ANOTHER SCHOOL/PUBLIC SHOOTING

[Maggot]

The talking heads are discussing the why and how and where all over the place now. None of them know anything and it will take a few days to get the real picture.

[HairOfTheDog]

Fortunately, another man who is suspected to have been planning an attack at the gay pride parade in Los Angeles was arrested before he got to his destination. Police found an arsenal of weapons in his vehicle.

At present, LE doesn't believe the suspect in L.A. had any connection to the Orlando mass shooter.

I'm grateful for the people in L.A. who saw the man acting strangely near his car and called police (and grateful for the officers who got right on it).

[HairOfTheDog]

Wow, the asshole who killed 50 people at the Orlando gay club worked as security at the St. Lucie courthouse.

He'd been interviewed by the FBI three times for possible terrorist connections or sympathies, but he was cleared in each case.

His ex-wife (divorced 7 years ago) said he was abusive, had applied to the police academy, and he used to practice shooting with friends of his who were police officers.

My niece is working in the Castro district today. She texted me that the streets are filled with very upset residents and news vans. This terrible violence has affected nearly everyone in the country, I imagine. But, the gay community has been hit especially hard. The San Francisco gay pride parade goes down in a couple of weeks; I expect security will be increased significantly but there's no way the homophobic terrorist piece of shit is going to stop the celebration.

[BigMark]

Why would Trump want to stop the celebration?

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm watching and listening to some firsthand accounts from people that were in the club. It was so scary and there was so much blood. Some people froze in fear and the shooter went right to them.

According to a few networks the shooter is an American citizen. Some in the media talked to his father who said the shooter saw two gays kissing (in Miami I think it was said) and it really pissed him off. I guess this is the end result if that's the truth.

I think there are probably multiple motives/factors in the case of this mass murderer.

It won't surprise me if, like most homophobes (in my opinion), he was repressing his own homosexuality, which was condemned by his father and his religion. So, he found an extremist/terrorist cause that legitimized his self loathing and celebrated his hatred of others.

Whatever his fucked up reasons, 49 people are dead and watching their friends and family try to come to terms with the losses is painful.

Yesterday, Trump called the killer an immigrant who was born in 'Afghan' and renewed his commitment to ban Muslims from entering the country, which makes no sense given that Mateen was a natural born American citizen who was already living in this country.

[HairOfTheDog]

Here's an update:

During three calls with 911 dispatchers, Mateen not only professed allegiance to the Islamic State but also expressed solidarity with a suicide bomber from the Syrian rebel group Nusra Front, and a few years ago he claimed connections to Hezbollah, too – both ISIS enemies, according to FBI Director Comey.

The FBI became aware of Mateen in 2013 when co-workers reported that the private security guard claimed to have family connections to al-Qaida and to be a member of Hezbollah, too, Comey said. He was also quoted as saying he hoped law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself.

The FBI launched a 10-month preliminary investigation, following Mateen, reviewing his communications and questioning him, the FBI chief said. Mateen claimed he made the remarks in anger because co-workers were teasing him and discriminating against him as a Muslim, and the FBI eventually closed the case, Comey said.

His name surfaced again as part of another investigation into the Nusra Front bomber. The FBI found Mateen and the man had attended the same mosque and knew each other casually, but the investigation turned up “no ties of any consequence,” Comey said.

Mateen was added to a terror watch list in 2013 when he was investigated, but was taken off it soon after the matter was closed, according to Comey.

People who are in that database are not automatically barred from buying guns. Mateen purchased his weapons in June, long after his removal from the list.

The Islamic State’s radio hailed the attack and called Mateen “one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.” But it gave no indication the group planned or knew of the attack beforehand.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/06/...killed-49/

[Donovan]

Now they're saying dude was not only a regular in that very club, but has a gay dating app account and had tried to romantically hook up with at least one guy. Coupled with what's coming out about his dad's beliefs, it's starting to look a lot like an oppressive life and crushing self loathing turned to explosive rage.

[Duchess]

Yesterday, Trump called the killer an immigrant who was born in 'Afghan' and renewed his commitment to ban Muslims from entering the country, which makes no sense given that Mateen was a natural born American citizen who was already living in this country.

He makes me sick, he is the most vomit inducing individual that I have ever come across. I listened to both speeches yesterday. They were polar opposite in terms of tone and content. I no longer worry about his chances at becoming the next POTUS but I am concerned at the tremendous number of people who support his bullshit. It means they are as fucked up as he is. They are in my charming little town, I see their bumper stickers, hats & t-shirts when I'm out and about. Only good manners and civility keeps me from spiting at their feet.

[sally]

I couldn't find the speech where he said the killer was an immigrant born in Afghan. I watched his live speech yesterday and then again on O'Riley and both times he said the same thing, no change in his tone or content. Both times he said that Mateen's father immigrated here and there is proof that he supported the Taliban which he should have been investigated and not allowed here in the first place. That was his point about his proposed temporary ban on allowing thousands of refugees in at this time, that we do not know their intentions and there is no way to screen it.

[HairOfTheDog]

I just watched the clip of Anderson Cooper reading off the murdered victims' names; Duchess mentioned it in the "GUNS" thread.



I like Anderson Cooper's reporting a lot. He's objective and very professional. He also seems like an empathetic human being.

His reading was very sincere and touching. RIP to all those robbed of their futures.

[HairOfTheDog]

I couldn't find the speech where he said the killer was an immigrant born in Afghan.

[HairOfTheDog]

Here's a fact check of Trump's speech: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/politics/d...re-speech/

[Duchess]

He's objective and very professional. He also seems like an empathetic human being.

That's why he's my favorite news person. He can be pretty funny too, one of his closest friends is Kathy Griffin, they are hysterical together.

[sally]

I couldn't find the speech where he said the killer was an immigrant born in Afghan.

He said the exact same thing in what I watched except he did not say the killer was born in Afghan. I don't know how the rest of the world knew that Mateen was born here and he didn't. I don't know if Trump was confused, or just doesn't pay attention because he's too busy living a lavish lifestyle or just says whatever the fuck he wants. But whether Trump assumed Mateen came here as a baby or was born here was not his argument for a temporary ban, it was that his family was allowed here and the father had published support for the Taliban. I don't know how true that is, but if it is true then he is right that the family shouldn't have been allowed here.

[Duchess]

Was the Taliban even a thing 30 years ago?

Facts matter little to Donald Trump. They have no basis in his reality.

[HairOfTheDog]

It was reported yesterday that the Orlando mass murderer's wife was cooperating with the FBI. She's a 30-year-old American born in California and is of Palestinian descent.

Today, it's being reported that she drove the killer to possible target sites and to buy the weapons he used.

She allegedly knew what he was planning and says she tried to talk him out of it, but didn't call police.

I don't give a shit why she didn't call police. If these reports are true, she should be charged and prosecuted for aiding and abetting or other appropriate felony charges, in my opinion.

Story and pics: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ities.html

[sally]

I don't think they were a thing (to the public anyway) until the day after 9/11. Then all of the sudden they knew who did it and everyone has Bin Laden wanted dead or alive bumper stickers on their cars.

[Duchess]

She allegedly knew what he was planning and says she tried to talk him out of it, but didn't call police.

If that's true, she bears responsibility! She played a role!

[sally]

It was reported yesterday that the Orlando mass murderer's wife was cooperating with the FBI. She's a 30-year-old American born in California and is of Palestinian descent.

Today, it's being reported that she drove the killer to possible target sites and to buy the weapons he used.

She allegedly knew what he was planning and says she tried to talk him out of it, but didn't call police.

I don't give a shit why she didn't call police. If these reports are true, she should be charged and prosecuted for aiding and abetting or other appropriate felony charges, in my opinion.

Story and pics: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ities.html

I also heard that she said he was staking out Disney Springs because you can walk right in and there is very little security. I think Disney has that Gay Days thing going on right now, but the place is still packed with children.

[Duchess]

My God.