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Friday, June 17, 2016

Orlando Lament

I am sick to my stomach about the shootings in Orlando.  I am deeply saddened.  I am angry.  There can be no rational excuse for this behavior.  There can only be sick, intolerant, sociopathic reasons a person with a gun shot and killed Christian Grimmie after a concert, and a person with two guns shot and killed 49 people in a nightclub.  If I am sick, if I am mourning, if I am angry, there must be people who are celebrating.

We know the nightclub shooter was an ISIS supporter.  ISIS is celebrating.  Here was an attack on American infidels made more justifiable in that the club catered to LGBT customers.  ISIS has absolutely no tolerance for people who do not believe as they believe and the murder of those who think differently than them is religiously justified.  I suspect, however, that ISIS has no celebration over Christina’s death other than their deep belief that women should remain covered and obedient and low profile and subservient.  Christina was none of those things.  For some reason this gunman was anti-Christina and we do not know why, but like the nightclub gunman he had issues with Christina so he killed her.  I do not like you, you should die.  I do not agree with you, you should die.  I do not support what you stand for, you should die.  Sick, sick, sick.  More so if religion somehow provides the justification for such hideous action.

But none of these celebratory groups are a great surprise.  They are so far removed from mainstream American thought that we expect deviant, socially ill behavior from them.  But what about groups that may celebrate who are more mainstream?  What about the groups that support the pre-requisites for such killings?

For example, I am heterosexual but I support lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender rights.  I do not believe folks should be punished for their sexual orientation or identity.  Therefore, I celebrated the new bathroom guidelines allowing folks to use a restroom based on their sexual identity.  I support the right, I support the result.  I do not celebrate the hostility that has emerged from these rules, but I support the daily choice that people with different sexual identities can practice.  Every male who sees himself as a female in a ladies’ room and every female who sees herself as a male in a men’s room becomes cause for celebration, not fear or anger or attack.  That is not true for the intolerant.  Like ISIS they have a set of beliefs and if one does not subscribe to those beliefs one is subject to discrimination, harassment, even attacks.  Again, all made worse by their religious beliefs.  I see no difference in the men guarding women’s bathrooms than ISIS members attacking infidels.

The Bible and the Quran agree on the nature of homosexuality.  Both the Old and New Testament declare such action as sinful, so much so that homosexuals should be stoned to death.  The Quran says exactly the same thing.  The modern day Christian, however, has cherry-picked the Bible so that only modern belief systems are supported.  Modern day Muslims not so much.

And about the guns:  I am simply flabbergasted by the defense of easy access to firearms.  I see no logic, except perhaps fear and power, two not so grand motivations.  If we can agree that mentally disturbed people and people with violent tendencies should not own weapons, then does it not follow that anyone who wants an AR-15 is mentally disturbed with violent tendencies?  Applying for a license with a background check and eliminating the purchase of semi-automatic military grade weapons is not in any way an effort to take guns out of the hands of hunters and sportsmen.  (I do believe there is a good argument regarding the stability of people who shoot mammals with high-powered rifles from a safe distance.  So sad.  You want to mount a buffalo head in your office?  Get on a horse with a bow and arrow and chase one down.  You cannot claim testosterone or skill for high powered weaponry shot from a distance any more than there is credit for shooting fish in a barrel.)

If your religious beliefs promote the hatred and scorn of some people and not others, it is time to consider changing beliefs.  If your sense of constitutional rights includes the purchase of weapons anytime, anywhere by anyone, then you should be an equally strong supporter of other constitutional rights like freedom of speech, freedom from religion, freedom from self-incrimination, and protection of minority rights.  My sense is that the very people who want unlimited interpretation of the 2nd amendment are very quick to oppose 1st and 14th amendment rights.

Anytime anyone, anywhere shoots and kills others, or promotes the shooting and killing of others, or supports the banishment of others who simply have a different belief system, such a person proves themselves to be anti-religious and anti-American.  I’m sick of such folks.  I shall not attack them, I shall not harass them and I definitely shall not shoot them.  I hope to provoke their thinking.  They have an absolute right to such an opinion even if they are wrong.


And that is what real freedom is.

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