Who Were the Victims of Orlando Pulse Mass Shooting

We have had numerous shootings in this country since the last "BAD" one, a statement you could make most days. Because no matter what you consider a really BAD one, there has almost always been a series of them that barely register as news. We're so used to them, something has to stand out for it even rise to the level of newsworthy, all-caps BAD. And to push the presidential nomination practically out of the news, it has to really be something.
This most recent one wasn't merely "BAD," it rates as the single-largest mass shooting in American history, and one of the worst terror attacks on American soil in history. It also contains so many hot-button political story elements, as to confuse anybody as to how to approach it, particularly when writing about it. Namely:

- The target was a popular gay bar, the victims obviously gay or gay-friendly,
- The event was "Latin night," providing a second minority in the mix, and
- It's gay pride month in the United States.
- The shooter was of Muslim/Middle-Eastern descent, but
- The shooter was born in the United States, and was a full-fledged citizen, and
- The shooter is alleged to have had Al Qaeda and ISIS allegiances, but
- The shooter very well may have been a lone wolf, glomming on to either or both of the above as inspiration, and not necessarily directed by anyone to carry out this action, and
- It's Ramadan.
- The shooter had violent tendencies, a police record, and was on the FBI's radar, but
- The weapons were legally obtained.

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, from source, Los Angeles Times

In this day of extreme political polarity in our country, and instantaneous social media interaction, there is immediate public and political response. But, because of the mixed nature of the elements of this story, it's been interesting (to say the least) to see how conservatives vs. liberals respond, how the presidential candidates respond and see where the media goes with the story.

Personally, I'm torn on the whole "hate crime vs. terrorism" angles on the story. I find this obsession by the political right that President Obama call any attack by a Muslim "Radical Islamic Terrorism" or some variation (their variation) bizarre. As if something magical would happen. I find the focus being taken away from the gay hate crime angle somewhat refreshing and somewhat irritating. As always, I find the ammosexuals' instantaneously rabid response to even the notion of talking about guns and gun laws ridiculous and revolting. Most of all, I'm sorry that all of this distracts from the actual victims of--again--the worst mass murder in American history. So, let's take a moment to focus on that.

Amanda Alvear, 25, from source, LA Times

[Excerpt]

Victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre: Who they were

A gunman opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday, killing at least 49 people and wounding more than 50 others in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The shooter, identified by authorities as Omar Mateen, 29, of the Fort Pierce, Fla., area, was killed at the scene. Mateen, born in New York to parents who immigrated from Afghanistan, had worked as a security guard in Florida. Authorities said he had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and reportedly had told family members he was disgusted by gay people. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

The Unavoidable Gun Cliché

From a gun made of words, to words full of guns!
Image from 2Dolphins.com

It struck me, when reading comments regarding President Obama's executive orders on guns, first that we have a hair-trigger overreaction as a culture, whenever even a whisper of "gun control" is uttered. And, more superficially, that we have an inordinate number of gun-related clichés. To the point where it's almost impossible to read a comments section or editorial on the issue without recognizing unintentional double-entendres.

Off the top of my head I can think of:

Give it a shot

On target

Jumped the gun

With a bullet

Lock and load

Lock, stock and barrel

Bite the bullet

Pistol whipped

Missed its mark

Gun shy

Calling the shots

Get the lead out

Shooting blanks

Itchy trigger finger

Going great guns

Zero in

Going postal

Drop the hammer

The whole shooting match

Broad side of a barn

Under the gun

Quick draw

Loaded for bear

Riding shotgun

Set your sights on

Dodged a bullet

Trigger happy

Went off half-cocked

A shot in the dark

Pulled the trigger

Under the gun

I'm quite sure this is a very partial list. Because you find endless variations. Especially when writing colloquially, as most tend to do on blogs or comment sections. It may be as difficult to avoid as Biblical quotes and allusions are for an atheist! It really says something that we're so steeped in gun culture that we don't even notice that the language is shot clean through with them!

NY Daily News Slams GOP Presidential Candidates on San Bernardino Response

I almost didn't write up anything on this, only our most recent mass shooting this week. But tomorrow's New York Daily News has a take so refreshing, I had to say something. As is usual, the GOP presidential candidates (who still number in the teens) offered up platitudes about prayer in response to the shooting in San Bernardino. As an atheist, my cynical side rolls its eyes, and says, "Well, that's the least you can do. The very least."

But hold up, several of these guys are actually in the House of Representatives and Senate. They can do more than pray, they can do something meaningful about it, if they wanted to. So, why don't they? Because they're terrified of their own base, and the NRA.

[Excerpt]

New York Daily News Rips GOP Leaders For “Meaningless Platitudes” In Wake Of Mass Shooting

Over the last few years the New York Daily News has devoted countless screaming headlines which denounced the NRA, its head Wayne LaPierre, and many other gun control opponents. . .

Source: Joe.My.God.

Florida Court Hearing Case That Could Make "Stand Your Ground" Even Easier

Image from source, Think Progress

Because Florida. Ugh.

[Excerpt]

The Florida Supreme Court Is Hearing A Case That Could Make Stand Your Ground Even Worse
 
Since Trayvon Martin was gunned down in 2012, there’s been a lot of attention to Stand Your Ground laws that authorize vast use of deadly force in self-defense, but not a lot of reform away from the laws. Not a single state has successfully repealed or even contracted its Stand Your Ground law. Alaska passed a new one. And Florida and Georgia expanded theirs to allow even more defendants to be exempted from criminal charges for gun violence. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

What Happens (Outside of) Vegas: Shooting Instructor Shot and Killed by 9-Year-Old Student

Oh, my. You hear about tragedies like this, and depressingly often, but usually it isn't at a place you're familiar with. The Last Stop is a tourist trap in northern Arizona, most of the way to Hoover Dam. It's literally the last stop for much of anything before you get to Nevada. Along with Rosie's Den a little ways south, they offer gas and food, and touristy things like trips to the Grand Canyon, and lottery tickets. You might be surprised to know that lottery tickets are forbidden by the Nevada state constitution. I'll let you puzzle out how that got in there on your own

From their web site, at
BulletsAndBurgers.com

So, if a Las Vegan gets it in his head to buy some PowerBall or Mega Millions tickets, they can head down to Primm at the California line (where you're virtually guaranteed heavy traffic), or to Arizona. And The Last Stop is the first place you come to. Plus Rosie's burned down some time back, and has never really returned to its former glory. So, every so often, I'll go down there, most recently two or three weeks ago. One thing I probably noticed, but didn't mentally register was the "Bullets & Burgers" outdoor gun range. I have made a mental note of some of their more militaristic and "America, F* Yeah!" kind of décor, but mostly ignored it. After all, it's mixed in with signs for Aliens and other articles of whimsy. But, I'm sure nobody's feeling whimsical tonight.

[Excerpt]

Officials: Girl Accidentally Kills Gun Instructor
A 9-year-old girl accidentally killed an Arizona shooting instructor as he was showing her how to use an automatic Uzi, authorities said Tuesday. Charles Vacca, 39, of Lake Havasu City, died Monday shortly after being airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Mohave County sheriff's officials said. Vacca was standing next to the girl at the Last Stop outdoor shooting range in White Hills when she pulled the trigger and the recoil sent the gun over her head, investigators said. Authorities said the girl was at the shooting range with her parents. . .

Read more at: ABC News

So, That Happened: A Kids Book on Open Carry

A couple of decades ago, when people would travel to countries that had armed soldiers at airports, carrying large weapons, they'd remark on it. It was odd. Scary. Foreign. Now, gun nuts advocates are trying to make "open carry" of large and/or small weapons a normal thing. To most of us it's still odd, scary and foreign. But when pressed, a lot of open carry advocates will tell you that their showy demonstrations at Chipotle, Home Depot and other ordinary locales, are meant to familiarize the populace with the concept. To normalize it.

I think I speak for a sizable portion of the populace when I say I don't want deadly weapons on random citizens to be normal. And let's be honest, if this is so "normal," why don't they demonstrate in banks? Airports? And what would the reaction be if The New Black Panthers or a Muslim group began holding the same sorts of demonstrations? Frankly, that I'd like to see! Just for the cognitive dissonance meltdown.


Now, I'm about to veer off into a place that you might not see the point of at first, but bear with me. Many of these same people are anti-gay, or at least anti-gay marriage.  One of the big allegations is, that the "Gay Agenda" is to normalize homosexuality, by desensitizing people to it. They will (falsely) tell you that gay people "recruit" children, or at the very least, we wish to "indoctrinate" them into believing that being gay is normal and natural. They see this as something of a sinister infiltration.

How is "Open Carry" different from that (exaggerated) scenario? They're trying to get us to think of openly carried weapons as normal. And, they're indoctrinating children.

[Excerpt]

There’s Now A Book To Teach Your Kids About Why They Should Pack Heat While Shopping

Do you wander around with a Glock on your hip, so you are prepared for the day when you’ll open fire on an armed assailant? Do you worry about how you will explain to your kids why you wander around with a Glock on your hip, so you are prepared for the day when you’ll open fire on an armed assailant? Well, Brian Jeffs and Nathan Nephew, two advocates for openly carrying firearms from Michigan, have a solution for you! The two men have authored “My Parents Open Carry,” a book for children that tells the tale of a young girl and her family as they “turn an otherwise ordinary day into an open carry adventure!”. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Open Carry Man (A Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

I missed this nugget from a few days ago, Rocky Mountain Mike's tribute to the (not crazy!) open carry brigade. To the tune of Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man. Thanks, Mike!

To hear much more from Rocky Mountain Mike, click here.
 

American Taliban?

There is a temptation on my part to let this imagery speak for itself, paste a link, and then leave it at that. But I don't want it to seem that I'm saying this is a 100% direct equivalence. The components of the images are pretty much identical: a weapon, a flag, and a holy book being held by a woman who looks pleased with herself.

I've already seen some commentary on Facebook that virtually shrieks that the woman on the right would be either a) beheaded or otherwise murdered were she to go against her faith, or b) outright behead or murder us. Graphic, right? People have some vivid imaginations. They also seem to see wholesomeness with the girl on the left, and danger in the girl on the right. And most of all, they'll complain that Christianity and Islam are not equivalent, in that Islam is inherently dangerous, and Christianity is not.

I'm not sure this holds up historically. I think atrocities have been committed by religious people in general. I think radicals in any religion are dangerous. It may be true that there are more organized, potentially violent religious extremists on the Islamic side of the aisle at the moment. But let's not pretend that the Bible hasn't been used to justify murder and mayhem, nor that the lady on the left looks any more sane than the lady on the right.

Source: Free Thought Blogs

Hey, Kids! It's Gun Nuts! (A Rocky Mountain Mike Ad Parody)

Hilarious!
 

What Happens in Vegas: More Is Now Known About Walmart/Pizza Parlor Shooting

I've noticed something about gun violence, and the response it gets when it happens, in social media and the blogosphere. You get the news that a school, or a store or a military base or some other area has been attacked by a shooter or shooters. There's usually a bit of shock, followed by a smattering of sorrow and well-wishes to the survivors, and the families of the dead. It's all eventually old news, and overshadowed by the next shooting. But in between, we get:


- From liberals and/or gun control advocates (I'm the former, mixed with a tad of the latter), there is tsk-tsking. finger wagging, condemnation of the NRA and speculation. The speculation usually goes to the obvious places first, "gun nuts," tea partiers, right-wing extremists, those "sovereign citizen" people. There is a whole lot of resignation and weariness that nothing is going to change, and a simmering anger about how it's all just allowed to continue. And of course, you'll have the fringy leftists who go too far, though they're (I believe) in the minority.

- From conservatives and/or gun rights activists (I used to be the former with a tad of the latter), there is a reflexive defensiveness with amazing and instantaneous hostility. Right away, there are proclamations about what liberals are going to say or do. There are defiant announcements that this better not lead to a "gun grab." There are seeds of  conspiracy theories sown almost immediately. And there is a heavy emphasis on making sure that the perp is perceived as either a) a radical lefty, b) a radical lefty posing as a conservative in order to smear them, or c) maybe a radical righty, but if so, a lone wolf with no connection to any other conservative group or individuals. And, of course, you'll have the fringy rightists who go too far, and they are in abundance.

If you don't believe me, hit any major newspaper's comments section on this story. Or go straight to the source at FreeRepublic.com, and click their section labeled "BangList." Yes, it's really called that.

Meanwhile, let's get a few facts on this whole Las Vegas shooting, shall we? As horrific as the attack was (and I'm tempted to call it a terrorist attack), there are also fascinating elements to the story, and how it is unfolding. For instance, the connection the Millers (the killers) had to a law passed in Indiana that allows citizens--under certain conditions, naturally--to shoot cops. 

[Excerpt]

Shooters carried arsenal, supplies into Sunday rampage



Jerad and Amanda Miller left their downtown apartment Sunday morning loaded for a long fight. Police said the Millers had a small arsenal and survivalist gear in two bags when they entered a northeast Las Vegas Wal-Mart on Sunday, killed a shopper who confronted them with his own gun, and then shot it out with officers before taking their own lives. . .

Read more at: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Jon Stewart: Open Carry vs. Stand Your Ground

NRA Backtracks: It's Now Not Weird to Strap on Your Gun and Go to Chipotle!

Nope, not weird.
Image from source, Slate.

A little advice, gun people: whatever point you think you're making by strapping an AK-47 (and I give zero shits if I've got the terminology right) to your back, and walk into fast food restaurants, hardware stores or other benign public spaces, you look crazy. You look dangerous. And you're winning zero converts. It doesn't matter one whit if you have the right to do something. I have the right to call you a tiny-dicked, overcompensating douchenozzle, but other than to make this point, I wouldn't do that. Decorum. Maturity. Manners. Get some.

Now, when it comes to the NRA, they put their finger to the wind, and got it shot off by their own members. After previously calling these fast food warriors "weird," they've now back peddled, and are blaming their previous position on some low-level lackey, who was expressing his own personal opinion. On the NRA webpage. Yeah, that makes sense guys, let's go with that!

[Excerpt]
 
NRA Apologizes for Calling Some NRA Members “Downright Weird”

The NRA, last week, took the out-of-character step of telling some of its most enthusiastic supporters of guns and the freedom to take them into your local Chipotle to, you know, maybe take it down a notch. “[A] small number have recently crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness,” Friday's NRA statement reads. Here’s more. . .

Read more at: Slate

Gun Fetishists Creep Out Texas Restaurant Staff

 

I've long called extreme gun nuts "gun fetishists." Recently, I saw the term ammosexuals, and that really made me laugh, because it fits right in. I myself have always been Switzerland as it concerns guns and gun rights. But more and more, as the gun nuts (and let's be clear, I'm not talking about all gun owners here) get nuttier and nuttier, I'm finding my neutral position more difficult to defend. Take this goofy bunch in Texas. Please.

[Excerpt]

Pro-Gun Lunatics Scare the Crap out of Fort Worth Restaurant Staff
 
So, imagine the following scenario: you're at work at a fast food place, just trying to get through your shift, like any other day. You spot a whole bunch of guys carrying assault weaponry right in front of the restaurant. What do you do? For the employees of one Fort Worth, Texas Jack in the Box, the answer was "hide in the goddamn freezer and call the cops." That seems like a pretty reasonable course of action to me, all things considered. When a bunch of crazy white dudes with assault rifles weapons start wandering through the parking lot, it's best not to ask questions before trying to get the f**k away. . .

Read more at: Kitchenette

George Zimmerman "Hand Painting" Really Photo-Shopped Stock Image

Image from Wonkette
(Click to embiggen)

Which is weirder, that a hand painting by George Zimmerman is going for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, or that the Z-man just manipulated a stock photo, and called it an original? Sheesh.

[Excerpt]

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise: George Zimmerman Stoled His Inspirational Flag ‘Painting’ From A Stock Image
 
Nope, it’s not Jasper Johns Day on Wonkette — that there, courtesy of an anonymous Wonkette reader, is a montage of 1) George Zimmerman’s “hand painted artwork” that is currently hovering at a high bid of $99,966.00 on the Ebay, 2) a popular “waving flag” image from the interwebs, and 3) a fancy-schmancy overlay of item 1 on item 2, which is the kind of thing that can be done by a smart reader who actually knows Photoshop. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Another Shooting: This Time a Mall in Paramus, New Jersey

I was listening to someone, I don't even remember who, talking about gun violence in America. It was on liberal talk radio (a rare entity indeed), and I'm not sure if it was a host, or if it was a caller or guest. But basically, they were lamenting that when there is a shooting, the media--with rare exceptions--is expected not to focus on the guns, but the violence. Any attempt to get at the problem (almost said "target") has to tippy-toe past the obvious. It's a minefield of sort of reverse political correctness. Any misstep will bring down the wrath of the NRA and all of Right Wing World.

Sandy Hook was an aberration, probably because it was so unspeakably tragic, involving so many young children. It was the closest we came to actually talking like normal people about guns, but even then, there was a lot of squawking. For some reason, it's perfectly acceptable for the right to get as political as they want about it. More guns is the answer, they say. Everybody from teachers to shop owners to every damned citizen should be armed they say. They expect strapped citizens to go all Dirty Harry on any potential threat, and that it will all work out like an action movie.

And while one side is afraid to argue, and the other side mutters inanities, armed crazy people keep shooting things up.

[Excerpt]

Shooter on the loose at New Jersey mall



A shooter opened fire at a New Jersey mall late Monday, sending panic through the shopping center and igniting a massive police response. The gunman inside Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, New Jersey, has not yet been found during a sweep of the shopping center by Bergen County SWAT, said county Chief of Staff Jeanne Baratta. . .

Read more at: CNN

So, About that "Citizen Hero" Theory to End Mass Shootings

This is what I've been saying, but said better. Take a look.

[Excerpt]

Do Armed Civilians Stop Mass Shooters? Actually, No.

In the wake of the unthinkable massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, pro-gun ideologues are once again calling for ordinary citizens to arm themselves as a solution to mass shootings. If only the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School had possessed a M-4 assault rifle she could've stopped the killer, they say. This latest twist on a long-running argument isn't just absurd on its face; there is no evidence to support it. As I reported recently in our in-depth investigation, not one of 62 mass shootings in the United States over the last 30 years has been stopped this way. More broadly, attempts by armed civilians to intervene in shooting rampages are rare—and are successful even more rarely. (Two people who tried it in recent years were gravely wounded or killed.) And law enforcement overwhelmingly hates the idea of armed citizens getting involved. . .

Read more at: Mother Jones

Don't Take Your Guns to Starbucks (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Even a heart attack can't keep Rocky Mountain Mike down. Here's his take (to the tune of Johnny Cash's Don't Take Your Guns to Town) on the absolute asshats who insist on making public spectacles of themselves by carrying their weapons into Starbucks (and elsewhere). C'mon, gun nuts, isn't that taking your fetish just a bit too far?

 

Gun Violence: A Recurrent American Problem

For some reason, we're not allowed to point to guns themselves as any part of the problem. Which is curious. When they say "guns don't kill people, people kill people," I always wonder how well these killers would do with a cocked finger. The guns are positively part of the problem. And our fetish for them is no excuse for denying that fact.
 

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Double-standard on Recall Elections?

Image from source, Wonkette

Back when Wisconsin Governor Scott Wanker Walker faced a recall election, the prevailing wisdom was that recalls are for elected officials who have done something wrong. Not something unpopular, but committed a crime, or done something unethical. So, even though Walker was deeply unpopular, he managed to keep his seat, because Wisconsinites thought a recall wasn't the right thing to do.

Tuesday in Colorado, there was a recall election that was successful. A couple of legislators who'd been behind some modest gun control measures were recalled. They didn't commit a crime, or do anything unethical. They just went against the NRA, a lobbying group with very deep pockets and a fanatical base. Of course, recalling legislators for unpopular actions rather than crimes isn't without precedent. It was done in Iowa with state Supreme Court justices who'd decided in favor of marriage equality. In fact it was attempted in two separate elections, though it failed on its last try.

But I guess I'd like to see a little consistency in the conventional wisdom. Are recall elections for unpopular (or just unpopular with a small but vigilant group) a good thing or a bad thing?

[Excerpt]

NRA Fires Two Colorado State Senators For Doing Their Jobs And Voting On Stuff
Welcome to the USofNRA! And woe be unto you, any politician who dares to cross our not so new overlords in this quick-draw special interest group, by trying to maybe take high-capacity magazines from any maybe-crazy-maybe-not person who wants to get their warm, live fingers on a gun. Because in Colorado, where two rather awful mass-murdering shooting sprees were committed by some awfully deranged mass-murdering spree shooters in Columbine and Aurora, state Senator Angela Giron and Senate President John Morse were straight up recalled by 56% and 51% respectively of the maybe voter suppressed folks in their districts, because “Morse and Democrats passed laws that limit ammunition magazines to 15 rounds and require universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers. . .”


Read more at Wonkette

The Black NRA

Black NRA from Sarah Silverman