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I have to say that I was somewhat surprised that Dr. Orlowski used the word "evil" to describe the behavior of those who shoot others. In fact it is most likely that they are mentally ill, or temporarily overcome with such anger and emotion that they cannot think rationally.The evil part is that they have easy access to such devastating weaponry.
A crazy person with a kitchen knife stabs one, two, or perhaps three people, he does not mow down a cafeteria full of innocent Navy Shipyard employees.
Speaking of the shooter, we have learned much more about him since yesterday. Here is MSNBC's update:
Many questions about Monday's shooting deaths of 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard remain unanswered and with the main suspect among the dead, some of the specifics may never be nailed down.
After using a fingerprint to identify him, authorities said the gunman was Aaron Alexis, 34, a former naval petty officer. Initially authorities said they were actively seeking a possible second suspect: a 50-year-old black man with a rifle, wearing an olive drab military uniform, but then late Monday they said they were no longer looking for that individual. A third man who was initially a person of interest was eventually cleared.
Investigators have revealed little of what they've found out, but here's what they're likely to be focusing on:
After having been discharged from the Navy, Alexis served as a naval reservist and had been working as a civilian contractor for a division of Hewlett-Packard that was upgrading equipment used on the Navy/Marine Corps intranet, the company confirmed Monday. Investigators said he may have recently lost that job, giving him a grudge to nurse.
Under a new support contract, all HP hardware at the Navy Yard was relocated to Denver last month — leaving few if any support jobs needed in Washington. It wasn't known whether Alexis' job was one that was moved to Colorado — and if so, whether he declined to move or was let go as part of the reorganization. HP wouldn't say Monday whether Alexis was still on its payroll.
Or maybe it was something else.
Court records show that Alexis was arrested in 2004 in Seattle for allegedly shooting a vehicle in what he told police was a "black-out fueled by anger." According to the original incident report, Alexis' father, who lived in New York, told police his son had "anger management problems" probably exacerbated by the stress of having been "an active participant in rescue attempts of September 11th, 2001."
The man had been involved in two separate gun incidents, one of which seems to have been the cause of his "separation" from the Navy, and yet he was still able to purchase a shotgun in Virginia. (The other two weapons, an AR-15 and a handgun, he seems to have taken off of victims at the facility. (So much for the idea that these shootings only happen in places that are "gun free.")
As of now it appears that Alexis was the only shooter, and that he acted independently.
Just a one armed man, with anger control problems, two incidents of gun related violence in his past, and an access card to a military complex.
And where is Sarah, the NRA pinup girl? Nowhere to be found, or are she and Todd back at Rainbow Lodge, now that it has been revealed that Todd just bought a nice chunk of it? Hope the C4Pers know what their hard-earned dollars are buying. It ain't elections.
ReplyDeleteThis guy had mental issues, for sure. And the comments from the right are all about gun control..and how we 'libtards' can't blame a white Christian for this one. God they are sick. Mentally ill. The whole lot of them.
... where is Sarah, the NRA pinup girl?
DeleteEXACTLY!! Her silence at this time is highly suspect. Any legitimate business would answer the copyright matters. Sarah would help the NRA and has Ailes gone mad to leave her out of the loop? Who speaks better for Fox News then old Sarah? According to c4ps. Roger must be ailing if they can't reach him. They must want their leader to STFU or she would answer their call t stand up for herself and for the love of Guns.
When was Miss Scaredy Pants last able to vocalize? Has it been a week? I heard that Bristol, excuse me, Nancy, is chirping some tune for the family business.
Sarah is cycling in a catatonic state brought on by her bipolar disorder. The pending lawsuit is the culprit. She'll snap out of it eventually, never fear. Hopefully with enough drugs she'll be able to testify at the trial.
DeleteI cut her some slack on the evil comment.
ReplyDeleteAS a woman who's life's work is to heal, it is beyond comprehension for her to try to fix the damage done to a human by an assault rifle.
I am glad for her anger and her pleas to stop it.
She did not use the word "evil" to describe the behavior of those who shoot others. She said "there is something evil in our society."
ReplyDeleteThis is a much broader point which suggests there is something embedded in our ethos that creates conditions for events like this. This could be everything from the de facto and de jure implications of that which we take on and that which we neglect, as a whole society, from the care, education and protection of our children, our poor, the most vulnerable among us all the way through to our inability to pass effective gun control.
Even here, evil might be overstating the case, but the woman was emotional and talking off the cuff.
And tell me again why we are de-funding and closing mental health facilities?
ReplyDeleteThe 1% can afford their own. All others....make do.
DeleteOnce I worked for a few weeks on contract to a large semiconductor manufacturer in Silicon Valley. To get into the building where I had my desk, you used your card to get into a small room; then the door locked behind you. Once an unseen person was satisfied as to your identity and good intentions, the inner door would unlock and you could proceed. Perhaps that inner door could have been opened with a shotgun blast, but then what?
ReplyDeleteThe point of this story is that that security was in place more than thirty years ago, at a civilian establishment. How come Mr. Alexis was able to do what he did yesterday, at a military base?
The evil part is that they have easy access to such devastating weaponry.
ReplyDeleteI thought that "gun culture" was the context in which she used the word, rather than just the behavior of those who shoot others. I can't be sure without replaying her talk, but her evident anguish—and mine, just watching her face and listening to her—would be too painful to go through again.
I watched the interview and agreed w/her 100%! There is 'evil' in our society and it is rampant. I'm sure that if I were a doctor that did surgery on numerous gun-shot wounds, I'd be thinking the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteThere is a terrible amount of evil and hate in our society. And, it does need to be rectified in some manner.
If we lined up all the bodies that have been murdered with guns in the USA in a year, would it make an impact that a gun is a weapon of mass destruction? Would the Swedes, the Danes, the Brits, the Swiss etc demand the closing of Remington Arms or other gun makers? Threaten bombing raids on the NRA Headquarters? Pogo had it right, "We have seen the enemy, and it is us."
ReplyDeleteRJ in Brownbackistan
Gryphen, I saw that last night and was going to send you the link. So glad you posted the video.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's an OT, but it's a doozy -- for a donation of $60 to Baldy PAC (h/t GinaM for that name!) you can get your own super special autographed copy of Princess' new Christmas book. Time to burrow amongst the couch cushions for that spare change, pee-bots! Keerist, she's something.
http://conservatives4palin.com/2013/09/get-autographed-copy-of-gov-palins-good-tidings-by-60-sarahpac-donation-devito.html
Only $60? It must me worth almost half of 6 cents. Is that enough profit for her?
DeleteWow. If her hundred bots all buy a couple copies, and NEWSMAX buys a box or two, she might sell 500 copies! Methinks this is a ploy to get on Amazon;'presale hype.
DeleteMost office buildings I work/worked in had card access. And managers regularly discussed emergency plans for "disgruntled employee" situations. I have no doubt that more than one co-worker had poor mental health records similar to the Navy yard shooter's background. Where I worked, it was certainly possible for such a disgruntled employee to bring in a dismantled weapon in pieces over a period of time.
ReplyDeleteRemember that if Hewlett Packard hadn't contracted this guy to the Navy, he might have been placed with some other firm. My own workplace is overrun with contractors and so are many other big corporations.
I think fretting about how this guy got card access to a Navy facility is rather pointless. He was a dangerous individual, and anyplace he worked could have become his target.
"Just one armed man, with anger control problems, two incidents of gun related violence in his past, and an access cared to a military complex."
ReplyDeleteWhat could possibly go wrong?
With all the many, many troubled souls walking around with no treatment and access to weapons we are lucky there are not more shoot ups.
ReplyDeleteAn earlier article on the same site also mentioned that he’s been treated for psychiatric issues, including paranoia. Another article mentioned that he’d been complaining about hearing voices. Combine post traumatic stress with anger management issues, hearing voices, paranoia, and then add psychiatric drugs with very possible side effects, and you have a potent cocktail for disaster.
ReplyDeleteI have done tons of research on the side effects of psychiatric drugs and believe me, they are bad. Some even include hearing voices, catatonic states, violent tendencies in one previously non-violent, and suicide.
My first question when I hear of these types of crime is always, “What prescription drugs was this person on?” The answer to that may never be made public, but I’d bet my bottom dollar he was on something. So sad.... :(
Earlier they said he was trying to escape the voices the night before, he registered and then left three separate hotels. It's beyond sad that he had mental issues, people knew about it, and maybe he couldn't afford or refused to take his meds, or maybe he was misdiagnosed.
DeleteI am reminded of Jeremy Morlock and his letter to Sarah Palin, she was elected to be governor at the time. Jeremy could have used some genuine mental health attention.
DeleteNo one much cares because he took Afghan trophies and killed Afghans. Can you imagine what people would feel if Jeremy or another mental person made trophy shots with Americans and in America?
No excuse but Jeremy knew something was wrong with him. I wish there was more on his story and his problems before. The military needed warriors, buff combat warriors like Sarah wants to pretend her son Track was. Jeremy's health was not good and pumping him with drugs was not the answer, but that is how it goes in the military these days.
So much for Sarah Palin paying attention to her job or the needs and situations that soldiers are in. So much for her interest in her hometown soldiers.
We know she has no compassion. I am surprised she isn't on TV or somewhere speaking up for guns. She has really let the gun lobbiest down. what a joke that someone put a tweet out for her as if she would finally be getting around to reading the Constitution coincidentally just when she is getting sued for copyright infringement. She of course thinks it is all about Sarah and her right and freedom of speech and expression. What an ignorant clown she is.
Gun training for kids. What could go wrong?
ReplyDeletewww.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/17/father-tells-6-year-old-with-3-years-of-gun-training-to-lie-after-shooting-sister-in-face/
She was, understandably and excusably, affected with the intense trauma she'd been dealing with. When I heard her say "evil", she was searching for the right word, but I agree with you, it's evil that a person with mental issues, a history of incidents with guns could get access to these weapons.
ReplyDeleteWe need to de stigmatize mental illness and cover the medicines and treatments for everyone. And we need, at the very least, background checks and more gun control laws in this country.
There Have Been More Mass Shootings Since Newtown Than You've Heard About (INFOGRAPHIC)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/mass-shootings-2013_n_3941889.html