Thoughts Before The Alarm Sounds

     Please take a good look at this list: 03/24/1998 Jonesboro, AR 5 11 04/20/1999 Littleton, CO 15 24 03/12/2005 Brookfield, WI 8 4 03/21/2005 Red Lake, MN 10 5 01/31/2006 Goleta, CA 7 1 10/02/2006 Nickel Mines, PA 5 5 02/12/2007 Salt Lake City, UT 5 4 04/16/2007 Blacksburg, VA 33 25 12/05/2007 Omaha, NE 9 4 02/07/2008 Kirkwood, MO 5 2 02/14/2008 Dekalb, IL 6 18 04/03/2009 Binghamton, NY 14 4 11/05/2009 Fort Hood, TX 13 30 01/07/2010 St. Louis, MO 4 5 01/08/2011 Tucson, AZ 6 14      This is a small sample of gun related massacres in recent years in the United States. The numbers in the two right hand columns refer to the number of dead and wounded.      In the Tucson shooting a United States Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was seriously wounded, along with 13 other innocent bystanders. A U.S. District judge, a community outreach director and a nine year old girl were among the six bystanders who were killed...

     As a result of the January 8 shooting in Tucson of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford by Jared Lee Loughner, much heat and a ray of light has been generated. Name-calling began almost immediately, with the political left blaming the incident on the rhetoric of the right, and the right, correctly in my opinion, pleading innocence.      According to the left, the onus fell upon Sarah Palin and her “gunsight” icon, which targeted several Democratic Congressional Districts, including Rep. Gifford's. Much is made of the supposed “fact” that such rhetoric is becoming worse, with the result that the popular culture is becoming more violent.      A few examples from the past indicate that there is nothing new about repugnant speech against political opponents:      During the John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson presidential campaign, Jackson claimed that Adams used public money to buy “gambling devices.” As a ...