Gun Street Girl

I'm still too shaky, so rather than typing out a narrative of what just happened, here's the instant message version:

JQP: so i had to call 911 about 20 minutes ago

JQP: i was sitting outside smoking and there was all of this yelling at the apartments next door... then i heard three loud pops, and this time i DID NOT think it sounded like fireworks.

friend: Why?

JQP: two more when i was on the phone with the dispatcher

friend: Holy shit

JQP: stuck my head out the door after that and it was totally silent - like everyone had scattered

JQP: then i see a car head down the hill and a few seconds later i hear 5 or 6 more pops that sounded like they were going down the hill with the car

JQP: the fire trucks left, but the cops are still there

JQP: my guess is that no one was shot, but that someone may have shot a gun to scare the people they were arguing with.

JQP: i wish i had a police scanner.

friend: Oh my God, that's terrifying. Are you alright?

JQP: yeah, just really on edge.

JQP: i've never called the cops in my life.

A history of violence

Teens charged in fatal beating of Mexican immigrant

This just chilled me.  I fail to understand that level of hatred and brutality, and how people like this even still exist.

...Also, I'm almost afraid of what position Lou Dobbs will take.

War, Disinfected

So I was reading this piece about "America's Army," the video game from the US Army which is really just a recruitment tool cloaked as mindless entertainment.

Aside from the obvious issues of targeting children and sanitizing/dumbing down the combat experience in hopes of enticing them to join (not to mention the money spent to put this game together), another idea about "America's Army" struck me...  I was just thinking - and this is really nothing more than an afterthought - that it seems highly insulting to the memories of brave soldiers who fought and died and those who continue to fight to water down and trivialize their experiences.  And as a means of deceiving children, no less.  Just a thought.

I should probably note that I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with joining the military.  It's noble and brave.  I just don't like the idea of suckering young people into enlisting with grandiose and unrealistic expectations.  And I hate the idea of sending our men and women off to fight in an unjust war predicated on lies.

Well, as usual, I've said nothing new or insightful here, but I did post that link and folks should check it out.

possibly the funniest sentence I've ever heard

A convicted felon who became a motivational speaker -- and used his life experiences to warn teens about the dangers of drugs and crime -- is accused of going on a bender, threatening to kill his girlfriend and her son, and smashing a former prison buddy in the face with a statue of John Wayne.

Motivational speaker accused of violent bender