Welcome to HackLawyer.net

All in all, the Belmont Card was pretty good.  Of the six stakes races, all were competitive with the exception of The Easy Goer and ironically, the Belmont.  I’ll get to that in a minute.  Fast Bullet, coming off a lengthy layoff, looked powerful in wiring a tough sprint field in the True North.  He’s going to make some real noise later in the year and barring anything unforeseen, he’ll be the favorite leading into the BC Sprint.  The Just A Game turf proved to be formful with Stephanie’s Kitten outlasting a surprisingly competitive Better Lucky in the last few jumps to the wire.  And Mizdirection tired on the lead as expected on the yielding turf. Forty Tales was a bit of a surprise taking the Woody Stephens at 8-1.  I had a nice double working with Zee Bros and he looked like he was about to hook the front running Let Em Shine at the sixteenth pole when he really got tired and finished off the board. Clearly Now continues to disappoint his backers; I pitched him by making him >11-1 and was shocked to see him bet down to 9/2.  He was the easiest toss of the day.  Zito’s Declans Warrior ran as tough as I expected but I couldn’t bet him since he went off just about where I pegged him - 9/2.  Point of Entry proved that he is really a fine, fine horse and reliable as a Timex.  I had no hesitation in keying him in $80 worth of doubles leading into the Belmont and he did not disappoint.  I point out that he does not take to a yielding turf but that did not prevent him from winning with authority. The place and show horses would not have been within shouting distance had the race been run on firm footing.  I understand that POE sustained a slight fracture to one of his legs during the running of the race but that it should not keep him off the circuit for that long.  Let’s hope not.  We need a superstar like him. So, good for Shug McGaughey and good for his rider, Johnny V.  Now to the Belmont. Read the rest of this entry »

Time: 10:00 am Central: the track at Belmont is muddy, the turf yielding.

There’s a rule I have followed over the past 20 years.  When handicapping a race with the expectation that the track will be “off,” just go ahead and handicap like it was fast and the turf firm.  Sure, there are some horses who consistently jump up on wet tracks and soft turf courses and when one sees that, adjust accordingly.  But for now, when trying to rank your contenders, handicap without figuring in a wet track. With that in mind as I pored over the card at Belmont last night, I came to the following conclusions.  I’ll forego any commentary on the horses and just let my odds lines speak for themselves.

Race 7 - The True North, 6 furlongs, Grade II: 1 Justin Phillips 1A Fast Bullet (2-1), 4 Off the Jack > 15-1, 5 Caixa Electronica (5/2), 6 Sage Valley (4-1)

Race 8 - 1 mile, The Just A Game Stakes on the turf, Grade I (very tough, contentious race): 1 Hungry Island (7-1) (may adjust to a lower price given he excels on soft, yielding turf), 2 Stephanie’s Kitten (6-1) (subject to change as well since she loves the off going), 3 Centre Court (3-1) (very, very tough), 4 DayattheSpa (5-1), 6 Mizdirection (7/2), 7 Better Lucky (>10-1)

Race 9 - 7 furlongs, The Woody Stephens, Grade II (toughest race on the card to handicap): 1 Declans Warrior (9/2), 4 Retrieve (>15-1), 5 Honorable Dillon (>20-1), 6 Zee Bros (4-1), 7 Forty Tales (6-1), 9 Clearly Now (>11-1), 11 Let Em Shine (7/2)

Race 10 - 1 1/4 mile on turf, The Manhattan, Grade 1: 1 Point of Entry (3/5), 4 Real Solution (>11-1), 5 Optimizer (>12-1), 8 Twilight Eclipse (>6-1)

Race 11 - 1 1/2 mile, The Belmont Stakes, Grade 1: 2 Freedom Child (7-1), 3 Overanalyze (11-1), 5 Orb (7/2), 7 Oxbow (8-1), 9 Revolutionary (5-1), 11 Vyjack (25-1), 13 Unlimited Budget (10-1), 14 Golden Soul (7-1)

We have had rotten politicians.  We have had corrupt politicians.  We have had and now have politicians who grovel and abase themselves in a never-ending quest to secure re-election.  And we have had politicians who are hypocrites in both their personal and private lives. However, Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee has now elevated hypocrisy and fraud to an art form.  How has he accomplished this? Consider the Farm Bill that is currently being debated in Congress.

I won’t get into the specifics of this mammoth piece of legislation which costs - I’m not kidding about this figure - $100 billion each year.  It determines policies on diverse matters and affects national policy, foreign policy, agricultural research, foreign trade, you name it.  It includes diverse programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and subsidies to huge industrial and individual farming operations. The bill is renewed every five years and so far, going back sixty years, that is exactly what has happened.  But this year, with the mantra of “deficit reduction” paramount on each representative’s and senator’s thoughts, the first thing under attack is not the welfare payments doled out to huge agricultural conglomerates but SNAP, a program which provides almost half of all the charitable food assistance that food banks and food charities provide to people in need.

Now, let’s be fair and honest in this debate.  The food stamp program, subsumed under SNAP, is one of the two most expensive programs under the Farm Bill and the cost of the program has soared since the beginning of the Great Recession of 2007-08.  The other is the direct subsidy program, mentioned above. The call for deficit reduction pits the ability of the poor to eat against those who control the means of production and distribution.  And who do you think wins out?  It might be a different song if the the farmer recipients of these subsidies were facing financial disaster but in reality, these subsidies in the billions go to those who need them least.  Looking at one of those “farmer recipients” brings me to the Honorable Republican Representative Stephen Fincher.

In consideration of the proposal to slash up to $20 billion in SNAP appropriations, Representative Fincher justified the cuts by quoting 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”  Of course, this biblical quote is taken completely out of context since the passage speaks not to the poor but to those who stopped their work in anticipation of the Second Coming. Secondly, and most importantly, Fincher seems to forget that Congress is a secular body and as such, it does not bode well to establish civic policy on an ancient religious text written for a population which, at the time, was largely illiterate. Should anyone really have to invest a microsecond in countering such a ludicrous argument, namely that 45% of the recipients of SNAP are children and 41% are working poor?

This is yet one more depressing example of posturing that passes for policy and governance from the Republican Party.  And, it stands as potent material for the Colbert Report which would provide us with a few harmless laughs except for this: Fincher quotes biblical verse to chastise who he sees as deadbeats on the dole when he himself stands as one of the largest recipients of U.S.D.A. farm subsidies in Tennessee history. From 1999 to 2012, Fincher raked in $3.48 million in taxpayer cash.  In 2012, he enriched himself to the tune of $70,574. Contrast this princely sum with what the average SNAP recipient in Fincher’s own state of Tennessee receives: $132.20 in food aid per month.  Fincher receives $193 per day.  This is a disgrace and if it were possible, an indictable offense of theft, especially if you take into account the additional musing of Rep. Fincher.  Here’s what he had to say in some publication called the International Business Times while addressing a gathering in Memphis just last week:

“[T]he role of citizens, of Christians, of humanity, is to take care of each other.  But not for Washington to steal money from those in the country and give it to others in the country.  Our role is out of control.”

And he said this all, I can’t help but believe, with a straight face and what’s worse, he means it.  And I get the feeling that a lot of good Christians probably agree with him.  I could be wrong about that but I don’t think so.

OK, I’ve got a beef with so-called storm chasers.  I mean, what do they really represent?  And who hires these guys and who the hell pays for the fancy vans they run around in as well as the cameras and other technological equipment they bandy about?  I have very serious reservations if they are contributing to the science and understanding of tornadoes.  My guess is that these young men (and I suppose some young women) are nothing but action junkies.  They run around and place themselves in very real danger to do what? Get some shots of tornadoes as they develop and touch down?  We already know how they form and under what conditions they proliferate.  We don’t need storm chasers to gain any further understanding of that.  So, what is their purpose?  Probably they exist for pure entertainment value, nothing more.  I suppose television stations will pay dearly for some dramatic footage of a twister touching down somewhere or of the carnage caused by the winds.  Their kicks depend on the continuation of the existence of these wretched, natural incarnations of pure hell.  I get the feeling they care a fig for the unfortunate souls caught under these things or for the shattered homes and cars left behind in the wake.  All they want is footage.  Well, just recently, three of these yahoos got a little too close and got a little too up close and personal with one particular tornado that hit yesterday outside of Oklahoma City.  Check out the footage; as far as entertainment value, it fills the bill.  Only this time, these assholes were the target and I have to admit that I gained a little satisfaction watching them squeal like stuck pigs as they ran through the storm.  The beginning of the video shows the actual storm taking shape and the funnels touching down.  The real fun starts about a minute into the video and watch the havoc they drive through.  It just makes me want to ask the twerp in passenger seat: wanna chase another storm tomorrow?

* I read in the New York Times this morning that three seasoned storm-chasers were killed in last Friday’s tornadoes which hit the OK City area.  In no way was my post meant to denigrate what genuine storm chasers do or the contributions they have made to the science of these weather phenomenon or the service they provide to the community at large at time of emergency.  Rather, my comments are directed to the increasing number of amateurs who have proliferated in the field.  The video link I provide is a perfect exhibit of just why these yahoos should not be out there but rather, seeking shelter just like everybody else.

I suppose I should write something about the race.  I didn’t bet on it because I didn’t have the opportunity.  As you get older and family obligations take precedence (not such a bad thing really), I find myself more of a spectator these days rather than a gambler.  Finding myself in Dallas, Texas for a family wedding and not having had the time to put in the handicapping investment, all I could do was watch the Preakness at the original Felix Restaurant on Lemmon Avenue after having finished up a pretty good late lunch.  Was I surprised? Well, sure.  As everybody else was.  If I remember correctly, Oxbow went off at 16-1 and didn’t I have him at 25-1?  I still think my odds were accurate and if you had the winner, well, good for you.  But he should have gone off at around my price; the payoff of $34 and change was not enough.  However, as Blackie Sherrod once said: “Better a short price than a long face” or something like that.  How Gary Stevens stole the race in the fashion that he did is still beyond me but what the heck.  That’s why they run the race. Yet, it still pains me to see D. Wayne Lukas in the winner’s circle.  I don’t like him for a number of reasons, primarily for the reason that he’s just a sour lemon all the way around.  His mother must have weaned him on a dill pickle.

So, here we are, one week away from Belmont Day, arguably always one of the best cards of the year. Looking back on my history, it’s consistently been one of the bright spots in my handicapping year. That gets my juices surging so maybe I’ll be willing to put some time in the past performances the night before.  I know I possess no special inside insight into this year’s running yet it’s enough to say that it should be wide open.  Remember, the Belmont regularly gives up huge winner who pay telephone book prices - Lemon Drop Kid at 32-1 (1999), Sarava at 70-1 (2002) and Birdstone at 36-1 (2004).  Keep that in the back of your mind as you prepare for the race.  The difference here will be there won’t be any horse running for a possible Triple Crown as happened in the three races mentioned above.  The betting most likely will be spread across the board.  I just wonder what Orb, assuming he runs, will go off at.

And on another unrelated note, look who’s running tomorrow night at Penn National in a half million dollar stakes race on the turf: my old Derby pick Rydilluc. He disappointed in the Blue Grass Stakes but really, he probably ran as hard and as fast as he could on the synthetic surface.  Now he’s back where he belongs on the turf but he’s running up against a couple of pretty nice runners - Noble Tune (trained by Chad Brown) and Charming Kitten, handled by the ubiquitous Todd Pletcher.  Rydilluc should win this race and if he does, look for him to surface at Belmont or Arlington later this summer.  I think he’s an honest turf winner and this race tomorrow night is a nice acid test for him.  I’ll be watching, not wagering with a morning line of 5/2.  As for the Belmont, I’ll have some comments up a couple of days before the race.

The date was August 24, 1951.  On that night, Bill Veeck, owner of the probably the worst team in the American League - the St. Louis Browns - pulled one of his many infamous stunts. (Remember, he’s the one who sent a dwarf up to the plate to pinch-hit; the dwarf got four straight balls.)  He allowed the fans to manage the club in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics.  In anticipation of the game, the local St. Louis newspaper published a “ballot” in which fans picked the starting line-up.  All of those who voted got in for free.  And that didn’t end the outsourcing.  These 1100 “managers” were each provided a placard with “yes” in green letters and “no” in red on the flip side.  The fans then voted on whether to steal a base or sacrifice or play the infield back for a possible double play.  The real manager of the Browns, Zack Taylor, with obviously nothing to do, lounged on top of the dugout in street clothes in a rocking chair.  By the way, the Browns, who had dropped four of their last five games, won this one 5-3. Something similar happened just six days ago at a leaky, drafty minor league stadium up in St. Paul, Minnesota and this time, a man with the name of Veeck had his fingerprints all over the promotion. Read the rest of this entry »

All right, let’s get right to it with no fanfare.  Here’s my odds line and hopefully, these don’t function like the “Beyer Kiss of Death” which produced its deadly effect in the Derby just two weeks ago. (Beyer, at least, shows he has some semblance of a sense of humor in his latest piece on the upcoming Preakness on the Daily Racing Form website.)

#1 Orb (7/5)  I just can’t abide by the morning line of even money. He’s really a good horse and his last five races have been progressively better but as far as his being a “superhorse,” well, he’s got to blow this field away before that tag applies.  The race is his if the rider can stay out of trouble which really, should not be an issue but he’ll have to contend with early speed that just might stay.

#2 Goldencents (11-1)  Trainer O’Neill says that the Derby slop was “like peanut butter” which sounds like another variation of the old “cuppy track” bromide used by so many trainers.  OK, he may not like a sloppy or “off” track but really, what a crappy performance two weeks ago.  I suppose he has to win this thing while winging it on the front end and given that, this is what I peg him at to pull it off.  In any event, I would demand a price and certainly not the 8-1 morning line currently in place.

#3 Titletown Five (99-1)  Man, Lukas wants to hit the board with something, huh?

#4 Departing (5-1)  Some are saying this is the only viable threat to Orb; maybe they’re right.  I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because on paper, he looks pretty imposing and I respect his trainer who is a known giant killer.  I would love to see the 1 & 4 in deep stretch ding-donging it to the wire.

#5 Mylute (10-1)  I don’t see this race shaping up to fit this runner’s style.  The DRF’s morning line of 5-1 is way too generous.

#6 Oxbow (25-1)  A grinder with no real chance.  Why is Stevens riding him?

#7 Will Take Charge (20-1)  OK, another Lukas horse who is at least better than Oxbow or Titletown Five. Given his travails over the past ten years, it’s a pretty good patch for the Old Coach to get three horses into the field, I guess.

#8 Governor Charlie (30-1)  Good to see Baffert back in a TC race but the winner of the Sunland Derby will not conquer these foes.

#9 Itsmyluckyday (7-1)  I’m going to give this guy one more chance.  He has to be better than what he showed two weeks ago, sloppy track or fast track.  We’ll see if he has the mettle to track the pace set by Goldencents and compete with Orb and Departing.  If he goes off at his projected morning line of 10-1 as set by the DRF, he’s a play.

**  I’d also like to make a couple of other observations about the Preakness card and one other race to be run at Arlington Park on Saturday.  Watch for Shug McGaughey’s turf runner Imagining in the Dixie Stakes, the 11th race preceding the Preakness.  His morning line is set at 4-1; as far as I’m concerned, he’s the play of the day.  I’ll make him 6/5; the horse is primed for a career top.  In addition, pay attention to the 8th race at Arlington, a mile and a sixteenth on the turf allowance and consider #10 Razzleberry (m/l at 8-1)  This horse went from a 10K claiming race on the dirt at Gulfstream to competing at a much tougher level of competition on the grass.  She jumped up on the grass and acquitted herself well there in four races.  With early speed and the experience, she should fit well into this field at the route distance.

An abbreviated list of movies for the upcoming summer:

MAY

Aroused - A group of “successful” porn stars talk to the camera about their work and their lives as they pose for a coffee table book by a photographer.  Can this really be engaging?

The Iceman - Real-life contract killer Richard Kuklinski, played by steely Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), who claims to have carried out over 100 contract murders while maintaining a “normal” life, complete with wife and children, plays out his life on celluloid; with Wynona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta.

Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn - A young man is released from prison and has to make a life-altering choice: join up with his father (Armand Assante) in the legitimate family business or return to a life of crime, an endeavor he seems to excel at; with Ice-T and Ja Rule (whoever that is).

What Maisie Knew - An updated treatment of a Henry James classic novel about a bitter marital breakup between Julianna Moore and Steve Coogan, as experienced by the child of the marriage.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors - Bruce Greenwood plays an advertising executive who slips into a coma and comes out of it.  So far,so good except his speech consists only of advertising slogans.  An old flame helps him through the usual difficulties.

Bidder 70 -  Back in the Bush administration, there was an auction of wilderness land for oil and gas drilling.  In an act of rebellion and defiance, a young environmentalist posed as a legitimate bidder and committed himself to $1.7 million to buy 22,000 acres.  Of course, he went to prison for the antic and this film most likely is a sympathetic portrait of the individual.  I guess he’s discharged his sentence.

Before Midnight - The third installment in Richard Linklater’s series of the man and woman who met by chance on a train in France back in 1995 in the cult favorite “Before Sunrise.”  Now, after that fateful 24-hours together, they’re together, with kids and the whole nine yards.  It’s the ups and downs of a real life, far removed from the romanticism of the two prior films.

Kid-Thing - A 10-year old girl, the daughter of a Texas goat herder (never heard of such a thing) develops a strange relationship with an unfortunate woman who has fallen down an abandoned well.  You only hear the woman in distress, never to be seen on camera.

The East - A former FBI agent (Brit Marling) goes to work for a private intelligence agency where her job is to infiltrate an anarchist group which is waging a private war against the firm.  She succeeds in the mission, only to find herself falling for one of the group’s leaders (Alexander Skarsgard).  Her loyalty to the company begins to falter; also starring the reliable Patricia Clarkson.

I Do - A Brit’s plan to marry into U.S. citizenship goes sour when he falls in love with a man.  Complications arise.  Enough said.

JUNE

Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie - He was the granddaddy of the bombastic talk show hosts who was always in someone’s face.  His early 80s show was the rage until, one day, he wasn’t and he fell hard and fast.  This is his story.

Rapture-Palooza - It’s another post-Apocalypse film where the Anti-Christ himself (Craig Robinson) takes up an abode in Seattle where he develops a crush on a local teenager (Anna Kendrick).  With John Frances Daley, Paul Scheer, Thomas Lennon.

The Blind Ring - Internet-savvy teeners use information they hack off of the Web to plan and execute robberies of Hollywood celebrities.  Directed by Sofia Coppola with Emma Watson, Leslie Mann and Nina Siemaszko.

Man of Steel - It’s Superman one mo time; produced by Christopher Nolan.  Henry Cavill plays the big guy and Micheal Shannon plays General Zod, originally inhabited by the incomparable Terence Stamp; with Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne and Russell Crowe.

Rushlights - Two L.A. teenagers try to pull off an inheritance scam in a small Texas town; things go wrong, horribly wrong.  Josh Henderson and Haley Webb play the punks; with Beau Bridges and Aiden Quinn in support.

JULY

The Lone Ranger - Armie Hammer plays the masked man; Johnny Depp is Tonto in an update on the old chestnut.  You should get a load of Depp’s Native American drag outfit as the Lone Ranger’s sidekick. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer who brought you the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series.  It also stars the always good Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson and Helena Carter.

Dealin’ With Idiots - An improvisational comedy about the parents of Little Leaguers; with Christopher Guest, Fred Willard, Bob Odenkirk, Gina Gerson, Kerri Kenney and Timothy Olyphant.

Blackfish - The orca and its dual nature is highlighted in this documentary - theme park attraction and ruthless killer.

Stranded - Christian Slater inhabits a cozy Moon abode with three other crew members who are all doing just fine when a meteor crashes on the surface nearby, producing a creepy, dangerous new organism that they have to defeat.

AUGUST

Europa Report - A corporation finances a trip to Jupiter to explore the possibility of life forms beneath the frozen surface.  There are many surprises in store for the six-person crew.

Lovelace - An expose of the hard times of Linda Lovelace who made “Deep Throat” a cultural sound-byte in the 70s.  It shows how she was manipulated by her first husband (Peter Sarsgaard) and essentially used up and discarded by the porn movie industry in no time at all.  Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick play her parents. Eric Roberts has a supporting role, all the more odd since he hit his stride thirty years ago in a similar film, “Star 80.”

Prince Avalance - Two men spend a summer painting divider lines on rural Texas highways in 1988.  Can this be fun?  The two men are played by Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd.

We’re the Millers - A small-time pot dealer is forced by his evil supplier to bring over a very large shipment of marijuana from Mexico.  To pull off the job, he recruits some friends and neighbors to pose as a middle-class family on vacation for the Fourth of July; with Jason Sudeikis as the dealer, Ed Helms as the evil overlord, Jennifer Anniston and Emma Roberts, among others, as the phone “family.”

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints - A 1970s Texas convict (Casey Affleck) escapes from prison to reunite with a woman he’s just mad about; with Ben Foster and Keith Carradine (who’s been absent for a long time).

As my mother and I were watching the post parade preceding the running of the Derby last Saturday, the camera panned over to #4 Golden Soul.  The horse stood at odds of 31-1.  I leaned over to Mother and said something like “he should be 131-1.”  Well, we now know the result.  Golden Soul, under a very canny ride by Robby Albarado, skimmed the rail, edged outside entering the top of the stretch and under strong urging, got up for the place spot ahead of Revolutionary.  With Orb, going off at 5-1, topping Golden Soul at 34-1, the $2 exacta paid just a little under $1,000.  Go figure.  And wouldn’t you know it.  In my pre-race analysis, I tossed Golden Soul, along with twelve other horses, but did include the notation that “he may be just good enough for minor prize.”  Some minor prize.  I keyed Orb (who won me over in the post parade and whose odds dropped precipitously in the final minutes leading up to the race) in the win spot in three monster exacta plays with #5 Normany Invasion, #6 Mylute and #12 Itsmyluckyday underneath.  Each stood to cash out at about $1,000.  I got pretty excited when Orb took over from Normandy Invasion with a half furlong to go but NI just didn’t have the necessary kick and he was done in by a premature move to the wire and the oncoming power of both Golden Soul and Revolutionary who was making a late move on the rail.  So, maybe next year and better yet, maybe there’ll be some play in the Preakness in two weeks.

Orb certainly has the look of a repeat winner at Pimlico with his sturdy performance at Churchill.  But the race was run in the mud and that can skew a horse’s effort.  The point is that although Orb made an impressive move at the quarter pole, circling the field from almost dead last to storm home and win by a length and a half, he essentially tore past a whole field of tiring horses and no one was there to give him a run for the money in the final furlong.  If you look at the chart of the race, it’s apparent that the early suicidal fractions set by Palace Malice, coupled with the previously mentioned premature move by Normandy Invasion, set the table for a closing Orb.  The final two furlongs were each run in well over 26 seconds; the final time of 2:02.98 reflects that all the horses were struggling toward the tape.  Surely the hot pace and the sloppy conditions contributed to the mediocre time.

Nevertheless, Orb reportedly has come out of the race in excellent shape and trainer Shug McGaughey will have the screws tamped down on the horse for the second leg.  I hope he wins at Pimlico because the excitement which builds up at Belmont when there is the possibility of a Triple Crown feat is palpable.  It’s really the best day of the racing year, surpassing even Breeders Cup.  So mark your calender - May 18 for the running of the Preakness and if Orb can pull it off, Saturday, June 8 for the “Test of the Champions” - the Belmont Stakes and possibly immortality for a horse named Orb and a trainer with the improbable name of Claude “Shug” McGaughey.

Joe Nocera of the NY Times publishes a column simply entitled “The Gun Report.”  It is a compilation of various gun-related shootings across this country, some resulting in death, others causing serious injury.  It is not meant to be exhaustive; indeed, Nocera cherry-picks. Nevertheless, any objective reader will soon realize that after scanning just those Gun Reports from the last five days, we have a very serious gun problem in America and the solution is not to put more guns into the hands of more people.  And for those who advocate that approach, I would remind you that the man who shot the Kaufman County District Attorney twenty times (not to mention killing his wife as well) possessed six AR-15 semi-automatic weapons in his storage shed, all acquired quite legally.

Here are some examples I have cherry-picked for your consideration. These incidents cover April 26-May 1. By the way, since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012, 3,775 people have died as a result of gun violence in this country.

Friday, April 26, 2013: 19-year old Ceejay Reed was killed and a man and woman, ages 19 and 21, were injured in a drive-by shooting near Children’s Hospital in North Oakland, California - only a block from the spot where 21-year old Donitra Henderson was shot and killed in front of her 4-year old son Wednesday night.  Law enforcement on the same night accused a 12-year old boy of accidentally shooting Montee Ross, 14, in Kansas City, Mo. and then abandoning Ross’s corpse.

Saturday, April 27, 2013 - 43-year old William Wanko, who was showing his wife how to use a gun “properly” as the couple drank vodka and lemonade for six hours, was killed when the wife, Michele Wanko, discharged the handgun, hitting her husband in the neck.  A 62-year old man is in critical condition after he was shot in the head by his 77-year old girlfriend in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  A 4-year old boy was wounded in an accidental shooting in Henrico County, Virginia.  Dejuan Antoine, 26, died early Saturday after accidentally shooting himself while attempting to clean his weapon at his home in New Orleans, LA.  Gunfire rang out Saturday night during the Crab Festival in Williston, Florida, killing one and injuring four others. A man was fatally shot while visiting family members Saturday afternoon in San Bernardino, California; he had survived a shooting earlier in the month.  A woman died after being shot in Murfreesboro, Tennessee 24 hours after a man shot and killed himself in the very same spot.  A 30-year old man was shot in the leg during an apparent road rage incident in Southeast Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.  A man was shot inside his apartment and wounded in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico by a man who was looking for his lost dog.

Sunday, April 28, 2013 - A 15-year old boy accidentally shot his 14-year old step-brother in the head in southeast Houston, Texas.  An 18-year old man drove himself to an Providence, Rhode Island ER with a gunshot wound to his chest about 3:30 Sunday morning.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - A boy was injured in a self-inflicted shooting in a classroom at LaSalle High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The school was placed on lock-down after the student pulled a weapon and shot himself in a classroom.  A man was jailed for investigation of murder and manslaughter after fatally shooting his friend’s brother in the face during a rabbit-hunting trip in Bend, Oregon.  The suspect, Montana Silk Marlett, 24, fled after shooting 19-year old Devon Moschetti.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 24-year old Sherri Williams was shot and killed by a stray bullet while holding her 10-day old son in Birmingham, Alabama.  Willliams was standing in the doorway of an apartment in the Gate City neighborhood when shots rang out after two men at a nearby store got into a fight.  A 2-year old girl was accidentally shot and killed by her 5-year old brother who was playing with a .22-calibre rifle he had received as a birthday gift.  The childrens’ mother was occupied at the time, throwing out the grease in a skillet on the front porch.  The coroner stated that the gun was kept in the corner and no one realized that there wa a live round in the chamber.  And finally, a 24-year old man walked into an Amarillo, Texas convenience store and collapsed on the floor from two gunshot wounds.  The suspected shooter was taken into custody and the victim remains in critical condition.