06.13.2016 03:45 PM

Orlando: someone has reached into my brain and expressed it better than I ever could

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18 Comments

  1. Ridiculosity says:

    I agree. Both are long overdue…

  2. Ted H says:

    That’s right, whenever this happens all of the so called Christian Republicans say their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families but never do anything to try and rectify the conditions that lead to this kind of stuff, in fact they often double down and make things worse. A bunch of total f**king hypocrites.

  3. Joseph says:

    Now it’s looking like ‘Pulse’ was just one of several potential targets. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3639702/Orlando-nightclub-gunman-scouted-Walt-Disney-World-potential-target-deadly-massacre-bringing-wife-did-not-stop-attack-left-49-dead.html So the father was lying about his being triggered by two men kissing. I’m sure there will be more to come on this story.

  4. ottlib says:

    Not to be offensive or anything and I apologize for the language but…

    If the mass shooting deaths of over two dozen children in Sandy Hook did not lead to changes to American gun laws the slaughter of double that many “queers” has no hope of leading to that change.

    A brutal assessment to be certain but reality nevertheless.

  5. Francis says:

    Neither of which are supported by vast swaths of Republican voters. Certainly enough to prevent ever progressing towards equitable and reasonable governance on either facets.

    So when you see/hear a homophobic, pro-gun advocate expressing condemnation over last nights events — just remember it has nothing to do with the victims and everything to do with the perpetrator.

  6. Manuel says:

    They have gun control. In fact the killer purchased his guns legally, passing an FBI background check just days before. Gun control didn’t stop the Boston bombers. It didn’t stop the Paris attackers. It didn’t stop that kid in Calgary who stabbed 5 other kids to death. More, better or different gun control isn’t the answer. It is the easy road for gutless politicians who don’t want to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work and tackle the root causes of violence (poverty, education, hate, mental health).

    • Ron says:

      Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. That about it ?

      Zardoz clearly has a chance to move from science fiction to reality.

      • Manuel says:

        The fact is homicide with firearms has been on a steady decline in the US since the crack wars of the 90’s. That is easily verified by googling FBI crime statistics. What happened in Orlando was a closeted person driven to madness by a family with strict anti-gay beliefs (frequent patrons of Pulse have identified him also as a frequent patron over the past 3 years). An indoctrination of hate that conflicted with his self identity. This would have ended with deaths even if a magic fairy had made all the guns in the world disappear with the wave of a wand. If not a gun then a bomb or arson. Hate was the weapon used.

        • smelter rat says:

          Hate and/or self loathing combined with easy access to weapons designed to kill large numbers of people quickly. Everything else you’ve said is pure speculation or outright bullshit.

          • Ted H says:

            All illegal guns start out as legal guns, the majority of gun injuries and deaths in the US are due to accidents, often involving children, tightening of regulations around firearm purchase may not stop gun violence but it will make easy purchase by mentally unbalanced people less likely. More stringent gun control in the US may not be a perfect solution but it is less imperfect than the current situationn

    • doconnor says:

      No one said gun control will be perfect, but in each of you examples either far fewer people where killed or it required and elaborate conspiracy to pull off.

      • Manuel says:

        Focusing on guns when root causes of hate are the issue will not reduce this type of violence. It is a losing proposition and is why “nothing changes” when it comes to mass murder in the US. Guns are a red herring. But it is a red herring that is politically expedient. As I said before, the real work of reducing hate is hard and doesn’t get the attention that rhetoric does. The comparison in Canada would be the gun amnesties that our major cities have from time to time. You know, where grandma or grandpa turn in their old guns and the gang bangers continue to shoot up the streets.

        • Derek Pearce says:

          So a gun that shoots 13.3 rounds per second is no differet than a knife, eh? Give me a goddamned break.

        • doconnor says:

          Gun control isn’t perfect nor is dealing with hatred and mental health (after all the human mind is far more complex then gun issues). Both should be done.

        • The Doctor says:

          I love how you completely ignore the fact that gun death and homicide rates are exponentially higher in the US than in any other developed country, including Canada. What, are you saying there’s exponentially more hate in the US than in any and all other developed countries? Bollocks.

          The fact is, we don’t typically get these sorts of mass gun homicides in Canada because it’s much more difficult for a hate-filled loon to get a hold of a firearm; and even if said loon does get a hold of a firearm, it’s significantly less likely than in the US to be a powerful, military/assault-style weapon that can easily cause mass casualties (and enable the loon to duke it out with law enforcement once they arrive on the scene).

          • Manuel says:

            I love how you completely ignore the fact that despite the massive growth in gun ownership and overall number of guns owned in the US that the gun death rate (homicide and accidents too) has dropped by 50% since the 90s. That is what is bollocks. You ignore the facts because it doesn’t fit your narrative of more guns equals more death. You also ignore the fact that this guy passed an FBI background check and had all sorts of firearms licenses (at least two I believe). But see this is why nothing is getting done about violence in the US because those with the power to do something about it are ignoring the facts for the sake of politics. That is the real tragedy.

  7. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    There is absolutely no hope for that country and that won’t change in the next hundred years…

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