Puppy Kisses and Crazed Maniacs

Puppy kisses and crazed maniacs should not go together, however that has been my last two days. That being said, I have good news and bad news. Personally, I like getting bad news first, that way I can follow up the let down/ anger with an "awww". So, on with the show.

Today in Grand Rapids, MI, where I grew up, there is a crazed maniac on the loose. This all started about 2 pm, when he murdered his "wife". (The reports of her actually being his wife are unconfirmed, as is pretty much everything else, keep that in mind as you read.) After this he went to a house and killed 4 people; 1 man, 2 women, and a girl, age unknown. Once finished with everything alive in that house he went a few blocks away to another house and killed 2 women and a 10 year old girl. Was he done yet? No. He proceeded to be involved in a high speed chase with about every cop car in the state, going the wrong way down two expressways and through downtown, randomly firing shots at anything moving as he went along and, of course, causing many, many car accidents. When his car could no longer go, due to having no tires left, he jumped out of the car and ran, broke into a house, and took two hostages. Where we're at now, and the live news coverage is still going on behind me, he has released the female hostage and is talking about blowing up the house. Now that we know the order of things, let's delve into what could possibly make someone do this. My husband and I have been discussing this all night while the news has been blaring non-stop for 6 hours. We've tossed around ideas such as anger, jealousy, drugs, gangs, but the one that makes the most sense to me is complete and utter INSANITY. I have absolutely no sympathy for him and his, what has been described as a, "very hard, sad life" and I hope they shoot and kill him on sight. I would feel differently if MI had a death penalty, but we don't. I understand that the death penalty is a hot button topic, and that quite possibly people will be very upset about my saying that, but here's the deal. Don't be a dick. Don't go around shooting people, murdering children in cold blood, putting hundreds in danger, or taking hostages, and I won't talk that way. I am willing to bet that anyone who reads this has been angry. Correct? Perhaps, like me, you've even said, "I'm gonna kill..." whoever the hell has pissed you off. With me so far? Now, did you actually do it? I have not, because I'm at least a little sane, and I'm guessing that the vast majority, if not all of you, have never killed anyone either. Does being angry mean that you can do whatever you want? Hell, no!! My 2 year old has learned this, yet this 34 year old man has trouble grasping it. Perhaps I was wrong with my insanity decision and the real reason is that this man is a mental midget and cannot grasp the simple idea of cause and effect, or right and wrong. Both of these phenomenons, by the way, are learned in elementary school. Now I'm done with the bad news cause I choose not to be angry all night, but feel free to discuss this with whomever it is you discuss things with.

Are we ready for good news? You may have noticed, or not, that I didn't post yesterday. Wanna know why? We got a new dog! She's very cute and sweet. She's around 4 or 5 years old, a Jack Russel Terrier mix, and she loves my kids and other dog. Her name is Pepper and she's awesome. She has taken over every portion of our day. As with everyone else in our house, she's a rescue. She may be 4 or 5, but she's not housebroken or trained, and lacks some basic manners, so it's very much like having a new puppy. Of course, given her history, the fact that her only issue is training is quite miraculous. Technically, we're fostering her, but we've already talked about licensing her in our name and where we can move with 2 dogs, so my guess is that she's staying. Awesome, huh?

If that was not enough cuteness to make up for the crazed maniac, here's more. My oldest daughter made me a book today all by herself. It said, "The birds and the squirrel. The butterfly." I got to hold it for a few seconds, but then she told me that she had to do "listrations" so she took it away again. I did get to look at it after that, but I wasn't allowed to touch it. She's a thoughtful, selfless child, isn't she?? She gets it from her momma.

News break: Unconfirmed- Originally we had been told that there were 2 hostages and one had been released. New report says that there were actually three hostages in the house and still two left there.

Quite honestly I'm aware that I should keep talking, but this tiny thing has taken me an hour to write because I keep turning around and staring at the tv. I'm going to go focus on it and fill you all in tomorrow. I hope your day was full of puppy kisses, and that there were no crazed maniacs for you.