Horrific news out of Orlando today. Hate crime, domestic terrorism, whatever you want to call it, at least 50 people are dead today who should be alive and well:
An American-born man who’d pledged allegiance to ISIS gunned down 49 people early Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11, authorities said.
Some thoughts:
- Saying that it has nothing to do with the victims being gay is to erase a hate crime by trying to cover it up or mask it. It’s disrespectful to the victims, who died simply because someone hated them for who they were. It’s erasure in retrospect, even if it’s well intentioned.
- Yes, it is about gun control. Sadly, I don’t expect this to have any more impact on the debate than the zillion mass shootings before this. At some point, America decided it was okay with the consequences of the “right to bear arms” and this sort of thing will keep happening. And happening. And happening.
- Trump is going to make this all about hatred of Muslims and hysterical fear of immigrants — even though the shooter was a domestic terrorist who lived in Florida. He’ll probably succeed, too.
- Don’t expect people to refer to a “cycle of violence”, at least, which is what the media would be doing if this were a nightclub shot up in Tel Aviv instead of in Orlando.
- There’s really nothing good to say. It’s all horrific and awful. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.
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