Twice last week and once just before that the nation's top news stories included the death penalty.

However, there came no (or at least little, for I didn't catch it) discussion on merits of death penalty.

These stories do not include the recent execution in Ohio of the man who raped a baby after a drunken night out, killing the baby in a horrific manner. That story was really a statewide story but it did cross the wires in Michigan and perhaps made it to sites like the Huffington Post. The man's own daughter still believed her father didn't do it or didn't mean to do it.

Last month, the bombings and terrorism in Boston prompted talk about the captured bomber receiving the death penalty, though more were interested in whether it was right to give him access to a lawyer and a reminder of the right to remain silent.

But the immediate news items with execution as a possibility included, of course, Jodi Arias, the darling bitch of cable news. Unlike Casey Anthony, she was found guilty and thus thoroughly reviled and unable to disappear. She reportedly said she preferred the death penalty instead of life in prison, prompting cable and social media debates about whether she was trying to use reverse psychology or deserved life to make her suffer more. The hatred, seemingly worse for her among many women than that sent to the Boston Marathon bombers but at least lasting longer in twitter trends, is interesting because all she did was kill a boyfriend.

"All she did," of course, is tongue in cheek in that domestic violence and killing a partner, though all too common, is a horrible act. I'm not against the death penalty, generally, but if domestic violence cases include it, we will be putting a whole lot of people to death.

Domestic violence is one of the more regular types of murders in our country, perhaps the most common. People hate her though because she is big news, due to her youth, her seeming prettiness, and the fact that she's tried to lie her way out of this. Oh, and there's sex.

She did not, though, kill a child, a group of people or terrorize the general public. She annoyed people.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, however, did kill many people, many babies, and he seemed a passive part of a horror story, running a filthy abortion clinic in a poor area and helping kill many unborn and just born babies. Many cried foul at the lack of coverage of this case, and they had a point; 'sexy' Jodi was on the cable news every night and the general media had a small Associated Press report on the complicated trial of the doctor and his practice. General news for the most part ignored both.

You can't say that the long trial was difficult to cover, as the Arias trial went on and on, and that was just great for cable news. But the murder of a boyfriend in a crazy relationship is less depressing than poverty, abortions and hopelessness. When Gosnell was convicted, though, the story turned, I thought, when it came out that he faced not just life in prison with the first-degree murder conviction, but he could face execution. That would be incredible, a professional who argued that he was doing legal abortions in tough circumstances now facing the worst penalty.

Quickly, though, the ruling came that he would not receive the death penalty. Cable news eagerly awaits Arias' fate, sidetracked by the tornado.

Again, interesting to me is the lack of debate about the death penalty, a regular news feature during the many Texas executions and even the Oklahoma City bomber's execution.

Some of the debate about the guns is proving very laughable.

NBC News reported that a lawmaker in Texas defended on Fox News Sunday morning the availability of high powered 'assault' rifles - as many call them - to protect Americans against a tyrannical government. I'm rushing now but I've gotta look this up and watch, for it may be as funny as it sounds.

I'm sure he's not advocating shooting police officers, the front line of the government (local, state or federal, yes, but officers represent law and order and hence government in general). Don't need fancy weapons for that... just ask the families of the many officers gunned down when responding to typical calls. One in East Grand Rapids was killed with a shotgun by a man lying in wait as the officer responded to a call for help reporting domestic violence.

Then there's Patrick O'Rourke's family, mourning the loss of their father and husband, a longtime West Bloomfield police officer.

But I get it, this Texas gentleman is referring to the federal government, which taxes us and interacts with other countries through the United Nations. So if wants weapons available to fight that government, he'll need to legalize surface-to-air rocket launchers and small nuclear weapons, because nowadays, no militia is going to go up against our U.S. military and do any damage.

If that fight is going to be fought, it will be unarmed people being killed in what we now call terrorist acts. Is this political debate becoming so irresponsible? (And I'm not even considering the ludicrous idea of requiring teachers and administrators to be armed and trained to fight off other armed militants.... you know how much more taxes we would have to pay for schools if that were mandated?)

Here are the comments of Texas, hm, er, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, as quoted by Livewire.com's Talking Points Memo:

"Well, for the reason George Washington said a free people should be an armed people," Gohmert said, responding to a question on why people need assault weapons. "It ensures against the tyranny of the government. If they know that the biggest army is the American people, then you don’t have the tyranny that came from King George. That is why it was put in there, that’s why once you start drawing the line, where do you stop? And that’s why it is important to not just look emotionally, our reaction, Chris, is to immediately say, 'let’s get rid of all guns.'" 

Gohmert argued that more guns would lessen gun violence, saying he wished the principle at Sandy Hook Elementary School that was attacked Friday had been armed. "I wish to god she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn’t have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands, but she takes him out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids," he said.

Reminds me of the Simpsons, with Homer asking Lisa if she wants the king of England pushing her around. He's living in a fantasyland, where King George is still being fought and answers to problems are taking "his head off." Wow,

Of course, if we are fighting tyranny, I could use a nuke or two. I can be trusted. Believe me, I'm responsible enough to have a button to push. 

The key name to remember when it comes to what happened outside of Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday is this one: Kasandra Perkins.

She joins thousands of other names of people who were killed during instances of domestic violence. Her child, who she had with linebacker Jovan Belcher, is the one to carry the scars of his father's actions, shooting Perkins to death before shooting himself in the head.

People are wondering why. Was it the gun available during moments of emotional instability? Yes, that made it easier, but plenty of people are killed with knives, blunt objects, hatchets, hands, poison, cement floors.

Was it the head injuries the NFL linebacker suffered? Perhaps, well, possibly and perhaps likely. Was it the drugs and alcohol that may have used as part of a lifestyle or part of a regiment to battle the injuries. Possibly a factor?

Who knows why he did what he did. No one will really know, but there are bound to be signs that were ignored. Could someone have saved her? Likely, yes, but many  times, warning signs are ignored by family, friends, coworkers, the legal system, and, many times too, by victims.

One part of this story that I hate, the calls for the NFL or the Chiefs to cancel or postpone the game. I agree with the NFL on few things, its many stupid rules (see Thanksgiving), its blackout policy, its regular punishment of fans, but I agree the only things that should stop a football game should be related to fan safety... weather, terrorism concerns, stadium damage.

Too many people are relying on the game to occur: fans who travel and make all-day plans after ponying up big bucks for the ticket(s), people who work the game and, yes, even TV people. They pay for the game. Oh, and the fans who watch on TV, who are actually the ones paying the TV people.

When will they replay the game? On Monday or Tuesday? Is that enough time to heal? A week later, or at the end of the season, when the playoffs are starting? No,  you can't cancel a game.

Plus, what then constitutes a tragedy? One player plus another person? One non-starter and two other people/ What if one is a child, does that count as two people? What if it's a former player, who was real, real popular? That's what pre- or during-game moments are for.

And I like how Kansas City executives handled it, from what I heard, honoring all victims of domestic violence, such as Steve McNair.

Wow. Tragic story 0ur of West Bloomfield, with a husband now a suspect in his wife's death. First, it's a unique story in how it came about - a tip from hospital where the man was a patient. Injured himself, he says there's someone else hurt at home. She's dead.

Now it appears he was living the good life, but based on his being sued by a bank and recently sued for divorce, it was not so good. The videos he made promoting a stay-at-home, don't-really-work, make-tons-o-money from doing something we don't need to bother getting specific about lifestyle show the cracks in the foundation.

Again, wow. You can go to youtube and hear him offer this up himself, in his own voice. About 300 people had watched the videos, or a couple people a hundred and so times. That's bound to go up.

What amazes me is that I've been right on one of the Hawaiian beaches he was one, promoting the good life. Of course, my internet business - as online editor - doesn't pay enough for the good life so I was there for only a week, and I stayed with family for free.

Such a shame for the rest of the family.

After a recent wave of attacks on schools and school children, a Chinese news agency reported today about an attack on a court and its judges.

Well, at least the violence is moving out of the schools.

However, I don't want to be too light about violence. The story does indicate something that is very American, the dangers during the destruction of the marriage. Apparently, this guy went to the court to avenge a wrong committed by the courts in handling his divorce three years earlier.

Same thing in the US, I'm afraid. They worry about security during murder trials or for jurors, but it's really the family courts that have to be careful. Domestic violence can leave the home and enter public places.