CoolWaters

What part of "What other positive ways are there to prevent children from ending up in gangs, on drugs and alcohol, or falling through the cracks?" was unclear to you?

WD...you might be too white for me. JUST JOKING!!!! I have started a new thread that is more characteristic of me...if you're interested.

Here in KC there was a public service ad running for quite a long time. In the ad, many kids of all ages came on and said, "Do you know me? Do you care what happens to me? Do you know my dreams in life?" The ad was advocating mentoring. It may have been a Big Brother/Big Sister ad or some other such organization...but I don't remember right now. But the point of the ad was that mentoring was one of the most successful positive steps in the prevention of inner city problems such as gangs. What other positive ways are there to prevent children from ending up in gangs, on drugs and alcohol, or falling through the cracks?

Other than turning to gangs. Notta, you're not including those who fit the stereotype of oh, let's say 'retard' or any other such stereotype? You know what? I think I may have to agree that you were targeted because you were white. Do you have any clue as to why? Somehow my post before Notta's got split and put into that last post to Notta.

Having no options is the root cause of much inner city criminal activity. But I don't think that people really have no options. I think that people don't know that they have options...and don't know what those options might be. Something I said in an earlier post: Read that 3rd sentence again: "We worked diligently to make the gangs unnecessary by meeting the physical, emotional, economical, and other needs of living life." Many of those caught up in gangs have no clue of how to meet their own needs.

I am wondering... Is US VP Dick Cheney a trained and legally licensed gun toter?

Hopefully you meant to say, "I would say this to anyone who willingly fits into a stereotype.". You've called me the best name yet, cc! Muddy Waters. TYVM! :) I did answer your question. Go back and look. I'll tell you my gang if you'll tell me yours.

I think I know in part what is happening. I went to the screen that told me the last click of the folks on the board. Because I log in as "Anonymous", that screen shows me as a "Guest". Lo and behold, every thread I had visited popped up on that list. And I had visited some very old threads that I know I was the only one reading at the time (at the bottom of the screen it tells you who is on that thread). I think that the counter is counting not every visitor, but every visitor's click. I think that's part of what's happening.

Well, I get this post of yours completely. It's much like part of one of my posts: What do you think I prefer? The violence? Nope. The slum and blight? Nope. The abject poverty? Nope. The people? BINGO!!!! If I had a choice of being in a room full of 'gangbangers' or a room full of women from the Lady's Society, you bet your bippy that I'd much rather be in a room full of 'gangbangers'. Their intents and purposes are plain to see and one knows where one stands with them. The Lady's Society, on the other, will screw your husband behind your back, crap on your kids every chance they get, stick their noses so far up in your behind that they can see the red, call Code Enforcement if you have a clothes line, and other such Soap Opera behavior. Then they'll bring you pie on Thursday and smile in your face. I just don't get you saying, "It's not the words it's the heart of the issue that she is changing." right after you said, "And don't even say words like that to her, oh my."

I don't know how to make the question any clearer.

Well, CK, then why say, "And don't even say words like that to her, oh my." if it's not about the words, but the heart? Priceless.

Words like what? Bidness?

Oh baby, oh baby! I like it when you talk nasty to me! I'm not black. Sawwry to disappoint. You might wanna look up 'merkin' and 'queaf'. There's been lots of fun here at the Cafe with those words. It might help release some tension.

Urban Dictionary

Oh doh ee oh doh, I dunno. All I wanted to do was tell Dot how to live her life. Why is that so bad? I want her to be forced to live where I think she ought to live. Haven't I said that plainly enough? I mean, didn't you get it when I said, "Dot, you MUST STAY where I tell you to stay!"?

Dear Tom Strange, Thank you so much for responding to my personal ad! Your first few emails about walks on the beach, quiet evenings at home, romantic dinners, blah blah blah had me thinking you were just run-of-the-mill. This last email of yours in which you include the Girlfriend Trainer video has got me all worked up! My divorce will be finalized in just a couple of months. Train me baby! Sincerely, She who lives to obey PS I LOVE YOU! Please wait for me!

Usually when people are confused about my posts it is because they are either not fully reading what I have posted or they are taking leaps in logic I did not put in the post.

I thought you were through with me... Wow. Ain't America great?

Ummmmmmmmmmm............... If it's all so much your bidness and all so private and all so 'personal'...why the heck did you post about it all on a very public forum? Did you want responses from only those who would tell you what you wanted to hear? If you don't want opinions of all kinds, don't post in a public forum.

This is the most glaring racial slur, imo. I took this as a racial slur because she cited the MS-13 (well...others on this thread are calling it the M13...but doing my own research I found out it is MS-13) as the problem. Her statements just before this one were: These two statements together makes me think that she is saying that there are groups of MS-13 gang member kids congregating on the corners and the gang signs are being painted. From the link she provided, I learned that MS-13 gang members are primarily El Salvadoran and/or of other Latino heritage. Now this quote adds in the "KAatrina" gangs. Having read thus far of what Dot had said on this thread, and looking back at other threads and posts of Dot's, I assumed she was talking about non-white gangs. Now if she has all along been talking about Canadian or Swiss or German or other 'white' illegals and gangs, then I have assumed incorrectly...concerning this thread only. As I said, there are plenty of other threads and posts I can find where Dot has out-and-out zeroed in on one ethnic group or another (she tends to have more problems with Latino males, though). Earlier someone said that maybe racism isn't just about skin color, but about culture. Going by that, Dot has honed in on the gay/lesbian community, the welfare recipients, and many other culturally different groups. I truly care for Dot. She's been through a whole lot. But so much of what I've seen of her posts here at GSC concerning what she has been going through has been directly proportionate to her level of discomfort with certain groups she takes issue with on a regular basis. My hope in pointing this out is that Dot will look back at her own posts and threads and see if there's anything to what I've said. Because I am quite seriously concerned for her safety. I would hate to find a thread one day about Dot having a shootout with those kids congregating across the street from her...and Dot not winning that battle. :eusa_clap: :eusa_clap:

Ya know, there's not much more anyone can ask of someone else. You've done what you could to live peaceably (I'm assuming from your post). One of the neighbors gets it, the other doesn't. You want to move, then move. You've not described White Flight. You've described having done all with no resolution, leave. Big difference.

No, it should not prevent anybody the opportunity to responsibly purchase a gun for self protection. I didn't say it should. Didn't even intimate it should. Not even a glossed over insinuation, either! :) I simply related a story to exemplify how stupid some people can get with a gun given the right set of circumstances. Just like you gave an example of how a person could be in great need of a gun. I lived in the bush in Alaska long enough to know what good a gun can be. In fact, I think that people who live in areas such as where you live or where I've lived out in the bush are foolish not to have a gun for protection...from wild animals of the mammalian sort...including human beings. Typically people in these situations have a whole lot of respect for life itself and comprehend how to handle themselves around guns...either because they were raised with the knowledge or learned the knowledge in a manner such as you have described. Hunting is another good reason to have a gun. I'm not much for sports hunters, but those who hunt to feed themselves are a pretty impressive group of people, imo. Then there are two types of 'wilderness' people: the ArkieRons of the world and the Crazed Bushmen of the world. If I were to ever read a news story about ArkieRon shooting an intruder, I'd feel that ArkieRon probably did everything else possible first and shot the intruder as a last ditch effort. Why would I feel that way? I've read his posts for a long time and I have never read anything he has said that would make me think he had gone off half-cocked. I also have read how far up in the hills Ron is...and I would know that anybody up there messing around with Ron and his son were deadly serious.

I used to know a person who had a cancel/carry permit (they had been in law enforcement). I thought I knew this person well enough to allow me and my daughter to take a little weekend getaway with this person and their children. After all, what could happen...this person was packing. I didn't know this person smoked pot...a whole helluvalot of pot...and drank nightly to the point of passing out. I also didn't know this person had a vicious mean streak a mile long. These were things this person showed only at home. One night on that trip, I found myself and my daughter at her mercy and hurtling down the road at 85 mph while this lunatic went ape over some wrong perpetrated by some ex boyfriend. She was stoned, getting drunk, and PO'd to the max. But she fully believed that she was in total control of herself and her vehicle. Thankfully she had to pee. My daughter and I got out at the station where she stopped to pee...and did not get back in that car. The fool pulled out her gun and started waving it around and screaming that I'd better do what she said or else. The clerk behind the register saw it all, dialed 911, and got me and my daughter and other customers inside and in the storage room after locking the entrance doors. Cops came and took the woman in. Not one shot was fired. I kept thinking, "OMG!!!! This could become a real shootout if anybody else has a gun and decides to take matters into their own hands!" I was far more terrified of a full blown shootout than I was of that woman capping a round at me or my daughter. We could maybe survive being shot. We would not have survived one of the gas pumps blowing.

Polls are anonymous, so nobody need put themselves in danger of my opinions.

I don't have a problem with guns. I have a problem with people thinking that using a gun solves the problem. Big difference.