2 men shot - confrontation at campground

AKSuperDually wrote:

jimbunting wrote:
So, should we assume that "Alaska State Troopers " is not factual ? I don't think it is scripted, do you ?

Seriously, Alaska has a huge alcohol and drug use problem, that is just amplified by the availability of guns.

Jim B.

Toronto.

Availability of guns? As opposed to ANY other state in OUR country? Or...in relation to your own, very restricted country....?

As far as canadians go....if you don't like the "availability of guns" in Alaska...stay out. I've never had a need to carry a gun for 2-legged defense in my state...but have often felt extremely exposed in your country due to crime rates and "unavailability" of the means to protect myself.

Allow me to quote a member..."if you don't like the unavailability of guns in ...stay out." only I substitute Canada for Alaska.


Oh..wait...that was you that said that, wasn't it.


Gary Haupt

jimbunting wrote:
So, should we assume that "Alaska State Troopers " is not factual ? I don't think it is scripted, do you ?

Seriously, Alaska has a huge alcohol and drug use problem, that is just amplified by the availability of guns.

Jim B.

Toronto.

Availability of guns? As opposed to ANY other state in OUR country? Or...in relation to your own, very restricted country....?

As far as canadians go....if you don't like the "availability of guns" in Alaska...stay out. I've never had a need to carry a gun for 2-legged defense in my state...but have often felt extremely exposed in your country due to crime rates and "unavailability" of the means to protect myself.

rfryer wrote:
I just don’t know what it would take to break the back of the drug culture.

I doubt you could. We still have a lot of alcoholics out there. It's difficult, if not impossible, to control what people do to themselves.

2oldman wrote:

rfryer wrote:
And I think we’re too tolerant of them considering the damage they do to society, so I would make the consequences more severe than they are. Probably naïve in thinking that’s going to happen.

The only problem with making the consequences more severe, is when your own child ( or, in our case, grandchild) gets caught. Do you really want your son or daughter going to jail for felony pot-smoking?

I've even heard some espouse execution for drug users. I'm not saying that's what you're talking about, but making penalties for drugs more severe than murder or rape or armed robbery.. that's crazy.

At least with CO and WA relaxing the pot laws, I feel we're going to be making progress in being a bit more civilized about this, not simply punitive. Punishment hasn't worked too well.

Of course I wouldn’t want to see any young person go to jail on a felony charge for pot. I don’t think pot is harmless but no one really knows what the long term effects are on society in general and I’ll be long gone before there’s enough history to tell. I just tell my kids and grandkids they have a pretty pathetic life if they have to try to escape it by getting stoned. But I’m really talking about the harder drugs.

I agree wholeheartedly about the draconian punishment, but I think most of those comments come from people who are totally frustrated with the inability of society to deal with the problem. I’m thinking more along the lines of social ostrazation, similar to how racists are treated. No one likes be treated as if they’re a slug and worthless to society or possibly losing their career. Though the threat of jail might be an additional motivator.

As said, time will tell. And again I agree, just putting someone in the slammer will only “cure” some, the rest will revert right back to the old habits. So other measures are necessary. I’ve seen enough lives destroyed by drugs to conclude that our laissez faire system simply isn’t working and something else needs done. I just don’t know what it would take to break the back of the drug culture.

rfryer wrote:
And I think we’re too tolerant of them considering the damage they do to society, so I would make the consequences more severe than they are. Probably naïve in thinking that’s going to happen.

The only problem with making the consequences more severe, is when your own child ( or, in our case, grandchild) gets caught. Do you really want your son or daughter going to jail for felony pot-smoking?

I've even heard some espouse execution for drug users. I'm not saying that's what you're talking about, but making penalties for drugs more severe than murder or rape or armed robbery.. that's crazy.

At least with CO and WA relaxing the pot laws, I feel we're going to be making progress in being a bit more civilized about this, not simply punitive. Punishment hasn't worked too well.

2oldman wrote:

rfryer wrote:
. We can't do anything about the males or the ghettos, but we could make life very unpleasant for the "recreational drug users". .

Haven't we already tried that?

My thought is we treat the sellers harshly and that’s entirely justified. But the real core of the problem is the users who can’t through their day without spending part of it in a drug induced haze. And I think we’re too tolerant of them considering the damage they do to society, so I would make the consequences more severe than they are. Probably naïve in thinking that’s going to happen.

rfryer wrote:
. We can't do anything about the males or the ghettos, but we could make life very unpleasant for the "recreational drug users". .

Haven't we already tried that?

PA12DRVR wrote:
Despite my best intentions to stay out of this from now on.....

....take a look at today's Anchorage Daily News article about "Alaska Bush People"....informative and illuminating, or should be.

I read that article and I don’t take “reality” shows seriously. I’ve met many “odd” people wandering around the backwoods of W VA, KY, TN and AZ. But I think the behavior of the people I see on the shows is embellished by the “entertainment” element that’s interjected into it.

I was a teenager in the late 50’s and two friends and I would take off and wander as far back in the mountains on foot as we could get. And we met some interesting people in the process. We didn’t camp; we slept in the car, under trees, and occasionally with people we ran into. The latter were interesting, dirt poor people living in a shack on the side of a ridge and only the barest trace of a road. But they treated us well and fed us breakfast when we moved on. That’s where I developed my taste for biscuits and gravy, too. They wouldn’t take any money so we always left some where they would eventually stumble over it.

We did run across a few winners, the movie “Deliverance” reminded me of some of them. But unlike the movie, we didn’t bring a bow to a gunfight, we were also well armed and both parties went their own way. Only once did things get dicey. We stumbled over a dance with the local boys and girls and the girls were paying too much attention to the new guys on the block. You could cut the tension with a knife and I suggested that unless we wanted a brawl with a dozen of the locals we ought to move on. What’s the term, “discretion is the better part of valor”?:B But the bottom line is I can’t say that the reality shows I’ve seen represent any of the people we ever met except in the vaguest way.

Despite my best intentions to stay out of this from now on.....

....take a look at today's Anchorage Daily News article about "Alaska Bush People"....informative and illuminating, or should be.

Stuff like this happens every day in Atlanta and yet more people move in. Don't think its fair to brand Alaska in any way.