We are all violent bastards... Or are we?

Please read this first, then come back here.

Have you read it? Good. What did it tell you? Did it tell you that on the whole, our nation is less violent than it was 10 to 15 years ago? Did it tell you that crime among 14-17 year-olds is at the lowest level it's ever been? Did it tell you that most of the kids in this less-violent demographic have played video games at some point? Did it tell you that of the video games produced in 2004, a whopping 54% were rated "E" for everyone? Did it tell you that again, a whopping 55% of the movies released since 1968 have had an "R" rating?

Did it tell you that there is no epidemic of violence in our schools? Did it tell you that it's solely media hype that has perpetrated this image?

I hope it did. So let's get Congress back to talking about important stuff, like baseball players taking steroids and whatever stupid crap we can think up instead of dealing with problems that are actually, well, problems. Like maybe this war thing that doesn't seem scheduled to be wrapping up at any point in my lifetime. Or maybe social security, which is destined not to exist by the end of my lifetime. Thanks.