Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?

Shaun of the Dead - My favorite zombie movie. (Maybe. There are a ton of good ones.)

This seems appropriate. This way, I can blend in with everyone else making a cheap zombie apocalpse  joke about the man in Miami, the other man in New Jersey, the dude in Canada, and even the fellow in Maryland. But the thing is, I don't think it's appropriate. I do have a sense of humor, but I get offended at times, and I guess now is that time.

I read an article (if you want to see it, just click the word "article" - no, not that one, the one earlier in the sentence), discussing the zombie meme not being an appropriate response to this situation, and it really straightened me out. Actually, the author mentioned two huge problems, one being that these jokes, which are distant to you, are probably unimaginably hurtful to the victims, their family, and their friends, the other being that the people who committed these atrocities, as horrible as they are, needed help.

If I may quote the author about a man who recently killed several strangers in Seatle: "According to his family, the man had a concealed weapons permit and a history of mental illness." Why is that ever okay? I can't think of a single instance where that is NOT a bad idea. When I was in middle school, two students at our school - one a dear friend of mine - were shot and killed by their father. He had history of Depression, Alcoholism, and domestic violence, yet he still had a gun. There was even a restraining order against him. Whether or not hindsight is 20/20, people should have seen that coming. Guns do NOT mix with mental instability, alcohol, or other drugs. I'm not saying we need to outlaw guns. (I might like that idea, but realistically I know it would never happen and there's no sense pushing for it. Mother always told me to pick my battles!) What I am saying, however, is that it should be more difficult to get a gun than it is. Hell, it should be harder to get a driver's license than it is! (Pretend as though I didn't recently get a speeding ticket as I complain about bad drivers.) People fight for their right to bear arms, but why? Do they think guns are toys or decoration or something to show status? They are weapons. Guns were created for the purpose of KILLING. That's not something just anyone should be able to have without serious psychological testing. Especially a concealed weapons permit. That's just fucking stupid that he had one.

Now I've made myself quite sad. That doesn't solve anything...