Hope some of my readers enjoy this recipe - it once took first place at the fair. Topping, however, my be too sweet for diabetics, so maybe you can adjust that a bit if needed.
Enjoy! And Happy Holidays to your home from ours.
BILL'S CRUNCHY, NUTTY CARAMEL APPLE PIE
Ingredients:
1 pastry crust, deep-dish 9 inch
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 Tsp salt
6 cups thinly sliced apples - I prefer a mix of Golden Delicious & Fuji
1 recipe for crumb topping (below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel topping
Ingredients for crumb topping
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cook rolled oats
1/2 cup butter
Directions for crumb topping:
1. Stir together brown sugar, flour, rolled oats
2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is course crumbs. Set aside
DIRECTIONS:
1. In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt
2. Add apple slices & gently toss until coated
3. Transfer apple mixture to pie shell
4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture
5. Place pie on cookie sheet
6. Cover edges with aluminum foil
7. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 25 minutes. Remove foil, bake for another 25 minutes
8. Remove from oven, sprinkle pie with pecans then drizzle caramel on top
9. Cool on wire rack
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Saturday, November 16, 2019
God Winks...
by Bill Vaughn
Belief in God MUST be taken as a matter of faith, not as a matter of provable fact.
And anyone who cares to open their eyes would find all the evidence needed for faith. Take my own experiences as an example.
As
a homeless person in '91 I needed $5 to buy a suit at Goodwill for an
interview. I certainly did not have $5. Instead, I went to the clothing room at the homeless shelter and got a
pair of clean pants. In the pocket I found a $5 bill - exactly
the amount I needed to buy the suit!
God winked...
My wife was told
by two doctors that her multiple operations rendered her incapable of
having children of her own. When she asked God if I was the right person
for her, she got pregnant that very night (by me, of course).
God winked...
My
Dad, born in 1898 went off to WWI in 1917, leaving his fiance behind
until the war was over. After the war, she was gone, her family had moved away. In 1983 Dad was
visiting my Mother's grave. A woman was across from him, visiting her
husband's grave. She saw the last name on my mother's stone and asked if
my father was related to the man she had been engaged to over 65 years
earlier - it was her! It wasn't possible for such a one in a billion shot to happen, but it did!
God winked ...They finally married in 1985.
I
tried quitting smoking for over 40 years to no avail. One night I prayed
and asked God to help. I have not smoked since (it's been 17 years) [UPDATE - now 24 years],
and I have never suffered any withdrawal symptoms or any cravings!
God winked...
I
can list dozens of such "coincidences". But I do not believe much in
coincidence. Especially the convoluted ones that are so improbable. A coincidence is just God, winking...
Yes,
I know these things do not prove there is a God. But that's the point -
if God can be proved, faith would have no value. And that would make
our "free will" rather pointless - if the existence of God could be proved, we would have no choice but to believe in
Him. And then God would have a difficult time trying to figure out which of us are worthy because we CHOOSE to believe, and not because we had no choice.
Atheists also like to say they do not fear
God because you cannot fear that which does not exist - which is
precisely why they fear God more than believers do. You see, they cannot
prove God does NOT exist any more than believers can prove He does.
Since they cannot prove God does not exist, deep down they know that
there is a possibility that He does. They BELIEVE He does not exist, but
believing it does not make it a fact. Naturally, to any person spending
their life denying God, the possibility He may actually exist scares
the Hell out of them.
I fear God because I may not measure up. The atheist fears God because he doesn't even try.
/
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
The REAL Reason Trump Is Pulling Troops From Syria
It appears that a majority of pundits, military people, the media, Democrats and even some Republicans are up in arms (pardon the pun) about Trump pulling our troops from Syria, leaving our "friends", the Kurds, at the mercy of the Turks and everyone else.
But here is what Trump knows that all those others may not have considered...
Turkey had already begun to set the stage on their border to invade Syria and squash the Kurds. We know this to be true. If our troops remained, the Turkish army would be firing on them since the U.S. forces would be in their way. And if that were to occur, our forces would have a choice - either fire back, or just roll over and die with the Kurds. Neither is a viable option, because Turkey is a NATO ally and under the NATO treaty, we must defend other NATO allies. We CANNOT make war against them unless or until they make war with us.
If faced with the choice of killing Turks or Kurds, we would have no choice - we must, by treaty, side with Turkey, even though they are not our friend. If we were to stay, we would be required to fight on the side of our enemy, and fight against our friend.
Imagine what the media and pundits would say about that!
As much as it pains me that we are abandoning the Kurds, it is the only thing we can do at this point, as Turkey, a NATO "ally", was going to invade whether we were there or not. And the choice was clear - pull out, or go to war with a NATO member, which would virtually undo NATO altogether, as all other NATO countries would be forced, by treaty, to go to war with the U.S. for attacking a NATO member - which is the ultimate dream of Vladimir Putin and Iranian leaders.
So, to those pundits, the media, the generals and the politicians that think Trump had made a huge blunder, I say they need a reality check, and they should extrapolate it out to its logical conclusion. And then either support Trump's decision, or just shut up.
/
But here is what Trump knows that all those others may not have considered...
Turkey had already begun to set the stage on their border to invade Syria and squash the Kurds. We know this to be true. If our troops remained, the Turkish army would be firing on them since the U.S. forces would be in their way. And if that were to occur, our forces would have a choice - either fire back, or just roll over and die with the Kurds. Neither is a viable option, because Turkey is a NATO ally and under the NATO treaty, we must defend other NATO allies. We CANNOT make war against them unless or until they make war with us.
If faced with the choice of killing Turks or Kurds, we would have no choice - we must, by treaty, side with Turkey, even though they are not our friend. If we were to stay, we would be required to fight on the side of our enemy, and fight against our friend.
Imagine what the media and pundits would say about that!
As much as it pains me that we are abandoning the Kurds, it is the only thing we can do at this point, as Turkey, a NATO "ally", was going to invade whether we were there or not. And the choice was clear - pull out, or go to war with a NATO member, which would virtually undo NATO altogether, as all other NATO countries would be forced, by treaty, to go to war with the U.S. for attacking a NATO member - which is the ultimate dream of Vladimir Putin and Iranian leaders.
So, to those pundits, the media, the generals and the politicians that think Trump had made a huge blunder, I say they need a reality check, and they should extrapolate it out to its logical conclusion. And then either support Trump's decision, or just shut up.
/
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Sen. Warren Dishonestly Cherry-Picks the Bible
Sen. Elizabeth Warren invoked Matthew 25 in a speech to Christians, claiming "The Lord calls us to act." But that is neither the narrative of Matthew 25 nor the intent.
Matthew 25 consists of three parables (posted below for reference). The parable of the ten virgins is in reference to entering the Kingdom of Heaven and tells us we cannot be foolish and unwise and then expect the Lord to "open the door" for you afterward.
The second parable is the one of the servants and the talents. God gives each of us what we need, and tasks us with using his gifts to us wisely. Those who do not are punished. This is one of the many chapters in the Bible that speak well of EARNING what you want, and using it responsibly. The Lord gives us responsibility, and those who act accordingly are granted greater responsibility and the rewards include a share in the Master’s joy for their work. It denounces the lazy and irresponsible. He does NOT call for the wise and fruitful to support the lazy and irresponsible - just the less fortunate; those UNABLE by fate to care for themselves.
The third parable is the "sheep and the goats". The sheep are the righteous, being granted the Kingdom of Heaven because they took care of the less fortunate (but NOT the lazy and irresponsible, as shown in the first two parables). They cared for the sick, the hungry, the thirsty etc.
We are tasked to act in His name to be good stewards of His gifts to us. As He said in another story, we should only sow our seeds the Word of God and God's gifts to us) on FERTILE ground, and to not waste it on barren, rocky or thorny ground . The Lord told what he meant by “good” soil - the person who readily listens to the His word (symbolized by the seed) and understands it (Mt. 13:23). Mark describes the good soil as those who “accept” the seed (4:20), while Luke characterizes the fruit-producing soil as those who have an “honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast...” (8:15).
Senator Warren does not know nor understand the Bible, and like so many others, cherry-picks verses for her own personal benefit - which is very much in opposition of what the Lord calls us to do.
Matthew 25:1-13
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4 But the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
15To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
22 [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
25 So out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’
26 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 A stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25 consists of three parables (posted below for reference). The parable of the ten virgins is in reference to entering the Kingdom of Heaven and tells us we cannot be foolish and unwise and then expect the Lord to "open the door" for you afterward.
The second parable is the one of the servants and the talents. God gives each of us what we need, and tasks us with using his gifts to us wisely. Those who do not are punished. This is one of the many chapters in the Bible that speak well of EARNING what you want, and using it responsibly. The Lord gives us responsibility, and those who act accordingly are granted greater responsibility and the rewards include a share in the Master’s joy for their work. It denounces the lazy and irresponsible. He does NOT call for the wise and fruitful to support the lazy and irresponsible - just the less fortunate; those UNABLE by fate to care for themselves.
The third parable is the "sheep and the goats". The sheep are the righteous, being granted the Kingdom of Heaven because they took care of the less fortunate (but NOT the lazy and irresponsible, as shown in the first two parables). They cared for the sick, the hungry, the thirsty etc.
We are tasked to act in His name to be good stewards of His gifts to us. As He said in another story, we should only sow our seeds the Word of God and God's gifts to us) on FERTILE ground, and to not waste it on barren, rocky or thorny ground . The Lord told what he meant by “good” soil - the person who readily listens to the His word (symbolized by the seed) and understands it (Mt. 13:23). Mark describes the good soil as those who “accept” the seed (4:20), while Luke characterizes the fruit-producing soil as those who have an “honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast...” (8:15).
Senator Warren does not know nor understand the Bible, and like so many others, cherry-picks verses for her own personal benefit - which is very much in opposition of what the Lord calls us to do.
Matthew 25:1-13
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
4 But the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
15To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately
16 the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.
17 Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
18 But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
22 [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter;
25 So out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’
26 His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
27 Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
28Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 A stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Monday, August 5, 2019
The REAL Reason the Left Wants "Gun Control"
You have heard all the rhetoric - from both sides - as to why we need more gun controls, or why we do not. What you have NOT heard is the real reason those on the left want more gun control.
To begin, understand that the left has always used the "Overton Window" strategy to get their way. You can think of it as getting to the (moving) goal post incrementally. They want the legalization of drugs, so they start with fighting for something so innocuous as "decriminalization", then moving to "medicinal use", and now to recreational use. With that in mind, make no mistake - "gun controls" are just the first step in their very real quest to do away with our right to own and bear arms. They want to take our guns. Period. And there is plenty of proof if you doubt this.
But the real question is: WHY?
Here's why - the radical left plans on being in control of Congress and the White House again someday. And when that day comes, they intend to put through their radical, socialist agenda. We know this because they tell us that is their goal. Most people are aware of that. But what many may not be aware of is that they play a "long game". They realize that pushing through their socialist agenda, to achieve more - and permanent - power for themselves, it would very likely start a civil war - a SHOOTING war - as millions of Americans will fight to the death to preserve the Constitution and our freedoms. They know that millions of citizens will take arms against ANY government that tries to take away their guns and push through socialism.
And the left knows that the only way they can retain their control, permanently, is to disarm the opponents. Without weapons, We, the People would not be able to stand against the full power of a government that is under the left's control.
They plan a coup. They want complete and permanent control. But they could never achieve it as long as millions of everyday citizens have guns.
Sure, you could say this is a "conspiracy theory". But if you research the things powerful people on the left have actually been saying and doing, it becomes all to clear that this is reality. For example, at a town hall meeting in Keene NH in October 2015, Hillary Clinton said that a mandatory gun buyback program is something “worth looking at,” referring to Australia’s firearms confiscation programs in 1996 and 2003, which collected roughly 700,000 banned semiautomatic rifles and other firearms. And SHE was almost elected president!
Conspiracy theory? Perhaps - but unlikely!
How To Create A Mass Murderer
Although gun ownership is way up, but shooting deaths are down in comparison, there is a lot of angst and the wringing of hands when some unstable person goes on a shooting spree. And in the midst of this, people seem to be at a loss as to what we can do to put a cork in it. And that is what perplexes me - people seem unable to grasp that it is a waste of time trying to to fix the problem by RE-acting instead of by acting.
Before we can figure out what to do, we must first figure out what we have already done that contributes to the instability of some people to the extent that they can commit such insane crimes. Why, after hundreds of years are young people now bouncing off walls - even the suicide rate is escalating?
The first thing we need to understand is that most shootings are not a product of mental illness, though it appears that way. It is actually a result of mental conditioning. More and more young people are being conditioned by our current culture to act with anti-social behaviors. After all, mental illness has always been with us, but has not resulted in so many mass murders in so short a time. No - but what is new is our rapidly changing - and deteriorating - culture.
If I were tasked with creating a culture where people feel so disassociated with others that it would result in a mass shooting, here is what I would do - ask yourself if this hits a chord.
The very first thing I would do is disable the persons' conscience. To do this, I would take God out of his or her life. It makes no difference whether or not there is a God - whether God created us or we created Him does not make a difference in how we do or do not have a moral conscience. In other words, if we do not fear God because we do not believe in a Heaven and Hell, we have much less reason to lead a life of morality.
Then I would take away the old-fashioned idea of taking personal responsibility for our actions; that life choices should be like those in video games, where there is a do-over for any choice - simply end the game and start over. No consequences for making poor choices.
Along that same line, the next thing I would do to insure a good crop of mass murderers would be to get rid of any semblance that there is any sanctity of life; that life, itself, is not all that important. To this end I would promote abortion, ensuring that children grow up with the realization that it is just hunky dory to end a human life as long as it is deemed to be inconvenient. If you make poor choices, it's just time for a do-over. No consequences. This takes the lack of personal responsibility to it's highest level - life and death.
To further the development of a mind that is capable of mass murder, I would invent addictive video games that teach developing minds not only how to kill everything in sight, but to feel excitement, and even joy at doing so - an adrenaline rush. And that is the addictive part of such games. And like any other adrenaline rush, it drives adrenaline junkies to move up to a bigger, better rush. Seeking the ultimate high.
And to make sure unstable minds have no reason to NOT commit murder, I would invent social media, where such individuals can live in a world where there is no need to actually meet face-to-face with other people, or make real, human, personal connections that would otherwise provide the individual with relationships that can ground them to reality. In a recent poll, 22% of millennials say they have NO FRIENDS! So, who in their life is anchoring them? Who is instilling personal connections with others, to provide them with a sense that other people have value?
Finally, I would fill the teaching staff at colleges and universities with professors intent on indoctrinating students with radical ideas, and put the mainstream media into the hands of those who would further promote radicalism, and brainwash people by not offering an unbiased view of their story lines.
Of course, it is even more complicated than this, but these are the things I would do that would insure that susceptible people would be prone to mass violence. And I am absolutely certain that these things do contribute heavily. And that is why we, as a people, need to reconsider the long-range results of changes in our culture and begin working on making changes to those changes.
And just how do we do that? In the home! Families - particularly parents - need to take an active role in reducing the impact of such things. Provide your children with a moral compass through religion. Teach them the importance of taking responsibility for their choices so they will be more likely to use greater care in making those choices. Then work to teach sanctity of life by ending abortions of convenience, and limit them to those that involve a life-threatening issue or incest. And limit your child's dependence on addictive video games, even if non-violent, and severely limit their use of social media. In fact, ban social media for any child under the age of 16 - give them a chance to make real, face-to-face relationships with others. And require your representatives to set up a program that monitors universities and forces them to teach our kids HOW to think, and not WHAT to think. And stop watching/listening/reading media that show a clear bias in their reporting.
Do these things in every family, and mass murders will become the rarity they should be. And if a child's family is unable to do so, for whatever reasons, we need after school programs that help to fill that void.
/
Before we can figure out what to do, we must first figure out what we have already done that contributes to the instability of some people to the extent that they can commit such insane crimes. Why, after hundreds of years are young people now bouncing off walls - even the suicide rate is escalating?
The first thing we need to understand is that most shootings are not a product of mental illness, though it appears that way. It is actually a result of mental conditioning. More and more young people are being conditioned by our current culture to act with anti-social behaviors. After all, mental illness has always been with us, but has not resulted in so many mass murders in so short a time. No - but what is new is our rapidly changing - and deteriorating - culture.
If I were tasked with creating a culture where people feel so disassociated with others that it would result in a mass shooting, here is what I would do - ask yourself if this hits a chord.
The very first thing I would do is disable the persons' conscience. To do this, I would take God out of his or her life. It makes no difference whether or not there is a God - whether God created us or we created Him does not make a difference in how we do or do not have a moral conscience. In other words, if we do not fear God because we do not believe in a Heaven and Hell, we have much less reason to lead a life of morality.
Then I would take away the old-fashioned idea of taking personal responsibility for our actions; that life choices should be like those in video games, where there is a do-over for any choice - simply end the game and start over. No consequences for making poor choices.
Along that same line, the next thing I would do to insure a good crop of mass murderers would be to get rid of any semblance that there is any sanctity of life; that life, itself, is not all that important. To this end I would promote abortion, ensuring that children grow up with the realization that it is just hunky dory to end a human life as long as it is deemed to be inconvenient. If you make poor choices, it's just time for a do-over. No consequences. This takes the lack of personal responsibility to it's highest level - life and death.
To further the development of a mind that is capable of mass murder, I would invent addictive video games that teach developing minds not only how to kill everything in sight, but to feel excitement, and even joy at doing so - an adrenaline rush. And that is the addictive part of such games. And like any other adrenaline rush, it drives adrenaline junkies to move up to a bigger, better rush. Seeking the ultimate high.
And to make sure unstable minds have no reason to NOT commit murder, I would invent social media, where such individuals can live in a world where there is no need to actually meet face-to-face with other people, or make real, human, personal connections that would otherwise provide the individual with relationships that can ground them to reality. In a recent poll, 22% of millennials say they have NO FRIENDS! So, who in their life is anchoring them? Who is instilling personal connections with others, to provide them with a sense that other people have value?
Finally, I would fill the teaching staff at colleges and universities with professors intent on indoctrinating students with radical ideas, and put the mainstream media into the hands of those who would further promote radicalism, and brainwash people by not offering an unbiased view of their story lines.
Of course, it is even more complicated than this, but these are the things I would do that would insure that susceptible people would be prone to mass violence. And I am absolutely certain that these things do contribute heavily. And that is why we, as a people, need to reconsider the long-range results of changes in our culture and begin working on making changes to those changes.
And just how do we do that? In the home! Families - particularly parents - need to take an active role in reducing the impact of such things. Provide your children with a moral compass through religion. Teach them the importance of taking responsibility for their choices so they will be more likely to use greater care in making those choices. Then work to teach sanctity of life by ending abortions of convenience, and limit them to those that involve a life-threatening issue or incest. And limit your child's dependence on addictive video games, even if non-violent, and severely limit their use of social media. In fact, ban social media for any child under the age of 16 - give them a chance to make real, face-to-face relationships with others. And require your representatives to set up a program that monitors universities and forces them to teach our kids HOW to think, and not WHAT to think. And stop watching/listening/reading media that show a clear bias in their reporting.
Do these things in every family, and mass murders will become the rarity they should be. And if a child's family is unable to do so, for whatever reasons, we need after school programs that help to fill that void.
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