That didn't take long. In fact it was only 35 days ago we were all aghast at the massacre in Las Vegas. It ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, but, as betting enthusiasts around the world will tell you, records are meant to be broken.
While we wait for that ghastly accomplishment we can contemplate the latest challenger. Devin Patrick Kelley wasn't able to match the sheer number of bodies in Vegas, but yesterday's nightmare at the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church did become the worst mass shooting in the history of Texas.
And--for those of you unfamiliar with the state--that takes a lot. The previous record holder was George Hennard who plowed his truck through the front of a Killeen, TX cafeteria in 1991 prior to opening fire. Before he offed himself he killed 24 people. Way back in 1966, the original modern mass shooter, Charlie Whitman murdered 16 people. He gunned down most of them from an improvised sniper's nest on top of the tower which looms over the University of Texas campus. Then there was U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan who killed 13 people at Ft. Hood, TX in 2009 apparently because God told him it was a good idea.
Yes, in Texas you have to go big, or go home.
The most dubious distinction of Kelley's rampage, however, was it became the worst mass shooting at a church in American history. That's how low we've sunk. We now have an ever growing list of different churches across the land which have been invaded by evil fucks like Dev Kelley. That's right, we're talking stats baby and the experts on cable news can now offer us an updated scorecard of sorts which includes denominations, demographics, motives, and body counts.
Donald Trump immediately told the media the shooting in Sutherland Springs was a mental health issue and not about guns. His only contribution to that problem, so far, has been to rescind an Obama era law which stopped mentally ill persons who draw government disabilities from being able to buy firearms. Thanks to his deft legislation it is now perfectly legal for them to do so.
At around the same time, Kellyanne Conway, who works for Mr. Trump, began babbling we should be, honoring the dead, rather than debating gun control this soon after the tragedy. She knows, or should know, since there have been 377 mass shootings in the U.S. this year alone (defined as four, or more victims in one incident, including the shooter) it leaves damn little time for people around here to do anything, but honor the dead.
Meanwhile, the malignant cranks who infest YouTube are already screeching the entire shooting in Sutherland Hills was a government staged hoax. The number of different channels promoting such bullshit borders on being too vast to count. Earlier today, when added together, the, "views," of those vile places were running into the tens of thousands.
Finally, the congress of the United States of America continues to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Rifle Association. They wouldn't do anything after 20 grade school kids and six of their teachers were killed at Newtown, CT. and they haven't done anything about the, "bump stocks," Steve Paddock used in Vegas to mow down nearly 60 concert goers. Given this well established cowardice, why in God's name should we believe they'll do anything now?
Indeed, it's obvious that, as Bill O'Reilly put it a little over a month ago, those 26 dead worshippers--eight from three generations of the same family--"are just part of the price we pay for freedom."
Right.
sic vita est
11-6-17
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