Well, let's see how far we've come in the national discussion on guns, so far: You've got NRA cheerleader and CEO Wayne LaPierre shooting off his mouth on talking head shows, saying a ban on high capacity weapons magazines will be done, basically, over his dead body.
If I were an unkind sort, I'd be sorely tempted to say, "Works for me."
Good thing I'm not -- I'm not even one of the grinches "making war" on Christmas, as religious believers usually phrase their accusations.
It's true I no longer subscribe to such notions, having become confused why it is the birth of a people's savior is celebrated with such shows of avarice, greed, and conspicuous consumption -- especially as that infant would grow and that savior later be quoted saying, give away all your possessions and follow me.
You might even remember, as I do, those repeated warnings regarding the difficulty of camels trying to pass through the eye of a needle, in relation to the rich. And, as much as I think religion is a private matter best kept out of the public square, I am not trying to lay down a sheet of freezing rain on anyone's parade route, nor do anything rude to anyone's eggnog.
Go -- enjoy, be happy. Life is short -- as short as a roulette spin or a toss of the dice, as we are constantly being reminded these days. Case in point: By now, you've heard about the Webster, New York firefighters responding to a house blaze, and being picked off, one by one, by a man whose motives so far remain unknown.
The count here, this time out: two dead, two injured. The gunman was found dead, although there is some confusion whether it was by his own hand or via police.