Everyone's focused on the tragedy in VA Tech. Me too. I feel guilty because I root against them in ACC basketball (I went to 2 other ACC schools, you can guess which ones). I feel cynical that the debate has turned political already; it wasn't even 24 hrs old and already various political hacks were framing the debate as an issue of 2nd Amendment rights (which it's not).

I am a consumer of mass culture as much as the next person, but when events like this happen, I don't know what to do. On one side I want to shut it out, the horror, but on the other side I want everyone to realize that this kind of horror is happening everyday in Iraq.

On one side I want the media to focus on the uniquely American horror of what happens when you don't limit gun ownership, on the other side I want the media to focus on other important events of the day, like the politicization of the justice department which is particularly frightening.

Let me know what you think.

I'm watching the Daily Show broadcasting from Ohio: Midwest Midterm Midtacular.

It's so funny because I grew up there. They had 3 correspondents in different cities, all at Applebee's. And another correspondent broke on from Chillicothe, OH from Bob Evans.

It's so sad that I've actually eaten at that restaurant.

Ohio makes me sad, politically, but that is another entry entirely.

Maybe I'll blog on that as the midterm election comes up.

I am johnnyvento.

I am a scientist.

I am a liberal.

I have been a member for a long time but I haven't made any diary entries, or even put my picture on my profile.

I'm starting to change that.

If you have any questions, please ask.