It seems as if U.S. police have finally caught the people responsible for the sniper attacks in the Washington area.

What struck me as odd is the fact that they are black. It's well-known that most serial killers are white, single men between 20 and 40. Black serial offenders are pretty rare, as are women.

But then this case lacks the typical markings of the serial killer like the usual carefully selected type of victim fitting the criminals (sexual) fantasies -except maybe for the want of the feeling of power over others.

I know all that from the book "Mind Hunter" by John Douglas who practically invented the technique of psychological profiling while working for the FBI.

There are other motives that can drive someone to crime and it remains to be seen what they were in this.

I admit, that I'd rather wanted the sniper turn out to be one of those white, right-wing, gun-toting militia types with a "my-mom-completely-fucked-up-my-mind" syndrome. Not this time, it seems.

That one of the suspects apparently converted to Islam last year and allegedly made sympathetic comments about the men carrying out the 9/11 plane crashes won't make things easier for Muslims and/or blacks in the States. I sure hope, that this case won't start a new wave of racial/religious violence.

Gun laws in the U.S. are a joke from my European vantage point. If guns weren't so easily obtainable, they wouldn't be readily at hand every time someone goes loco.

The obsession of Americans with guns borders on the grotesque, even the insane!

Here's an example I found on the Web, adequately named Arm the Populace

Check out their offer for the Bushmaster XM-15 rifle -the one used by the sniper- and the "Check here for Wholesale prices for your children" link, both right on the frontpage.