Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Is he goofy?

From Russel T. Johnson's The Arkansas Roadside Travelogue

"THE VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTING

I've written on this subject before, but here it goes again. Every time I point this out, people roll their eyes and act like I'm goofy, but....

These shootings always occur right after a public health crisis, in this case a big pet food recall. The last school shooting, the one at the Amish school, came right after the big ecoli/green onion scare."

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Today's NYT has a list of such "notable rampages":

May 18, 1927 Bath, Mich. - a school board official kills his wife and then blows up the school killing 40, including himself.

Aug 1, 1966 Austin, Texas - A gunman kills 16 and injures 31 shooting from the Univ. of Texas tower.

Dec 1, 1997 W. Paducah, Ky. - A 14 year old shoots three classmates and wounds five at a school prayer meeting.

Mar 24, 1998 Jonesboro, Ark. - A 13- and a 11- year old kill four girls and a teacher and injure 11, when they open fire outside a middle school.

May 21, 1998 Springsfield, Ore. - Boy shoots to kill four and wounds dozens.

April 20, 1999, Littleton, Col. - the Columbine massacre - two boys kill 13 and wound dozens and then themselves.

Mar 21, 2005, Red Lake, Minn. - Boy kills grandfather and a companion, five students, a teacher and security guide before killing himself.

Oct 2, 2006, Nickel Mines, Pa. - Man shoots and kills four girls and wounds seven at an Amish school.

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I can't find a good way to figure out public health crises.