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Ace of Spades HQ
7/21/2012
One would think we have learned nothing from the 20th century.
Among the various news reports and statements by officials today, in the wake of the Aurora shootings, is a constant refrain that the shooter himself, James Holmes, is obviously insane, deranged, or otherwise non compos mentis — indeed, that only a person so afflicted could carry out this act.
Horseshit. And I use that word very deliberately.
Did we somehow forget the tens of millions of people imprisoned, tortured, experimented upon, savagely raped, and/or killed in a variety of manners by Communist, Imperial (Japan), and Nazi governments? That this mass torture, rape and murder required extensive planning and prolonged effort by thousands of men and women who were otherwise well-educated, sane, rational, and from long-established civilizations? That people of high sanity and cultural refinement are capable of ordering, overseeing, and even carrying out absolutely horrific acts? The fact that equally horrific acts — though on a smaller scale — occur on a daily basis throughout much of the world, often approved or even carried out by the local government officials? (And let’s not get into the child sex traffic among UN peacekeepers.)
Why, then, do we immediately assume Holmes is insane, when frankly all the evidence indicates otherwise? You do not complete an undergrad degree in neuroscience — and then get accepted to grad school for a PhD in the same — while being unable to understand exactly what you are doing.
Now, I am willing to grant that Jared Loughner — shooter of Rep. Giffords and murderer of several bystanders — may well be wacko. His history during the months leading up to the shooting strongly indicate bizarre behavior and strange obsessions. And besides, man, just look at him.
I am far less convinced that Holmes is crazy or insane…
The article continues at Ace of Spades
At Babalú Blog:
…The liberal/”progressive” politically correct culture that embraces more and more gun control, and that demonizes citizens that have handguns, is indirectly responsible for this tragedy. Cinemark, the chain that owns the theater where the murders took place, has a “gun-free zone” policy in their theaters, thereby eliminating the only possible defense that could have, at least, attempted to stop Holmes from murdering 12 and wounding 58. I don’t care how much body armor he was wearing, someone could have at least temporarily delayed his rampage and saved some lives.
I was struck yesterday, watching the live coverage from Denver TV, by the inability of some of the news anchors and reporters and survivors of using the word “evil” in describing Holmes. This lack of understanding — whether willful or ignorant — of the opposing forces in our world is one of the reasons we have so many tragedies, as the Ace writer succinctly states…
Read the rest at Babalú.
From American Thinker:
…By midday Friday MoveOn sent an email to its members urging them to sign a Mayors Against Illegal Guns petition to end the violence. The group called on Congress to start closing loopholes and enacting laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
The organization’s missive also included references to past tragedies; conspicuously omitting the Ft. Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan from the list…
…And in a campaign stop in Ft. Myers, Florida, an emotionally detached Obama delivered a message to the grieving Aurora families that this was not a time for politics; yet the crowd can be heard whooping it up at inappropriate moments during the speech. [see video of his remarks where audience members behind the president were actually laughing on screen].
…Obama…certainly knows about the decision coming down from the State Department next week whether to sign the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty which will further restrict our right to bear arms in the U.S.
“Never let a crisis go to waste.” Read the whole thing at American Thinker.
Update: James Holmes’ Academic Frustration and Social Isolation
Also from Ace, Salman Rushdie: My Safety is More Important Than Yours
…I guess a woman who’s being stalked by an abusive ex-husband who’s vowed to kill her should just hire a couple of 24 hour a day armed bodyguards, huh?
Same goes for the guy running a convenience store in a bad neighborhood.
Just about every loudmouthed gun control advocating celebrity has similar access to firearm-toting muscle. But you? Well, tough titty if you can’t afford to hire out your protection…
Witness: Someone let gunman inside Colorado movie theater
A man who was at the Colorado movie theater where a dozen people were killed this morning, says he saw the gunman.
He says he thinks someone deliberately let the gunman inside once the movie started…
- 58 injured and 12 dead, including Jessica Ghawi, AJ Boik, Alex Sullivan, Micayla Medek, John Thomas Larimer, Jon Blunk, Alex Teves, Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress, Matt McQuinn, Rebecca Wingo and six-year-old Veronica Moser
- Ex-serviceman Jon Blunk has been called a true hero by his girlfriend Jansen Young after pushing her to the ground and defending her from shooter James Holmes
- Six-year-old Veronica Moser becomes the youngest fatality in the shooting at this point. Her mother, Ashley, remains in critical condition according to family
- Moser is suffering from bullet wounds to her neck and abdomen and has been described as ‘absolutely devastated’ by her loss.
- Matt McQuinn has also been hailed a hero for diving in front of his girlfriend to save her from a hail of bullets fired by Holmes
- Holmes, 24, dropped out from neuroscience PhD at University of Colorado in June
- Holmes bought a movie ticket, entered with crowd and put on ballistic gear
- Killer had arsenal of 6,000 rounds which he bought at local shops and online…
The account from The Daily Mail contains video, as well as photos and personal accounts of the murder victims.
At The Other McCain, Colorado Massacre Caused by Heated Rhetoric and Kinky Sex Freak With 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition …
. . . but mainly it was the guy with 6,000 rounds of ammunition…
…So while the Department of Homeland Security has warned us about the threat of “right-wing extremists,” they forgot to warn us about the kinky science students with small penises.
Because I’m not an “investigative reporter” like Brian Ross of ABC News, I don’t believe everything I read on the Internet. Therefore, I urge extreme caution about reports that James Holmes — the kinky 24-year-old grad school dropout with the small/average penis — was involved in the “Occupy” movement.
The reason I urge caution is (a) I’ve seen no real evidence, and (b) it’s got that “too good to check” problem. If it subsequently turns out that Holmes was involved in “Occupy,” OK. But let’s not start speculating or jumping to conclusions, because then we’ll have no credibility at all, like Brian Ross and ABC News…
Read the whole thing.
Update 2: Police Seek Second Person of Interest in Aurora Murders
KDVR:AURORA, Colo. Sources tell FOX31 Denver reporter Justin Joseph that a second man is now a person-of-interest in the Aurora theater shooting investigation. We are not disclosing his identity because he has not been charged. … Sources tell Justin Joseph someone made either a call or a text from the person of interest’s phone threatening violence if James Egan Holmes was not released from jail. That call prompted police to issue an alert to find and detain him.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates spoke to Jon Scott about the latest on the investigation into the movie theater shooting that killed 12 people and injured 58 others. He told Scott that rather than insisting the suspect James Holmes acted alone, they have no information at this time that he acted with anyone else. He added later in the interview that police are “very confident” that there is not another suspect out there that poses a threat to the community, and said “It’s a perverse enough crime for one person to formulate it.”…
