A Family's Shame

Everyone has to have heard about the terrible shooting at a Synagogue here in Poway, CA.  A 19-year old who is obviously sick and deranged opened fire on a congregation on Passover, killing 1 and injuring 3 before fleeing and being arrested later.  To say that this has shaken the community is a very large understatement.  We just don't have kind of crap happening here.  But as is always the case, there are other aspects of the crime that don't get a lot of attention.

It turns out that this kid was schooled right here in North San Diego County, goes to college here, and that there were supposedly no outward signs of his hate.  He comes from a normal family in a normal subdivision with normal ups and downs.  There was literally nothing to indicate that he had turned to hate and that hate had manifested itself as hatred of the Jews.  Like I said, by all outward appearances this family is just like yours and mine.

So imagine this happens to you on a Saturday.  Could you gather yourself to release this statement two days later? Obviously, their hearts are broken, they are ashamed, and they will never be the same.  I have no sympathy for this kid who committed such a terrible crime, but you have to feel for these parents.  Tradgedy has struck.  And it has not just struck a Synogogue.  It has struck this community.  And it has descended on this family.  My prayers are with them.

"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue.

"But our sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people. He has killed and injured the faithful who were gathered in a sacred place on a sacred day. To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.

"Our son's actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold. Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith and a community that all rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.

"How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act. To that end, our family is cooperating with investigators. We ask only that the media and the public respect our privacy and allow the criminal justice system to work.

"Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors. Our thanks go to the first responders who prevented even greater loss of life and the well-wishers who have supported us. And we pray for peace."

Motivation Monday

Too Close to Home

Shell shocked.  I think that is the most appropriate term that most people feel when a tragedy comes too close to home.  That's what happened today.  The shooting at the Jewish Synagogue was about 5 miles from our home and 1 mile from our church.  1 dead and 3 injured.  You can read about it here.  And the community is shell shocked.

So now comes the 10 stages of any modern gun tragedy:

1. Thoughts and prayers 
2. Standing in solidarity and vigils for peace
3. Rejecting evil and searching for answers
4. Flowers, candles and messages at the scene
5. Posting of Facebook memes
6. Calls for more gun control
7. Calls for more armed guards in houses of worship
8. Politicians seeking advantage and laying blame
9. Rejecting logical solutions
10. Moving on

It's a pernicious cycle.  It happens over and over.  Somehow I've become sort of numb to it all.  I get why all the responses and activities are needed by people, but there doesn't seem to be any willingness to attack the problem and look for real solutions.

The thing I hear over and over is bemoaning the fact that there is so much hate.  That evil prevails.  Well, I've got news for you.  Evil is part of the human condition.  As long as we humans crave power, we will have evil.  The trick is to corral it and control it.  The trick is for good and decent people to win.  We've all seen the old Western movies where towns are terrorized by a few assholes who crave power, land, water, whatever.  That lasts while the masses cower until a few people get the gumption to do something about it (usually aided by some badass good guy).  Think that's just a movie?  It's not.  Look at some of the shitholes (yes, there are such places) around the world that descended into fear and anarchy until someone came along to stand up.

So what should we do?  Stand up.  Stand up in the sense of supporting increased funding our law enforcement organizations to do their job.  Stand up to supporting finding hate organizations and driving them out of business.   And this is a big part of funding law enforcement.  Stand up to identifying mentally ill creeps who want to kill for no reason and lock them up.  Stand up to recognizing that the gun/rifle is not evil.  The people who wield the weapon to kill innocents is evil.  If you're the type who want some controls, fine.  That can be worked.  But don't get trapped into thinking that getting rid of weapons gets rid of evil or creeps who will do evil.  Stand up to electing people who will take a strong and consistent view of supporting law enforcement, rooting out hate organizations, and funding programs to take the crazy people off the street.  Stand up to condemning every utterance of hate against particular groups.  Black, Jew, immigrant...I don't care.  When you see this bullshit, have the courage to stand up.  I haven't spent a lot of time on our nation's university campuses of late, but I'm told antisemitism is gaining ground there.  Stand up against it.  And there are others.  But the bottom line is to take a stand.  Everyone.  Since 9/11 we've had a saying that is in the back of everyone's mind...if you see something, say something.  Stand up to committing to live that saying and doing your part to eradicate this evil.  And finally, stand up to taking a risk if you find yourself in the presence of evil unfolding.  Run toward it.  Do what you can to kill it.

Today everything we see and do is reactive.  So it will happen again.  We all need to stand up.  Individually.  The next time this happens (and there will be a next time) be able to say you've done what you can to prevent it.  Stand up.

Friday Funnies

First Big Mistake

Bernie screwed up by supporting this.  There are others who will jump on the bandwagon.  It's a big mistake.  The first of the campaign.  But it will come back to haunt them.

Things Are Getting Weird

Saw this little cartoon over at Stilton's Place.  I sensed that as I watched the news and read various sources that there have been several strange proposals in the last few weeks as the 20 Democrat contenders try to find space in the crowded field.  But things are getting weird.  And then add in the fact that the Dems just won't accept the Mueller report so are now launching an all out attack on Trump and every day brings something new.  I mean, I don't think I've ever seen so many different proposals that are way out of the mainstream in such a short time.  So hang on folks, it appears that the ride is going to get real bumpy.

Breathtaking Hypocrisy

If you've read this blog at all you know of my utter and complete disdain for Hillary Clinton.  Simply stated she is a criminal who should be behind bars.  I also think she is a traitor and is the epitome of the deep state operative.  And just when I thought she just couldn't sink lower, she spouts a line of bullshit yesterday that displays an unbelievable lack of self-awareness.  I'll just let you listen, but the bottomline is for her to claim that "anyone else would be indicted" blows me away in it's hypocrisy.  Folks...you might not like Trump, you might think he's a knucklehead, you might not agree with the direction he is leading the country, but whatever he is, he isn't this.  I think we dodged a big bullet.

Friday Funnies

This somehow seems appropriate today!

A New Home for Illegal Aliens

I've never been fully on the Trump bandwagon.  Like many, I really like a lot of the things he has done, the policies he's implemented, how he seems to have refreshed our standing in the world, and his ability to stick it to the other side.  But there are also a lot of things (quirks?) to his personality that drive me up the wall.  Chief among those is Twitter.  He can be a mean, insufferable prick on Twitter.  He will say that it's the only way for him to get his message out, but he is frequently over the top.  He also is very much a generalist.  Meaning he doesn't do a lot of specifics.  And when people like me try to argue in his favor, it can become difficult.  In short, I think he has done a lot of good and has made a difference, but he's a difficult guy to like.  I've written about this before so it's not really a big revelation.  Just reinforcing fact.

Perhaps the biggest mess we have today is immigration.  It is a disaster.  And I think some of his policies have exacerbated the problem.  But it is a mess and a disaster that is a long time in the making.  From my vantage point I see a President trying to enforce national sovereignty and maintain the rule of law.  And at every turn he is thwarted or blocked by recalcitrant Democrats.  It's not even a political difference or a policy difference.  It's hatred.  Pure and unadulterated hatred.  That they can't and won't work together is troubling.  But that they hate our President so much is scary.

I don't think shipping illegal aliens to sanctuary cities is necessarily the best idea.  I'm sure there will be lots of unintended consequences.  It could backfire.  But I understand it.  When a group clearly hates you, the natural human response is to fire back.  And that's what he is doing.  I think it is unproductive, is probably and inconsequential step, and in the long run won't make a difference.  But I'm sure it makes him feel good.

The Report

Tomorrow is the big day.  I got a sneak preview.  Check it out.  As you listen to all the hulabaloo tomorrow and in the days after that try to remember that everyone, and I mean everyone, on whichever channel or source you watch or listen to has an agenda.  They all want to steer you in a certain direction.  The only question is if you allow yourself to be steered.

Motivation Monday

Friday Funnies

The Pool

Looks really relaxing except I bet that water is really cold!

What a Photo!

Don't know if this is photoshopped.  If it is, damnit!  If it's not, YIKES!

No Matter Where You Are...

I think there is a lot of truth to this.

Sure Glad We Have NASA!

Cool Pic!

Cats!

They are sneaky, creepy, aloof, scary creatures.  And they do shit like this!

My Kind of Hotel

I've had friends stay in hotels with these kinds of bungalows.  Looks pretty cool.  It's on the list!

Let's Go Fishin'

Funny? Not Funny?

I hesitated to post this because it's just so gross.  Nah...it's funny!

Idyllic

A Lonely Highway

Not sure where this is but it's beautiful.  This would be a beautiful drive but I'd be a bit nervous about a breakdown!

A Good Solution

There are so many Biden cartoons out there that it's sort of difficult to pick which ones are funniest.  But this is certainly a contender.  He's old, he's creepy, he's been on the wrong side of every National Security issue his whole career, he panders to whoever he thinks will be of benefit to him, and he's not electable.  But...run, Joe, run!

Trusting the Source

Increasingly you should be wary of what you read and see from media sources.  We all have a tendency to mindlessly accept what we see and hear as truth.  But more and more you should question the mantra that you hear from big media.  Because at some point, it's all fake news.

These two charts are instructive and informative.  I'm not advocating for any source.  I'm saying that if you want to get the whole picture, it takes some work.  And sorting through the motivations of big corporations and what they want you to hear can be difficult.  That's why it's important to check a lot of places before repeating a what you hear from a certain source.

 

Cool Pic

I could live here!

Sometimes Straws are Useful!

Motivation Monday

A Dark Horse...but Rising!

Have you heard of this guy, Pete Buttigieg?  Mayor of South Bend, Indiana.  37 years old.  Rhodes Scholar.  Worked at McKinsey and Co. consultants.  Served in the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan.  Very smart.  Oh yeah, he's gay and married if that matters.  Devout Episcopalian.  Democrat.  Has some interesting policy ideas and some immature policy ideas.  Has some policy ideas I don't like and some I do.  And Presidential candidate.  And he's gaining steam.  I know, I know...it's early and there are a ton of Dems in the race.  But my sense is that there is something to this guy.  Read the articles here and here.  I don't know where it's going, but you're going to be hearing more of him.  Stay tuned.

Friday Funnies