After the smoke had settled, there was a reported three dead, more wounded. And no, I'm not talking about the war in Iraq.

Nearly everyone heard over the weekend about the Wal-Mart clerk who was stampeded to death. Less recounted is the sad story of two men who opened fire at a Toys 'R' Us in Palm Desert, California. While the story itself is tragic, I was shocked by the response of some mothers. Instead of taking their children elsewhere, one mother told her nervous 13-year-old, "They can't come back," as she perused video board games. Not surprisingly, her words did little to calm her son's fears.

But I couldn't understand how getting a deal on video games took precedence over the safety of her children. As one Point commenter has noted, "It's not that different from offering human sacrifices to Molech in the interest of prosperity." Molech, indeed. One mom sacrificed her young daughter by placing her on top of a new plasma screen, hoping it would help her claim the set. Her daughter was punched by an overly eager man, who then ran off with the coveted goods. It is a black day indeed in America where the safety of our children is sacrificed to the god of commercialism!