Memorial

As I write this the Memorial Service for the slain Police Officers is starting in Tacoma WA.  These 4 were gunned down at a local coffee shop while they caught up on reports and enjoyed a cup prior to starting work on a Sunday morning.  Strangely the gunman spared the lives of the other customers and workers in the shop.

Two days later the gunman was on the losing end of a gunfight with Seattle Police and was found to have been severely wounded by one of the slain officers and to be in possession of one of their guns.  Later it was reported that the gunman had told others that he was going to kill as many people as he could starting with cops and to also include schools.

The information paints this picture:  the gunman entered the coffee shop and immediately shot the 4 people he saw that were armed.  He then picked up a weapon from a fallen officer to perhaps (or probably) finish his murderous rampage with the others in the shop.  As a final action one of the dying officers was able to launch one into the gunman who then shocked from his wound, fled to the car waiting for him and was driven away into hiding.  The officer saved several lives in the coffee shop and perhaps many others in other locations.

It is the middle of an unusual cold spell in the Pacific Northwest, temperatures are not expected to rise to freezing (32 Fahrenheit, 0 Celsius).  This weather has been with us for a week and is expected to have a week more before returning to the usual 45 degrees and raining winter weather.  My sister also reports snow on the North Shore, and that's not northern New England but Lake Pontchartrain just outside New Orleans.  Fitting weather for the Memorial service.  Also fitting weather I think for the alternative energy lovefest & political sideshow commencing in Copenhagen.  In fact it could be an omen if this conference truly had anything at all to do with science.  Sadly it's all about politics, pseudo-science is the sheep's clothing.