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On Thursday, we were getting a lift down the peninsula, when we came across massive traffic on 280 South. While traffic is endemic to life in the Bay Area, it is not a common sight on 280. As we crawled on, we came across the scene of an accident. There was only one car that seemed to have just slowed to a stop on the right hand shoulder. We shrugged it off as a hit and run or a drunk driver or any of the other things that happen on the road, which make it unsafe as hell (a mere 42,642 deaths unsafe in 2006.) The only thing really weird about the accident was that there was about 10 CHP cars there, which is highly extraordinary for any incident with one car.       Getting back home, I was glancing over the news and came across this story wherein a man was shot and killed by another motorist in an apparent bout of road rage and I realized that was the scene we had passed. All those who knew the victim say that he was a calm guy and given the fact he didn't open fire on the other car would seem to support this. He was just a normal guy with his two sons in the car, coming home from a long day at work and was shot by three idiots who will hopefully be found. This has to be one of the saddest things I've read in quite a while.       These types of incidents are on the rise here in the US with three roadway shootings this month alone. What's the cause? I think most all of us would agree that it's guns. Guns, guns, everywhere without the common sense to think.       Is there a solution? Besides getting rid of guns (which never seems to be an option for some reason), the only one I can think of is to ride public transportation. I'm sure that this will whip of some hysteria (which I'll thankfully not be around for, as of Tuesday) and those with SUVs will feel safer for some reason, although they aren't. Nuts are everywhere and while you may not like that homeless guy staring at you on the Bart your whole ride, I'll trade that any day for a group of three thugs in a car raining bullets down on me for cutting them off.

I was forwarded this article about a guy trying to use a gun on a tire.       I suppose when you get down to it, the honor of a Darwin Award is really earned by the recipient of one. I mean, what is the pattern of synapses firing in a decision like this? "Hmm, tire is stuck. Gun unstucks things with bullet things. Use gun on tire to unstuck it? Yes, unstuck tire means getting to home, to watch game and each pork rinds more. But wait, pork rinds already in car with stuck tire. Stay here with stuck tire and eat pork rinds? Stupid logic brain, no game in car! Oh yeah, sorry gun brain, forgot about that. Shoot stupid tire!"       And thus you end up with a man in Washington State injured in both legs for shooting a tire with a 12 gauge shotgun. Really makes a solid case for that whole 2nd Amendment thing.