Originally posted at American Thinker Watching and listening to the President after he met with the grieving families of those killed in the Aurora, Colorado gun massacre was moving. For the first time in four years, Barack Obama actually displayed a measure of emotion. One could hear it in his voice and see it on his face.
From the lobby of the University of Colorado Medical Center, Obama started by honoring the dead and praising the courageousness of spirit he sensed when meeting with the wounded. He also acknowledged Governor John Hickenlooper, state and federal officials, the police, and the medical teams that rose to the occasion and worked tirelessly to save lives.
The President said that he came to Colorado “not as a president, but as a father and a husband,” claiming that his role in Aurora was “to serve as a representative of the entire country.” Not calling him by name, Obama said that shooter James Holmes’ notoriety would eventually “fade away” after the “full force of our justice system” decides his future.
From the look on the President’s face, it was almost as if the reality of the pain of deep loss actually shattered his usual icy veneer. True to form, Obama quoted some Scripture, this time from Revelation 21:4, and talked about hugs, tears and reminiscing with the bereaved families.
Obama shared the story of Allie Young, a wounded teen he had just spent time with who was shot in the neck, and her friend Stephanie Davies who, while the shooter continued to mow down people around her, had the wherewithal to put pressure on Allie’s severed artery, ultimately saving her life.
And then, while swatting away from his face the fly that seems to follow him wherever he goes, the President shifted from “Consoler-in-Chief,” as some are calling him, back into the Obama we all know and recognize – the one who exploits tragedy to drop hints about the freedoms he has plans to limit in the future.
If the fly buzzing around his head or the President saying “uh, uh, ah, uh, ah, ah,” dozens of times distracted the audience from hearing the full content of his remarks, they might have missed it when he said in closing:
"I hope that over the next several days, next several weeks, and next several months, we all reflect on how we can do something about some of the senseless violence that ends up marring this country, but also reflect on all the wonderful people who make this the greatest country on earth."
Couched between the “hope” and the “but,” these chilling words spoke volumes: “over the next several days, next several weeks, and next several months, we all reflect on how we can do something about some of the senseless violence that ends up marring this country.”
Why? Because as America has already witnessed, when Barack Obama proposes “doing something” about something it could mean circumventing Congress with an executive order, or worse yet, addressing “senseless violence” by signing onto a gun control treaty that could chip away at even more of our constitutional rights.
It has already been well established that Barack Obama never lets a “serious crisis go to waste.” So, if anyone doubts he’d do it, let’s not forget that Obama has already done something about illegal immigration; he’s done something about healthcare, the economy, the deficit, and a few ‘outdated‘ laws. Now, after a psychotic mows down 12 people in a movie theatre and wounds 58 more with a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle, he wants to “do something” about the serious crisis of violence in America.
Americans should know that for years, in addition to restricting other freedoms, the President has had his eye on curtailing Second Amendment rights. Based on the basic Cloward-Piven strategy the President adheres to, which teaches that a solution created in the midst of a crisis is more likely to be accepted by a nervous public, right now is the perfect time to solve the problem of violence with a radical fix.
Therefore, with a fresh crisis afoot that has captured the attention of the nation immediately following a horrific gun-related tragedy, why not “do something about…senseless violence” by using it as justification to further limit second amendment rights?
After all, Barack Obama has been huddled together in secret with Russia, China, newly Socialist France, and Britain writing the UN Arms Trade Treaty. However, what is not a secret is that President Obama ”personally supported bans of handguns and semi-automatic weapons before becoming president.” Moreover, it’s alleged that his administration was so intent on finding a way to restrict gun ownership that, in order to use gun violence as an excuse to take guns away from law-abiding gun owners, 2,000 dangerous weapons were allowed to walk into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, who then used them to kill two US border agents and hundreds of innocent Mexican citizens.
So, initially America was led to believe that the President rushed out to Aurora with the sole purpose to “mourn with those who mourn.” And then, lo and behold, despite his quoting of scripture and waxing emotional about the dead and wounded, that trusty fly showed up again, attracted to a man whose words brim with the stuff that flies simply cannot resist.
"Seeing the dramatic impact of what raw, unabated evil looks like, is not something we are often able to see," I said on national radio Friday afternoon. "But when we do, it is something that we must learn a great deal from."
With the raging debates of public policy, cultural tolerance, political correctness, and all the other arenas that suck up the oxygen of what our media and attention tend to be saturated with, we seldom have the chance to see with such clarity the separation of truly what is good, and the horrors of absolute evil.
Friday morning at 12:39am Colorado time was one instance in which the curtain was pulled back and we were given that unfiltered view.
The troubled sketch that has been revealed of the shooter from that event is filled with conflicting stereotypes. He was described by officials from his undergraduate school as the "top of the top" academically. Friends from his high school years described him as someone who was very much involved in his church's youth group. His own mother--when initially confronted with the crude facts of the shooting--responded somewhat instinctively, that authorities, had "the right person" when suspecting her own son of such violence. He felt lonely, even desperate with a profile on an "adult" hook-up site. He loved science. He often rooted for the bad guys in comic book stories--likely emulating one in this very attack. And like so many, regardless of his intellect or his qualifications, struggled mightily to find work in the current economy.
There were also things about him that defied the stereotypes. He had no criminal past--his worst previous offense being a traffic violation. He even legally owned or purchased all of the firearms used in the Friday morning attacks.
In the end, we may yet find out a great number of additional things about the struggles, hurts, or inadequacies of his life. Yet nothing we will learn will answer the question of why he chose--this evil outcome--to inflict suffering and carnage on so many. (Some of which we are still figuring out. He gave up without a struggle, suggested to police that they go look for his other stockpiles in his apartment--fully expecting them to walk into his booby-trapped home and perhaps blow away an entire city block.)
Given that he injured and killed 71 people at the theater, with a goal of blowing up perhaps hundreds more, practical issues of justice emerge. I'm sure most decent Americans would have a hard time arguing against the death penalty for someone who was guilty of all this.
Other practical questions also haunt us. Questions like, "If theaters weren't considered a gun-free zone, would more people have survived?"
Yet at the end of this day, my thoughts return to the larger picture of what we saw--evil in it's rawest form.
So what do we learn, and how do we respond?
One of the common sense responses I am reminded of is that "in order for evil to succeed, all that is required is for good people to do nothing." For this reason alone, conceal carry laws should be the law of each state, each city, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. If a law-abiding person is able to disarm a maniac--if necessary through the taking of his life, would not society be a safer place?
One of the most touching reminders I saw in great abundance is the heart of American compassion in action for their fellow man in light of such harsh tragedy, shock, and paralyzing realities. The stories of heroism are just starting to emerge, but those who kept their heads and helped calm those who were trapped in theater nine--who did not panic--but instead encouraged folks to get low, and remain calm--no doubt saved lives. In the days to come, as we learn even more about the friends and family members lost, from those who mourn, an entire nation will mourn with them. Church groups will bring food to their homes, friends will pray, hug, and weep with them, and healing will only begin the long process of recovery.
Lastly one of the most important truths I am forced to realize in light of this week's events is that the only thing that overcomes evil, is the overwhelming reality of good.
It is in all honesty the best argument there can be for the existence of God. God is good personified. And while there may be some who seek to blame Him for the individual choices of the shooter, there are already dozens who are telling their stories of nearly miraculous salvation from the shooter who got off dozens of rounds without reloading, and walked out without a scratch. He was in the aisle of the theater with them as bullets flew. He was on the floor with those who were shielding small children with their own bodies, and He was very near to the heart of the reported six year old girl who perished after enduring wounds in her knee, shoulder, and chest.
On the scale of human understanding there is no explanation that suffices to comfort those of us left behind.
But if good exists (which we have seen being poured out since almost the moment the shots began to be fired) then we must also recognize that there is a day of justice for the evil and those who advance that evil with no ounce of remorse.
Hopefully we observed the advice of President Obama and Governor Romney this weekend and held our children closer. Perhaps we darkened the door to a church for the first time in years.
Ironically we may have equally questioned God's ability to be in control, and simultaneously may have been more curious as to His existence all at the same time because of the tragic shooting.
Yet none of those things alter the very real existence and unchangeable reality that evil exists--we've seen it on our television screen for days now.
The equally true and verifiable reality is that good does as well.
Ultimately our society will suffer most when we no longer can differentiate between the two.
I pray and hope for that day to still be quite far off.
I would venture to guess that the folks filing in to see the latest Batman installment in Aurora, Colorado last Thursday evening didn’t figure on over 70 of them getting shot before the credits rolled. The last count I received before filing this column was 12 dead and 59 wounded.
As the news starting pouring in about what happened in the theater this week when Satan’s spawn James Holmes donned Kevlar and a small battery of weapons and opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd, I kept thinking, “One fast-thinking and trained person who was armed/licensed with a concealed weapon could have stopped that SOB right in his tracks before the body count skyrocketed.”
Yep, the armed citizen could have either killed him, sent him running for cover, or at least diverted his fire away from the masses and toward their person. Some readers, no doubt, are saying, “Well that would be stupid. What if that citizen got shot trying to protect others?” To that I reply: Well, Dinky, if they would have been shot and killed at least they would have died a hero. Have you ever heard of the term “hero”?
The Aurora Dark Knight Massacre is exactly why I carry at least one gun everywhere I go—because crap always happens when you least expect it. That’s why, as responsible citizens and gun owners, we must always be ready and must always expect it because when it happens, it happens fast; if you’re not ready, you and others are screwed.
For instance, it’s a beautiful and quiet day on Miami Beach this morning. I’m drinking my coffee at an outdoor cafe, minding my own business while I work on this column and on my website. I don’t see any bath salt zombies on the prowl. There are no Trench Coat Mafia wannabes lurking around. There is no real foreseeable reason to carry a weapon. But I am. The reason? Well, I’m not omniscient. I’m just a dumb clunk living in a jacked-up world where med school students go bat crap crazy and shoot up normally peaceful places for inexplicable reasons. Therefore, I’m locked, cocked and ready to rock should some demented dill weed decide to strafe the local patrons sipping a cup of Joe.
For those who say, “Doug’s insane with all this concealed weapons crap. We should leave such affairs to the police,” allow me to point out that the theater was crawling with cops for the Batman opening to control the crowds. By the time the police got to the particular theater, it was all over. Blood was already running down the aisles and the gunman had already left the building. You, my friend, are your first responder … your first line of defense.
Look, stuff happens when and where you don’t think it’ll happen. My recommendation to you, the good citizen, is to get equipped with a gun—a fire-breathing dragon of a weapon. Get proficient with it. Make it like a cell phone: an additional appendage to your body. And then pray that you’ll never have to use it. However, should you be in line at the grocery store, or at Chili’s eating a burger, or at a park playing football with your homies, and some James Holmes wannabe shows up carting an arsenal and quoting Kafka as he shoots kids … you’ll be ready. Simply find cover if you can, draw your weapon, take a fine bead, and double tap the center mass of the murderous jackass. Should he or she have a bulletproof vest on then pull your sight picture up to the perp’s noggin and shoot him or her in the head; it’ll explode like a watermelon. You’ll feel bad for a nanosecond. But then the cops and families will show up and thank you for putting Jack the Ripper down. The end.
In the wake of the horrific tragic shooting that took place inside a Aurora Colorado movie theater the facts begin to fall into place to define exactly what happened and why. This compelling issue is discussed by Steve Hayes - Weekly Standard/Fox News Contributor; Juan Williams - Fox News Contributor; and Charles Krauthammer - Syndicated Columnist, hosted by FNC's Bret Baier.
