A number of years ago, while he was still the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team, Bob Stoops decided to invest some of his hard earned cash in a new bar and grill located across the street from the campus. He chose to name it after his dog, Louie.
Stoops obviously didn't have the time, or expertise to run the enterprise, so an outfit called the Hal Smith Restaurant Group took control of the operation. The concept was casual dining, paired with typical American food. The place featured a lot of TV's with sports playing continuously on each and every one of them. There was also a bar which to this day sells wildly over priced drinks on game days.
The idea took off and soon Louie's were popping up all over the state. Fairly quickly one showed up on the east shore of Lake Hefner which is located on the northwest side of Oklahoma City. It features a couple of different patios overlooking the water and at the right moment on clear days, a great view of the sun setting on the other side of what is essentially a two mile wide man made pond.
Last night, around 6:30 pm it was full of patrons as it typically is. Then a guy, who police identify as 28 year old, Alexander C. Tilghman showed up. Reports say he was wearing the type of ear protectors normally seen at gun ranges. At least one witness said he was also wearing protective eye goggles. In addition he was carrying a side arm.
Everyone in America can guess what happened next.
That's right, the fucker opened fire. It still isn't completely clear whether he was actually in the restaurant, on the patio, or the lawn next to it when he did. It's also unknown why he did it. Initial police reports say it was a random act which isn't unusual these days, but right now that doesn't ring completely true.
Two adult women were reported wounded along with a young girl who was shot through the abdomen and in the tailbone. At least one of the adults and the girl were attending a birthday party. A man who was there broke his arm when he dove for cover. After wounding all three of the women, Tilghman apparently left the restaurant, seemingly uninterested in inflicting further casualties.
A witness to the shooting, Ron Benton told local NBC affiliate, KFOR he fled the restaurant after the shooting stopped, then spotted Tilghman walking on a sidewalk outside. He also saw a car with two men exit the parking lot, then do a turn around.
According to Benton, "A guy jumped out of it and went for the back of his vehicle. I just assumed it was an off duty police officer, or something like that. It was just the way he moved, whoever it was. He just appeared to be somebody who had some training, some weapon training."
After the shooter refused commands to drop his weapon shots were exchanged and Alexander Tilghman was killed.
The two men in the car, Juan Carlos Nazario--citizenship status no doubt soon to be investigated by ICE--and Bryan Whittle were immediately proclaimed heroes. In a moment of pure orgasmic ecstasy one local TV reporter stated, "This is the exact purpose of conceal and carry!" He failed to speculate if Tilghman might have also had a conceal and carry permit, obviously leaving such details for later analysis by cooler heads in the studio. No one has publicly said which of the two Samaritans ultimately brought the shooter to his end.
The smoke had barely cleared before the NRA was hot on Twitter proclaiming their never ending mantra about good guys with guns being the only thing that can stop bad guys with one is unassailably true. The organization also took swipes at Oklahoma republican Governor Mary Fallin for recently vetoing a bill which would have allowed anybody in the state to carry a hand gun without any training, or a license and would have weakened back ground checks. You know--on people exactly like Alexander C. Tilghman.
In addition, Benton's assessment that both Nazario and Wittle appeared to have weapons training--thereby validating Fallin's decision--didn't seem to enter the overly fogged brain of whoever tweeted that NRA bull shit.
Well, what do you expect? Once you're locked into a manifestly insane dogma there is no room for doubt, or intellect. Indeed, go with the raw emotion of the moment. Don't muddle things by spending time thinking about how this latest episode of gun violence actually went down.
Meanwhile, earlier today, a Noblesville, Indiana teen ager wounded a teacher and fellow student at his middle school. The shooter is reported to have fired up to 16 rounds before being tackled by an unarmed science teacher, who knocked his weapon away during the struggle. The kid is now in custody. The condition of his victims is currently unknown.
The NRA has yet to offer up their opinion on this latest school shooting and its outcome. Don't worry though. If we know anything, besides summer vacation can't get here fast enough, it is they will. And whatever it ends up being, it will be just as demented as it always is.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the bar is most definitely open.
sic vita est
5-25-18
Half a century ago, drastic measures unpopular to this day put the airline hijackers out of business. I fear something similar may be needed now. We simply cannot allow this to continue, NRA or no NRA, second amendment or no second amendment. Will the solution be citizen patrols in parking lots, gun checks at doors, the national guard on every street corner? I feel the same way about this that I do about the President's wall and why he wants it. Give me the money, manpower, and mandate to close our borders and I will do it. I will use the border between China and Russia as a model and example. Ditto the public shootings. I will stop the greatest majority of them, but don't be surprised if you don't like how I do it. It is time for you, me, the NRA and all others to feel a bit inconvenienced, and maybe a bit leery, of what we need to do to put sanity back in our society.
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