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Troubling times

Gun violence in American schools has reached epidemic proportions.  The gun lobby and the anti-gun are finding it out from capitol hill to local counties.  Amidst all this the media as usual is having a frenzy with meaningless and thoughtless commentary on a regular basis.

Their favorite BS terms include or selectively exclude -


  • Active shooter on campus - What the bleep is an 'active' shooter?  As opposed to what? Comatose?  Jaywalking?  Also what is a 'shooter'?  Is he or she wearing a sign?  Or is it a label assigned to a person with a gun?  Is campus security wearing a firearm considered an active shooter?  I am sure he is or can be. 
  • Terrorism - this term got used a lot during the heyday of the war on terror.  Which was itself confounding.  Now that the offending parties seem to be from all religious background and ethnic origin the pundits and politicians cannot decide what to call it?   Fire arsonist were never labeled terrorist as an example of the media hypocrisy but just fire arsonists.
  • Shots reported fired - what is this redundant use of 'reported'?  Shots fired in so and so school is enough.  The fact that you have this bulletin next to Viagra and Mattress Discounts tell me you are trying to Report it while making good revenue.   Or would you worry I might skip over it if I did not see the use of the word 'reported'?
The rush to get the front page with sensational phrases has completely decimated the quality of news reporting and broadcasting.  That to me is equally if not more troubling sign of the times.

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