Quote of the Day

"--Firearms were virtually uncontrolled before 1934, then more so in 1968, and more so in 1986. Yet school shootings have increased almost exponentially since just the late 1990s. Why? Yes, there are more guns. Yes, more people live in urban environments. But those aren't the answer. The problem of mass shootings has grown far faster than the rate of gun ownership." - Matt G on Better And Better

I wasn't aware that they were becoming more frequent. Wikipedia concurs. It's a little hard to keep track when the loudspeakers keep repeating themselves and the volume keeps going up. After a while it tends to become background noise. If I let all that crap in I would soon be overcome with despondency, so I tend to block it out. Yes, I know we are going to hell in a hand-basket  but what can I do? I don't think joining the argument about guns is going to have any effect. Some people just thrive on conflict and an argument like the one over guns draws a big, enthusiastic crowd. I have heard numerous suggestions on how society might be changed to make us less violent, but I am wondering if we don't just have a certain inherent level of violence and if we don't let it out one way, like through a war, it comes out through another. Yes, I know, we've been fighting a couple of "wars" in the Middle East, but they aren't real wars, not like WW2 or Korea, or shoot, even Vietnam.

Via View From The Porch