Narcissist is the word that comes to mind. He wanted his fame and glory at any cost. Too bad that he decided to be a failure at school, and instead looking to be famous by killing people

Agreed. Why is this relevant? He probably had a basketball and some DVDs as well. Does that mean the basketball spoke him? Are the DVDs a sign of film piracy? Perhaps he had a computer. I bet he was a hacker!

Enough already. I'm sure other things have happened in the last 3 days.

Move on and let these people grieve in peace.

Most people have DVDs and computers in their home. The number of people who suit up in black body armor, shoot up a Batman movie and have Batman masks in their homes is, thankfully, diminishingly small. Given the dearth of information regarding the shooter's motives in this case, I can understand why this would make news as a data point.

thank u Astro. I was just going to post the same things to shandril and those who think this is an unimportant reporting. hence, he's already stated that he was the joker. perhaps if he had worn the Batman masks, he would have felt even more powerful, and inflicted even more damage...if you dont think its important, and if u want to move on to other things, then go ahead!!

the University has shut down their web site; it would show that Holmes, was awarded a NIH medical grant to work on special projects, (how much money he received is classified as secret); they have erased all the projects he was working on; however , they make headlines out of a bat-man mask; crazy stuff here.

The more coverage he gets, the higher the chance that another deranged lunatic will do something similar, so that he will get similar attention. Enough of the hysteria and media frenzy around this killer!

HOLY FRIJOLES, Batman! I have a batman mask too! You'd better take me in for batman mask possession.

The mask has nothing to do with the crime. Lots of people have movie/comic things in their homes and aren't psychopaths that run out and kill someone. If this person was a Star Wars fan, are we going to then go out and condemn all the Star Wars lightsaber toys, costumes, etc?

Batman had NOTHING to do with this. Getting tired of the media trying to blame a movie/comic for the actions of a psycho.

Why don't they investigate all the normal people that actually have modeled themselves after the 'good' in these movies. Oh that wouldn't be a story.

"Too bad that he decided to be a failure at school, and instead looking to be famous by killing people" How do you determine failure in school? He was 24 and in a PH.D Program, hardly a failure at school.

"perhaps if he had worn the Batman masks, he would have felt even more powerful, and inflicted even more damage."

Pleeaasssse Batman would not have shot up a movie theater full of people.

I see the writer gave their readers too much credit. They mention the batman mask because it is relevant to his plans and motives. He had perhaps intended to dress like batman while shooting so that people would first think it was an act or role play.

Keep up people.

He has that "punch me here!" look on his face. I don't want to see that guys face anymore, how about posting some photos of the victims. Lets remember them and forget about this piece of garbage.

The court has to realize that they are dealing with a very very intelligent man who may have set things up just to use an insanity plea. Everything he did appears to have been planned out. If he expected to live through his rampage why wouldn't he have planned out his plea.

He is not insane but possessed. Burn him alive at the stake in the movie theater parking lot. Free admission.

Because the act of planning goes against the insanity plea. Like the mention of the batman mask, all the evidence found in his apartment shows that he planned every detail, showing he was thinking this through. He may be emotionally disturbed, but I don't think he will qualify for an insanity plea.

Now that they have different pictures of him since his arrest, how about taking down this picture of him with the smirk on his face?

he looks remorseful (not!) - fu&^%$ng loser scumbag. Give me and a few others 30-minutes with this low life (no weapons necessary) and he'll wish he was killed by police. Opening fire on a theater filled with young people and some young kids- aside from Sandusky and his enabler, Joe Paterno, people like this do not deserve the same air the rest of us breathe...

Sorry, but I don't see the problem. I say shoot the bastard. One shot at a time and no vital organs for the first ten shots.

thank you TFNJ...I have been thinking the same thing but was hoping someone had sense enough to understand why it was mentioned before I got to the end of the thread and posted it myself.

this crap bag is already playing to the camera! sitting in court with a who me expression on his face. rolling his eyes like hes in another world. i hope the day is in the near future when he rolls his eyes back for good!

Perhaps we should pass a law that requires all citizens to carry a gun! If everyone is armed then we will not have these type murders, right? After all, guns don't kill, people kill, right? What IGNORANCE and NONSENSE!!!

There is a saying out there that goes why is my digital life so much better than my real one and this man decided to make his fantasy life his real one and be a (excuse my french) dickless wonder and use a gun rather than words to get the fame that he so richly desired, but I think the community is right not use his name in polite conversation. But in a way that is also giving him fame that he wants because now he is being put on par with the character from the Hsrry Potter movie series of voldemort and that should not happen you should find a way to make sure you remember what happen and forget the person who did the thing. Go as far as teach your children that if they want to make a ripple in the world and be noticed that they should use their words to get the point across and not guns or violence. Abd I think they should personally let the victims families and victims themselves have some alone time with him without any cameras and witness save some time and money as well.

I've never seen a defendent brought to court in such poor condition. He looked as if he was going to do a face plant at any moment.

I think we should give every person a gun. But charge $1,000 per bullet.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!!!! This little F@%king twit should be tortured by every victim that wants to do so... then we should drowned his ASS to HELL by water boarding him. This country needs to grab some ball and revert back to the good old days so people are scared to do this SH$T!!!

No more stick a needle in his arm then he feels tired and goes to sleep forever... who would NOT want to go out that way, to easy. torture then a hanging or the chair sound good to me for any violent Law breaker.

The citizens in this country are not scared of the government they the government is scared of us!!! WHY?

I see the writer gave their readers too much credit. They mention the batman mask because it is relevant to his plans and motives. He had perhaps intended to dress like batman while shooting so that people would first think it was an act or role play.

Thank you TFNJ, from the second response down I was waiting for someone to intelligently answer as to why a Batman mask was actually important. The article actually spelled it out for us:

Oates said it could take months to determine a motive and police are working with FBI behavioral analysts.

While the facts and evidence against Holmes are mounting, what investigators are seemingly struggling with is motive. Why did he do what he did? Was his motive related to the Batman franchise or was it a coincidence and he just chose the most packed showing that would present the largest set of targets. Why did he dye his hair red and wear the amount of body armor? Once again, was it because he chose that movie specifically or was he trying to blend in and get a jump on the crowd. Investigators are plotting all of these data points on the grid and trying to see where dots are connected. No one to my knowledge has made a connection that the franchise's violent themes spurred these actions. So yes, a batman mask puts another data point on the grid and another clue to understanding exactly what happened.

It is unfortunate (and not the responsibility of film makers) that some people have a hard time telling reality from fantasy and in turn idolize something they don't fully understand. Not saying that happened here, yet, but when it has been recorded that he supposedly said, "I'm the Joker" it seems he is either completely delusional or playing the system for an insanity plea. He had enough knowledge and foresight to booby trap his apartment, I don't doubt that he thought this far and considered his moves carefully. Sort of like the movie Fracture where he has a game plan for how he is going to try to manipulate the system. All I can say is that if any of that is true, this is a good time for reality to show that life is not like Hollywood.

I just saw a portion of the footage of him sitting in the courtroom. My gut tells me he's faking his lethargy...... total disengagement...... as meticulous as he was planning his killing spree and placing his explosives, he's probably got that part all planned out too.... he's going to try to plead insanity.

This is one case I would never be able to work as his defense lawyer.

In front of a judge? WHY? Tax payers will have to pay for this scumbag to sit in jail the rest of his life!!!!! An eye for an eye!!!!!!!!! BANG he's dead! Firing squad is to good for him!

Why the death penalty? It is over too quickly for the offender to suffer too much, Why not life without parole in the worst prison that this country has? Riker's Island, or maybe re-open Alcatraz just for people like this nut--job? Colorado has Supermax, but it's a cakewalk compared to a number of other big prisons in the US. How about the Detroit City Jail or maybe Joliet? How about Guantanamo Bay, which is a pretty long and unlikely swim from here?

There has to be somewhere that we can put this creep where he will suffer far more for far longer than he would if we kill him?

April 3, 2009 -- In Binghamton, New York, Jiverly, 41, Wong kills 13 people and injures four during a shooting at an immigrant community center. He then kills himself.

March 10, 2009 -- In Alabama, 28-year-old Michael McLendon of Kinston kills 10 and himself. The dead include his mother, grandparents, aunt and uncle.

April 16, 2007 -- On the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, 23-year-old student Seung-Hui Cho goes on a shooting spree, killing 32 people in two locations and wounds an undetermined number of others. He then commits suicide.

April 20, 1999 -- Two students, Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18, carrying guns and bombs, open fire inside Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They kill 13 and wound 23 others before killing themselves.

October 16, 1991 -- In Killeen, Texas, 35-year-old George Hennard crashes his pickup through the wall of a Luby's Cafeteria. Hennard shoots and kills 23 people before committing suicide.

July 18, 1984 -- In San Ysidro, California, 41-year-old James Huberty shoots and kills 21 adults and children at a local McDonald's. A police sharpshooter kills Huberty an hour after the rampage begins.

September 25, 1982 -- In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 40-year-old prison guard George Banks kills 13 people, including five of his children. His death sentence is overturned in 2010.

August 1, 1966 -- At the University of Texas in Austin, Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, kills 16 and wounds at least 30 from a university tower. Police officers shoot and kill Whitman in the tower. Whitman also killed his mother and wife earlier in the day.

September 5, 1949 -- In Camden, New Jersey, 28-year-old Howard Unruh, a veteran of World War II, shoots and kills 13 of his neighbors. He is found insane and is committed to a state mental institution.

Gunman turns movie into surreal horror: 'This is real'

Limping, wounded, bloodied: Victim accounts detailed

This awful act may have nothing to do with owning a gun.

Look into the pupils of the Mass Murderer's eyes---he is a drug addict. A crazy one, with extreme Mental Illness, much like Charles Manson, and the rest who have committed Mass Murders.

My condolences to all the family's who had to endure this subhuman's fantasy in a Movie Theater.

This should never happen again. He left more than 12 dead, 50-70 injured, he also left an entire country who will be terrified to enter a dark movie theater, or any other public place. We are all victims of one solitary person. He was a lone Domestic Terrorist.

They must issue the Death Penalty, and this time do it quickly. Timothy McVeigh asked for his death quickly, and got it. The Taxpayers cannot pay for his respite in jail on Death Row for over 20 years. This has to happen right after the trial..

Despite the sanity assertions of other posters, this idiot is indeed insane. Who in their right mind would meticulously plan such a horrendous act and then wait patiently for the police to come and get him, all for apparently no good reason.
Not all insane people go around mumbling and drooling.

I recall the assassination of President McKinley where the assassin was judged by doctors to be insane, just before they hung him. Yes, this evil moron is certainly insane, but that of itself shouldn't be a reason for him to avoid the death penalty. The only problem I can see is that he'll most likely sit on death row for decades before sentence is carried out, and in the ensuing years there always remains the possibility some bleeding hearts may get the death penalty abolished.

Justice would be better served for him to be found guilty and sentence carried out by year's end.

Yes...shoot him, burn him, bludgeon him to death. Do all they things that a violent society would do...lead by example. Ban guns, high capacity magazines, violent movies, violent video games, busing, the internet, living single, living off your meds,...in the end, you have to dance with the one that brought you, and we are hell and gone down this road. Who will pay for the unemployed when all is banned?

This activity is now a part of the world and a part of America, it always has been with us but with increased population and increased urbanization it is becoming more common to be able to inflict mass casualties.

There is no simple answer - nor any answer that we can impliment which will prevent this kind of thing from happening.

We all simply need to become more aware and live our lives in joy and fullness and reject fear - which is the mind killer.

What drives an intelligent person to commit such a crime. To take innocent lives and harm so many more. You cant blame it on his up bringing/or can you. I would not think so. He seem to have a good life. One that allowed him to succeed enough to be given great strides in pursuing his education. I feel he was afraid of failing. Afraid that his parents would not be proud of him and his accomplishments.

I must say that people like this should be punished with strong/harsh actions. Hanging would do justice for the lives he has taken or those he has hurt. We have a justice system that allows people to do such a crime and live in a prison that has all kinds of amenities like one of the most expensive Resorts out there. The are handed everything free. If a person commits a crime by taking a life. They should have to give their own life in return.

My Constitutional Rights

Wow, what a moronic post. Why on earth do you think that the citizens of this country should be afraid of their government? Have you ever READ the Constitution? Seen a copy of it?? Its clear you don't believe what it contains.

TFNJ and others, just because something is important to this case and to understanding the motives of this individual does not mean that it is newsworthy at this point in time. The general public gains nothing by knowing that there was a Batman mask in his home. To keep the story alive and keep eyes on their websites, media outlets have to say something new. Today, there is no context to understand the meaning or importance of this "find" and there probably won't be for months, if ever. The headline is just a bit of sensationalistic journalism to drag everyone back into the story.

Awaiting the usual comments from "experts" like "Dr." Phil and the ex-lawyer Jack Thompson to say violence in video games are responsible.

This guy has singularily exacerbated the "ginger bashing" which had hopefully abated but still does continue with crazies picking on red headed kids.

Watching the video of his appearance at the hearing resonates of someone who is not aware of their surroundings or actions. He has that "what the **** have I done" look about him.

let the feds take him . put him in gitmo no air conditioning basic rations all thecamel jockeys he wont be able to understand. killing him is to quick. prison here is too soft. put him in a cell with my exwife for six weeks give him a rope and he will end it on his own!

"Move on and let these people grieve in peace."

Mj, it won't happen. Not as long as the MSM is told to keep the people focused on this. Something always happens like this, whenever big news hits the air about the banks being caught shafting the people. Does Barclay's come to mind? Funny how that fell off of the front page of the news as soon as these shootings happened. As though the MSM can't cover both at the same time, why is that?

old Timer:

We do not have any bad prison in this country.. every prison here is better then the worst hotel you ever stayed in!!! they get radio they get TV they get to work out... Prison should be like hell or purgatory! u sit in a four foot by four foot room all day with low oxygen levels and stare at a wall all day every day thats it!!!!

or we should conduct experiments on all violent act prisoners and figure out a cure for some of this @!$%# as in cancer, aids, anything and everything... scare people to not want to go to prison dont invite them in!

The bad news is that he wont die for at least another 20 years responsibility free, all the while real people struggle just to make ends meet.

May GOD NOT HAVE MERCY on your sorry ass. Enjoy HELL, u SICK SOB.

error

The Batman mask is actually very relevant and newsworthy because at this point we don’t know if the shooter was obsessed with Batman and always planned on shooting up the Batman premier or if he just wanted to cause a massacre and decided that a movie theater was as good a place as any and Batman just happed to be playing.

The mask they found in his home at least shows that he was aware of the franchise and lends credence to the possibility that he chose the Batman premier for a reason rather than by chance.

I have never really understood insanity pleas. It seems pretty obvious that this whack job is insane. Normal (sane) people do not go out and meticulously plan out a shooting rampage and then carry out their plan.

The fact they found a Bat Man mask in his apt is mute,,He killed 12 ppl an wounded countless others..I dont care if they found a wonder woman chasity belt or a halloween mask of Obama or Ronald Reagan..He killed innocent ppl Period,,Only liberal attorneys who want the publicity that comes with a trail like this is gonna pursue arguments that have 100% NO FACTOR IN THE KILLINGS..I actually hope they DONT seek the death penilty I want him to sit in prison for the next 50 years staring at the bars an Big Buff Horny inmates that want to make him their B%$ch...Fresh Meat Boyz!!!! Have at it

I can't believe this guy actually has a lawyer that wants to represent him. Go figure. Anyway. I read that we are presuming him guilty as many did with Casey Anthony. Just because a judge and jury says you are innocent does not actually mean you did not commit the crime. Unfortunatly ther are a whole lot of politics and corruption invoved when it comes to the justice system. In other words. There may be some other reasons why she was found innocent. That is between them and God, who really knows all truth.

I understand to a point people getting irritated with the media bringing up things like the Batman mask in his home. But at the same time it may help to prove that he did in fact plan this whole thing out. I'm not saying that the mask its self is going to burst into song and tell us ecactly why he did what he did. But the mask in combination with other things that may show up in his place may show the motive and prove that he wasn't just a gun fanatic that lost his freakin mind one day. It can show that he was exactly where he intended to be, when he intended to be and that he did exactly what he planned to do. The only arguement I can comeup with for the "big deal" being made from the mask is that it is sure to cause an uproar amonst ignorant people that make believe villians create real villians, when fact of the matter, if someone wants to be a killer, few things will stop them. Taking inspiration from a comic book just gives them more flare than they have the imagination for.

Olivia and Johnathan, thank you.

JoeMike404, then under your reasoning you gain nothing from reading this article at all, or even knowing what this case involves. The fact that he is in court is none of my business either, and my knowing that does not change any outcome. But I am notified of that because it helps me try to understand what happened here. So, the mask also helps me by painting a mental picture of what he may have been planning. Its just information for those that are curious to know. If you don't want the info thats fine.

Hope that helps you understand how other people can take information and analyse it.

This guy (coward) should have "offed" himself at the time of the crime like many do in crimes like this to spare the families of the victims a lengthy trial and subsequent appeals. He should be immediately put to death in a slow and agonizing manner, but maybe life in solitary confinement with an occasional hour or so to be constantly gang raped by the regular prison population would be the most "humane" fate for him.

Clearly, you don't understand how mental disorders work.

Johnathan, also at play here is what he was studying. Its ironic that he majored in Neuroscience. Maybe he felt he suffered from one of the conditions he studied and feels this isn't his fault?

joemike:

I take it you do not read well? I probably know our constitution better then you know how many fingers are on your right hand!!!

What i am say is that ,no one in this country is scared of our judicial system or the consequences of their acts because they are not that bad.

our prisons are a Cake walk compared to most counties we are just hosting summer camp for all this scum and they do not have to worry about one aspect of there real life while you and I (assuming you are a tax payer) have to pay for this scum in our prisons for there little summer outing

HHHHHHHMMmmmmmmmm!!!!?????????????????????????????????????

@carolanne-2700965 - I think you missed the point of my post...This type of event is not new to us. The good thing is that it has not happened frequently. The argument surrounding the types of games we play, the shows we watch, even the music we listen to really doesn't hold a lot of water. We are talking about disturbed INDIVIDUALS. Period. You cannot hold the NRA accountable simply because they are defending their right to bear arms. That's a bit short sighted. However, we can call for our state and federal agencies to crackdown and enforce the current gun laws. Pushing for additional laws is not the answer. What is truly sad about this whole situation is that if the EMER EXIT doors were simply alarmed, this may have been avoided.

Mat11, it's not what you or I think of as insane. Its what the legal definition of insane is as it applies to crimes. If they can show that he planned this out, then that goes against how a crazy person would behave. He knew what he was doing when he planned it.

I don't think he will succeed in the insanity defence, though I'm sure they will try.

To Vivian: Casey Anthony was not found "Innocent" she was found "not guilty." There is a difference. If they could of brought other charges against her she may of (crystal ball) been found guilty of those. But for the crime she was charge with they found her not guilty. This however doesn't mean she is innocent. She was found in a court of law, by a jury of her peers, not guilty of the crime of which convicted.

Let's hope this will not happen in this case. I do not think even a change in venue will help him. This is appalling and disgusting and I pray we never desensitize of this behavior.

I was wondering if anyone would bother answering Vivian... lol

Crazy or not, he is a danger to society and deserves the death penalty.

When Holmes was arrested early Friday, he told police he was the Joker.

Given that statement, the fact that the M.O. of the theater massacer mirrors the M.O. of the Heath Ledger version of the Joker, and the fact that he dyed his hair in a clownish orange color (even though the Joker's hair is GREEN and not orange) I would say that this individual is obsessed with the Joker. The murder, his capture, his (predictable) future attempt at an insanity plea, and his (most likely) escape attempt(s) are all part of some kind of fantasy fulfillment. He wants to be the Joker in real life. He desires fantasy to become reality.

If allowed to this individual would escalate his game. He is very intelligent and has probably already planned means and ways of trying to make this fantasy become a reality. The only difference his he has no organized crime connections, and if he escapes he will have no one to hide him and no connections to help him get back on his feet.

I say give the families a firearm and each one of the family gets to put a round on this guy...but not anywhere vital so that he can feel the bullet of everyone that he has hurt! This guy is a waste of oxygen and keeping him alive for any longer than a day is an insult to the lives that he took that were innocent!!! Some dirtbag lawyer will try the insanity plea and he sits in jail forever on our dime!! What a dirtbag.

lethal injection, electric chair, public hanging or firing squad. Pick one!

Just by looking at this guy, I would say there is no way he could plead insanity!

Where is Wayne LaPierre when you need him?

What is any different about you sideline executioners than the real ones? Same anger, hate and fear and solutions to your issues.....fools. Any rational person, looking at this with love will have to say that, as in Loughner's case, this man is broken. Something really messed him up. Given his field, his grant, his state and his intelligence, rationally, it's worth really looking into what. But go ahead, stick with your fear-driven low resonance responses, cause that's worked so well in the past......

The public will never know the reasons why and how this person decided to create mass murder. Obviously, it is about his ego. He saw no way out of his life situation and instead of identifying a reasonable, rational solution he methodically & systematically premeditated the heinous acts he carried out. Putting someone like this to death is too easy. He obviously had full control of his intellect when planning and carrying out his actions. The fact that he received legal counsel so quickly indicates he was fully aware of the consequences of his actions. Now he must face himself his deeds. An insane person would not have knowledge of the consequences of his actions as those who are mentally ill act on delusion and hallucination. Holmes reacted to something and it may very well have been some type of revenge since he acted with purpose and intent that was very well calculated. Yes, death would be an easy way out for him. He should have to spend every day of the rest of his life facing himself and survivors of his victims. The only situation where he would be declared incompetent to stand trial is if he completely shut down and became unresponsive which would be a normal response for a sane personality with an undiseased thought process to behave after realizing the magnitude of what he had done.

My Constitutional Rights said:

We do not have any bad prison in this country.. every prison here is better then the worst hotel you ever stayed in!!!

I don't think you can make that kind of rationalization of EVERY prison in the US because not every one is the same and some (particularly private, for-profit prisons) are horrible. I've been in one, so I speak from personal experience. I doubt you have, so unless you HAVE seen 'every one' you can't make that generalization.

they get radio they get TV they get to work out... Prison should be like hell or purgatory! u sit in a four foot by four foot room all day with low oxygen levels and stare at a wall all day every day thats it!!!!

And those constitutional rights of which you speak in your moniker say no person shall be subject to cruel and/or unusual punishment. What you describe above would be classified as 'cruel and Unusual' as well as being a violation of those 'inalienable human rights' that our Founding Fathers believe EVERYONE has.

Katie from Winchendon,

"Clearly, you don't understand how mental disorders work".

Not many people do. In fact, I'd venture to say that *no one* understands them completely.

My opinion is that mental disorders are a slippery slope where our judicial system is concerned. Given that someone who kills mercilessly--and without provocation--is probably clinically insane, where do we set the boundaries as to what is "punishable" and what is "treatable"?

It's very, very hard to read about twelve people being shot to death (including a six year-old girl) and maintain a firm hold onto any sympathy for the shooter.

While I believe we need to further our understanding and education of mental illness, a hideous crime has been committed.

It's hard to imagine that "justice is served" by taking criminal proceedings off the table for that old chestnut, "reason of insanity".

Our deepest sympathies should be for the victims first. And justice (which includes a fair trial in a criminal court) is how they receive some small compensation for their indescribable loss.

I agree to a point but there is no justification for what this man done, he deserves to be executed and because there is no doubt he is guilty it should happen immediatly. This is not the same person that was videoed at other times, something tragic happened to him. If it is possible to get him to say what drove him to do such a horrible thing, and make peace with himself and the victims, and maybe be able to help another with the same problem before he is executed that would be great, but if not then let him take it with him to the grave. The victims I can assure do not care why he did it. Those whom he murderer do not care why he did it and for that matter neither do I. We need to go back to a life for a life, there can be no justification for murder, these people need to be executed, my beliefs are so strong on this that if it were my on son I would expect no less for him. I would love him even unto death, but no one has the right to take anothers life unless it is to protect yourself or love ones or even a stranger or in war. Those in prison now for murder should be executed. There is no such thing as extenuating circumstances in my biik. Period.

I'm going to put on my tin foil hat here for a minute but anyone else find it strange that someone living alone in an apartment in Colorado where the cost of rent is very high could afford those expensive weapons gas canisters and full tactical BODY ARMOR while working at McDonald's?? It is also ironic that this incident comes right before the Obama administrations announcement of a secrete gun control treaty with the UN (that will go over like a lead brick with the American public)... I suppose he could have just maxed out multiple credit cards to purchase these but does make you wonder

Since people like this are looking for fame, the best thing to do (as if the press would ever agree) is now that he is in court to not post his picture, talk about him and in the end make him as truly insignificant is he really is. By all the attention the press is doing exactly what he wants, his five minutes of fame, no matter how heinous his crime.

Hmmm... I urge all news agencies, all news sources, all news people, and everyone else, to never mention this evil cretin's name again.

He and his name should be shunned. Instead of using his name, it would be okay to use the term gunman or shooter, or coward. That would be like letting the air out of his balloon.

@RedstarRising

hmm you thought wrong..

Ok, I admit when I saw the Batman mask part of the article I too said to myself "what the hell does this really have to do with it?", but reading further you realize it can possibly help establish motive and maybe understand in some small way his thinking.

However, to my first point that fact could've been displayed differently and the explanation of why that was relevant directly following it. I do think it was more hype again from the media rather than straight forward fact reporting and yes please stop trying to find some link between this movie and what happened (same goes with other the other sideline BS stories; Heather Ledger's dad weighs in, who the hell cares?). It does not matter if he wanted to be like a villain from a comic. Plenty of other villains to choose from it just happened to be this fit the need of night time, popular release with lots of people, ect. Could've been another movie had timing been different. So stop it and any of the violence in movies and video game links you are trying to go after. I agree those can give some influence and have greater effects on others but they are not what makes the person do it. That's also why they have rating systems and honestly these are probably borderline R movies just lacking the foul language. Younger kids should probably not attend. In all cases be a parent and for everyone stop shedding personal responsibility. Two important traits or values facing death/dying in our country are common sense and personal responsibility.

As for this case, most of this is a mute point now as to whether he did it. The evidence is clear, just whether or not the defense can claim insanity. Yes he was not in his right mind but was more than lucid enough to know what he was doing and that it was wrong. Eitherway give him a bullet and be done. No extra violence or nothing, finish this trial quickly and get rid of him. This is one time I wish the cops would've been trigger happy and taken him down. It won't change what happens but will send a message to others and will ensure he can't do this again and that we don't have to support him for the rest of his life. It only costs more because the process gets drawn out with all the extra BS, which is a shame and insult to the victims. It is time we end that especially when the case is a clear as this, remove this garbage from society as soon as possible.

• If guns keep us safe, why isn't the US the safest nation on earth??

Long time ago we came to a fork in the road on how we should move forward with the handling of criminals who commit seemingly senseless crimes such as this. One set of peoplr wanted to tudy such people and spend money on finding maybe a cure or at least a set of signals they have in common that would trigger a red flag on their potential for action of this sort. The other opposite set said build more jails lock them up and throw away the key or exterminate them. In light of what we have saw in the past few years and all the misery we have seen it is my opinion we took the wrong path.

To all the people across our country immediatley affected by this and to those of you who have suffered remotely by this horrible scenario my heartfelt prayers go out to you. This was a tradgedy but lets hope that we can begin to deviate a lttle from the way we handle these people and maybe find a way to help them before they hurt another human being. We are all humans and we should act like it.

CoRavensFan

I think we should give every person a gun. But charge $1,000 per bullet.

That would make it very expensive to harvest a deer and therefore not may would be harvested. Knee-jerk statements like that really don't contribute to the debate in a positive way.

If you get your way someday you can thank yourself when you peel dear carcases our of your windshield ever 20 miles or so. They do not have many natural predators anymore so the population will explode even more than it already is. I guess we could breed mountain lions and let them loose to take care of it. Perhaps 10 or so in your neighborhood will do the trick.

I just wish the anti gun crowd would stop overlooking that there are thousands of law abiding citizen gun owners that live in peace with society. But every time there is a tragedy caused by a nut job they attack all of the people who want to hunt and defend their families.

Don't think, just speak and condemn with no objective thinking. Why, and why should anyone agree?

A: The same folks who supplied financial aide to George Zimmerman, will honor their NRA/Confederate allegiance and do likewise for this guy.

B: One or two neurotic sisters of the clan will offer to marry the pathetic chap.

Folks, the Civil Cold War is in full swing and neither Black Obama or Mormon Romney can do anything to stop it.

I don't know how anyone could believe this guy isn't crazy. Only a crazy person would throw his life away by committing a crime like this. It won't matter if he's found sane or insane he will be locked up for the rest of his life. If he were sane he would have tried to get away with it. There is no doubt that he will be locked away and deserves it. But too many people want to call him sane just so they can satisfy their own blood lust it may be that they're just a little insane.

TJFN, Olivia:

Evidence of planning would not neccessarily go against an insanity plea (if he truly is insane)though it would go against someone claiming to have acted "in the heat of the moment."

Insanity (criminal insanity at least) is pretty tough to make a case of. we'll have to see what else comes to light as the case progresses.

TFNJ - Yes you are absolutely correct, I gained nothing from knowing that Holmes had a Batman mask in his house. Neither did you. You gained no insight into this person's character, mental functioning or anything else. There is no context, there is no understanding based on this one piece of information. I think there is tremendous value in us understanding what happened in Aurora. It assists us in processing what happened and making sense of this tragedy to the extent that it possible. All these sorts of stories do is increase speculation by people, most of whom, have absolutely no understanding, nor desire to understand, what this artifact means.

The only thing that could save him, is if he somehow can prove he was going to the police force or has a distant relative in that type of a job, especially in the Central west.---or like Zimmerman---

But this trial should only take a day, if he can not get "special" protection, and then in jail for life, no matter what, he obviously spent too much time studying the psychology part in college--I have seen that before, like some school teachers, somehow they think they then should control the world, and programme the public in a certain way!.

Of course he will fake mental illness, he should be good at since it was his field of study. Let's hope the people prosecuting him will be able to work this fact in and avoid an insanity plea by his defense attorney.

@Charlie-1915998

You cant defeat a fully armed public if you expect to have anyone left to govern. It is like checks and balances which is very important when you have the most powerful military technology in the world and a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the planet.. I for one would want to make sure that there is no way possible for a dictator to gain control

This EVIL parasite wanted imfamy, at the expense of others lives. Even the death penalty is too good for him. But at the very least it is what he deserves.

It takes a true coward to shoot randomly at innocent and unarmed individuals. And all for notoriety.

Too bad in cases like this, there isn't a slow and excruciating type of punishment.

Such sorrow and grief for the victim's loved ones. Condolences to them all....

My Constitutional Rights,

I doubt very much that you know anything about the Constitution as you've made no reference to anything having to do with that revered document. And, yes I am a tax payer.

Just wondering how much time you've spent in prison. You seem know an awful lot about how cushy the accommodations are. One, our prisons are not a cake walk, nor are they summer camp. Two, why do you want our prisons to resemble those of third world countries. We are supposed to be better, morally, than other nations. We certainly claim the high road frequently enough. If that's the case, shouldn't we treat our prisoners better than other countries?

Oh and BTW, I read a couple of your other posts and, for me you have achieved the highly coveted troll status. Congrats!

Jerry said:

We need to go back to a life for a life, there can be no justification for murder, these people need to be executed, my beliefs are so strong on this that if it were my on son I would expect no less for him. I would love him even unto death, but no one has the right to take anothers life unless it is to protect yourself or love ones or even a stranger or in war. Those in prison now for murder should be executed. There is no such thing as extenuating circumstances in my biik. Period.

Some cops earlier this week broke down a guy's apartment door. They didn't announce themselves as cops because police procedure says that if the person inside is considered dangerous announcing themselves as law enforcement would encourage the suspect to start firing or start running, so they do not announce they are LEOs before breaking in. The guy on the other side of the door opened fire thinking he was protecting himself and his property. The cops fired back and killed him. When the dust settled and bullets stopped flying, they found they had not only the wrong man, but the wrong address. (a motorcycle suspected to belong to a local robber was parked in the victim's apartment parking space.) Their explanation? That's the inevitable result from firing at law enforcement, and they were just following procedure.

If there is no justification for murder, then the ones doing the executions should themselves then be executed, right? After all, they are in full possession of their faculties, they knew they were taking a life, and they premeditated it--ordered the lethal injection or strapped the person into a chair and knew what they were doing when they pulled the switch or pushed the plunger on the needle.

JenniGentle, what we need to do is understand what the requirements are for being legally insane. I don't really know, but have heard in the past that any evidence of pre-planning a crime is a strike against being legally insane.

joemike404, I'll say it again. In your view I gained absolutely nothing from even turning my TV on and being informed of this crime. After all, I am in NJ and have no direct involvement. So anything I read on the case is for mere speculation and opinion. Just because you can't see any bearing on the mask does not mean I can't. The article writer couldn't add any more information about the mask, because there isn't any. Only the killer knows why at this point. And some people, like me, find it interesting to enter that killer's mind to see what really happened. So any clue mentioned can come into play. Perhaps the mask had nothing to do with the crime. But.. he said he believed he was the Joker, and he committed the crime at the Batman movie. Are you ready to discount the mask as a clue to his thought process? I'll go further.. If he first purchased the Batman mask intending to dress as batman for the crime, but then changed his mind and went as the Joker, wouldn't that show sanity and clear thinking? It would show he really didn't believe he was the Joker.

So, your statement that I didn't gain anything from knowing about the mask is incorrect. And again, just becasue you fail to gleam information from facts, does not mean everyone else does.

I want to hear what is presented in the a court of law for this person just to determine as per the facts of he is insane w/o knowing right from wrong, insane but knows right from wrong or sane. It will be extremely hard.

There was a comment about Casey Anthony, she was not found innocent, she was found NOT Guilty for the was enough evidence for dought. Does not mean she is not "Guilty".

As far as the Joker, Jack Nicholas told Heath Ledger to be careful about this charater because it is able to consume you.

There are just to many holes of darkness that we can full through and have no way out. Be sure to support all those that you love, listen to them, and if it's not anything that you can help with, be sure to guide them to where they can get the help they need.

Intelligence can be a darkness within itself.

I was freshman at The University of Texas the year that Charles Whitman took a military rifle up to the top of the tower which is the highest point on campus and randomly opened fire on students killing and injuring dozens. Whitman was killed in the process of being apprehened. The autopsy revealed a massive brain tumor. It was also learned that he had complained to health officials of not feeling right prior to the incident and was ignored. The facts remain to be learned with regard to Holmes and while its not surprising for so many to want to hang him right now there may be something to learn from this.

Okay TFNJ - enlighten me, what information did you gain from knowing he had a batman mask? To your point, yes if we knew the sequence of purchases, first batman then the decision to say he was the Joker, then we have some insight into his thinking. Its called context. The mere fact of possessing a mask lacks any context and therefore provides no insight. Thank you for making my point. You seem to be suggesting that because you are able to see a single point you can deduce the lenght and direction of the line. I'm suggesting that you can't.

Of course there is value in us knowing that this event occurred. This knowledge allows us to assess risk and make decisions about whether or not we want to go see the movie. Awareness of the mask allows us to assess nothing and make zero decisions due to lack of any context. Also you can at any time feel free to stop engaging in the incorrect use of reductio ad absurdum.

Lock him up, throw away the key. Execute him, do whatever. What a waste of a human being. He is the worst part humanity has to offer. 12 innocent people dead and 58 injured and scarred forever. Coward, selfish, sick POS.

WhistleBerry ,You cannot be ignorant and think just one minute ahead ,as much as we are hurting,after this massacre,we still need to focus on what happened in this guys mind ,his life etc. in order to study other potential flipping minds .....from genius to insane ,I agree with JERRY 1927474the only intelligent post I read into facts ....please read it again ,that is what our judicial system is working on and we wanted this individual killed without answers......and next one nesting in the same process-and than what have we learned......? One more think I have to point it out is ;The mother said "you guys have the right guy "As of mother myself how can you think of your child being the mass murderer and if he was WHERE were YOU Mother why didn't you take care of him .....especially that he made you proud for 23 years .To me it sounds like a bad mother ,just ask ,ask and never satisfied .Just my thought .....

I know that internet comments are sometimes simply a way for people to vent their emotions. But geeze people, could you just get a grip? The news media are reporting extraneous details because they operate 24/7 and have to have something to say. If stuff wasn't being reported, people would be shouting "cover-up." And could you quit the emotional posturing about wanting him tortured and shot. He will receive legal due process, and there aren't many people who would have it any other way.

As for all the hand wringing about the possibility of an insanity defense. In most jurisdictions, such a defense would require proof that he did not realize what he was doing when he did it. His meticulous preparation and planning will mitigate against such a defense being effective, and will likely prove the element of premeditation which would be required to prosecute a capital case.

But capital punishment itself is a savage act of vengeance. Not in principle any different than the people who want to burn him in the parking lot. No other developed democratic nation on earth does it anymore. And as long as we perpetuate a system where the state can legally kill you, we remain in the company of the blood stained dictatorships of the world, and we are all savages.

Ok, being that you are clearly just arguing all this just to go against my very reasonable point, I'm done with you.

I'm going to shut my computer down because its better to remain stupid than it is to gather information. After all, its worthless isn't it?

I will say this, good luck to you and that thought process. I'm actually rarely wrong, but you wouldn't know that. When you later read that the mask comes into play, think of me.

Good luck

Read lots of interesting posts and here is my 2 cents worth. This could even be some sort of "experiment" he came up with as a result of his studies in neuroscience.

Bottom line, none of it matters. If it is proven he did the shooting, he needs the death penalty. (And not 20 years from now.) Mental state should not be considered.

Clarence, I agree with the capital punishment part of your post. People worry about spending the taxpayer's money, in reality it costs less to keep a felon in prison for life than to try to carry out the death penalty. All the appeals, attorney's fees, etc., add up to much more than just locking him up and throwing away the key. I don't think he should be dragged out to the parking lot and shot, that makes us no better than him. Having said that, I wouldn't mind if he somehow found a way to commit suicide.

@ willowbrook:

So you want to legally kill him whether he knew what he was doing or not. (Which is all that would sustain an insanity defense.) Bloodthirsty aren't you?

Allowing the state to kill people legally is a barbaric idea whose time has passed. (At least for every other democratic nation on earth except the USA.)

willowbrook, Mental State needs to be considered, if insane and NOT understanding right from wrong he needs help for the mental problem. If insand and KNOWING right from wrong, he still needs help for the mental problem and then life in prison. If sane, the court will decide if he should be locked up for life or receive death. Or as some stated, their may be a medical problem, nothing to do with true mental state but interfers with the funtioning of the brain.

Colorado does have the death penalty.

Ok all you LIBERAL DEMOCRATS out there- lets hear your usual bull about the death penalty and how it cost so much with all the appeals (Which should be way fewer) and how it's better to let him ROT (as you say , with cable t.v. and such ) in jail the rest of his life !!! Can't wait , you guys already started the anti-gun rights thing !! HOW ABOUT 25 YEARS MANDATORY FOR ANY CRIME WITH A GUN ?, BUT no the CBC would scream to heaven that it would impact MINORITIES too much but they would switch to knives and clubs overnight !!!! Vote REPUBLICAN for the America we want back !!!

But, But--did anyone actually see a red haired killer do all this, or did he happen to be standing around later, and he looked like a killer and had guns (like thousands in Denver every day), but is that red hair what convicted him?!--Or is the special gun going to be the convict?

You will have a good time with this I am sure, the way Justice works here!

I was leaving for NY 2 hours after Coulumbine, and rumors had it they were going to hihack the planes to NYC, so I was spending a lot of time waiting for them to come to the new airport, and hijack us.

@ Disturbedlibrarian:

I agree. Interesting that for so many many people who can't justify their love of legal killing any other way, they trot out the old pocketbook justification which they feel trumps any moral consideration. They say that as taxpayers, they don't want to pay for his incarceration for life. They simply ignore (and will not bother to look up the fact), that the legal costs of a capital prosecution are greater than simply locking him up and throwing away the key.

People will always resist the bother of searching out the facts and actually thinking about something. That's too much trouble.

A public STONING or HANGING is probably the only way we will get these cowardly bastards to think before they act. All of the bleeding hearts in this country need to get the hell out of the way and let the founder types return sevility to our nation. This puke thinks he is going to be idolized by many of the nut cases our pussified nurturing has created. It is time to make an example out of these animals. This country knew how to take care of this type of criminal 200 years ago. If we have a case of mad cow we put the animal down.Nough Said!

IRESPOND-2315268

Narcissist is the word that comes to mind. He wanted his fame and glory at any cost. Too bad that he decided to be a failure at school, and instead looking to be famous by killing people

_____

You have no idea what you're talking about, and are not qualified to know, so stop pretending you do and are.

It is unfounded armchair pseudo-psychology to assert that he methodically planned the killings, so knew what he was doing, therefore is not insane. Whether a person can plan "methodically," and also know right from wrong, are two separate questions.

It's amazing the number of persons who don't have a clue about law, about psychology and mental illness, or about the adjudication of the question of competency in a court of law, have so much to say that is in fact illiterate's hogwash.

It's the equivalent of George Zimmerman asserting that his killling of Trayvon Martin was "God's plan". I can "read" "God"'s mind at least as well as Zimmerman, and come to the equally plausible conclusion that "God"'s plan was to get Zimmerman off the street and into jail. There is as much sense -- none -- in that scenario as there is in the "knowing" "analysis" of Holmes by armchair illiterates who've never met or spoken with him, while at the same time those who have interviewed him don't know his motive.

There would be a great deal less useless junk online if those who post would keep their speculations within their limitations, instead of asserting that which is essentially meaningless gibberish.

This young man looks totally confused and lost. I don't know if it is an act or reality. However, what changes a man from a 24 year old doctoral student who has never gotten in any kind of trouble in his life and who graduated from college Phi Beta Kappa and is working in a Neuroscience graduate program into a crazed killer who methodically planned and carried out the brutal murder of innocent people, is a question we need answered. I hope if nothing else, Holmes lets the family know why he did such a horrifying and heartless thing.

I do think, though, that there were signs galore something was wrong. Did he do poorly on his exams? Why was he withdrawing and did anybody notice he was buying guns galore? It sounds like he was a loner, so I imagine he would have expressed what was happening only with his family back in California.

This young man looks totally confused and lost. I don't know if it is an act or reality. However, what changes a man from a 24 year old doctoral student who has never gotten in any kind of trouble in his life and who graduated from college Phi Beta Kappa and is working in a Neuroscience graduate program into a crazed killer who methodically planned and carried out the brutal murder of innocent people, is a question we need answered. I hope if nothing else, Holmes lets the family know why he did such a horrifying and heartless thing.

I do think, though, that there were signs galore something was wrong. Did he do poorly on his exams? Why was he withdrawing and did anybody notice he was buying guns galore? It sounds like he was a loner, so I imagine he would have expressed what was happening only with his family back in California.

My Constitutional Rights said:

I am not a computer nerd like your self so I do not know how do the fancy writing

But, I have a long line of involvement of prison activity in my family (on the correct side of the fence)

My uncle is a Warden and has been for Two different prisons both his sons are prison enforcement...

three other of my cousins are also prison enforcement and I have a aunt on opposing side of family is a supervisor of gang relation in a prison!!!

SO please don't tell me what I know!!!!

I'm not trying to tell you what you know, I'm trying to explain what you don't know.

Yours and your family's experiences have (I gather from your posts) largely been with official, government-run prison facilities. I spent a year in one before being transferred to a private prison for two more years on a civil detention retainer--I was never charged or arrested. The year I spent in prison was MUCH to be preferred to the time I spent in the private prison/ deportation camp--food deprivation, sleep deprivation, unsanitary conditions, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and rape were common and rampant, there was little or no oversight and/or accountability.

Your blanket generalization that EVERY prison in the US is better than the worst hotel is incorrect, as I knew from firsthand experience that private prisons are worse than government facilities and yet ARE located in the US, so I was seeking to correct a misconception.

Oh, and in case you're wondering--I was adopted internationally as an infant, never told before Dad and Mom passed away in a car accident, then years later when USCIS found they had lost my adoption paper and came to me with their 'papers, please' request, I had no idea what they were talking about and was placed in deportation despite actually being 'legal'; having a legal SS number and a legally filed BC with my adoptive parents listed on it (that Dad and Mom couldn't have gotten without the judge having seen a legal adoption decree.)

They couldn't deport me because as an abandoned infant prior to my adoption, there was no birth certificate saying who I was or where I'd been born or even how old I am--the legal term is stateless/undocumented--so I was simply told I would remain in indefinite detention until I produced the adoption paper.

and about our constitution... you are talking about something that was written when it was all right to hang a man for steeling a horse?.................... so what you are say is that pretty much everyone in our prisons should be hung.... O but we should not follow that part of the constitution right only the parts the you agree with.

compared to our constitution this would be a unusual crime and is punishable by a hanging or firing line if we are going to quote the days when the constitution was written?

Okay. The Constitution as no penalties listed/punishments listed for specific crimes.

Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings. Ratified 12/15/1791.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Ratified 12/15/1791.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

They did not, anywhere in the actual document of the Constitution, ascribe to any particular crime a particular punishment. There's no such thing in the Constitution as 'unusual crime' such as you describe above. The sole reference to any penalties is his line:

The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Do you have anything else to say?????

A helpful hint.

When you open a reply box to write a reply to this post, you will see above the text field a toolbar.

If you click on the B you will be able to put words in boldface.

if you click on the I you will be able to put words in italics (as I did with the Amendments above.)

if you click on the " you will be able to highlight portions of text as a 'quote' as I did with your question above "Do you have anything else to say?"

And the ABC right next to it will allow you to draw a line through text. This is called a strikethrough.

The button next on the toolbar will allow you to make a bulleted list, the one next to it a numbered list.

The arrow pointing toward your left is an 'undo' button, lets you undo the last action, then the arrow pointing to your right let's you redo the action you just undid.

I haven't needed to use any of the other buttons but for you, you may ant to consider using the last button, the ABC with a check mark under it--it's a spellchecker.

I've never considered a nerd--in fact, at my company, the IT guys hate it when I call because it usually means I broke something. Its the reason why I'm the receptionist/technical writer/research assistant/facilities manager rather than one of the IT team! But in this world today--and particularly on these comment feeds--some degree of computer literacy can help make your comment easier for others to read and comment on.

You're welcome!

Windancersong: Personally, I think he is quite sane, but is going to try to act like he isn't. He knew exactly what he was doing as he methodically planned this whole thing.

--------------------

I was about to post the same thing. This is a very intelligent individual with total disregard for the law and everything else. But he knows exactly how the system works and his act has already started, he is not going to get the death penalty! Next thing we'll hear is he is mentally incompetent to stand trial, and some outcome on his favor by reason of insanity!

@ Sr Right:

And to justify capital punishment you trot out the old argument that it's a deterrent to capital crime. But we in the US have capital punishment, and yet also have among the highest numbers of gun murders on earth (the VERY highest among democratic developed nations). The other countries with the lowest numbers of gun murders do NOT have capital punishment. And yet you say you believe that capital punishment is a deterrent. Most sane people would have to conclude from the evidence that capital punishment in fact ENCOURAGES gun murder.

And then you double down. You think that even MORE executions are what we need. In fact you want public stonings and hangings. I would agree on one point. The creeps like you who favor capital punishment should be required to do it themselves. And the more brutal and bloody the better.

Amanda:

I did not mention anything about it saying anything about nothing in our constitution.... LOL

All I told you is how it was when and after the constitution was written... September 17, 1787

SO AGAIN, What you are saying is that I should have the right to do what ever the constitution says?

But thank you for your heads up on your copy and paste!!! notice no one likes your comment look at the checks on mine.

If you where a prisoner you still should be or in a grave... This human rights bull@!$%# is getting out of control and there is to many people in this country anyway!

Why dont we have guns? 100 poeple in the theater and no one had a concealed weapons permit and self carries? Common Colorado! we need to stop fearing guns and buy them. For every one responsible person who has a gun, five irresponsible people have guns. We need more responisible people to carry. This couldnt/wouldnt happen 1000 years ago when people had swords. The crazy f*** would get cut down with the first person he approached.

Look at the detail of his plan and tell me he doesn't have an insanity plea planned out in the same detail. Our courts will spend a fortune taking care of this murder making sure he lacks for nothing. I'll be his victims laying in hospital beds won't have a cent spent on them. Their care will have to be provided for by their families while this sob will get the best care available. The question came up where he got the money for the guns. He had a research grant, bet he took the money out of that.

LOL @ My Constitutional Rights. The old "my aunts neighbors daughters boyfriends sister says so therefore, I KNOW" story. I'd like to see Mr. Constitution do a couple years in a state prison then get back to us all about what a 'cakewalk' it is.

Sr Right

A public STONING or HANGING is probably the only way we will get these cowardly bastards to think before they act. All of the bleeding hearts in this country need to get the hell out of the way and let the founder types return sevility to our nation. This puke thinks he is going to be idolized by many of the nut cases our pussified nurturing has created. It is time to make an example out of these animals. This country knew how to take care of this type of criminal 200 years ago. If we have a case of mad cow we put the animal down.Nough Said!

_____

Another history- and law-illiterate heard from.

For one, the Founders established due process of law -- "A system of laws, and not of men" (John Adams) -- based upon presumption of innocence. The "mad dogs" you would "off" are exactly like you: "mad dog" know-it-alls who hate democracy and rule of law.

As for your being a "conservative," here's some actual history for you:

John Adams, and the Liberals in the Continental Congress, pushed for a declaration of independence from Britain.

Opposing them were the Conservatives -- until they got what they wanted in exchange for their support:

Preservation of slavery.

That's the "proud" tradition on which you boastfully stand.

Being a bully and a nut -- which is how you come across -- is not a legitimate political position. It is ideological derangement which rejects our system of laws and gov't.

Sr Right:

I agree with you 100% what happen to the good days when everyone worked hard and took some pride in there work...

Get and everyone was to dam busy taking care of there life they did not have time to think of shooting up a darknight movie.

Nick-3980785

Why dont we have guns? 100 poeple in the theater and no one had a concealed weapons permit and self carries? Common Colorado! we need to stop fearing guns and buy them. For every one responsible person who has a gun, five irresponsible people have guns. We need more responisible people to carry. This couldnt/wouldnt happen 1000 years ago when people had swords. The crazy f*** would get cut down with the first person he approached.

_____

Yours is precisely the loud-mouthed righteousness -- and irrationality -- which should disqualify you possessing deadly weapons, especially guns.

Fact: a person who arrived on the shooting scene in AZ, during which Gabby Giffords was shot, had a concealed carry permit and his gun in his pocket, for exactly such situations. As he reached for it, he realized that if the cops arrived while he had the gun in his hand, they would probably have seen him as a second shooter, so shot him and asked questions later. So he didn't pull his gun, so may as well not have had it with him to begin with.

Pay attention to the facts in this instance, idiot: the shooter was dressed in protective armor, so shooting him would likely have had no effect. Instead, those who had guns and pulled them would doubtless end up shooting each other, and unarmed innocents who rank higher on the IQ scale than do you.

The NRA panders with its stupid slogans, and Second Amendment lie, to exactly the sort of irrational/deranged low lifes as you present as being.

Shellie:

If our prisons are so hard core why is there A 70% repeat offender rate out of most of the united states prisons??????

and it is not a brother sister neighbor its a close family members that I talk to every week and would give my life for, but you stupid liberals dont understand that because your to infatuated with your 16 and pregnant shows being on jarry springer and legalizing drugs...

Your ignorant and will not open your eyes to what is actually happening around you... listen to some Michael savage and get some real knowledge!!!!

My Constitutional Rights

Amanda:

I did not mention anything about it saying anything about nothing in our constitution.... LOL

_____

Yet another law-illiterate gun-nut heard from.

The Bill of Rights was framed in the first Congress under the newley-ratified Constitution. That Constitution contained and contains several references to "Militia"; this is one of them:

Art. I. S. 8., C. 15. The Congress (not private law-illiterate gun-nuts) shall have Power To provide for calling forth the Militia to . . . SUPPRESS INSURRECTIONS.

Another is Art. I., S. 8, C. 16, which begins:

The Congress shall have Power To provide for . . . ARMING . . . the Militia . . . .

The framing of the Bill of Rights by the first Congress was done through debate; and the premise of the debate of that which became the Second Amendment was national defense -- and whether to rely for that on a standing army -- which the Framers opposed as being a threat to GOV'T -- or militia. They chose militia because they DID NOT intend that the militia "defend against" gov't/rule of law.

And the first draft of that which would become the Second Amendment read in full -- I include clarifications for illiterates for whom logic is a foreign language:

"The right of the people (PLURAL, as in, "We the people"; it is not, "We the individual," or, "I the people") to keep and bear arms (in well regulated militia) shall not be infringed; a well armed, and well regulated militia (NOT "individual") being the best security of a free country (NOT "individual"): but no person (INDIVIDUAL) religiously scrupulous of (AGAINST) bearing arms (in well regulated militia), shall be compelled (INVOLUNTARY) to render military service (in well regulated militia) in person." -- _Creating the Bill of Rights: The Documentary Record from the First Federal Congress— (Johns Hopkins, 1991), Veit, et al., at 12, 30.

Find someone literate in US English -- you are not -- to read that to you, over and over and over again, until you understand it.

JNagarya:

How about you look at your own facts before you call someone and idiot!!!

Florida's crime rate has went down 74% since they signed the stand your ground act... hhhmmm

Explain that one to us...O wait how much has crime rate went up in Chicago since gun bans o thats right they have went up... for a city that has NO guns at all they sure have a lot of shootings everyday???? and believe me those guns were not bought over the counter at a local gun shop...

Read a little, stop watching liberal news because more times then not a person saves there own and others lives carrying a gun legally!!! The media just does not talk about it because that type of news does not get ratings!!! look some concealed carry stories up on Youtube they even have videos of people saving there own lives!!!

@ Clarence and company. 1.He understood enough to get not only one degree, but was working on his second. 2. He understood how to plan this, taking months to accomplish. 3. He was able to make complicated booby traps for his apartment.

Just because you think he doesn't "understand" what he's done should exempt him from the death penalty? Understanding or not is not a reason to set aside the death penalty. So how much are you willing to waste to make him "understand" so his sentence can be carried out?

BTW, I don't hate this man or pity him. Nor do I believe I am in anyway "bloodthirsty." Rules worked better when limits were set, AND PUNISHMENT WAS CARRIED OUT IN A TIMELY FASHION. We have a country where folks like you are looking for exceptions that makes tragedies like this explainable and justify the killer's behavior. You know what? We don't have to justify his behavior to pass sentence. We do not have to accept it or make up excuses. What he did was wrong and will never be "OK because...." There is no reason to keep him in a cell for potentially 60 years, waiting for him to die, because you are a bleeding heart. No one will ever be able to trust him again. Can you live like that?

Amanda:

Again I know you can copy and paste from the Internet, good job im proud of you, they taught that to me in 5th grade to!!!

I take it you voted for obama and what government to control everything right? So you dont have to work and you can push out kids for a living and stay on well fair checks and food stamps????

My Constitutional Rights said:

Amanda:

I did not mention anything about it saying anything about nothing in our constitution.... LOL

All I told you is how it was when and after the constitution was written... September 17, 1787

And the US as a nation has evolved since then. Added territories, added people, and as the Constitution gives ultimate power to create laws and decide on the penalties to the Judicial Branch, laws and penalties for violations have evolved along with the people. Stealing a horse was a big deal back them because if the family was poor and only had one, and a child fell ill and there was no way to ride for a doctor, it could cause the death of a child. Nowadays, the majority of people don't own horses, so the penalty, along with the law, has evolved.

SO AGAIN, What you are saying is that I should have the right to do what ever the constitution says?

Yes. You do.

But thank you for your heads up on your copy and paste!!!

You're welcome.

Notice no one likes your comment look at the checks on mine.

I post a comment on here because I have something to say, not because I want people to like me for saying it.

My estimation of my own worth, or the worth of my own thoughts, doesn't depend on how many 'likes' I get--that's a somewhat childish, narcissistic viewpoint to take.

If you where a prisoner you still should be or in a grave... This human rights bull@!$%# is getting out of control and there is to many people in this country anyway!

I was civilly detained because the government lost a piece of paper. It took me three years to find it, but once I did they let me go. Are you saying that because the government lost a piece of paper even if I found it for them later they should still continue to hold me? For something that was their mistake?

I'm OUT... there is no way to get through to you ignorant libs!!!

OK...OK...OK I will give! we should give up all our guns legalize pot so we all can just sit on our ass and live off food stamps, listen to hippy music and go to raves! o and we should let everyone out of prison because you can fix everything with hugs and free love and maybe some AIDS... NOT!!!

I cant wait to movie out of this liberal state Commiefornia and get away from the stupidity.

Get up get off your ass and work its good for you! unlike smoking pot like you Idiots think it is!

Charlie-1915998

If guns keep us safe, why isn't the US the safest nation on earth?

Because there are to many stupid crazy people behind some of those triggers. (Where is a Jack Ruby when you need one). Save the courts and taxpayers time and money get a rope and hang this perfectly sane person that thought out this heinous crime.(he's the Joker my foot). So sorry if that Jack ruby thing offends anyone

Lady Cat

Look at the detail of his plan and tell me he doesn't have an insanity plea planned out in the same detail.

_____

That a person can plan "meticulously" is not a proof of sanity. And we don't execute those who don't know right from wrong -- which, again, is an issue separate from being able to plan -- because of a thing called JUSTICE.

Criminal acts are prosecuted by the state, not by the victims of them, because our system of laws in not based upon the sort of blood-lust you urge. And in so doing, the state represents "We the people," not the victims. The purpose is to protect public safety, and deter (where the latter is possible).

Why? Because we are, "A System of laws, and not of men." (John Adams).

What you preach is law of the jungle -- the very thing you simultaneously rail against.

My Constitutional Rights

JNagarya:

How about you look at your own facts before you call someone and idiot!!!

Florida's crime rate has went down 74% since they signed the stand your ground act... hhhmmm

Explain that one to us...O wait how much has crime rate went up in Chicago since gun bans o thats right they have went up... for a city that has NO guns at all they sure have a lot of shootings everyday???? and believe me those guns were not bought over the counter at a local gun shop...

Read a little, stop watching liberal news because more times then not a person saves there own and others lives carrying a gun legally!!! The media just does not talk about it because that type of news does not get ratings!!! look some concealed carry stories up on Youtube they even

_____

You can't even communicate in your own native language; you're functionally illiterate and pull nonsense out of your ass. And then ultimately base your "argument" on slinging the label "liberals" -- nwhich is name-calling, not argument.

Yes, idiot: I have an education in law, and you are not only history- and law-illiterate, but illiterate in your own language. It's no wonder you're a sucker for the FOX sewer.

Why is my type fonts so big? anyone?? Never mind it must have been from pasting charlie's comment

By your God would you please THINK before opening your Pie Hole and spuing out @!$%# you think should be in your perfect little world. Death Row ...should mean just that ! If your caught with blood on your hands and a weapon ....DEATH right then ...not 5 years from now. He should have been exicuted on the spot by police ....but our chicken@!$%# laws forbid that ..what a shame. Gangs thrive , boarders crossed , prison BOSSES run @!$%# from the inside.....BECAUSE we are WEAK to KILL and cut the Cancer from our society.

Amanda-2017567

My Constitutional Rights said:

Amanda:

I did not mention anything about it saying anything about nothing in our constitution.... LOL

All I told you is how it was when and after the constitution was written... September 17, 1787

. . . . the Constitution gives ultimate power to create laws and decide on the penalties to the Judicial Branch, laws. . . .

_____

Constitution: CONGRESS shall make the laws.

The Judical branch merely interprets the laws made by Congress.

All those here who live online, instead of bothering with the effort to learn, should get off line and actually READ the Constitution for the first time in their lives.

And the FOX sewer, not being populated by talking heads educated in law, and not being Congress, is not a legitimate source of factual knowledge about anything, let alone Constitution and laws.

David-2942609

By your God would you please THINK before opening your Pie Hole and spuing out @!$%# you think should be in your perfect little world. Death Row ...should mean just that ! If your caught with blood on your hands and a weapon ....DEATH right then

_____

I think those, such as you, who reject our system of laws should be executed -- no questions asked.

My Constitutional Rights

I'm OUT... there is no way to get through to you ignorant libs!!!

. . . .

Get up get off your ass and work

_____

1. Name-calling is not argument.

2. Get up off your ass and do the work necessary to learn to communicate in your own native language above the level of a retarded three-year-old.

My Constitutional Rights said:

I take it you voted for obama and what government to control everything right? So you dont have to work and you can push out kids for a living and stay on well fair checks and food stamps????

I did not vote, no. I will not, therefore, condemn those who did. If I did not have a say in who got elected I do not have a right to complain about who did get elected.

In case you missed it in my post above, I do work. On paper, I am the receptionist and get paid equal to one. In reality, I also write company manuals, grants and proposals, company award nominations, and assist my boss with research for the books he writes. I'm also the research specialist, HR assistant, trademarks and patents supervisor, biometrics technician (I take fingerprints for applicants)and facilities manager--which basically means I empty the trash and scrub toilets and do dishes. We can't afford a car so I take bus or bicycle to work; I leave for work at 7 AM and sometimes don't get back until 9 PM or later. On the weekends I'm home with my family or out running errands and I also volunteer at the local animal shelter on weekends and holidays.

I am married, my husband is Native American and disabled due to a genetic disease. We have two children, both boys, aged 9 and 10. My 9 year old is autistic. We do not have welfare or food stamps; we get by on my paycheck and my husband's disability check and my youngest son has medical assistance so he can receive services through his school for his disability. I am now sterile and refuse to have any more children; my two are absolutely enough.

What does my situation have to do with the shooing victims? Let's get back on topic.

I don't know how anyone can be pro-law and pro-civil liberties and pro-constitutional protection on this matter. I seriously don't get how this guy being mentally competent has anything to do with the fact that he killed, so far, 12 people, and wounded another 58, 9 of which are in critical condition. I don't give a rat's patootie what this guy has cross-wired in his brain that may or may not have made this scene come to life! Any way you slice it, there is something INHERENTLY WRONG WITH THIS GUY! Nobody in their right mind does this to random strangers going to see a movie. If you don't understand the concepts of right and wrong, you are nothing more than a wild clothed animal that can speak. And if you kill a whole lot of people, as an animal, you are executed without trial or due process or psychological evaluation. This guy deserves no trial, no jury, no mercy, no food, no protection, no compassion, no rehabilitation, no nothing. But, with a little luck at some point he will be put into general population and he will end up just like Dahmer did....dead on the yard and not a witness to be found or a statement to be made.

JNagarya said;

Constitution: CONGRESS shall make the laws.

The Judical branch merely interprets the laws made by Congress.

You're correct, they do. I did get that wrong. The Executive Branch makes/passes the laws, the Judicial Branch interprets them and decides penalties.

Thank you!

This is also for David-2942609, people who have been proved innocent of a crime by DNA evidence which at the time of the crime was not available are very happy that our judicial system doesn't think as you do.

One thing our lawyers have not stated about the Constitution, it is a document design to adjust with the needs and growth of our nation by adding amendments that would override outdated amendments, hence the judicial system will interpret what needs to be applied within a court of law.

WOW! It was a long way to the first reply spot! Criminal Insanity involves "capacity" at the actual time that the the actual crime was committed; if that not also being the actual "basis", itself. At the time that this crime was being committed, did the Person who was committing the crime have "the capacity" to know the difference between right and wrong; that what they were doing was wrong? That's the question to be answered and it seems like maybe he purposefully booby-trapped his apartment so he would have a kind of planned "alibi"-like scenario in being able to tell the Police that it was boobytrapped, which in effect would show that he had "the capacity" to know the difference between right and wrong "AFTER" he had snapped and gone into "criminal insanity" beyond his capacity to know right from wrong while committing the crime. Warning the Police definately established that he had capacity to know right from wrong and not put them in harm's way AND also unavoidably establishes to raise the question of "BUT, did he have "that" capacity while committing the "alleged" crime? (with all it's, what seems like "meticuously" shown elements that lend themselves to possible insanity questioning, in his actions and his props, including the red/orange hair). He has really set-up the strict boundaries on either side of the question for "capacity" during the commiting of the crime, in that the Prosecution has to PROVE that he WAS NOT insane only in the window of time of the actual crime being committed, not before or after, if he raises an "insanity" defense, which it really seems like he has set it up for.

It seems like maybe they better have a slew of secondary "pre-first-degree-act-of-murder" charges lined up for the answering to, also!

Jnagarya ....Take YOUR congress and shove it up your ass....You were weak as a child werent you? A punk setting back while others moved forward...maybe taking an ass wooping couple times a week HUH! I was in military when your sorry ass but was a spot on your pappys trousers.

Amanda said

I post a comment on here because I have something to say, not because I want people to like me for saying it.

My estimation of my own worth, or the worth of my own thoughts, doesn't depend on how many 'likes' I get--that's a somewhat childish, narcissistic viewpoint to take.

Well said, that is how it should be

There is plenty of blame to go around. Society never looks at it's faults, therefore society never corrects mistakes it makes. The best advice I could give is to slowly leave society and head for the wilderness. It is a good time to get in touch with your God if you are religious. Find away to detach from society. If you are an Atheist, than you can get in touch with nature and enjoy it's last gasp before the earth is a dead rock in space. It seems society is getting colder and meaner by the day. So if one plans to quietly leave, you leave unnoticed and without blame. There are many banished lonely people in America with no friends or family. There are those with Family that get abused. These things mount up and cause great pain and anger in an individual hence every so often a shooter goes off and shoots innocent people. My suggestion is simple just prepare to LEAVE society Before society makes you so desperate as to go off on a shooting spree. It is better to quietly disappear than wait far too long and make everyone hate you and go to prison. If I quietly vanished in the woods one fine day no one would even know hence I hurt no one but I solved the problem I have with society so this example is, in my opinion the better solution. Many people may laugh at my solution but just think if all the shooters quietly just vanished into the woods shaking the dust of society off their feet would they have been noticed? The news would have NOTHING to report. You get to enjoy the rest of your lifespan by simply leaving and society does not notice. Remember if you choose to leave quietly in this manner make sure you bring No technological devices newer than WWII technology. This way they can not track you and you are assured of peace and quiet. Meditations work better without Foreign Agents spying on you (smile, wink).

@ carolanne-2700965 - dont blame the NRA. GUNS DONT PULL THEIR OWN TRIGGERS! James Holmes planned this out on his own, he decided to pull the trigger on that gun. Im 100% positive the NRA didnt write him and tell him to go kill 12 people because that will help the second ammendment. The NRA is on the side of the victims families so think before you speak. Because of people like you that accuse people who arent even involved the country turns on its self causing more internal conflict so just think before you speak youll save your self and a lot of others an argument.

The only arguement I can comeup with for the "big deal" being made from the mask is that it is sure to cause an uproar amonst ignorant people that make believe villians create real villians, when fact of the matter, if someone wants to be a killer, few things will stop them.

BUT Batman is the "Hero," and he said he was the "Joker" after dying his hair red. You know, that does sound a bit delusional, but I'd be hard pressed to call someone in grad school "insane" in the legal sense of knowing right from wrong. Even if he's failing grad school (which IMO is the REAL reason he did this), the fact that he has a bachelor's and was accepted into grad school suggests a highly intelligent person who has to be sane on SOME level. I can't help but think his "Joker" comment was more sarcasm than anything else.

In the end, I don't think it really matters WHY he did it -- maybe he snapped from failing grad school, or maybe he's got a Manifesto like Anders Brevik, or (probably) some other reason, but NONE of them will be satisfactory, will they? To me, what's more important is "did he kill those people," and if so, punish him accordingly. Nothing he comes up with will make this sinister act okay or even understandable; nothing he says will bring the families of the dead any sense of closure. Only proof of guilt and punishment can start that process. God bless the victims, and God damn this SOB if he's guilty. Nothing else matters.

To all you gun control people Canada has just as many guns as we do but the amount of gun violence is almost non existent, so why is that? Obviously it isn't the guns

In all of this acute insanity I cannot help but feel pity for the family of this deranged young man. Assuming he had normal devoted proud parents, one cannot imagine what this has done to them. Their lives have forever been destroyed by his actions and recovery is next to impossible. I know that if it had been one of my sons who did this I would be absolutely shattered (not that it could ever be one of them as there must have been signs). It's a longshot but I feel that his isolation and shyness (discussed at length in another post earlier this month) might have played a role. Shy people (of whom I was one) are acutely sensitive to rejection and if he was either ostracized by fellow students or worse yet rejected by a female, it could have forced him deeper into his imaginary world. Once completely isolated from "reality", the mind is capable of assuming fictitious roles so much so that they blend with reality. It may have been noticed by his parents but a person can go downhill fast and as he lived away from them they might have overlooked his rapidly deteriorating condition. But as I said at the beginning, I feel for his family as they will also face the wrath of a portion of the public when they should also receive compassion.

Truly terrible.

In this case, it seems like there might be an argument for cruel and unusual punishment.

"Florida's crime rate has went down 74% since they signed the stand your ground act.

I don't suppose you have any REAL evidence to back that up do you? And -- NRA propaganda is not real evidence.

Anakin....to quote George Carlin "what's this **** about the end of the world? The world won't end for billions of years barring a cosmic anomally. Humanity???? Yes...that will end but the world will go on and likely will be much better without humans".

Heading "for the hills" is escapism and unless one is a recluse, the odds of survival are low and the onset of madness is high. Better still to live a productive fullfilling life and then it wouldn't matter where you are. Just do your little bit (not minimizing size....a small contribution is all we can make) to make the world a better place.....commit random acts of kindness.

JNagarya lets not insult the threeyear olds

If this trial even takes more than an hour that is absolutely ludacris. How can it matter at all if he is sane or not? They KNOW for an absolute fact he did it, case closed. The motive doesnt matter in the least bit. And the worst part is that this is precisely what he wants. He will now live the rest of his life on free food, free medical, free room and board AND he has a name in american history. When what should have happened is the police walk on the scene confirm he was the killer and if they could walk up and cuff him they really should have just blew his brains on the sidewalk right there. Then for the media part they NEVER EVER should have said his name or showed his picture so that he didnt get ANY of the things he is after. When they know for a fact they have the killer why should he be allowed to live on public dime for the rest of his life? Why should they give him the satisfaction of having a known name and face? The ONLY reason at all to keep him alive would be to torture him at guantanimo so they could find his accomplice and whoever else may be involved. THIS IS DISGUSTING, from the event itself to the way it is being handled. How can there even be a @!$%#ing trial?

Charlie people like you are just stupid. If any one of the people in that theater had a concealed carry license and their gun this douche probably wouldnt be living the rest of his life on our dime. The whole point of guns being legal is so that when some lunatic decides to do this or break into your home or when the government oversteps their boundaries, WE THE PEOPLE, who are this nation, can do something about it. But citified weiners like you sign away our rights to protect ourselves, each other, and the way this country was set up to be. Its supposed to be a FREE country where people can say what they want regaurdless of what others think of it and can DO what they want as long as it doesnt endanger anyone that doesnt want to be apart of the danger. But if the governments guns out number ours, and pussies like you want allow this, then we the people have no power and it wont be long before you cant even go outside when you want to. @!$%# YOU>

Blackbird, #1.152- EXCELLENT!!! "PSYCHOSIS" CAN BE CREATED! from outside-the-person-circumstances, and the infliction and imposition of such onto a Person, No? (by NRAs? Politics? Society?) just to name a few......out of the many.

Homosexuality Caused By Emotional Trauma at Age 6 Says Ex-GAY:
"I was involved in the homosexual world as a blatant attempt to obtain the affection from other men that I did not receive from my own father." (J. Arterburn in his autobiography "How Will I Tell My Mother?")
He was a sensitive personality so was more deeply affected than most boys when his own father rejected him by age 5. Not having a loving father figure, he yearned for affection from other boys in his kindergarten class. This became eroticized at puberty. He said his own female mannerisms were due to his mother, his only role model and being abused or severely neglected in childhood was "too common a thread to ignore" in the gay community. He WAS NOT born gay.

whats up with his Ronald Mcdonald hair color?! What a freak. It's so crazy when they even let killers like him have a trial. We know he did it, just put him to death and be done with it. such a waste of time and money when there is no doubt he is guilty. He doesn't deserve to live after what he has done. This country needs to change the laws and just execute people as crazy as he is right away. But no, he gets to enjoy his minutes of being on television I guess...what a psycho. And I'm not buying his bewildered look on his face in the pictures and in court. The man is evil.

Max:

It's too late for the Media to continue following the Mass Murderers who strike from out of the blue.

It started with Manson, others, and Columbine--especially Columbine High School.

The Mass Murders listed by one of the Cable Networks went over every single mass massacre (more people killed then here) all over the World. People living out their daily lives. It's happening everywhere. Today is the 1 year Anniversary of the Norway massacre, where over 70 people were killed by a lone gunman.

This will not stop. What has to start is for family or friends to report that they suspect an family member or friend has a plan to kill many, and report it to the Authorities. Authorities should check these people out--but some have not committed a crime yet; so that doesn't work either.

There is NO answer---all of us must be vigilant listening to others who make threats, or have a plan.

This is the lousy part of life--it's like the Old Wild West again. People are armed to the teeth, because they can buy all the weaponry and ammunition on-line, without being having a background check. It's like talking or writing to a Ghost.. How easy is that?

Guy's not delusional anymore. That's the look of someone who's just begining to realize how much the rest of his life is going to suck.

Mystery Rhee....Absolutely. I think especially extremely bright people seem even more susceptible. There are many instances where such people appear to have been duped into cults (the sweat lodge incident comes to mind) etc. If one possess's a "fertile imagination" and it is left to its own devices the blurring between reality and fantasy ESPECIALLY if aided by drugs or alcohol can occur. I think I have experienced such blurring but certainly not to the extent this young man did. Seeing him at that hearing shows someone who is wrestling with the reality of what happened. To him it was like an "out of body" experience.

The tragedy is it has happened in the past and will happen again in the future. All that can be done is to somehow reach out to those who appear disengaged but that's saying a lot. In other words little can be done.

Look at his hair, is that the reason for the whole episode? If I got home and saw my hair like that, I would probably go on a rampage too. Did anyone arrest the hairdresser?

Blackbird, #1.165- It's interesting that you bring up "Drugs" because immediately in my mind, upon hearing about and seeing one of the first news stories about this, I wondered about this "synthetic" pot (weed), called "Spice". that is legally sold in Colorado and has been proven (to the best of my knowledge) to cause SEVERE delusionay hallucinations that linger and carry over "between smokings" to become some kind of embedded belief created by the hallucinations and delusions, albeit somewhat paranoid in nature; ie, true belief that One is being recruited by the Government to carry out special tactical missions, etc.........

This Guy was a loner and a recluse, as far as I know. Who knows what or how much or even IF he was smoking something like that or taking something else. I think it's way way too early to make any determinations or educated guesses or assesments about "Him", per se, as a Person and again, per se, what was going on with him and is going on with him right now; and I really only try to look at these things in terms of perspective to a larger factual Societal link and questioning. ESPECIALLY questioning things that seem to me to be being brought up as possibly connected in a Societal format, if you will; ie, "How prevalent are the destructive properties of this drug that is being legally allowed into the Societal format in this particular immediate area? As a factor, an issue, etc?" It's a question. I stand a better chance of getting an answer if the question is asked! Nuff. I could "tangent" now, very easily, and I'm actually more thinking about possibly taking a peek at what Obama could possibly mean by "Reverse Boot Camp"! (I don't know, though.) Thanks so much for replying! ( and nicely, too! Much appreciated)

Was there no alarm/ door ajar sensor tripped when he exited through a fire exit door? Is it not common for these doors too not have any kind of alarms? How was a door propped open nearly :20 minutes and no employees/management notice. Its easy to blame firearms, but how about an obvious breach of basic movie theater security?

"...the ABC reporter called her at 5:45 a.m...."

No doubt the 'bubble headed bleach blonde'.

Shandril

Is the fact that he had a Batman mask in his home something that should send shivers down our spines? What next? Will they find porn on his computer? *gasp!*

Such cheap media tricks! The sad part is that most people fall for it every time.

While I agree with you about the "cheap media tricks", they may have pointed this out (the Batman mask and other items) because he called himself the Joker.

I really hope they don't play the insanity card. Personally, this goofy looking psycho is competent to face trial if you ask me, though he looks like he touches himself at night with a combination of icey hot and baby's tears. Anyone who can hook up something that elaborate in his home isn't insane. Anyone who knows to throw out smoke bombs then start gunning, and put on body armor, is not insane. This was methodically planned out to the point, even allowing him to surrender himself so he wouldn't be killed, and instead gum up our justice system.

This man is a monster pure and simple, and yet when it was time for HIM to face death at the hands of the police, he whimpered and cowered, and dropped to his knees so he wouldn't share the same fate as his victims. This just sickens me to the core, and frankly, I hope they dust off the electric chair for him. This guy deserves his own express lane through Death Row...

EVIL---does exist amongst us. His parents have disappeared. Are they Evil as well?--Holmes father went to Colorado to see his "son", (for support), and his Mother knew that he "did" it?

The parents background is one of question.

Actually schizophrenics can be very organized. Anyway, there are a few really weird things that indicate that he may not have been that well organized or even lucid. But we just don't know yet. If he is just a self-absorbed, angry kid taking it out on society, we'll figure that out in the process and sentence him accordingly. If he really is insane, schizophrenic, he should get help. Wouldn't you want your child or parent to?

I understand this is an emotional topic, but I can't believe the ignorant and idiotic comments here. yes the shooter is bug @!$%# crazy, and I doubt he will get the death penalty. one can be a raging crazy person and still be able to plan things,.. do you think all insane people are catatonic or something? the video of this nut case in court looks and acts exactly like a psychotic person just put on heavy duty anti psychotic meds. and he was under the care of a shrink before he massacred so many. I grieve so for the families that lost loved ones. a terrible thing.

I wish all you, and other, gun nuts would get yourself a pair of balls and say that this kind of mass murder is an acceptable price to pay for Americans to be able to buy any and all the firepower and ammo they want. funny how no one will openly say this. I am a gun owner, both hand gun and long gun, and IMO there is big difference between 'gun owners' and 'gun nuts'.

..and all you delusional people who think the theater is to blame for not allowing legal gun owners to carry in the theater, how many more innocents would be dead? yeah right, several legal CC people pulling out their guns in a dark smoke filled theater, with people screaming and running in all directions, some in costume some not........ it would have turned into a circle firing squad with the nut job being the only one walking out since he was the only one wearing body armor.

you want to talk coward here? ok, all you people citing the Constitution and your rights, say the words! say this kind of atrocity is an acceptable situation, to keep weapons that IMO should be only for the military or law enforcement, to allow these weapons to be available to any American citizen that wants them. you got enough backbone to say it?

The people should be armed just as good as the government. Not to overthrow them or anything, but to protect them from the govermnet. If you don't know what Democide is, look it up. Take away people to defend themselves from government and it is bound to happen. Hundrends of millions killed over the last 100 years. Gun control is not about the guns, it is about the control.

The only reason why I ever opened up this article was to see what kind of drivel another air-head reporter or journalist would use to continue the media feeding frency associated with this traged. Enough is enough. This has nothing to do with a comic book character that has been around about 60 years, and it has nothing to do with theatrical violence and mayhem that has been around since they started making movies, and it has nothing to do with guns, glory, or other explanatioins that people always try to explain away behavior that is abnormal. It has EVERYTHING to do with human behavior. Many people DO suffer from mental illness that commit violent crimes, and many people that are NOT mentally ill commit violent crimes. When societies and cultures abandon morals, adherance to rules of behavior, constructs that teach morality, civil behavior, and respect, and embrace the notion that goernmentor the community is better than the family they are on the downward roll. "Brain Disease" my ass. Holmes is just example of another miscreant that needs to get erased from the planet earth; a slug bred in a sick society that thinks social workers, psychiatrists, and liberal ideas legislated on families is the answer to all our ills instead of just accepting the fact that there have, and always will, be the "Jack the Rippers" among us BS! As horrendous as this incident, the law-abidng rest of us are fortunate it wasn't done by Jack; otherwise those that know "best" for us all would want to ban knives.

No Andrew - most of them do NOT kill themselves; they languish in some prison at taxpayer expense for decades because of a nation that has grown too gutless and rife with too many laws that disallow a fast punishmet and execution OR, they sometimes get killed by a fellow inmate. They are also rarely stupid; that is just what people would like to believe. Consumed by rage - often; mentally ill - sometimes, but stupid according to standard measures of intelligence - rarely.

This story won't go away because it IS news. If you don't want to read the news then DON'T read the news. The headline of this article is a deliberate hook to draw the reader in. That is what headlines exist to do. The reporter(s) succeeded in drawing us in or we wouldn't be here blogging about what he/she/they wrote.

I am already sick of seeing this guy's face splashed across my television and computer screen. Why he did what he did only matters if it somehow provides insight that allows us to prevent someone else from doing something similar.

Everyone sickened by his deranged act should find a way to do something good for someone else as a counter to the horror he unleashed. Nothing can bring back those he took, but kindness and compassion toward others might help ease the life of someone on the brink of doing something horrible and might just be our best defense against such shocking and depraved acts.

@sighber,

I was going to write a response....but you did it for me. Thanks, and kudos for (coherently) hitting the nail on the head concerning all three topics.

What makes it even worse is the fact that the victims families tax money will go towards keeping this worthless piece of sh!t alive in prison. Shoot him now. One shot to the head. Done.

This low life will die before is time weather he is sentenced to death or not. Buzz on the street is that he has been in solitary confinment thus far because all the prisoners can't stop talking about killing him for murdering innocent children. I'm sure one or two of his oraphaces will be quite streched out at the time of death...

Andrew, despite the armorment he was wearing, it is more likely that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. People that die like that are too scared to take their own lives, but kill others in the hopes that some police officer will shoot them and put them out of their misery.

In watching the court proceedings this morning where he was nodding off, I couldn't help but think that he is either on very high doses of medication or didn't purposely didn't sleep last night, so that he appeared "out of it" (insanity plea). Watch in the future as this suspect (I use the term loosely) continues to manipulate to judicial system to his advantage.

Academic performance is not an indicator of intelligence. I have seen 4.0 GPA University students wash out in life because they are ingrained in theory without any human experiences that include compassion and empathy in their lives. Holmes was obviously angry and enacted revenge. If he was depressed, he would have taken his own life. Only he knows his thoughts leading up to his actions and he will never tell anyone. Speculating is just a waste of time. We have lost our rural and suburban lifestyles. We do have to be hypervigilant including all of our public Institutions like schools and universities. Our innocence is lost but we can pay attention and report events that appear suspicious or out of the ordinary. Not our job to judge but to be observant. This is going to become more common as we continue to overpopulate and overcrowd. It happens every day everywhere.

Whitefeather- You raise good points. Years ago I read about kids with IQ's around 175 and even 200. They are grown now and we haven't heard a thing about their contributions to society.

Solution: announce to the world that Holmes will be released from custody at some certain time, within the next week, at a certain place. Then do it and let nature take its course.

Those who have talked to him don't know his motive, so you who've not talked to him certainly don't know his motive.

Begin by looking up the term _mens rea— -- which those who've talked to him also don't yet know.

Those here who advocate just shooting Holmes without a trial are advocating exactly that which Holmes did.

It's amazing you people are allowed to use a computer online without mature supervision so you can avoid making it obvious how mindless you are.

JNagarya

Those here who advocate just shooting Holmes without a trial are advocating exactly that which Holmes did.

It's amazing you people are allowed to use a computer online without mature supervision so you can avoid making it obvious how mindless you are.

No, not really.

You couldn't compare a chair to a hat in fact. He is guilty. There is zero doubt. The trial is simply a formality. He does not deserve to live any longer.

The more we tells ourselves that we are a compassionate society, the more mass killings we will have like this. We have basically said to would-be criminals "if you don't get away with it, it's ok because you still have a shot at getting off, or living out the rest of your days on free rent and food."

Not a bad deal for those who have nothing to lose.

Drag this guy out back and end it. Make an example.

Sorry he will spend your tax dollars and the rest of his life in a nut house ...thats how he planned it ...FOOLS! You TREEhugging gun haters make me SIC !

tea party downgrade.....thank you

JNagarya - you seem to be very hell-bent on insisting everybody who posts that is not of your same opinion is an idiot or illiterate, even retarded you said about one poster.

Who the hell do you think you are to say ANYTHING to people who are expressing their rage and anger over this tragedy in a public forum?? I may not agree with everything that I read on here, but if people are not allowed to speak their opinions publicly without fear of criticism and retribution from the likes of people such as yourself, then aren't you preaching a foreign gospel today, my friend? You are seemingly educated, but that is also true of this "Colorado Joker". You have made many valid legal arguments about due process. I respect that you are well-informed as to the establishment of this country. I understand the laws of this nation, as a citizen who has made a point to learn what my responsibilities are before learning what my rights are, I support due process.

Here's what I am having a hard time with....

Where is your outrage over what this man did? I only see you attacking the people who are outraged (and maybe less informed than you). That makes me wonder about your humanity?? I uphold and respect the laws of this country. I believe that most people who are posting their "shoot the bastard on site" comments are venting their frustrations in an effort to show solidarity in opinion, which in turn shows the victims and their families they have support from citizens nation-wide. We all know that the system is not perfect, but for cases like this one, why are you so pro-the system? Can't you get off the Constitutional high-horse for a second and join us down here in real-life? Don't you think that this guy deserves to be put down, so that another death row inmate doesn't get life in prison - on OUR DIME - because some hippie decided to do away with Capital Punishment (Rose Byrd/Charles Manson)....it's happened before, it could happen again....why pay for this man to live when he clearly held human life in such high regard?? (note sarcasm)

It's obvious that you are "heated" over this issue...your aim is just a little off this go-round. Figure it out.

You guys are idiots! It's your attitudes that keep mental illness with a negative stigma. Mental illness isn't any different that diabetes or high blood pressure but it's hard to pick up on. This country needs to step up to the plate and start taking accountability for the care of these patients. It has to start with the health care system and our government before we start realizing that we need to end the prejudice of these disorders. There needs to more of a public awareness so that we can start moving in a positive direction.

My heart aches for the victims in Colorado, and I continue to pray for them. But there's more going on with this incident that we haven't discovered yet.

I'm an RN who has lost a loved on to mental illness and missed the signs and symptoms.

jettiwayne...

Hmmm, we should all step up to the plate to care for mental illness because it is no different than diabeties or high blood pressure??? OK I am game, I have been diabetic for over 20 years and insulin dependent for over 15. When should I expect the government to take over my insurance premiums and copays? When hell freezes over?

Simply hypothetically, since nobody knows anything, what if an MRI next week showed a tumor in this mans brain? Should he be treated for that, allow it to go ahead and kill him, or just shoot him anyway?

Just wonderin'

Good question freedman. His decline started in May when he dropped classes and started buying guns. What if he did have a massive tumor that caused him to become crazy?

The first use of the insanity plea in the United States:

Daniel Sickles was known for being a New York politician and Civil War Union General as much as his public scandals and controversies. He married Teresa Bagioli when he was 33. She was 15 at the time. This was also the same man who chose not to present his pregnant wife at home to Queen Victoria, but instead hire the services of a common prostitute Fanny White for the dignified task. However, his greatest scandal came when he shot and killed Philip Barton Key in Lafayette Park for having an affair with said wife Teresa. In the much publicized trial, he claimed temporary insanity as he was enraged with his wife’s infidelity at the time. Before an all-male jury, Daniel Sickles was acquitted of his murder charges in 1859. In the aftermath of the trial, the public was not only nonchalant to the outrageous claim, but applauded his actions for liberating the ladies of Washington from the adulterer Philip. Coincidentally, Philip was also the son of Francis Scott Key, the writer of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Typically Vicodin comes in 500mg tablets (although they can go up to 750mg), with 2.5 to 10 mg being hydrocodone, and the rest being acetaminophen. If somehow he got 100mg of pure hydrocodone, you could be right, or he would have needed to take at least 10 of them to get that dosage.

http://www.medicinenet.com/hydrocodoneacetaminophen/article.htm

Right now it seems unclear what he did, or did not take.

That's about 10 of the 10 mg Lortab or Vicoden tablets. Some addicts take that amount to go to work in the morning. If his dosage was that high & he was well tolerated to it, then it would not faze him. If this is even true, then his liver is probably damaged due to the high amount of acetaminophen (Tylenol).

He was planning to have a shootout with the police. The painkiller was to allow him to keep going in case he got seriously hurt. The reason he surrendered was that his semi-automatic jammed.

As a side note, this is all very rational behavior. He's going to have a hard time pleading insanity.

If he was that badly addicted to Vicodin, that would explain why he looked so miserable in court. I'd like to think it was pangs of conscience, but I seriously doubt it.

I personally don't think he was planning to have a shoot-out with the cops, although I can't imagine why he told them about his booby-trapped apartment. I doubt he was wearing all that armor in case a theater patron fired back. It is clear to me that he wanted to survive this, for whatever reason. Or worse, maybe he even thought he could get away with it.

NO 100 mgs of vicodene would be what they prescribe for a bee sting.. Now if he took 20 or 30 of those then yeah but you have to factor in tolerance an addiction.. its all BS...

He did it because he could okay!! Free will is just what God gave mankind; when God created mankind in His image!! So everybody is capable of doing the same thing if we choose!! Asking why just shows the need for American citizens to make a difference between "we the people" and the murderer!! These criminal acts will continue as long as "we the people" have elected public servants with perverted mindsets writing perverted policies and legislation!! Just my thoughts!!

Pills ????. Bullcrap. People who dont fit into societies plan go nuts an take it out on society. We cant all be number one an thats more than some people can handle..... Not all people on drugs think of shooting up a movie theater...........

This kid never had a chance. It’s so obvious he suffers from mental illness and no one picked up on the signs and symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms are so subtle that they are hard to see unless you live with them. He was a loner so no one ever had a chance to notice the changes. It is so obvious that he was manic with his extreme behavioral changes. His drastic hair color, his extreme sexual behavior
and his ultimate shooting spree are all indicative of mania. That doesn't mean that mentally ill patients will become murders but when treatment is not provided, people can do extreme things. It’s all about a chemical imbalance in the brain. Just like diabetes and high blood pressure, mental illness can't be
controlled without medication and treatment. This all could have been prevented but this country tends to brush mental illness under the rug. It will never change until the health care system stops making mental illness something "that we don't talk about." Step up to the plate American! We need to start making the public aware about mental illness. We need to talk about it just like anything else. My heart aches for
the people who lost loved ones or who were injured in the incident. What a tragedy! All I can do is keep sending my prayers to everyone in Colorado and become a strong advocate for mental illness awareness.

I'm an RN who lost a loved one to mental illness and didn't recognize the signs and symptoms.

Its also apparent that he was medicated in court this morning. Haldo,l I would guess or some other kind of antipsychotic medication. They had to give him something to control his behavior. I've seen patients "fake it" and that's not what I saw today.

If this trial even takes more than an hour that is absolutely ludacris. How can it matter at all if he is sane or not? They KNOW for an absolute fact he did it, case closed. The motive doesnt matter in the least bit. And the worst part is that this is precisely what he wants. He will now live the rest of his life on free food, free medical, free room and board AND he has a name in american history. When what should have happened is the police walk on the scene confirm he was the killer and if they could walk up and cuff him they really should have just blew his brains on the sidewalk right there. Then for the media part they NEVER EVER should have said his name or showed his picture so that he didnt get ANY of the things he is after. When they know for a fact they have the killer why should he be allowed to live on public dime for the rest of his life? Why should they give him the satisfaction of having a known name and face? The ONLY reason at all to keep him alive would be to torture him at guantanimo so they could find his accomplice and whoever else may be involved. THIS IS DISGUSTING, from the event itself to the way it is being handled. How can there even be a @!$%#ing trial?

What is even more egregious than bad media reporting is that we need to insist on giving holmes his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

We don't need time to understand his motivation so that we might recognize similar patterns in others and therefore avoid similar future events. As I recall the last event of this type took place what... last year in sweden?

Jetti: Haldol is a good guess. He's on something heavy.

Oh bull@!$%#!! he just has a good poker face!!! And I don't give two @!$%#s about his past or motivation. Try and hang his ass!!!!! I don't think he is on anything!!!!!!! He is just a good @!$%#ing liar!!!

jettiwayne You may call it mental illness if it makes you and the rest of society feel better.............however, God calls it rebellion against His directives for mankind, a disrespect towards God creation, and our carnal nature out of control, and just plain evil. Just my thoughts!!

@jettiwayne and jeanette - I worked as an LPN (nurse) in a mental facility and a drug rehab. Also, my first boyfriend, I was 18 he was 22, he became schizoprhenic, I later found out that it ran in his family and I learned more about mental illness as I became and worked as a nurse. I have seen people come into the drug/alcohol rehabs with both addiction and mental illness issues. While it is horrible what happened to these victims, families and all involved, my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

I watched my very intelligent boyfriend run his father's company for a few years. Later I watched his mental capabilities flip on and off. I kept trying to tell his family that something was wrong with him, he would talk to the vents in the ceiling and talk to the tv when it was on a static/snowy channel. He thought the CIA was after him planting microchips in my wristwatch to spy on him. Then when his parents would come home, he could and did act normal. Everyone thought I was crazy. Finally, after about 8 months, he broke down and was put in a mental facility where he was diagnosed as schizophrenic and that he had been having delusions and hallucinations and hearing voices for 2 years prior. I had only seen his behavior change for months. He was then put on heavy medication which made him look and act like this James Holmes did in court.

I believe Holmes was highly medicated and not acting. I believe he is intelligent and you know they say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I have seen it first hand. I have also seen drug induced schizophrenia, which basically is the same, just not genetic necessarily. Schizophrenia skips a generation usually and I later found out that my boyfriend's grandmother had it. I have a daughter with this guy, whom I left after she was born. Now I have to wonder if she has a child, will it affect her future kids? She is aware of this and is in the medical field as well.

The mind and mental illness are truly not well understood. He could have any mental illness or tumor. I believe that he was on and off insane, prior to and including the incident and I believe he is incompetent, currently to stand trial. Yes, I know you will all hate me and bash me, but if you have any true knowledge of mental illness and the affects of it, you might respond differently.

For those that just want vigilante style justice, you are no better than the crime committed.

And for all of your information, THE MASK FOUND AT HIS APARTMENT WAS OF THE "BATMAN" SERIES,NOT NECESSARILY "BATMAN", and that was reported by police. It could have been the Joker, Catwoman, etc. None of us know for sure. I hope that all the people who want to kill this guy rethink their mental, emotional and spiritual selves. Schizophrenia usually happens in the late teens early 20's and it can happen to your loved ones. It is an ugly disease. And no, most schizophrenics don't commit murder, but my boyfriend almost killed me on 3 occasions, due to his paranoid behavior. That is why I left and took my daughter away and was granted sole custody with monitored visits, which he was never able to participate in due to his mental capacity. My daughter did not see her father from that time for over ten years after they had found some meds that actually worked, when he took them. I hope it never happens to anyone. I wish this incident never happened. I also worked with a doctor in my nursing field who had a schizophrenic son. THe doctor had tons of money but he could not control his young adult son who would go on and off his meds and then walk the streets homeless. THe doctor devoted much time and money into finding cures, raising awareness and trying to help mentally ill patients. He tried to do something good. We all should.

blah blah blah I think blah I believe blah.... You aren't there.We all believe things. I believe this @!$%# is a fake. No one gives a @!$%# where you worked. Your opinion is no different than anyone Else's opinion.....It is just YOUR opinion...

You folks want to shoot the messenger. Some are trying to bring some sanity to the make believe world of Hollywood where murder and mayhem are entertainment. Folks simply love to see that horrific accident on I-5, they slow down an gawk, then drive like maniacs again. Society needs help. I hope the Obama Administration fixes this.

It seems that Hollywood is competing with itself to make each movie of a "superhero" more violent each time. Where does it stop? I guess this is the beginning of the end, when those that were exposed to maximum violence start expressing their emotions in public.

After all, the shooter is only 24.

Jesus Christ..... you people are SO ridiculous!
Have you even seen the movies????? You think they are just about violence and stuff?? For your information, Batman doesn't even kill anyone in the whole trilogy!!

These movies are about justice, about faith in the good, about sacrifice, there is no way it has anything to do with with this guy's behavior!

Batman is NOT a character that promotes violence or killing people, on the contrary, is an icon of justice and peace. That's what a superhero does.

Do not think a comic movie is the reason this guy go crazy.

Have you even seen the movies?????

Apparently you do not realize that we are discussing the villains, and the indiscriminate use of violence throughout the movies, not "Batman" himself. Batman used to be a character in comic books. I do not recall anybody being shoot at that time, when people used to read the comic books, and just read the words: "KAPOOM", instead of going to the theatre, and watching a psychotic man killing people with guns that look very real.

There is a difference, don't you think? After all, Batman did not show up at the theatre to save the victims.

IRESPOND:

I do not recall anybody being shoot at that time, when people used to read the comic books, and just read the words: "KAPOOM", instead of going to the theatre, and watching a psychotic man killing people with guns that look very real

I've read the comics since I was about 9 years old, and unless you haven't read a Batman comic since the 1970's, the type of violence in the movies was on par with the comics. Some of the comics are lighter and have the violence toned down because they're meant for kids, but most have more vivid stories now. The comics got darker in the 1980's (see A Death in the Family and The Killing Joke for good examples), and have been that way since.

These comics have been around for decades, along with these types of stories. Millions of people have read them and seen them in movies and TV shows. I've been a Batman fan since the age of 9. However, I can tell reality from fantasy, as can millions of others who have enjoyed Batman movies, comics, cartoons, etc. I like Batman for the story, not necessarily for the violence. But violence is part of the story. Batman's origin stems from the night his parents were murdered in front of him as a child. How can you expect a story with an origin like that to not involve some violence?

The point is, these stories have been around for decades. It appears to me that this guy was just looking for an excuse, although until he talks, we won't know for sure. I really don't think the violence in Batman had anything to do with it. The popularity of the movie just gave him a venue.

No one over the age of twenty-one should be able to have access to that garbage.

Thank you very much for your "I know what's better for you than you do" attitude this morning. I love the smell of indignant hypocrisy in the morning.

We are not defending the honor of the character itself, nor the producers of the film (which is an excellent film), but refuting the stupid idea that the homicidal behavior of this subject is due to simple cartoon characters or a movie. And to refute an idea, no matter how stupid it is, you need to give reasons.
Of course, that's something your closed mind could not see.

F#$K off Jim, People did die and its tragic. Literally makes my heart hurt to think about the six year old girl, as my daughter is about to turn two. It isn't Batman or the movies fault these people died, its the delusional man not be a year younger than myself who is at fault. He chose the venue because of the popularity, it was a no brainer, it was the highest anticipated movie of the summer. People blaming a movie and comic character that doesn't even believe in killing is ridiculous. Lamestream media fueling by saying they found a batman mask. I have a flipping batman mask in my closet, my daughters first birthday was superhero themed . On a side note, if Magnolia has "action figures" they are probably still in the box and any nerd knows you don't take them out or F@#king polish them douche.

So, defenders of gun rights will argue that the guns weren't the problem but what about tear gas bombs? What about full body armor? Why are these items for sale to the general public? What about night vision scopes for rifles and other tactical gear created for use by the military? Why are these for sale to the general public.

Weapons for home defense and hunting are one thing, tear gas bombs, body armor, night vision scopes and a host of other weaponry go beyond what is necessary for people to accomplish their stated goal of home defense or putting some extra meat on the table...

Wakani wrote:

"It has everything to do with Batman. Folks went to the theater that night to see violence and mayhem. They got real violence and mayhem, so of you cannot tell the difference, unfortunate but reality. The Joker showed up. They got what they asked for."

Wakani, are you a troll, a psycho, or just unable to understand/process events in the world in general? Folks went to the theater to see a movie. A movie is an escape mechanism, not reality. When people such as yourself fail to make the disconnect between fantasy and reality they are classically insane and ought not be wandering free. Which asylum are you writing from?

Ohhh here we ago again with the "violent video games and movies made him/me do it" defense.

Stop giving evil people an excuse. The more you blame media the more you refuse to treat the real problem. People choose the media which they take in. Just like they CHOOSE to go shoot up a movie theater. Stop denying people responsibility by blaming poor parenting and the media. At some point we all have to grow up and make our own decisions.

And "he's only 24?" Get real. He's an adult. I'm "only 24" too, but I'm still expected to be a contributing member of society. This isn't a deranged kid. He's an adult.

And again sighber thanks for hitting the nail on the head.

All of this stuff is just typical human behavior. We search & grasp @ straws to figure out WHY?? We will probably never know, but this is what we do after a horrible, unexplainable tragedy such as this event.

Jim:

Wait... Have I got this right? Over a dozen people are dead & your outrage is focused on defending the honor of the ficticious character up on the screen when they were killed?????

No, I was refuting the ludicrous idea that the movie, the story, or the character itself had anything to do with the heinous act that this man committed. This man would have committed this act whether Batman existed or not. This popular movie just gave him a venue, that's all.

I think you need to go home & polish your action figures... LOSER.

Well, you sure showed me.

matt:

On a side note, if Magnolia has "action figures" they are probably still in the box and any nerd knows you don't take them out or F@#king polish them douche.

This actually made me laugh out loud! Thank you for understanding nerds, matt! And if I did have action figures (which I don't at the moment, but I did when I was younger), I wouldn't take them out of the box. They don't retain their value if you do. :)

Sighber, I agree with you. I've always said that they shouldn't sell bullet proof vests to the general public. Until now I had no idea that you could just buy tear gas, I just assumed that it was only available to police and military. That should stop.

By the way I'm a responsible gun owner and occasional hunter, if that puts this into perspective.

"They got what they asked for."

You're an idiot! No one asked to be shot and killed at a movie. They went there for entertainment not death.

Your post makes you sound like someone that might do this sort of thing also.

So wait by what you are saying everytime I go to see a movie about violence I deserve to get shot stabbed blown up or otherwise killed because I am watching a movie about violence therefore I am asking for it? Not only is that sick but also backwards, because by your logic then everytime I go see a movie about talking animals I deserve to walk out of the theater in technacolor with the ability to fly and understand hippos... not to mention I also deserve to be turned into a toad, or I deserve to have every aspect of my life sung to me while a professional dance group twirls around me... Just because I go see it doesnt mean it should be a part of my everyday life. None of thse people deserved to be shot because they went to see a movie that by your definition is filled with violence. And people who go watch Saw dont deserve to be kidnapped and forced to cut off their own foot in order to escape... Its a movie!!!! Its fake!!!! Not a defense or an excuse for murder!!!!

Calm down Jean Srocco. They are not saying Batman is responsible, they are saying this creepo may have an obsession with Batman. Obviously the killer has some psychological issues.

"They got what they asked for."

You need to get what you asked for too.

"No one over the age of twenty-one should be able to have access to that garbage."

So only people under the age of 20 can have access, are like dumb or something? That garbage is worth more than you are missy.

I have a question for the posters who blame this violence on the Batman (and other) comics. Are you aware that there is a lot of violence in Japanese anime (cartoons) and manga (graphic novels)? Much of that is very graphic. Yet we do not read of people "offing" others in Japan to the extent that we do here. Are Americans more unstable than the Japanese?

And yes, Batman and other comic series DO have something to do with it. It took place at a Batman movie; the shooter had a Batman mask at home; and we all know just how violent Batman and other comic series can be. They inspire "vigilantism," which is itself insane, and in some minds, that can translate into "vigilantism" against anyone who pisses them off.

No one over the age of twenty-one should be able to have access to that garbage.

So you want new laws when 10s of millions of kids read this same stuff, and only one psycho kills people because of it?

Seems to me Batman didn't cause the problem, he did.

You sound like the dimwits that got Beavis and Butthead to stop saying "Fire, Fire!" on MTV just because one kid WITHOUT cable burnt down his house and blamed it on that show.

Stop blaming things millions of other people are exposed to and don't cause them to do any such thing. Stop blaming comics, stop blaming movies and TV, stop blaming guns, stop blaming bath salts and other drugs, and start blaming violent individuals who act totally out of the norm of how everyone else acts exposed to the same things.

Thank you for your cooperation, and have a nice day.

@wakani - It would be pretty hard for the Obama administration to clean things up since it is such a train wreck on its own.

you're one-dimentional for your "efforts"

ARE you @!$%#s really making this political ...SAD!

Cmon, God... really?? We are responsible? Violence we have created? Seriously...

There has been violence on this planet since we crawled out of the muck. Don't for God's sake bring God into this conversation. It is entirely up to parents to teach their children the distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil and it is entirely their responsibility to notice if a child has a problem and do something about it. If you are not responsible for the actions of your children then you should not have children. There has never been nor will there ever be a book, comic, movie or song that is the cause of violence. People kill people. Movies are make believe. Movies are magic. They are entertainment. They are fun. And they are creative and imaginative. They are an outlet of expression. Not a catalyst of destruction.

Thank God, every once in a while, a voice of reason and sanity breaks through. Me 824303 people like you give me hope. Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus.

In response to the 1996 Port Arthur shooting massacre, where 35 people were killed and 23 wounded, Australia passed tough gun control measures in all territories. Before laws were passed, there was a heated uproar and much inflammatory rhetoric from the gun factions. During the national political back and forth, it was discovered the Christian Coalition and the American NRA heavily funded and supported the Australian gun lobby attempting to prevent passage of all gun control measures that placed any restrictions on ownership of any type of weaponry.

In response to the 1996 Dunblane shooting massacre of 16 children and adults at a school in Scotland, the United Kingdom immediately passed stringent gun control laws on private citizen ownership of handguns and automatic weapons.

If you look at a world map of where there is the most gun violence today, the only safe places on the planet are, literally, where they say "God Save the Queen." The U.S. is a violent, mentally unstable and ignorant nation. We also never learn.

@ Littlechanges : U should rename your self "Littlelies ". Crime has gone up dramatically in the "British Common Wealth since those anti -gun laws passed,& Great Briton has been rated one of the most violent countries in western hemisphere. You cannot owe so much as "Pen " on you since it would be considered "an offensive weapon " A land lord outside of London was ordered to take down his Barbed wire from his blg cause it would do "grave" harm to any home invader trying to break in : in other words it would hurt the criminals trying to break in. Using the land of "Monty Python" is laughable at best,& if u can come up with that , then u really are a prime candidate for the "Darwin Awards bar none !!

Come on Me, if that was the sole explanation we should all be killers. The truth is, in rare circumstances, some people are just a little off. Some are a lot off. This guy is way off the deap end.

More people blaming inanimate objects, movies, drugs, guns, etc. that millions of others are exposed to and DON'T act violently because of that exposure...so little logic and rationality in doing that.

Pure non-sense. I live in the San Diego area community adjacent to where Holmes grew up and his family still lives. Holmes parents are very decent regular church going Lutherans, normal people, mother a nurse, father, a software engineer, the other kids seem very normal and bright. Lack of family values and religion would appear to have absolutely nothing to do with this tradgedy. What made Holmes do this remains to be seen.

A-men sister and things being as they are be prepared to protect yourself. buy gun,learn to shoot,protect yourself. The most pro-gun city in the United States – Kennesaw Georgia – where gun ownership is mandatory. It’s not the “Wild West” like some people predicted when it passed a mandatory gun ownership law. “The city of Kennesaw was selected by Family Circle magazine as one of the nation’s ‘10 best towns for families.’ The award was aimed at identifying the best communities nationally that combine big-city opportunities with suburban charm, a blend of affordable housing, good jobs, top-rated public schools, wide-open spaces, and less stress.”

In 1982 the city passed the following ordinance [Sec 34-21] which was in response to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill.

(a) In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore.

(b) Exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who suffer a physical or mental disability which would prohibit them from using such a firearm. Further exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who are paupers or who conscientiously oppose maintaining firearms as a result of beliefs or religious doctrine, or persons convicted of a felony.

The city’s website states that Kennesaw “has the lowest crime rate in Cobb County,” one of the most populace counties in Georgia. In fact, from 1982 through 2009, Kennesaw had been nearly murder free with one murder occurring in 2007

Read more: http://politicaloutcast.com/2012/07/the-most-pro-gun-low-crime-city-in-the-united-states/#ixzz21Tt6VutD

Enought said.

You need to check your facts. Fewer people with "mental illness" are violent than "normal" 18-24 year old males. You should be more afraid of the "normal" young wannabe thug next door than the quiet, depressed dude sitting in the corner of the library. To lump everyone who sees a shrink into such a broad category is itself a sign of delusional, paranoid thinking, and anyone who advocates treating all 55 million "mental patients" like would-be killers needs professional help himself.

We may very well be witnessing the effects of excessive medication of children for ADHD, while playing violent video games at the same time. Who knows? This may be result of our society's over-medication of children. Add the NRA with the indiscriminate selling of all types of weapons to anybody that has the money, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Well, his mother is a nurse; so the medication issue may be a valid point. After living in a nice house/neighborhood in San Diego & then to move to what looks like the rougher part of Aurora, just possibly, his meds were not being monitored by his mother/nurse. I'm not placing any blame here, just searching for answers, like everyone else.

I Agree with Shandril's earlier post No One Over The Age Of 21 Should Be Exposed To This Juvenile Garbage (Grow Up)

Shandril, apparently, year after year, shooting after shooting, it is the quiet dude sitting in the library who snaps and while armed to the teeth from weaponry he *quietly* purchased over several months goes into a public space to massacre dozens of strangers. Is the ghetto or latino gang banger a menace? Sure. The larger picture is that there is not one corner of America where males of all ages and demographics have not become a violent problem and significant danger to society, whether it's the suburban neuroscience valedictorian, the urban gang banger, the nutjob neighbor with a fetish for big dogs and kiddie porn, or the rural guy cooking meth in the trailer park. As a Baby Boomer female, I've lived long enough to recall when the U.S. was relatively safe and sane and when every male wasn't a warped freak threatened by life. The U.S. began to collectively loose its mind on guns as well as porn and sociopathic sadism toward all living creatures in the mid-1970s. This has steadily seeped into every avenue of life, coarsened our society and endangered every citizen no matter where one lives and works. There is something wrong with a culture where almost all the males feel so insecure that their mental pendulum swings wildly to the point of needing to violently prove superiority over every stranger, family member, pet or neighbor who crosses them or just their path. Raising girls in this hyperviolent, hypermale country is no picnic, and I shudder to think how it will be in another decade. We can't build prisons fast enough to hold all these broken boys and men.

Rankandfile and Shandril

These movies aren't even suitable for younger people let alone children. Children too have been known to kill. Sometimes accidentally and sometimes on purpose. Irresponsible adults leave guns around where children can get a hold of them. Sad but true.

I Agree with Shandril's earlier post No One Over The Age Of 21 Should Be Exposed To This Juvenile Garbage (Grow Up)

@Ranknfile-

I agree with my previous post that people like you are hypocrites. What do you mean by "grow up?" Believe me when I tell you that I'm way more mature than the majority of "grown ups" I know who don't read comics.

Please do us the honor of keeping your self-righteous opinion about what people do with their free time to yourself, and I'll do my best to not judge you on what you do.

And they continue to blame things millions of other people are exposed to who don't kill a bunch of people. Obviously, correlation is not causation. But good luck getting these know-it-alls to accept logic and reason.

@littlechanges idk wtf kind of enclosed life you have had but crazy, horrible, @!$%#ty, things like this has always and always will happen.

And Hollywood is a reflection of real life. Hollywood did not invent violence. I'd love to see how you explain the violence that happened before the advent of media.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Think about it.

So since I am 47 years old and have been watching movies with action, explosions, and violence for many of those years, I must me ready to crack,,, right????

Be sure to blame pool halls and that damn jazz these kids are listening to nowdays. It's the end of civilization, you know.

Meanwhile, go and take a look at rates of violent crime over the past 20 years, and notice that, in spite of the high level of popularity of violent video games and movies like the Batman trilogy, rates of violent crime have been in decline since around 1993.

It's an easy, convenient scapegoat to say that violent games and movies are the cause of it all, but there's not much in the way of evidence to back this up. If games and movies were causing young people to commit crimes, the crime rates should be be going up, not down, because these games and movies are more popular than ever. In fact, the most violent games that get talked about whenever something like this happens, like Doom, Halo, Counter-Strike, or Call of Duty, weren't even around 20 years ago.

Millions of people see the same movies and don't shoot up theaters....explain that.Oh, that doesn't fit your non-intelligent theory, does it?

Violence in art hardly creates violence in society...think about all the people who see that same art and don't kill people. It flushes your theory right down the toilet, where it belongs.

Maybe he should have gone to see Magic Mike?

All I got was Sane and behind bars....

I think 5yrs behind bars being examined by behavioral scientist would be sufficient for study. Then send him to the recycler for organ, stem cell, tissue harvesting. Let him end life as a source of "useful parts" for others in need!

CommonKnowl3dge, Spot on! Jensee3, What a rant!! Way to much school...or weed? LOL

It's interesting that you say that. There are a lot of people commenting who aren't interested in understanding why this 24-year old committed such horrible things against so many people, taking from them what nobody has the right to do. I think we should all be interested in why he did it. I had heard he took a lot of Vicodin. If you read about that drug you will see it can impair your thinking. Why would he take it? What was his relationship like with his parents? Was he an only child? When you don't fit in, the world is pretty cold and cruel. Is that what motivated him to be cold and cruel? I watched the court appearance this morning, carefully studying his face. I think he is in control of his faculties today. Some thought he looked drugged, but I don't. I think he's dealing with reality today. His situation brings to mind the murder of Selena where, in that situation, her murderer wanted to possess her or be her. Weird, but we live in a weird world where war against our fellow humans is considered normal and necessary. I wish I lived in a perfect world, that's for sure. I'm sick of this mean, cold world. It just makes for more meanness and coldness. That's my opinion. I hope everybody has a good day and in turn gives goodness back by doing something good for somebody today.

And yet many people do all combinations of drugs and kill no one...seems to me it was just him that was the problem.

One comment mentioned medicine used for ADHD kids. Most of these type kids are extremely intelligent with very high IQ's, or so I've read. This whole situation is weird -- the way he waited for the police and told them about the explosives at is apartment.

However, his parents are not to blame. I had a very smart doctor tell me when my oldest child was born -- all babies are little people. We can try to mold them, but they are individuals. I'm sure this guy's parents and sibling(s) are hurting right now. I pray for the victims and their families, as well as this guy's family.

If this trial even takes more than an hour that is absolutely ludacris. How can it matter at all if he is sane or not? They KNOW for an absolute fact he did it, case closed. The motive doesnt matter in the least bit. And the worst part is that this is precisely what he wants. He will now live the rest of his life on free food, free medical, free room and board AND he has a name in american history. When what should have happened is the police walk on the scene confirm he was the killer and if they could walk up and cuff him they really should have just blew his brains on the sidewalk right there. Then for the media part they NEVER EVER should have said his name or showed his picture so that he didnt get ANY of the things he is after. When they know for a fact they have the killer why should he be allowed to live on public dime for the rest of his life? Why should they give him the satisfaction of having a known name and face? The ONLY reason at all to keep him alive would be to torture him at guantanimo so they could find his accomplice and whoever else may be involved. THIS IS DISGUSTING, from the event itself to the way it is being handled. How can there even be a @!$%#ing trial?

Sandril; the shooter is screaming at the top of his ability why he did it but you do not chose to listen. He did it acting out the violence which was the movie. He was injecting some reality. Some real blood and guts. Listen up, observe, learn.

The police is not telling his motives. Either they do not want us to know, or the suspect is not cooperating. No reason to speculate why. Perhaps there isn't a "real"motive, other than just his own narcissistic desire of being famous.

Shandril

The laughable part of all this is that we are all coming up with "our" answers to "why" this shooter did what he did. Why not ask the shooter why he did it?

The laughable part of this is why anyone would care about his motivation in the first place. I have no idea what is going on in his mind, and absolutely no interest in finding out. Put him down and be done with it.

I would point out that after Jared Laughner killed and wounded all those people in Arizona, it ultimately came out that he was so insane as to be unable to stand trial. I'm willing to wait to see what mental evaluation says. I worked my way through college and grad school in mental hopsitals. His look of lethargy in court, was somewhat disturbing. He seemed to be unable to grasp what was going on around him. I wonder if he under some kind of medcation. I'm not a psychiatrist or doctor, but I've seen a smiliar look on extreme manic/depressives after a manic phase. But then, let the court have their doctors check him.

While the "mad dog" form of capture and execute gives a quick sense of relief to people in knowing that the threat is removed from society (and we don't have to pay for his meals anymore), it tells us absolutely nothing about the real reason why this happened.

If you know anything about snake and spider bites, the antivenin, which cures the effects of the bite, is created in part by harvesting the venom of the deadly creature.

In the same way, the best way for us to learn how this happened and to hopefully prevent future tragedies would be to harvest anything we can about this individual. Like it or not, he's a resource now, and a pretty rare one at that, since most of these people wind up eating a bullet before they are captured.

It's not laughable that people are trying to figure it out. It's our normal reaction. When the shooter speaks we will listen, but he's not talking. I'm sure a lot more will come to light in the future. Understanding it might prevent it from happening somewhere else.

NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS LAUGHABLE.....thats a horrible thing to say at a time like this..

what a heartless statement..

I believe different is on to something,

People who are manic depressive or bi-polar tend to do extreme things during mood swings, like dying one's hair, cutting it all off, body piercing or modifications and sometimes inflicting bodily harm or suicide.

I believe this guy got into the field he was in, in-order to understand the mental challenge's he faced. While in no way being an excuse for what he did. I would say he did these things out of a clouded state of delusion caused by uncontrollable sadness and anger.

For those who say they don't care about why he did this, please remember that history is bound to repeat it's self when people ignore the lessons of the past. By understanding what type of person commits these acts and what behaviors they exhibit before doing so, we can have a fighting chance at stopping these events in the future. So please pay attention to what caused this and the people around you, it may only have taken one conversation with this guy to stop this event from happening.

Hmmm. I've never seen someone "scream at the top of their ability." Nor have I ever really seen the big bad Hollywood movies and video games solely cause someone to commit an act like this.

The shooter wants us to be hanging on to his every action until he decides to speak....and then we'll hang on to his every word. Giving people like this a chance to explain themselves and speak out is the reason they resort to this violence in the first place. It gets attention. What it really amounts to is a big, deadly temper tantrum.

I say lock him up and tune him out.

Considering the fact that he get's no information regarding the crime he committed in prison, I somehow doubt that he is relishing in the fact that we don't know why he did it. For all he knows people have him figured out already.

It may very well be a "temper tantrum" but how do we stop these things from happening in the future? Ignore them, or learn what causes them?

You missed my point....yes we need to be able to prevent these things. By no means should we ignore them. But lumping attention on him via excessive media coverage won't help. And if you think he doesn't know the news is ALL about him right now...you're wrong. This guy isn't stupid...he knows his face is all over the place.

He may know people are talking about what he did. But does ignoring the fact that he did what he did change anything? If we just pretend like it didn't happen does that make things like this less likely to happen in the future? These people typically don't do this for the fame. They do it for revenge or out of uncontrollable rage.

Look at past shootings and see if any of those shooters claimed that they where doing it to gain notoriety. You will not find one. We talk about it because that's what we need, we need to understand why people do this.

Did analyzing the Columbine shooters ad nauseum prevent what this guy did?

The columbine shooters killed themselves, so there was nothing really to study. We have a living killer who can explain why he did it, what led to his decision and what things people missed that could have stopped it. We had none of that with the columbine shooters.

However, the columbine shooting made schools more aware of anti social behavior and I believe this has prevented more shootings of that nature from occurring.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20088872-504083.html

http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/16063532.html

In these instances law enforcement was tipped off by people who understood what unusual behavior looked like. They knew what had happened in the past and unlike in the past, police took the threat seriously and stopped these events from happening.

Include banning these types of violent movies. Eliminate the destructive violence games. Prevent Hollywood from producing this filth. That may just work.

yeah, while we're at it, why not institute the government Ministry of Truth! Let the government tell us what we are capable of watching and doing! One glorious day, no single person will ever have to worry about thinking for themselves or that horrible spectre of ......::gulp:: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! /s

Well now we are not doing a good job of it ourselves now are we. We need help, maybe we need someone to tell us what is right and what is wrong. What to believe and not to believe. How much we should earn and how much we should spend. Just maybe there is an answer in there. Thanks.

ranmarie-

A few facts. He did not have/use any automatic weapons. You must have a Federal Firearms license to legally own one. You can't buy guns and have them shipped directly to you without the same license. This story plays a little loose with the facts, it implies that he bought his guns mail order and they were shipped to him.

From what I can tell that has been reported so far, he used one pistol. It was found in the theater, the other pistol, shotgun and AR-15 were in his car! But the media would never let any sensationalism color an already tragic story.

wakani:

Well now we are not doing a good job of it ourselves now are we.

By your standards? For every unbalanced person who can't tell reality from fantasy when watching these movies, there are millions of people who can tell the difference. I'm a big Batman fan, and have been since I was 9 years old. I've read the comic books, watched the cartoon in the 90's, and I've seen all of the movies, including the 1960's cheesy Adam West version. I've yet to act out any of this violence, because I know reality from fantasy. Batman is just a story, and a story I enjoy.

We need help, maybe we need someone to tell us what is right and what is wrong.

Again, by whose standards? Yours? Mine? The government's? I think these movies are fine. They should have warnings on them (which they do), to let people know what is in these movies, but how about some personal responsibility? People need to be responsible for themselves.

What to believe and not to believe.

Again, who determines that? You? Me? I'm an atheist. Are you okay with me demanding that no one believe in God? Because that's what I believe.

How much we should earn and how much we should spend.

So we can't earn more? There's no American dream anymore? That anyone can come here and start from nothing, and have the opportunity to do more? That's not what we need at all.

Just maybe there is an answer in there. Thanks.

As nice of a sentiment your ideas are, they're just not feasible. This country is too varied and too diverse to have these types of rules enforced on our society. What you think is right and wrong may vary from what I think are right and wrong. I think these movies and video games are fine the way they are. They have ratings and warnings on them. If people don't heed those warnings, there's not much we can do. We're giving people the tools to take responsibility for these things, but ultimately, they are responsible for themselves.

wakani

Include banning these types of violent movies. Eliminate the destructive violence games. Prevent Hollywood from producing this filth. That may just work.

Seriously MILLIONS people watch the movies and play the games now you want them banned because one nut job goes haywire good logic there.

You can't just walk into a store and buy a fully automatic weapon, you know. You have to apply for and receive a federal firearms licence. Those who want one get a full background check and sometimes an interview.

Include banning these types of violent movies. Eliminate the destructive violence games. Prevent Hollywood from producing this filth. That may just work.

I can assure you that if he had been unable to buy guns he would have been unable to shoot anyone.

Can you guarantee me that if other people had been unable to see any violent movies or play violent vidoegames, he would have not shot anyone?

Because you do not even have any evidence that he watched any violent movie. Other people, do, however, have evidence that he bought guns.

Your argument is essentially the same as "people should not be allowed to have children, because children might eventually become killers." It doesn't wash.

Another person who wants to ban things millions of other people have access to, and use, and don't kill people with. How about we don't vote on liberties that millions of people are exposed to that don't drive them to murder just because a few do murder people? How about we blame it on those few who do act violently instead?

Gun murders, and crime in general, are down, while simultaneously permits to carry guns and gun ownership are at record highs...so it's not guns, drugs, or movies that are causing the problem. The problems are the psychos who act violently...and by the stats, they are relatively rare, and getting rarer all the time. Stop being paranoid and listening to your media like they are truth machine. Look up the stats yourself. Go to the CDC, DOJ, the States' websites, and quit judging everything without rational and logical thought.

I can assure you that if he had been unable to buy guns he would have been unable to shoot anyone.

How well have drug bans worked for the drug war in keeping drugs away from people?

Yeah, black markets still deliver market demanded goods and services regardless of the ban-happy fantasy land some want to live in.

He also the means and materials to construct bombs; the body count could have been in ther hundreds... with no guns needed.

Another gun control zombie blows off without the facts!!

They're coming out from behind the doors and from under the bed to tell you the big bad guns are gonna get you...................be careful............the big bad guns just walk up on their own and start killing people.........it has absolutely nothing to do with the psycho idiots that pull the trigger............hell, look at the picture of this piece of @!$%#, he certainly looks normal!!??

Gun control my ass, how about putting these nut cases, dope heads and gangsta trash where they belong-in the nut house or in the ground..................

Holmes kills 12, Government puts him in jail.

Global warming kills thousands (with potential to kill us all), Government looks away.

Funny Government. I'd rather risk a thousand Holmes's than 1 global warming.

Ran: You live in a make believe world that is Batman. You cannot distinguish reality from fantasy. Therein lies the problem our world has, for such as this.

A little critical thinking is in order. You advocate defending the constitution and in the next sentence suggest disallowing criminals (yes terrorists are criminals) their constitutional rights.

Then you want to send them to Gitmo "right away" because that will end all terrorism in short order. If that is the case, Why are there still terrorists 10 yrs after Gitmo started housing them? If committing multiple murders with the death penalty in play or life without parole as a back up isn't deterent, How is life at Gitmo any more of a threat?

Take a good look at your post, a bunch of emotional positions in direct opposition to everything that America should stand for.

Revoke citizenship of people accused of terrorism or crimes? Are you a fascist? Or insane?

@ ProIndividual-3906907: "Revoke citizenship of people accused of terrorism or crimes? Are you a fascist? Or insane?"

Good question ProIndividual! The answer is neither exactly. Just your standard garden variety right wing Republican nut case.

Yes, 2008, and it is sad. So clear the relationship, the reason. What Holmes brought was reality to the make believe mayhem. The make believe the actors get up and walk away, reality they lie there in their own blood, life oozing out of them. Sad that people do not understand.

Give it a rest, wakani. People DO understand that movies are fantasy and make-believe. How many MILLIONS (or BILLIONS) of people over the last 10 years have seen movies that came out that YOU would deem too violent? (I'm sure you probably would think there are scenes in the latest Madagascar movie that would be too violent for children.) So of those MILLIONS of people, how many have walked into a movie theater and shot anyone? I'm not going to try to psychoanalyze this freak, but to help me understand why he (or anyone) would do this, I have to think (1) he has some sort of mental illness or (2) he is full of hate/pure evil or (3) he is trying to make some crazy a statement about something or (4) all of the above. Movies are not to blame for this guy's evil actions. If that were the case, then why don't more people break out into song after Hollywood puts out a musical?

skycaptain, they may not all start to shoot and kill, but otherwise be violent, to their children, to their wives/husbands, at work. Or be verbally aggressive. You are not influenceable? Think twice.

If not for some idiot shooting up the theater that 6 year old would probably have very fond memories of going to see Batman at Midnight with her parents. More parents should spend time having fun with their kids instead of leaving them with baby sitters or worse yet home along with a video game. I have no doubt that many of you bitching about this 6 year old going to see Batman with her parents give your own kids (if you have any) a video game and send them to their room, so they don't bother you with dumb questions.

Thank you! It's summer, parents should take their children on adventures and have a little fun.

I don't think it matters now, at least not for the little girl.

If the parent finds it necessary to take their child to a violent adult movie, perhaps they could do so at an earlier showing. (The woman who did take the 6 year old was attending with her boyfriend.)

Like the freedom loving town of Chicago?

No I mean like Luby's Massacre in Killeen TX. You know 23 dead, and 20 wounded. You know one of your fellow Texans. :(

Nothing like the sound of silence wheb confronted by real facts. Right texasbob?

How about that without assault weapons the second amendment counts for @!$%#? If the military can have them then the citiznes need them to be able to counter terrany should the day arise.

@serpcom : Texas didn't allow for concealed carry back then,read the book "From Luby's to the legislature : One woman's fight against gun control" by Suzanna Gratia Hupp. She saw her parents murdered in front of her eyes at lubys , because Texas didn't allow for concealed carry back then, her firearm was in her vehicle & not on her. She obayed the laws, the shooter didn't obey & it cost her parents their lives !! Educate yourself !!

Jon:

I hate to break this to you, but in the event that the "tyrannical" federal government decides to hunt you down, you and your collection of assault weapons will be up against tanks, helicopters, drones, armored personnel carriers, and nuclear weapons.

Good luck with that one.

I hate to break to you gun haters, but gun ownership is up and so are permit issuances...meanwhile gun crime and gun murders are down, along with all other violent and nonviolent crime (and that's in a recession to boot).

tanks, helicopters, drones, armored personnel carriers, and nuclear weapons.

All of which easily defeated the Iraqi insurgency and the Taliban, right?

ATTENTION: Someone Smart is speaking...forgot spell check tho.

Not really. A shot to the leg, arm, face, would have stopped any of it. If just one responsible person had a gun in there....This guys not alive.

Sorry I did not get back to you Spartan, but some of us still have a job and can't chat on the computer all day. You brought up Luby's in Killeen Texas and the fact are if Texans would have had the right to carry weapons on there person than most of those Killed would still be alive today. Unfortunately for many that day the state of Texas said we did not have the rights guaranteed under the constitution. Now we have more of the those rights and many of us do carry fire arms on a daily basis. The Ft. Hood shooter would not have killed and wounded as many as he did if it had not have been against Ft. Hood regulation to carry fire arms on post. There is much more crime and murder with fire arms where fire arms are not allowed.

Yes crouton, the "abovetopsecret" website on the internet.

Brilliant.

Please tell how someone can build, from scratch a high velocity high output firearm in their own house. Building a "single action Zip gun" is hard enough.

Back 20 years when there was a ban on assault weapons, this kind of event was unheard of. Facts do not lie, check it out.

Indigo said, "We require a background check and a waiting period for hand-guns, yet I can order them online, no questions asked and have them shipped to me."

Not legally...But as you said, outlaws will always get guns, even if it is illegal to own them. Look at Mexico!