Over 100 people were shot and either killed or injured at Pulse, a GLBTQ+ nightclub, in Orlando a few days ago. The shooter, Omar Mateen, was the son of Afghan immigrants and a Muslim who was apparently radicalized and, quite possibly, both gay himself and likely slightly mentally unstable.
To the Democratic sycophants that make up the editorial board of the New York Times (alongside many Democrat-first, GLBT+ issues second, activists, this is enough evidence to point the finger for the crimes at..........
White, middle-class, middle-aged, conservative, Christian males. A group of people with whom Mateen most assuredly had very limited, if any, contact. If, like most thinking people, you look at those conclusions with confusion, it won't matter to those on the Left. Just like a discussion surrounding whether or not Mateen was, in fact, gay does not enter into the thought process on the right.
What enters the minds of writers, non-thinkers, media talking-heads and 'activists*' on both sides has been guns. In fact, the most pressing issue of the moment is whether or not to do two things with them. First, the old "common sense" canards are rolled out. Banning so-called "assault" weapons for one (which would have no effect and had no effect on crime the first time it was tried) and second, suspending due process for Millions of Americans who might find themselves on a vaguely defined 'terrorist watch list'.
If you're surprised that so-called social liberals would move down this path remember this: It was the Democratic Party that was the driving force behind Japanese internment camps during WWII. So what's happening now should not entirely surprise you. As Jonah Goldberg says "what a dumb time to be alive".
I concur.
Kevin D. Williamson also offers up some thoughtful, wise and accurate observations on the matter. Pointing out to people that this is not about, nor has it ever been about, "reducing crime". Instead it's about gaining power, exerting control and silencing a large, but shrinking, political group that has been unfriendly toward Democrats historically. One of the few unprotected classes left in America is the Caucasian conservative male. There is no flag for him, no movement cutting commercials or Hollywood star shedding crocodile tears. In fact, the lampoon of the redneck hick, fat, wearing a dirty wife-beater t-shirt (dirty because he worked in it all day not because he spilled food and beer on it FWIW) is not openly mocked, but encouraged.
Editorial cartoonists, who would much rather have their arms forcefully removed and their children beaten with them than draw a caricature of Mohammed, gleefully mock and disparage middle-American men with no worry of career repercussion. You can draw Bubba being racist, but you cannot draw Omar being a homophobe.
Nor is it possible to have a rational discussion around what could likely be the real story.
A Muslim man, who happened to be a closeted homosexual, struggled with the social and moral norms of a religious belief system that is 100% opposed to the GLBTQ+ community even being alive. Thinking his sexuality a personal flaw, and unable to turn anywhere for help and support, he lashed out in the way he was taught by radical elements who used his anger toward the world to kill and wound around 100 people. The other option is that he cased the club and planned his attack. In that case he's not disturbed at all, just a radical Islamist who committed a horrendous act of terror. We may never know where the truth lies because he didn't leave many hints.
There is a lot in that paragraph above that both sides could possibly agree on, and work to fix.
But that is not how American politics work today.
Today we have comedians like Sally Kohn banging away at her typewriter that all Republicans are racist homophobes, we have Donald Trump crowing that he was "right" about terrorism as he stares fondly into his gold-framed mirror. We are stuck with elected representatives who look at polls, listen to campaign advisors and don't have the intellectual heft to generate an original thought. And we have a President who is a suit so empty it's almost folded.
We don't have a government, we have a comedy show.
The only problem is, right now, there's nothing much funny about it.
