of video game and movie decreased these type of attacks by 90%. You and I would still be anecdotes, but the results could be incredibly striking for a certain type of individual with a real chance of carrying out something like this.

 

Now, that data doesn't exist, so I'm just hoping to illustrate the flaw in the anecdotal argument. If there was data saying it would work, I would listen.

 

Right. But we are sane.

 

I played Grand Theft Auto, but I never carjacked anyone, killed people with said car, or slapped a b****, either.

[2nd_city_saint787]

 

Wow, I don't wanna jump to conclusions because i still think it's pretty out there but...

 

Peter Lanza (Adams dad) is the Tax Director and Vice President at GE

 

and

 

Robert Holmes (James Holmes dad) is a Crime Scientist for Fico.

 

 

Both were set to testify in the LIBOR scandal.

 

 

This is what my friend from high school brought up and after some research it seems to hold some truth...Like I said I think it's pretty out there, I'm interested in hearing what some of you have to say about this.

 

 

[mr_genius]

Wow, I don't wanna jump to conclusions because i still think it's pretty out there but...

 

Peter Lanza (Adams dad) is the Tax Director and Vice President at GE

 

and

 

Robert Holmes (James Holmes dad) is a Crime Scientist for Fico.

 

 

Both were set to testify in the LIBOR scandal.

 

 

This is what my friend from high school brought up and after some research it seems to hold some truth...Like I said I think it's pretty out there, I'm interested in hearing what some of you have to say about this.

 

i'm not seeing the conspiracy theory. you are going to need to connect the dots for me

[Balta1701]

Wow, I don't wanna jump to conclusions because i still think it's pretty out there but...

 

Peter Lanza (Adams dad) is the Tax Director and Vice President at GE

 

and

 

Robert Holmes (James Holmes dad) is a Crime Scientist for Fico.

 

 

Both were set to testify in the LIBOR scandal.

 

 

This is what my friend from high school brought up and after some research it seems to hold some truth...Like I said I think it's pretty out there, I'm interested in hearing what some of you have to say about this.

Sigh.

A false rumor spreading rapidly on fringe sites like Infowars and assorted Ron Paul messageboards ties the school murders to an existing hoax surrounding the Aurora, Colo. movie theater shooting. After that attack, conspiracy theorists fixated on the accused shooter’s father, Robert Holmes, pointing to media reports that he worked as an anti-fraud scientist for credit scoring company FICO.

 

Somehow, a rumor surfaced online that Holmes was scheduled to testify before the Senate on the Libor banking scandal before the theater shooting. It wasn’t true: no such hearing was ever scheduled to take place, nor is there even an obvious connection between FICO and the Libor scandal, which involved a number of high-profile banks misreporting interest rates on transactions. But imaginative commenters across dozens of sites exploited the phony connection anyway, concocting a theory in which the hearing was set to reveal a massive new fraud scheme before being deliberately derailed. Getting deeper into the weeds, some sites noted that The Dark Knight Rises — the movie playing during the Aurora shooting — featured a plot point revolving around financial fraud.

 

In the case of Newtown, Peter Lanza, the alleged shooter’s father, reportedly also worked in finance as vice president of taxes at GE Financial Services. Within hours, the same online forums were asserting as fact — again, 100 percent without evidence — that he too was supposed to testify before the Senate regarding Libor. Like FICO, GE has no obvious connection to the investigation, which has roped in various other financial institutions. And once again, there is no “witness list” that includes Lanza because there isn’t even a hearing on the issue.

 

“This rumor is 100% false,” a Senate Banking Committee aide, who asked not to be named, told TPM by email. “The Senate Banking Committee does not have any LIBOR hearings currently scheduled, and has never considered either of these men as potential witnesses.”

 

Nonetheless, this fiction is being used to fuel a range of conspiracies, many of which suggest the attacks were somehow coordinated by shadowy elites in government or business to hide financial wrongdoing or confiscate guns. And they’re getting real traction from commenters at liberal, conservative, and fringe sites all over the Internet.