While trolling The Hartford Courant's website today for information regarding yesterday's primary results, this was the way their front page was organized. While I was at first shocked by the image of one of the young boys shot during the incidents this past Saturday, I was then outraged at the share stupidity and thoughtlessness of placing a headline about a shooting range's problems next to it! Look, I'm all for the second amendment - even as misappropriated by gun lobbyists. Frankly, guns should be used on a firing range, not on our streets. The powers that be and the media whores can blame the violence on the youth, the police, the drugs, the parents, immigration, unemployment, each other, whatever... the guns in the wrong hands are what injured innocent bystanders. Be realistic and honest about that and deal with that issue if you want to deal with the violence.
While listening to a DJ, Dave Gosh Viable Rhythms, on my favorite college stations, WHUS 91.7 FM, he was outraged that the HPD were hastling (i.e. telling his buddies to go into a venue instead of 'tailgating' in a park) at about the same time that the shootings occurred on Saturday. Yes, it would be ideal that there were more police on the streets and specifically at the location where a crime that is about to occur. That would be ideal indeed. It's not like suburban kids have a wonderful track record at the Meadows Music Center (flipped cars on fire anyone?). I'm not defending the police's actions or inactions. But this dj's whining attitude about it was absolutely ridiculous; as ridiculous as the juxtaposition of the photo of the boy and the headline about a shooting range.
Mr. Gosh went on to rave about Stan Simpson's editorial. In it, Mr. Simpson a major problem is that youth these days have no father figures. But what neither Mr. Simpson nor Mr. Gosh ask - or provide - is why aren't the fathers in their lives? Would those men actually be better or worse role models? This argument is equally as simplistic as mandating some ridiculous curfew. Until people actually the socio-economic issues that need to be corrected, this violence will not go away.
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