Reporting From the Front

“The phrase man bites dog is a shortened version of an aphorism in journalism that describes how an unusual, infrequent event (such as a man biting a dog) is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar consequences, such as a dog biting a man.” Sadly, man shooting a lot of innocent people with a high-powered, automatic weapon is America’s ultimate dog bites man story. It will be followed by another story almost too common and predictable to report: Lawmakers doing nothing to address the issue. A heavily-armed Army reservist and firearms instructor with a history of mental illness and shooting threats went on a mass killing spree at multiple locations in Lewiston, Maine, leaving at least 18 people dead and many injured. The shooter is still at large and a massive manhunt is underway. It is mass shooting number 566 in America this year; another American horror story in a never-ending war zone. Here’s the latest from CNN.

+ Witnesses recount scramble to survive when gunman opened fire in Lewiston, Maine, bowling alley.

+ People knew to ‘stay away’ from Robert Card, says Maine resident.