Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Vernon, Kansas on April 4, 2009:

One thing that I've seen occasionally mentioned, but almost never by mainstream media, is that almost all mass shootings involved the use of prescription drugs - specifically drugs of the class that Prozac is in. Either the shooters were currently taking the drugs, or had been taking them and self-decided to stop. The PDR list of bad side effects for this class of drugs is a bad nightmare in itself, and includes delusions, hallucinations, and other forms of INDUCED mental instability.

Personally, I think there have to be better ways we can help these people than prescribing drugs to them with (even only the possibility) side effects so debilitating.

Posted by Eloise, Vermont on April 4, 2009:

My birthday is on income tax day (and the day Lincoln died, and the day the Titanic sunk), so I feel the pain.

But I don't understand why high school students (or college students in most cases), would be worried about taxes.

Clearly, April is the cruelest month for other reasons.

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Students who don't pay taxes themselves (and I certainly had to file returns when I was in college!) feel the stress in their households, since certainly their parents pay taxes. -rc

Posted by Ali, Springfield on April 4, 2009:

How would the Columbine shooting fit into that theory?

That said, taxes sure are a level of stress for me, but usually in Feb-March, since that's when I tackle them... to see if I'm going to have to scramble for any extra payments being self-employed.

I find the Federal tax forms are a cakewalk compared to Massachusetts' forms. So many bloody worksheets, even more so in the last couple years with the healthcare-for-all tacked on to the system.

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I'm obviously not seriously arguing that Columbine -- or any specific shooting -- was due solely to taxes. Yet I can guarantee that those kids' parents were stressed, and you know kids are affected by their parents' stress. -rc

Posted by Colin, Minnesota on April 4, 2009:

If you read comments posted regarding local and national news stories you will notice a very high percentage are complaining about spending their tax dollars to support other people or programs. These people go to great lengths all year long to voice their objections. It is a good thing they can vent verbally even if many seem to have a hard time finding or spelling the words they use to complain. Many are likely too upset to put their feelings into words and it is amazing to me there are not more of these massacres taking place year round.

But as you say the tax season seems to punctuate this phenomenon. Often these tax protesting citizens are the same ones who own guns and support the NRA and it's not any wonder why. They feel that they need for the government to fear if not respect them. Just think of how and why our country started over two hundred years ago.

Unfortunately it is the innocent people who are slaughtered in the name of this freedom cry and never now what the person was thinking or why he was no longer thinking. And the person who commits these acts of violence has given in to desperation and no longer has a voice. They seem to want to be viewed as martyrs.

And every time this happens again we ask ourselves, 'When is this ever going to end?' I fear it never will. Pray then for the victims of these senseless acts as well as for those who commit them.

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I'm unclear how you've been able to check suspects' names against the NRA membership list. -rc

Posted by Stu, Fort Lauderdale, FL on April 4, 2009:

"Some experts say that April is a time of change that can trigger a disturbed mind to act out. The sudden increase in light this time of year can drive people with certain mental illnesses to manic behavior, some said."

What sudden increase in light? Was I sleeping during the class when they talked about sudden increases/decreases in light come spring, fall, summer, winter? It's GRADUAL! A few minutes a day change from the previous (about 2 minutes/day in NYC, for example).

As far as the IRS being the cause, you certainly would have more accountants pulling guns and shooting as 4/15 approaches. Not to mention the spouses of accountants shooting at them <G>.

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Glad you picked up on the "sudden" change. Yeah: happens overnight! Didn't you know? ;-) -rc

Posted by Jeff, Kentucky on April 4, 2009:

Sounds like a reasonable explanation for the shootings in April. Just another reason to support the Fair Tax (www.fairtax.org). No forms, no headaches, and everyone (including illegal immigrants, criminals, and tourists helps pay the freight.

Posted by Dennis in Medford, MA on April 4, 2009:

I am currently reading Neal Stephenson's Anathem, which I shall paraphrase: The compromise between two reasonable positions is often highly unreasonable.

This explains to me the current tax code and decreases my hope for reform.

Posted by Dan, Arizona on April 4, 2009:

Thomas Stearns Eliot said that "April is the cruelest Month." I have a family related theory. In our depression spradling family we had five of eight kids born in April. In my 75 years of wandering this earth I have notice a high incidence of April births.

I would not know how to check the worldwide number of April births, but for some, Birthdays are stressful. Perhaps we should check the birthdays of those involved in these shootings.

In the future we may have to set up a system of watching those of us who were brought forth in "The Cruelest month."

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I just think there is a lot of sex in July. Hard to figure, too, since it's so hot in July.... -rc

Posted by Andy, PA on April 4, 2009:

While the IRS is a nuisance - and a special source of frustration and angst for entrepreneurs - the back-stories of shooters seldom involve "good taxpayers gone bad." The commonality among them is that there are a large number of dysfunctional families, disgruntled workers, and mentally disturbed folks who are off their meds that have contributed to these horrific events. There seems to be precious little evidence that the voices in the heads of these killers was the IRS man.

Certainly there are April events - but I doubt that there is sufficient data (i.e. mass shootings) to demonstrate a statistical correlation. Here is my count (data courtesy AFP) for significant shooting events starting with Columbine. Year and number of victims (not including the perpetrator) included:

February (2 events) Chicago - 2008, 5; DeKalb, Illinois - 2008, 5.

March (4 events) Brookfield, Wisconsin - 2005, 7; Alabama - 2009, 10; North Carolina - 2009, 8; Santa Clara - 2009, 6.

April (3 events) Columbine - 1999, 13; Blacksburg, Virginia - 2007, 32; Binghamton, New York - 2009, 13.

July (1 event) Atlanta - 1999, 12.

August (1 event) Chicago - 2003, 6.

September (2 events) Fort Worth - 1999, 6; Alger, Washington - 2008, 6.

October (2 events) Washington (sniper shootings)- 2002, 9; Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania - 2006, 5.

November (1 event) Birchwood, Wisconsin - 2004, 6.

December (3 events) Omaha, Nebraska - 2007, 9; Carnation, Washington - 2007, 6; Covina, California - 2008, 9.

In terms of significant events since Columbine - March appears to be the "winner." Yes, I have left out Oklahoma City and others. I simply didn't feel up to doing detailed research for the pre-Columbine years, and I figured the blog was about shootings - not bombings.

I think it is reasonable to blame the wackos themselves and leave the IRS out of it.

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The winner is March, you say? Huh: that's when quarterly filings are due. -rc

Posted by John - Hershey, PA on April 4, 2009:

I am just afraid this will spark another round of "let's take the guns away to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again" crappola. I would be the first to sign up if I knew for sure that the bad guys and the psychos would as well. Therein lies the problem. Unarmed "good people" will continue to be slaughtered by "bad people" because the bad guys don't play by the rules.