QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  From Jory Goodman, M.D., distinguished psychiatrist and a regular contributor to our Angel's Corner.  Writing after the Arizona tragedy in the Psychology Today blog, Dr. Goodman reminds us of the history of those who commit massacres.  It is a pleasure to quote someone who actually does the research and knows the material:

Indeed, there is a very obvious pattern seen in the life histories, behavioral patterns, psychopathology and violent acts of the perpetrators of most of the massacres of the past decades. They all had histories. They were all known to the police, the schools, and even to the mental health systems but they were not contained, committed, incarcerated, treated or anything else useful safe and productive. They were ignored in the hope that they would just go away. 

That is correct.  It's much easier to blame the guns or political rhetoric.  And Dr. Goodman reminds us of something else:

Please don't be foolish and suggest that episodes of mass violence are more common in the United States than elsewhere because of firearms. They do occur everywhere. But, if you care to examine closely the laws, civil rights, and mental health regulations in the “enlightened European social democracies” you will see that they are dramatically different than ours. Do the homework. I don't want to take up more space with long dissertations about this. In Scandinavian countries serious sex offenders (who by definition are not truly treatable) are surgically or chemically castrated. There aren't a lot of repeat offenders. But these cultures are idealized by the left as some sort of utopian nirvanas. [Do not say I advocate this, it's simply an example.]

COMMENT:  Our national discussions are often unburdened by facts.  Please read Dr. Goodman's column, and you might also want to examine a column he wrote in 2009 on his own blog, called "Crazy People With Guns."  Again, filled with substance.  It's here.

January 18, 2011