Bloody, Bloody America
Emmet Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy visiting from Chicago was maliciously murdered in Mississippi...twenty children in Newtown, Connecticut were shot like targets in a shooting gallery...yet we Americans simply move on after the initial shock...parents already numbed by pain are left with shattered hearts.

Thinking of Trayvon Martin?

Yet Wayne Lapierre, CEO of the NRA will argue: guns don’t kill people... people kill people!

Really, Wayne?

Years ago the entire country sat mesmerized for a weekend as our young, vibrant President was laid to rest as his two toddler children looked on and his killer and a young Dallas policeman were gunned down...all on live television and wrapped up in time to report to work on Monday.

This couldn’t be made up...it’s just too bizarre.

Ever wonder how our neighbors to the north see us? How many killings does Canada rack up?

Or Mexico...which, if we were honest with ourselves, we always considered less than civilized.

We’ve always enjoyed a good duel...my grandfather was killed in one...he lost.

Then there was the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Damn, that Hamilton had such a nice signature, too. Remember it on the Declaration of Independence? Strong. Firm. But not bulletproof.

We learned about that one in our history books. Got us prepared for the violence which was to be our history.

Cowboy and Indian movies helped get us indoctrinated. Nothing like a good shoot ‘em up for the kiddies on Saturday afternoon. What did parents care...at least they weren’t underfoot for a few hours. That was before Dr. Spock informed parents their kids were depraved on account of they were deprived.*

Of course that was before proliferation of sex deviates drove us to watch the violence in the safety of our homes...on bigger and bigger screens.

The violence became more sophisticated since Psycho made us all fearful of taking a shower. Thanks Alfred

*Words from 60s Broadway musical, West Side Story.