Outrage

(Source)

Forty-nine dead, fifty-three wounded. Inside the United States of America. To be more precise, in Orlando in the state of Florida.

Does it matter that the scene of the attack was a "gay" nightclub? Whatever that term implies. I mean does that mean that the patrons were predominantly "gay" or exclusively "gay"? More to the point, does that really matter? What matters is that a large number of my fellow human beings went out on the town to have a good time and some lunatic decided that their collective behavior "offended" him.

The name of the perpetrator of this atrocity won't be used here. He's not a martyr, he's not the hero of some cause, he's not some misguided soul who was mistreated as a child and therefore is not responsible for his actions. No, he was an asshole. A heavily armed asshole. Warning: If I see the name of this sh!tstain in the comments, I'll delete the comment. It's my blog, I can censor the things I don't like. If you wish to make reference to the perp, call him perp, call him "that asshole." I don't wish to remember him as anything other than the rabid jackwagon who killed and wounded so many people. Because he was "offended," because his beliefs compelled him to commit this heinous act. Because he was an asshole. That's all you need to know really.

Yes, there will be some (1) who will call for a ban on certain weapons, (2) who will cry "death to all Muslims," there will even be those who say (3) that the patrons of that nightclub "had it coming."

You won't hear any of those things from me. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, so I cannot, by law, support Option 1. As one individual committed this atrocity, I don't see how Option 2 can be considered at all. Not to mention the sheer impossibility of such a task. While I'm sure that there are others who encouraged the asshole to commit this act, not all Muslims are guilty of this attack. Before you start howling about the Koran, read your Old Testament, just saying. If you are indeed without sin, then by all means, starting casting stones.

As to Option 3, seriously? While I don't like the "in your face" actions of some, and the intentional sensationalism of others, I know a number of "gay" people (I'll get to why that is in quotes later). They are, for the most part, just like other people. They don't advertise their sexual preferences and/or proclivities, they just are who and what they are. They have jobs, they have hobbies, they even go to church. They love, they are loved. I daresay they even love kittens and puppies. They are people, damn it. Not targets for some effing lunatic.

There are things many folks like to do in the privacy of their own homes which they really don't want anybody else to know about. There are some who like to talk about such things, on the heterosexual "side" of things, but that's just not done in polite company. I mean different strokes and all that, but we're not going to have a parade to "celebrate" your proclivities, inclinations, and preferences. No matter who (or what) you like to "sleep" with.

Most "gay" folks are the same way, it's their business, stay out of it.

Not all cultures feel the same way, those folks are called barbarians, savages if you will. Not fit for polite company and they really should stay in their own backwards shite-holes and not come here, to the United States, and expect us to kowtow to their beliefs. Not gonna happen.

About the only thing that could have prevented this atrocity would have been to have undercover, armed, security guards inside and outside of the club. A manned surveillance system to monitor the approaches to the club might have spotted this goon early enough for action to be taken.

Having regular citizens carrying weapons either openly or concealed might have prevented some of the deaths and injuries. But having folks packing heat and drinking alcohol is a recipe for disaster. Armed and trained security guards inside and out could stop some idiot before he or she can harm too many people. Maybe. And no, I don't want the security types to be employees of the state.

There are no simple answers, ask the Israelis who deal with this crap every damned day.

I mourn the dead, I pray for the wounded.




Note: I chatted briefly with Juvat as to whether he should go ahead with his normal Monday post or if I wanted to post about the atrocity in Orlando. At the time (Sunday) I was too pissed off to either think or write about the attack. I have calmed down somewhat and in what I wrote above, I pulled many of my punches. My inner beast wants blood, wants revenge and would like to lay waste to some foreign land just to let the evil ones know that we aren't to be trifled with. One might say, "Thank God I'm not in charge." It would be bloody, it might even be catastrophic, but it would be cathartic. At least for a little while. Being really drunk feels good until you wake up the next day. For all things there are consequences. Don't bay for blood unless you're willing to lead the first wave. Just sayin'...

On my use of the word "gay" in quotation marks. Words have meaning, I don't like seeing words co-opted by certain groups to promote their agenda, life style, or politics. To me "gay" means "happy," "light hearted or carefree." Both of said definitions are now relegated to second place (or lower) in the dictionaries. When did it come to mean a homosexual man? So if I use the word gay in quotes, it means a homosexual man. Sans quotes it will carry it's old meaning of happy or light-hearted and carefree. Sancho, hand me my lance, would you?