Meanwhile

A high school student who went on a shooting rampage on an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota on Monday identified with Adolf Hitler, according to a report published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press today.

The newspaper said the suspect, Jeff Weise, wrote last year in an online forum used by neo-Nazis: "I guess I've always carried a natural admiration for Hitler and his ideals, and his courage to take on larger nations."

He killed his grandparents, five fellow students, a teacher and a security guard, as well as himself, the authorities have said.

Officials said that the barrage erupted at the 300-student Red Lake High School about 3 p.m. The grandparents were apparently killed at their home earlier in the day, and the authorities were investigating whether guns used in the shooting were taken from the grandfather, a veteran officer on the tribal police force.

Thankfully, this Republican controlled Congress has fought hard to protect life and keep guns out of the hands of children. Oh, wait. They haven't. And when they had the chance to extend the federal ban on assault weapons, they allowed it to lapse. I guess not all life is worth protecting to the GOP. We'll see. I'm sure Congress will act just as quickly as they have in the Schiavo case, moving swiftly to pass some sort of meaningful gun legislation that will help curb the rising tide of gun violence in this country. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.