** This is a non-technical, opinion based rant post. Feel free to move on **

Tonight I found some free time for myself. So I figured it was a good time to sit in front of my PC and play some UT2k4. Opened it, and found that there is a new patch, so I went out to their site and downloaded it.

While waiting, I went to my source of all news non-technical, MSNBC[^]. In my life, if it's not on MSNBC, it didn't happen. Anyways, so on the home page is a picture that has been irritating me all day, of this Schiavo woman that has a family that wants to unplug her. Honestly, I've not been following her story at all, and I'm sure it's a sad one, but why is this front page news?? Let the family do as they wish. They are the ones who have had to introduce their mom, the potato, for the last 15 years, not some judge.

But before I get 1000's... or 2, hates e-mails telling me how insensitive I am, I should move on to the real reason for my post tonight. On the MSNBC home page tonight is an article about a shooting that happened in Minn-es-O-ta today[^]. Some whack job of a kid appears to have ripped off his grandparents gun(s), killed them, went to school, then took out 8 others, and injuring 15 others. This concerns me. However, on a brighter note, at least he took himself out so tax payer dollars are used giving him 3 meals a day for the rest of his life.

I have a son who is in the 3td grade right now, and another that will be starting school next year. As a parent, what can I do to help ensure my kids never encounter a situation like this one, or Columbine? Things have changed a lot since the years I was in school, and I graduated in '97. Sure, when I was in school, there were concerns about kids bringing guns to school. However, in the few times you did hear about a shooting at a school, it was one kid aiming at one other kid. Not some messed up kid taking out a classroom.

So who's to blame? The media? San Andreas? TV? Eminem? The Parents, or lack there of?

My first thought is to say the parents. However, as a parent of 3, I have no clue what particular action I could make today, tomorrow, or the next day, that would ensure my kid doesn't end up as, or the victim of, a whack job like the kid at this Minnesota school. Does me not letting my kids play with toy guns teach them guns are bad, or does it build the desire to play with one when mom and dad aren't around?

I dunno. My UT2k4 patch is downloaded and installed now, so I think I'm gonna go frag some 14 year olds...