Polite People
Visiting Google News this morning, my eye was immediately caught by the story of the killing of six people in a house on Capitol Hill in Seattle and the subsequent suicide of the shooter. I am originally from Seattle and know Capitol Hill well.
The first thing you do is check for clues to determine whether by some extremely remote chance you might know some of the victims. Seems unlikely I do. Then you read around a number of stories to see what else you can find out. Naturally, many of the reports are repeats of the wire stories so most of them say about the same thing. The local papers have a bit more.
And then I check the CNN site, and see the headline: "Seattle gunman was 'very polite'".
Well, I mean, of course he was "polite". As I understand it, he was also "respectful" and "deep". These shooters always are, aren't they?
I don't know how long it's going to take the authorities to realize that we need to start keeping an eye on these polite people. What I'd really like to see is a Polite People Surveillance Program, but I don't expect I'll see that any time soon. Too many Constitutional so-called "scholars" would be barking about that one.
But, personally, I don't see a problem with it. If you aren't a polite person, you don't have anything to hide, do you? All I'm saying is that if you know somebody who is polite, I don't see what the problem is, just giving a little tip-off to the local authorities. Same with respectful and deep people. It's just surveillance. It's not like anybody's freedoms would be curbed.
And if we could stop just one of these polite people, wouldn't it be worth it?
Don't forget the "quiet ones" who quietly go about their lives as little more than background noise in most people's conscious. Until one day they show up at the Post Office or Widget Manufacturing Inc. with a foot-long bowie knife and a bag full of weapons that looks like one of Ollie North's shipments to the Contras.
Posted by: Bob Dively | March 27, 2006 at 09:50 AM
The house where it happened is 6 blocks east and 4 blocks south of where we live. It was pretty startling to us. But as usual some nutcase was interviewed saying, "If it could happen here, it could happen anywhere." What is with these people? Do/Did they really believe they were exempt from contact with anything bad?
People are weird. I haven't walked over to see the site, but, from the pictures a lot of my neighbors have.
MKK
Posted by: Mary Kay | March 27, 2006 at 02:29 PM
I didn't know you lived on Capitol Hill. I thought you were out in the North End or something. Well, anyway. "Be careful out there."
Posted by: Corpsy | March 27, 2006 at 02:38 PM
Yeah, we live 2 blocks from Volunteer Park in a really wonderful house which will be 100 years old next year. The benefits of selling real estate in northern CA and moving somewhere cheaper.
MKK
Posted by: Mary Kay | March 27, 2006 at 11:18 PM
i like how you get down with the funky in your tunk then you do do do that way like a man on a wall drinking ham juice. please hold my underpants while i shake shake my butt to the sound of your voice at night time when no one else is looking, just me and you... together... foeva
Posted by: nHd | April 26, 2006 at 09:42 PM