Them’s Fightin’ Words

[[C R I M E]] * Plainly, the United States has reached a point where the combination of political disagreement and easy access to guns has become deadly. The following story comes from the Web site of KCAU-TV (an ABC affiliate) in Sioux City, Iowa:

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (AP)--The fighting in Iraq has triggered a death on the homefront--near Prestonburg, Kentucky.

Prosecutors and Kentucky State Police say two men running booths at a flea market got into an argument yesterday about the war, which escalated into a fight.

One man allegedly pulled a small pistol, threatening to kill the other. Police say the second man pulled out a pistol of his own, and shot the first man.

An investigation is still under way, but both police and prosecutors are calling it self-defense.

The two men were described as friends.

Gee, it’s good to know they were friends. Heaven knows how they would have treated each other, had they been enemies!

ADDENDUM: Another sign that our culture is growing increasingly combative: the newest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English contains 350 words that will come in handy when insulting somebody else, but only one tenth as many words to use in flattering or praising them.