Tom Tomorrow reposted this today - in response to the gun-worshippers who are howling today

[Tobin S.]

105. A lot of food for thought there

I feel like I should say something in response, but I'm not sure what it is.

Noam Chomsky said, not too awful long ago, that he thinks America is still the free-est country on the planet. He's probably taking into account, among many things, the freedoms we have regarding guns.

Violence sells...I think you've got that right. It sells air time on news shows. It sells magazines and newspapers and books. It sells movies and TV shows. I wonder if that guy who shot up the movie theater in a twisted way had irony in mind by doing so before a film that probably does a bit of violence glorifying. A kind of "You like that? Here's the real thing!" Too bad that guy couldn't keep the war contained to his mind and get proper help. I suppose he'll get all kinds of mental health treatment now. You have to be declared sane for the state to put you to death.

I'm a non-violent kind of guy now days. I don't own any guns either. I just don't feel like I need them. When I was a kid I was naturally easy going as well, but my mom and step-dad told me that if I was picked on I should fight to get respect. And I did fight even though it totally went against my nature. I got my butt kicked in the seventh grade by a guy who was bullying me when I decided to try to fight back. I had braces on my teeth and he just busted my mouth wide open. A teacher grabbed us and took us to the principal's office. This kid was much bigger than me and feared by many in our class. But there we were sitting together and I'm bleeding all over the place. The principal knew what had happened and told the other kid, "Look what you did to him." I could see regret in the bully's face and he apologized. Then the principal sent me to the nurse. A strange thing happened after that. The bully and I became friendly toward one another. I think we both did a lot of growing up in that principal's office. I only got into into one fight after that, but it was purely self defense.

It seems like many boys are taught from a young age that they have to be tough and even violent to get what they want in life. I bet Romney was taught that and it manifested itself in his corporate raids with Bain. Bush appears to have been taught that and it manifested itself in two deadly and unnecessary wars.

See what you done did? You gone and made me think.