Jed,

I quoted the well-known statistic that, on average, 36,000 Americans, many of them children, die every year from gun violence.

I pointed out that that annual death rate was about 10 times that of the traguc World Trade Center murders.

I said that all of those deaths were "such a waste."

You then describe my comment as "absurd."

Absurd? I'm sorry, but I don't consider it absurd to abhor needless death.

BTW, I consider all of the accidental deaths due to the causes that you mention to be a great waste as well.

Jerry