Disclaiming Kimveer Gill

 Gill and his gun

Every site that Kimveer Gill‘s been associated with has posted a disclaimer of one kind or another. VampireFreaks.com blame the whole thing on the mainstream media and insist that there is no Goth on the planet who is the slightest bit violent or hurtful. Whatever. And Gothmetal.net says their whole site is down until the police are finished with it. But among the disingenuous and the bland, there is a disclaimer that is actually somewhat inspirational, and it comes from the strangest source.

Gill‘s favorite videogame was Super Columbine Massacre, and the creator of the site has naturally been inundated by curious and/or worried surfers looking for clues into the mind of a murderer. Did the game cause this? Did the game feed the rage or bleed it off? Who would create a game that relives one of the most infamous crimes of the last fifty years, and why? Let’s look at his answers and draw our own conclusions rather than look for confirmation of our assumptions.

To the Public:

I am, like most, saddened by the news of the recent shooting at Dawson College. I extend my condolences to those affected by this painful event. Please refer to the artist’s statement for the game’s intent. For further questions, please contact me here.

In the press I’ve been getting lately, I have tried to articulate very clearly that Columbine was a “wake up call” not just for our society but for ME in particular as I was once headed down a similar road. I found other outlets such as filmmaking and theater… unfortunately those like Harris, Klebold, and apparently Gill did not.

Super Columbine Massacre

To Forum Posters:

This site is NOT a place to spread hatred or to cheer on the death of innocent people (quite the opposite, actually). Please be aware of the sensitive nature of Montreal right now and of those who were affected by this shooting. Videogames are important. They’re now under much scrutiny here. Own your words and mean them. If you want a world where freedom of expression prevails, please understand that with it comes an inherent responsibility to be thoughtful and mature about your expression.

-Danny Ledonne

“Columbin”

SCMRPG Creator

doublespeak and TWAT

from Timothy Lynch of the Cato Institute, who actually called it “Doublespeak and the War on Terrorism.”

The abstract:

Five years have passed since the catastrophic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Those attacks ushered in the war on terror. Since some high-ranking government officials and pundits are now referring to the war on terror as the “Long War” or “World War III,” because its duration is not clear, now is an appropriate time to take a few steps back and examine the disturbing new vocabulary that has emerged from this conflict.

One of the central insights of George Orwell’s classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four concerned the manipulative use of language, which he called “newspeak” and “doublethink,” and which we now call “doublespeak” and “Orwellian.” Orwell was alarmed by government propaganda and the seemingly rampant use of euphemisms and halftruths— and he conveyed his discomfort with such tactics to generations of readers by using vivid examples in his novel. Despite our general awareness of the tactic, government officials routinely use doublespeak to expand, or at least maintain, their power.

The purpose of this paper is not to criticize any particular policy initiative. Reasonable people can honestly disagree about what needs to be done to combat the terrorists who are bent on killing Americans. However, a conscientious discussion of our policy options must begin with a clear understanding of what our government is actually doing and what it is really proposing to do next. The aim here is to enhance the understanding of both policymakers and the interested lay public by exposing doublespeak.

and the full report as PDF here.

dial m for moron

Dial M for MurderIt seems somebody’s been watching too much late-night Hitchcock: Mr. Michael James Kuhnhausen is accused of hiring an incompetent hitman to off his wife. The wife was slightly injured; the hitman was strangled by the intended victim. And Mr. Kuhnhausen had better pray he remains in custody, particularly if he watched either Dial M for Murder or A Perfect Murder all the way to the end.

The AP has the full report:

Detectives said he helped disarm the security alarm at his wife’s home on Sept. 6 and let Edward Haffey in. Haffey, armed with a claw hammer, then waited for Susan Kuhnhausen to arrive home from her nursing job.

Haffey struck her several times in the head, but Kuhnhausen managed to take the hammer away, according to a court affidavit obtained by The Oregonian newspaper. Kuhnhausen lost her grip on the weapon, and wrestled with Haffey. The intruder bit Kuhnhausen several times, and she bit back.

Finally, the 51-year-old woman was able to get on top of Haffey, and place him in a choke hold. She eventually choked the life out of him…

Detectives checked Haffey‘s background, discovering his lengthy prison terms for conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, and convictions for robbery and burglary. They also learned that he had worked as a custodian for the Fantasy Adult Video stores. Detectives talked to the company and found out that Michael Kuhnhausen was the supervisor for custodians, and had hired Haffey.

And not only is the bitch tough enough to strangle an intruder a perfect murder...not so perfect after all, eh?to death with her bare hands and composedly finger her husband once the cops arrived, but she’s got her spiel all Oprah-ready. A nurse with lethal weapons for hands and a flack’s silvery tongue is a woman who is poised to conquer: next stop the White House?

Susan Kuhnhausen, who has been out of town attending a national Emergency Nurses Association conference, left the following message on her home voice mail:

“I’m not able to answer all the calls that I’ve received. I’m being comforted by your concern and your support. I want you to know that our lives are all at risk for random acts, but more likely random acts of love will come your way than random acts of violence.”

chubby bunny not so funny

Sorry, had to. From the CBC.

Have you heard of the popular new pastime for folks whose day-to-day lives just don’t contain enough challenge and excitement for their supercharged adrenal glands? No, not reality television. Chubby bunny contests. This highly competitive sporting event requires participants to stuff their faces with as many large marshmallows as they possibly can and still say the words “chubby bunny.”

Well today those bunnies came home to roost.

That's quite a chubby!

A woman is dead after choking during a marshmallow-eating contest at the Western Fair in London, Ont.

The 32-year-old woman died in hospital Wednesday, a day after collapsing offstage during a Chubby Bunny competition.

The contest features people stuffing one marshmallow at a time into their mouth then saying “chubby bunny” until they can’t say it anymore. The person who gags, chokes or spits out the marshmallows loses.

Emergency crews who arrived on the scene tried to help the unconscious woman but couldn’t remove the blockage in her throat. She was revived at the hospital, but later died.

The fair has since cancelled the eating contest.

white box

something for George.