Gun Deaths

I generally have ignored the VT murders. I don't know anyone that attends the campus; I live almost 1,000 miles away from it. It has no real impact on my life. But I am not a hermit. I read a comment on a blog post comparing the death rate from guns in Australia and the US. The commenter noted the countries are very similar in many cultural ways but that we had twice as many deaths from guns. Why she wondered.

I thought about race. I had a stereotype in my head that blacks died as a result of guns in much higher proportions than whites. I went in search of evidence to support my stereotype. And found it...but in looking at the page I found, there was something else MUCH MORE STARTLING.

55% of gun deaths in 2004....were suicides. 25% of those under 18 and 74% of those over 40 were suicides. The vast majority were white men. It appears that if a gun is in the house, the more likely event is that the man is going to use it to kill himself.

I am a street thug...

Victoria informed me this morning that some people believe that plans are in place for the simultaneous denotation of seven nukes on American soil. We discussed what cities would be targets (my picks: NY, LA, SF, DC, Chicago, Kansas City and Atlanta - that covers ports, financial markets, telecommunications and government) She asked where I would want to "ride them out" and suggested right here is fine....unless Minneapolis is targeted, we are upwind from the closest strike in Chicago.

I also suggested to her that Islam as a religion would be in jeopardy and that Mecca would glow for centuries. I said that people like me would seek out Moslems for destruction. I thought, did not say then, but do here, that if such an attack occured, I will be one of those street thugs that physically attacks any "peace" activists or "anti-war" protesters.

Consider me to have jumped the shark if you will ...

Reality has left the building...

I listen to Rush and Hannity. I listen to Air America. I am pretty sure the two groups are living on different planets...or at least in different universes.

I look at the housing market - mortgage lenders folding like chairs after a public hearing - and the steady increase in foreclosures; I look at the words coming out of people that watch the stock markets for a living and markets that apparently have no connection to those pundits.

I think of a dozen or so candidates for President that have raised over $125 million in the last
three months for their bids and the 70% increase in bankruptcy filings.

I see AG Gonzo testify before Congress and wonder, did he not know he was going to be testifying? I heard he was preparing for his testimony but they had to have been talking about someone else...cause that pod talking yesterday made less sense than an Elmo doll with a broken string.

I hear Harry Reid say that we have lost the war, when the only shots we seem to be firing are coming from some deranged idiot in Virginia.

Am I the only one caught in some reality vortex, unaffected but able to view the shifting, twisting, contradictory realities?

Or is the world actually just fine and I have lost my mind?

Iraq Derangement Syndrome

Heard an hour ago on Air America on the possible reasons for the VT killer's rampage:

The Iraq war has driven all of us insane.

Yep....the Iraq war drove the VT killer to kill 32 and wound dozens more.

Gun Question

Here it is: If a student at VT had pulled a gun out and killed the killer of 32 after he had killed only 4, would he be a hero, or arrested for having a gun on campus?

Thousands are killed by drunk drivers every year....is anyone contemplating additional restrictions on drinking or driving? Say life in prison for a 2nd DUI? Or requiring the breathalizer equipment be installed on every vehicle?

Just asking...

New rights

Can anyone tell me when the Right Not to be Offended was written into some law? Because, I really need to know what the penalties are...."don't do the crime if you can't do the time" and all.

Everyone claiming Imus was an ass are 1) not saying anything new, and 2) need to grow up. "Mommy, he made fun of me. He called me a NAME...." whiners.

Stinkin culture

Name one country other than the United States that if it ceased to exist today, would be missed tomorrow.