Nation commits suicide

WTF.

The United States appears to be adopting the Greek and Roman attitude of tolerance towards suicide.

In Rome there was even “patriotic suicide,” to allow people to account for their dishonor.

But unlike today, most suicides involved individuals killing themselves, not taking dozens with them.

According to Wikipedia, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the world’s richest nation.

But are incidents like the shootings at Roseburg, Ore., or Columbine, Colo., result of dishonor or mental illness.

Mental illness could be considered dishonorable.

For those ages 15-24, suicide is the third leading cause of death.

School massacres didn’t begin with Columbine, but it had never attracted such attention.

Exhaustive reviews of each incident have led to new protocols for police to try to reduce the death toll. Millions, perhaps billions have been spent. Not much was spent on mental illness care.

At the same time governments have made it easier to get guns, even semi-automatic. Attempts to bar the sale of clips carrying dozens of bullets, have failed.

The idea is that if every American was pistol-packing then mentally ill young people would be stopped in their tracks.

Unfortunately, in most cases these killers planned for months or longer, and outgunned the officers sent to confront them.

Officers have in some cases lowered death tolls. But in most cases the killers were not even interested in death by cop.

They intended to die, if they had any goal. They are our kamikazes.

This has proved true in Roseburg, Ore., where an autopsy revealed the killer took his own life. Police and deputies may have pumped bullets into his dying body, as well they should.

Expect to see President Obama again, lamenting these deaths.
Gun lovers claim that if Umpqua Community College had not been a gun-free zone the killer could have been stopped. But the state had declared that persons with concealed-carry permits could bring their weapons on the campus.