The pigeons come home — even to rude cell users

Okay. A show of hands.

How many of you ever have wanted to just strangle someone who was talking on his/her cell phone? In a public place. In louder-than-normal voice. With no consideration of anyone around 'em?

Have you ever had to endure some jerk talking on the phone, or texting, during a movie? I have. I asked the individual as politely as I know how if she would turn it off. I was met with loud, indignant hostility. I missed part of the movie to report her to the manager; then more as she argued loudly with him. If I were a violent person, I'd have seriously considered murder.

Get those hands up now, where I can see 'em. That's good....That's what I thought. There's a lot of us. Apparently, we're not the only ones, either. Today, ABC News reported that a 71-year-old retired Tampa FL cop shot a man 'cuz he wouldn't turn off his cell phone in a movie (Think I'm lying? Check out: http://abcnews.go.com/US/texting-triggers-fatal-movie-theater-shooting/story?id=21517988 )

Now, before I go any further, let's get this straight: I am NOT advocating open season on boorish cell phone users! So don't anyone say I am.

But I am saying that, if this retired cop can get steamed enough at a self-centered phone user to plug him, maybe it's time phone users everywhere took a good look at ourselves.

I've addressed cell phone etiquette, or lack of, here before. My 2-cents worth haven't helped at all. People still walk against the light, phone at their ears. They still text behind the wheel. They still stand in line at the (fill it in) _______ and yammer on as if they were home at their kitchen table. I even saw one young woman texting in an ice rink. She skated right into a pillar.

And such people do these things all without a single thought that they're being extremely discourteous. Or more dangerously, they just might be chewing on the last nerve of some stressed-out person about to go nova.

Whatever the whole story may be, the Florida theater incident could have been avoided. But it wasn't. If it's true good comes even from tragedy — and this is a real stretch, I admit — at least patrons of that particular theater won't have to worry about rude cell phone users. For awhile, anyway.

I don't wanna see anybody shot. I wouldn't mind, though, if Americans are a bit less tolerant of unthinking, selfish, arrogant, aggressive and discourteous cell hone users. I certainly wouldn't mind if, sometime soon, the U.S. experienced a significant rise in cell phonectomies.

Then, no maybe about it. I will dance...!