Dickens Had It Right

“This boy is Ignorance, and this girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy; for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”

Is It Time Now, Please?

Not very long ago, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his child's mother before taking his own life. When sportscaster Bob Costas took the opportunity to voice an opinion and ask if now wasn't the time for a discussion, he was roundly criticized.

One of the criticisms was that it was "too soon" for anyone to discuss the issue of firearm-related violence in this country.

(Fun fact: The Centers for Disease Control described gun violence as a public health issue back in 1986. That's 1986, dear readers.)

This morning a person walked into an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. By the time he shot himself, eighteen children between ages 5 and 10 lay dead, with another two DOA at the hospital. Six adults were also shot there, including a teacher believed to be the shooter's mother.

Another adult was found dead at a private residence.

This, by the way, is the confirmed information courtesy of the police spokesman on scene as relayed by NPR.

Is it time NOW to have a discussion about access to guns in this fading Republic, given the increasing number of demonstrably deranged people wandering about?