in a blaze of glory

This year has been one filled with violence worldwide, sparing no particular region or people. The phrase "guns don't kill people, people kill people" rings very hollow today considering the massacre at that elementary school in Connecticut. For those who hang on to the right to bear arms, I ask you: What if that were YOUR child killed by a lunatic with an automatic weapon. THEN would you advocate reasonable gun control? For some God forsaken reason every nut job who offs himself these days makes a public spectacle of the whole deal and takes a shitload of innocent people with him. Notice I said HIM...because it's never a woman doing all this random violence. Usually the shooters are young guys who have issues that people are afraid to address for fear of crossing some politically correct line or betraying "confidentiality." Mental health providers are free to break that trust if and when they feel that a life is in danger, including that of the client. Yet that still didn't stop the guy in Aurora from doing his deed. They all have names now. Columbine, Virginia Tech, Paducah. While mental illness is always present, the easy availability of assault weapons is like a siren song for these guys. I'm not talking about gun owners with valid permits who store them responsibly. I am addressing automatic weapons in general which have absolutely no place outside of law enforcement or the military. Sure, some of them are stolen. But a lot of them are purchased legally and with the state's blessing putting money into somebody's pocket who doesn't give a shit about human life, only the almighty dollar. Many of them are smuggled across the border as well. The end result is a society where random acts of violence are escalating at a record pace and we are becoming desensitized to the point that it seems like yesterday's news.

Big Ernie is blessing us with warmth still which means we don't have to cover the absent window yet but rain is in the forecast so that's at the top of the list. I'm off the weekend and not that tired for a change. Could be because I've been in bed by 8 every night this week! Maybe I can get something accomplished during the next couple of days. Or not. I stopped by Money Mike's store on the way home and he presented me with his wish list that included 15K in cash and a gold chain. Obviously his Hindu mentality doesn't connect with Santa Claus or my budget. I plainly explained to him that even BG will not get a gift, much less his silly self. Ya'll hug your babies tight and seize the day. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

^j^