Another fucking spree shooting. Great.

xpost My wife lived in Germany for a few years in the mid-'80s and she still can't donate blood.

Already donated yesterday morning. Noticed that part of the foreign-travel section now has a Zika exposure warning. The dayjob is sending me to Mexico next week, which is of course on the list of countries. Curious if this will affect future warnings.

Apparently the FDC sets the donation regs, not the Red Cross.

"this is two sicknesses colliding — the sickness of ISIS and the sickness of America’s obsession with "gun rights"."

I think you missed a third sickness. Rhymes with slomotrobia.

If absolutely nothing else comes from this (and I have basically zero hope at this point that anything gun-related will change in this country), I do hope at the very least that the perpetual legislative othering of the LGBTQ community will start to abate. But ISIS 2nd amendment mental health will probably dominate the conversation.

I've always been saddened and angered by unsavory aspects of the US but I've never felt cynical or hopeless. That's starting to change.

what's really going to be skipped over by everyone is the common currency of patriarchal culture in the shooting in the gun rights in the homophobia in the aggrieved fundamentalism etc. because too many fucking people are implicated.

otm

Good gaybar thinkpiece:

http://www.thenation.com/article/please-dont-stop-the-music/

Blown away by this NYT tweet:

June 12, 2016
Dec. 2, 2015
Nov. 27, 2015
Oct. 1, 2015
July 16, 2015
June 17, 2015

The list goes on:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/mass-shootings-timeline.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Besides the shootings in Texas a couple weeks ago that, bizarrely, received almost no coverage - I'm shocked that we went six months without a major mass shooting. Hopeless

I mean England has only had one school shooting ever

Not that this is the time or place for pedantry but it was in Scotland, not England, if you're talking about Dunblane. But that directly led to the banning of handguns in the UK. And the fact that we've had so little in the way of indiscriminate shootings (just Derrick Bird, I think?) ever since (20 years ago) is maybe a sign that it seems to have worked - not that we had much in the way of them before, I can only recall Michael Ryan in Hungerford as the other one in my lifetime. I mean, sure, there are random pockets of gun crime, but it's so rare as to be a huge thing when it happens, not just another thing to post on an "another fucking spree shooting" thread.

Also, Donald Trump can fuck off. And yer reap what you sow Texan bellend.

Might also be worth mentioning at this juncture the nail bomb attack on the Admiral Duncan pub in London, probably the closest comparison we've had to this over here (three killed in an attack on a gay bar by a neo-Nazi). Perhaps could have been worse had he had easier access to a gun, who knows?

I'm not playing any sort of UK/US side-taking here, btw, just riffing on how relatively fucking easy shit like this is when you can legally get hold of guns to carry out attacks.

But, as has been probably already been said a million times, if Sandy Hook wasn't a turning point in gun legislation, I don't know what will be.

Ted Cruz releases a Statement regarding the Orlando Massacre

“Our nation is at war. From 9/11 to the Boston Marathon, from Fort Hood to Chattanooga, from San Bernardino to last night’s horrific attack in Orlando, radical Islamic terrorism has declared jihad on America,” Sen. Cruz said. “Early reports indicate the Orlando terrorist had pledged his allegiance to ISIS, and he had previously been investigated by the FBI. And yet, as with the prior attacks, we were not able to act to stop this act of vicious terrorism that has now murdered 50 and injured more than 50 others.

“Our hearts go out to those killed and wounded last night. Our prayers are with their families, and with all their grieving loved ones.

“It is a time for action. We need a Commander in Chief who will speak the truth, and who will unleash the full force and fury of the American military to utterly destroy ISIS and its affiliates. We need to pass the Expatriate Terrorist Act, so that known ISIS terrorists cannot use U.S. passports to return to America and wage jihad. We need a President who is serious – who will identify the enemy by name and do everything necessary to defeat it.

“The next few days will be sadly predictable. Democrats will try to use this attack to change the subject. As a matter of rigid ideology, far too many Democrats – from Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton – will refuse to utter the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ They will claim this attack, like they claimed every previous attack, was isolated and had nothing to do with the vicious Islamist theology that is daily waging war on us across the globe. And they will try to exploit this terror attack to undermine the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms of law-abiding Americans.

“Enough is enough. What we need is for every American – Democrat and Republican – to come together, abandon political correctness, and unite in defeating radical Islamic terrorism.

“ISIS doesn’t just target soldiers. They don’t just target Republicans. Or Jews. They also target Christians and fellow Muslims. They target each and every one of us. As we saw this morning, they target the gay and lesbian community. Their objective, which they broadcast worldwide, is to murder or forcibly convert every single American.

“For all the Democrats who are loud champions of the gay and lesbian community whenever there is a culture battle waging, now is the opportunity to speak out against an ideology that calls for the murder of gays and lesbians. ISIS and the theocracy in Iran (supported with American taxpayer dollars) regularly murder homosexuals, throwing them from buildings and burying them under rocks. This is wrong, it is evil, and we must all stand against it. Every human being has a right to live according to his or her faith and conscience, and nobody has a right to murder someone who doesn’t share their faith or sexual orientation. If you’re a Democratic politician and you really want to stand for LGBT, show real courage and stand up against the vicious ideology that has targeted our fellow Americans for murder.

“Today, all of America stands in solidarity with the people of Orlando. All of us should lift them up in prayer, demand action, and if you have any information about the Orlando shooter or potential radical Islamic terror plots, please act to keep us safe by using the FBI tips website: https://tips.fbi.gov.”

I know it is counterproductive to express more hatred in times like this, but that Cruz statement... ugh.

“Enough is enough. What we need is for every American – Democrat and Republican – to come together, abandon political correctness, and unite in defeating radical Islamic terrorism."

Ohhhh, so close. Let me fix that for you...

“Enough is enough. What we need is for every American – Democrat and Republican – to come together, abandon political correctness, and unite in defeating radical Islamic terrorism politicians and the NRA and making it nearly impossible to buy a gun for any fucking reason."

Ugh, that's just...no. Isis must be rubbing their hands in glee.

Failed Presidential Candidate Says (Another) Dumb Thing

frank bruni is a shitheel and the nytimes should be ashamed for publishing him

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/opinion/the-scope-of-the-orlando-carnage.html

now is the opportunity to speak out against an ideology that calls for the murder of gays and lesbians

He had a pretty great opportunity himself last year. I wonder if he wants to address that. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/16/opinion/campaign-stops/ted-cruz-and-the-anti-gay-pastor.html

^ Exactly.

How the fuck do these shits expect us to stand up to ISIS? Like wtf I'm not inviting ISIS to my bbq's. Like what is this tough talk supposed to mean even.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/18/ted-cruz-wanted-to-carpet-bomb-the-islamic-state-does-he-understand-todays-military/

never know what to say. hope everyone everyone loves is okay. wish the cycle would stop.

maybe this guy was deep into the isis twittersphere, idk, we'll find out, but this act strikes me as an american-muslim expression of some homegrown american shit, and after the first few "the deadliest attack on american soil since 9/11" ledes i'm not rly looking forward to the whole "mainstream" "conversation" being about Them rather than virtuous embattled Us

totally agree. the isis thing feels like a taunt that someone would just throw out, and of course Isis being so 21st century as to know trolling of course they'd say "yeah he's on board," if they even did

The foiled plot in LA is such a bizarre coincidence. I can't wrap my head around it. What are the odds of that happening on the same day? Thank goodness he got caught.

My response: http://www.mtv.com/news/2891842/only-when-im-dancing-can-i-feel-this-free/

That is great, Alfred.

great job not postponing the Tony Awards, vampiric Broadway price gougers.

That is great, Alfred.

― jmm, Sunday, June 12, 2016

thank you

"this is two sicknesses colliding — the sickness of ISIS and the sickness of America’s obsession with "gun rights"."

I think you missed a third sickness. Rhymes with slomotrobia.

― Three Word Username, Sunday, 12 June 2016 20:37 (Yesterday) Permalink

yes, absolutely. i am sorry for not mentioning that. you can't collapse homophobia into ISIS's ideology, since homophobia has such a long and terrible life in this country apart from islamic fundamentalism.

I gotta say: I'm proud of Brian Williams and MSNBC for mentioning at every opportunity LGBT citizens and our cause.

a friend pointed out to me that the gun used in the orlando shooting was the same one advertised by bushmaster with the "consider your man card reissued" tagline. so the person noting that a thing joining islamic fundamentalism, "gun rights," and homophobia is indeed machismo and patriarchy.

Local paper did a profile on the six victims released. It was a classy touch.

My brother knew one of the victims. He was a coworker at Universal. Gutted for him.

Also the Pride parade holding an Orlando sign made me well up. Such a nice gesture

Parade in LA I mean

Mel Martinez, once a Florida senator and Orange County mayor, said kind words, among the few I've heard from GOP members: his campaign staff, gay and straight, used to hang out at Pulse; they had a great time.

alfred, that piece for MTV was lovely. thank you for it.

thank you

Langella with some classy words of support on the Tonys

i was reading the NYT piece on what happened and it was so awful that i just started moaning. and now im crying. jesus christ, those poor people. i feel broken.

Thanks Alfred. A very interesting angle and a lovely piece.

Let it out, am x

this is inappropriate but jed_ i want to steal your username for a .. dance night some day.

Oh jeez, I forgot about that. Feel free, I stole it myself.

nice alfred.

Obama's TV address yesterday was his 15th after a mass shooting.

a good day for trump.

I don't think so. His reactions made him look exactly like the tone deaf, narcissistic idiot that he is. He's gonna close those borders and ban those Muslims to...keep out American citizens with no clear religious affiliation, apparently?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742034549232766976

"Appreciate the congrats for being right..."

That is possibly the most narcissistic tweet ever.

forgive my pessimism here but even if we, like, suddenly tomorrow banned all gun sales wouldn't it be completely futile w/ the amount of guns that already exist in this country?

looks like a lot of press is already either denying it was a gay club, to present it as just another straightforward islamic terrorism attack, and stoke up more fear, and make it simpler to process.

bad day for everyone.

the killer sounds like just another unstable guy, like a lot of previous killing spree murderers. who knows if he really was linked to ISIS, they would love to claim it as theirs anyway.

NBC and MSNBC have been terrific. Brian Williams told the story of Pulse's owner and – this gobsmacked me – the history of the Stonewall Inn and the riots.