Why are people in Indianapolis going postal.

[jjp8182]

You're correct, although I don't want to know why you know this.

I'm not going to pry either, but I suspect it could be far more benign of a reason that either of us imagine.....

The university where I got my degree had a research reactor and multiple programs/degrees that made use of it..... and engineers & scientist being engineers & scientists (even as students) meant cross-talk between individuals in different programs occurred and lead to some interesting discussions at times.

Was also interesting to learn from some of the night guards that at one point in time the spent rods for the reactor were just left sitting a loading dock bay --- oh how times have changed.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm not going to pry either, but I suspect it could be far more benign of a reason that either of us imagine.....

The university where I got my degree had a research reactor and multiple programs/degrees that made use of it..... and engineers & scientist being engineers & scientists (even as students) meant cross-talk between individuals in different programs occurred and lead to some interesting discussions at times.

Was also interesting to learn from some of the night guards that at one point in time the spent rods for the reactor were just left sitting a loading dock bay --- oh how times have changed.

Sorry, I deleted my post as it seemed unimportant. Your previous post reminded me of a tale I heard of a HS kid who designed a nuclear bomb as a science project and recieved a "C"... the DOD gave him an "A".

Apparently that story was false, but it sounded good when I heard it a few years ago.

 

[gsganzer]

According to a 2009 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average American kid witnesses 200,000 acts of violence from television alone, by the time they turn 18. Statistics from over a decade ago, now add what they see on the internet and video games and you'll understand why we're at this point. The amount of households that have guns has gone down, but our children's choice to solve their problems with violence has increased. The causal relationship between viewing violence and acting upon it is more settled than climate change science.

Gun control is a hollow promise, if you want to address (gun) violence, I suggest that what our kids are exposed to be the first place to start.

 

[Dftodd]

We have a mental health crisis in this country.
That, coupled with a moral compass omission.
When the morality of a nation is on a sliding scale there is no right or wrong.
There is only my right and your wrong. (Grammar error intentional)
Then, all we're left with is a struggle for power and Big Brother will come and straighten it all for us.
George Orwell: 1984

Way back when, people with chronic issues were institutionalized more frequently. It was also easier for someone to be institutionalized.

I went through high school with a guy who didn't/ wouldn't say boo to anyone.

Guy kept to himself and got along with pretty much everyone.

Received a news paper article from my grandmother a few years after high school. I was living 1500 miles away by that point. She would send me clippings from the local paper about people I went to school with.

This guy that wouldn't say boo and got along with everyone, lost his marbles, stabbed his girlfriend 40 plus times and slit her throat.

Come to find out he had psychiatric issues in high-school. But while living at home, his parents made sure he was taking his meds properly.

After school he was living in a halfway house (assisted living apartment). He was responsible for his own care with moderate supervision. He wasn't taking his meds properly and the psychosis took over.

He will spend the rest of his life in a psych facility.

Some of these nutters have legit psych issues. Others are doing it for the infamy.

For those wanting to be famous. By not publishing the offenders name and focusing on the victims instead, they are removing the end result/ reward that the nutter was going for.

 

[Dftodd]

12 of my high school friends went right into law enforcement with 2 year degrees and academy...

It tends to be a very close knit group... Been to a few get togethers where I was the only non Leo there and it is when they can speak freely... even a private Face Book post can lead to dismissal

They worry about bringing the job home and more than a few had spouses opt out...

I recommend citizen rise along if offered... between Oakland and neighboring cities and Sheriff it really puts things into prospective.. not sure how many would react being spit on and taunted...

Most say we can do this the hard way or easy way... some take that to heart and heard one say you kill me and my family will be rich and you might as well be dead because your life is over...

Most peoples initial reaction to being spit on is to give the offender a high 5 to the face

I couldn't do a job where I got spit on, on a regular bases.

 

[jjp8182]

Sorry, I deleted my post as it seemed unimportant. Your previous post reminded me of a tale I heard of a HS kid who designed a nuclear bomb as a science project and recieved a "C"... the DOD gave him an "A".

Apparently that story was false, but it sounded good when I heard it a few years ago.

That's actually not too much of a stretch since some very young kids/adults have made working particle accelerators..... and at least one was known to be working toward building a nuclear reactor.

Actually freaked me out a bit when I saw the weight of nuclear material used in the first atomic bombs ...not because of the weight (which has pretty much been forgotten), but because it was on a placard in a national museum (pretty sure it's since been removed).

Of course, that's the other thing ....even if in some hypothetical scenario where all weapons were banned; what is done to the knowledge of how to make them? particularly when that knowledge resides in the heads of individuals? ...and what effect would that have on national security? It's not like all the weapons & weapon systems used by governments just design and manufacture themselves ...well, barring someone creating "Skynet" (or another AI that turns hostile) that is.....

 

[two_bit_score]

And the British colonists who ruled us made every effort they could to ........wait for it........confiscate firearms

Yeah, and that worked out so well!

 

[MossRoad]

The reality is our country was founded on firearms, and even the development of our land after we gained our independece as a new nation was built with firearms as well.

At the end of the day, the United States has really been a violent society as a whole.

I've owned guns pretty much all my life. Never had to shoot at anyone as a civilian in all those years. Go figure.

I was held at shotgun point in a DQ parking lot when I was 16 (1977). It was a strange experience. Nothing I'd wish on anyone else.

 

[MossRoad]

Regulation of Radioactive Materials

Regulation of Radioactive Materials

www.nrc.gov

 

[jjp8182]

Regulation of Radioactive Materials

Regulation of Radioactive Materials

www.nrc.gov

- I must say after all of these links, it's almost tempting to dig in further see what it'd take to lawfully design/prototype a nuclear warhead ...... as I'm pretty sure there's a way given maintaining/developing the nation's nuclear arsenal isn't solely a government endeavor (as is the case with most weapon development/manufacturing efforts) even if it's primarily contracted and funded by the government.

Given Sandia National Labs is currently managed and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is under a similar arrangement with UT-Batelle currently at the helm of operations, and Los Alamos is also under similar arrangement with a third entity (Triad National Security LLC as of 2018) ....it'd rather seem there is a way since if corporations can do it (potentially under contract), then an individual could too (though they may have to create a corporation and file a fair amount of paperwork)

.....suspect it'd take a whole lot of $$$ though (and be a lot more hassle that's it's worth even if it was legally profitable) ...probably says something when a government decides to hire out management of such places.

BTW the reason I knew to look that the management of the national labs was contracted out was that I had a classmate in college get a summer internship at Sandia -- there's more than a little interesting history around the national labs.