'Black Friday:' Three dead so far

Dude that wrote this, I hear what he's saying, but the people, it's all on them. Wilding out like that which cost lives to be lost. Times are hard, but this is damn crazy

by Mark Silva

Some "Black Friday.''

First a temporary maintenance worker died opening the doors of a Wal-Mart to a bargaining-hunting crowd of human wolves. And now two are dead at a Toys "R'' Us.

Lay a little blame at the feet of the government, for exhorting Americans to spend more money and shake off that recession gripping the nation. Lay some blame on the media, for stoking the hype surrounding one day of retailing which is, in fact, nothing more than the first of 28 shopping days left until Christmas, with cable news hawking footage of ravenous shoppers storming the doors of stores opening at 4 am.

And in Palm Desert, California, where police say an argument preceded the shooting at a Toys "R" Us, lay some blame on a gun-happy culture which encourages the resolution of simple domestic disputes with the pulling of a trigger.

""Some people got into a fight," said Glenn Splain, manager of a gym across the street from the toy tore. "One of the guys here thought it was over a toy, but it got louder and louder and then there were gunshots."

It was an innocent maintenance man, a 34-year-old temporary employee, who was opening the doors at a Wal-Mart in Long Island for bargain hunters early this morning. Police in Nassau said about 2,000 people had assembled outside the store and the first wave trampled the man opening the doors for them.

The door frame was mangled in the crush, and several other people were taken to hospitals.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau County police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming, descrbing the scene as "utter chaos."

Retailers already were calling this the worst shopping season in six years. Now it's unquestionable. If this is shopping, we might be better off with a recession.