First, in the interest of full disclosure:

I am a white male, 45-50 yrs old, registered Republican. I am pro-gun (though I have yet to be convinced why "assault weapons" and body armor should be available to the public), pro- law & order, pro- ends justify the means when it comes to our national security. I listen to "conservative" talk radio and watch Fox News but I haven't seen any black helicopters and I can't seem to find any "FEMA Camps" on Google Maps. In short, I firmly believe in taking personal responsibility for ones actions.

That being said: in the matter of Richard Poplawski....

• No matter what what any jury rules, this guy is not mentally imcompetent. He's just another wannabe street thug looking to add to his street cred on the block. From the Trib-

"In the final hours before police say he killed three police officers, Richard Poplawski sat around a neighborhood garage with some of the "Stanton Heights guys," talking about the Penguins' playoffs chances and his conspiracy theories of how the government was going to collapse, friends said Wednesday. "Pop," as the boys call him, had a .380-caliber pistol strapped to his waist, as always, and his two pit bull puppies tied to his belt" and "About 10 people were there, the friends said, describing a crowd of mostly teenage boys, some in high school. Nothing indicated Poplawski seemed bent on turning an arsenal of weapons against the police or anyone else, they said." And how about "He was a cool dude," said Kyle Lentz, 18, who said he was with Poplawski until 3:30 a.m. Saturday. "He was 'chill.'"

• If he heard any "voices" they belonged not to Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly or that ilk but probably to Edward Perkovic, his "lifelong best friend" (Dennis Roddy, PG):

"He was really into politics and really into the First and Second amendment. One thing he feared was he feared the gun ban because he thought that was going to take away peoples' right to defend themselves. He never spoke of going out to murder or to kill," said Edward Perkovic, who described himself as Mr. Poplawski's lifelong best friend. Mr. Poplawski's view of guns and personal freedom took a turn toward the fringes of American politics. With Mr. Perkovic, he appeared to share a belief that the government was controlled from unseen forces, that troops were being shipped home from the Mideast to police the citizenry here, and that Jews secretly ran the country. "We recently discovered that 30 states had declared sovereignty," said Mr. Perkovic, who lives in Lawrenceville. "One of his concerns was why were these major events in America not being reported to the public."

Seems to me he was johnny on-the-spot for the media during the assault and subsequent interviews. Coincidence?

• This just in- HE WAS NOT A MARINE as some have called him. You are not a member of the Armed Forces until you pass basic training. Calling him a Marine is an insult to all of our brave men in uniform.
• If anyone in this whole mess is crazy, the family is a good place to start. From the PG-

Grandma- "Your Pittsburgh Police officers stole my whole wallet," Ms. Scott shouted at officers and detectives after they retrieved her purse. "It had $3,020 cash, and it had all the checks that need to be cashed. "The whole wallet is gone. My driver's license. My credit cards. They took my whole wallet."

Great Aunt Debbie- "Later, her sister, Debbie Devine, who is Mr. Poplawski's great aunt, said family members believe that police beat Mr. Poplawski after he was taken into custody. "They beat him, and they cut his face," Ms. Devine said. "We haven't been able to see him or talk to him or nothing." She did not explain how family members were able to find out what had happened to Mr. Poplawski after he had been taken into custody." If the picture above shows the results of a beating taken after killing 3 policemen, only one word comes to mind- REMARKABLE F*NG RESTRAINT

Mom and Granny- "But she went on to say that Margaret Poplawski would often fight with Ms. Scott. Sometimes, the arguments were so bad that Ms. Poplawski would throw things out of the house, including a television and chair."

The bottom line is this- 3 brave men lost their lives and 2 others were injured because this coward didn't finish reading "Martyrdom for Dummies" before he decided not to just shut up and clean up the puppy piss. If he had, he surely would have read the part that says "when you're all done, coward, be sure to blow your own head off." Instead, he takes a couple of bullets and decides it would be better to give up and write a book. But, in the words of Alanis Morrisette, "Isn't it Ironic"?-

One minute your killing the agents of the government and the next your depending on them for food, shelter and protection just like any other bottom-feeding , lowlife criminal.

Burn.In.Hell.