Mass Elementary School Shooting - 26 Dead

There was a school shooting in Conneticut where there were twenty victims, which would make it one of the worst school shootings in American history.  Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.  We have to do something about this runaway gun issue . They say that twenty six there at New Town, Conn, at Sandy Hook (?) elementary school are dead, and eighteen of them are children.  It occurred at nine thirty EST.  Some “duck and cover” measures were implemented.  The gunman was a twenty year old, who carried two hand guns. They now say that the shooter is dead.  It’s a little late now.  Ed Schultz says that the time for further legislative delay is no longer, and he’s going to “ say things that have needed to be said” for a long time.  Some suggested after the Portland shopping mall shooting in a food court that, “Well, the shooter chose that location, because he knew that location was a gun free zone”.  So is he intoning the idea that if grammar school children were all armed with firearms, then this problem would not have occurred?   Someone running away from the school when the shootings occurred, has now been brought in for questioning.  Now they are saying that both “shooters” were dressed in all black.  President Obama needs to get off the dime on this issue.  He’s been a political coward on this issue too long.  The NRA has to be shown that they can’t dictate what congress does.  For pure and simple of it, the N R A needs to develop a moral conscience.

This paragraph is a late addendum after one, and the soap opera is preempted.  The death toll has been updated from 26 to 28 with two more of the kids having died, making twenty.  Adam Lanza, who is twenty, is the shooter's name, and his brother is named Ryan Lanza, who is 24.  There was confusion about this in early reports. The shooter got up this morning and first killed his father and then drove 78 miles from Hoboken, New Jersey- - to New Town, Conn. where he shot his mother, who was a kindergarten teacher at this school, which handles kids from Kindergarten through fifth grade.  There seems to be some sort of Edipal conflict going on here. Then the shooter killed himself.  John Wendell said something about "this is a guy who never grew up".  One report says that this twenty year old has a son in this school, and we don't know if he was among the dead.  The President spoke today giving a brief speech saying the usual stuff about "hug your kids a little tighter tonight".  The President said "Now is the time to do something about this" but stopped short of avocating tougher gun laws.  Many consider it more of a mental illness issue and say things 'Unfortunately the warning signs in this never seem to be clear till after the fact".  As to this notion about "Often problems go unresolved and then other problems pile upon other unresolved problems till you get a rich, layered, composite of problems.  I have to face THAT aspect of things both with my own family, and with the Christian religion.

The federal government will not go after marijuana users in Washington and Colorado, and this should be a gigantic load off their minds.  The Moral Right can moan and whine about what an “anarchist” the President is or whatever, but they have absolutely no power over the President on this issue, and they know it.  Oscar is mopping the floors.  More and more republicans are saying that John Boehner should just agree to the four percent hike.  There are only eleven shopping days before Christmas, and congress is running out of time to get any legislation at all passed.  Once it’s even agreed on, certain procedural matters take time.

Poll numbers are rising on people who take global warming seriously.  Even 61% of the non believes are now saying that they have to believe their own experience, if they have experienced global warming.  Eighty percent of the people now take global warming seriously, which is up from 73% a couple of years ago.  Maybe something will be done about it now.  This is another issue where the President needs to take a more proactive stance than he has.  There is employment for a lot of people in new, green jobs- which should stimulate the economy.  There is a case to be made that "the point at which it's just "too late" is fast upon us", and we best not wait until then.

I have the Ed Schultz tuned in now on that Seaside radio station.  There was a “King Tide’ last night where sea water washed over toads and cars or whatever, and I guess- - it was unusual.  The way they portrayed it, it’s quite unusual.  Normally you get the high tide just a little after moon rise. They tell us there was a six point earthquake off the shore of Catalina, that we didn’t even feel here.   I don’t know if sizemic activity could be playing into this in any manner.  On a personal note I've given new, serious consideration to declaring that today, December 14th 2012, will be the last day I smoked a cigarette.  I have only smoked one cigarette since six o clock or so in the morning, and some would say if I were serious, the number would be zero.  The fact is quitting smoking will end a lot of health worries- - however vague at the moment- - and will also bring my behavior more in line with 21st Century societal norms.