the heritage of violence

When H. Rap Brown in 1967 famously declared: "I say violence is necessary. It's as American as cherry pie," it stirred controversy and contempt, although our history is replete with violence, from the words of The Star-Spangled Banner to the assassinations or would-be assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK, MLK, Medgar Evans, Malcolm X, RFK, Harvey Milk, George Moscone, Ronald Reagan, John Lennon, and too many others, now including Judge John Roll and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords yesterday in Tucson.

You can't deny one thread: guns.

They weren't attacked by knives or bows and arrows or slingshots.

Speaking of which, according to the Census Bureau, as reported in yesterday's Times,

"In 2007, airport screeners confiscated 1.1 million knives, 11,908 boxcutters and 1,416 guns."

And those are the ones who got caught!

Stunning.

Sad.

Violence.

Part of our culture (and, yes, part of other cultures, too; some, more so.)

But still sad.

And worth reflecting on.