At the Intersection of Hate and Murder

I am still trying to take in what happened in Orlando, but although I've read numerous accounts of the massacre, I still feel strangely numb - I think it's just too big and too horrible to comprehend.  And too much of the same old hate, hate, hate we have all endured for a lifetime, a nightmare fear now brought to a terrible reality.

But I offer a couple things to my readers today, for consideration. First, I am irritated with the media-manufactured controversy on whether it was terrorism or a hate crime, or whether it was directed at gays or at Americans, and yada yada yada. Of course it was ALL those things at the same time, and more. I couldn't find an image to convey what I mean, so I made up this simple graphic of what seem to me to be the four main causes of this crime:

It's important, very important I think, to see ALL these factors as valid causes of this tragedy; human beings are complex, and people rarely do anything just for one simple reason.

If you don't believe me, just ask yourself why you ate what you ate for breakfast this morning, or for dinner last night - whatever you put in your mouth, was it because you were on a diet, or falling off one, because the cupboard was bare or overflowing, because you were sick or well, tired or inspired, or because you ate alone at home or out with friends, or, or, or - what?

And perhaps a few more causes could be added to my graphic; for example, I just read this brief but highly significant report in the Orlando Sentinel:

Gunman Omar Mateen visited gay nightclub a dozen times before shooting, witness says

Was he casing the joint, or was he locked in a closet of self-loathing and trying to break out?

And I am quite touched by this interview with the murderer's father - despite my anger and grief, I see a man struggling to come to terms with his own enormous pain and loss, and not yet quite understanding the part he played, at second hand as a parent, in this massacre:

Father of Orlando Mass Murderer Apologizes, Clarifies

(Video not embeddable by me)


The Orlando victims have been remembered around the nation and the world: in New York, the Empire State Building spire went dark in mourning, while the World Trade Center spire was lit in rainbow colors last night:

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In Sydney, Australia, the harbor bridge was lit in rainbow colors too:

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Crowds gathered at the Eiffel Tower in Paris:

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One man held a sign saying, "We are a 'certain idea of the world,' never targeted 'by chance'" - a riff on a famous quote by Charles de Gaulle:

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The Eiffel Tower was lit in the colors of the rainbow:

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While an illuminated balloon bore the colors of Old Glory:

Amsterdam also remembered at the Royal Palace:

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Crowds gathered in Seoul:

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And on a beach in India:

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And in London, a vigil was held in Soho:

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Will it ever end?  A chilling report from the Guardian: 1,000 mass shootings in 1,260 days.

Hating the Gays in Small-town Texas

Well boys, wherever you are and however much you love it or hate it, be glad that you are not stuck in a small town in Texas, as some of us are.

A couple up in Clarendon, which is about halfway between Childress and Amarillo, if that means anything to you, awoke on Monday morning to find "LEAVE OR DIE FAGS" painted in red letters on their front porch. Pronews 7 in Amarillo has the story, along with raw footage of the couple and the Church of Christ pastor who published a warning article about the horrendous "gay agenda" in the local paper a couple of weeks ago:








What I Say: Your Head Trucker's heart goes out to those guys. I have been that scared one time myself, many years ago, following a physical assault. It's a terrible feeling that you aren't safe in your own home, and all you can think to do is get as far away as possible.

Now at this late age, I know enough of how the world operates to believe that the probability is that this was done by some bored teenager who is having a big laugh with his friends now over "scaring the fags," and nothing more will come of it. Still - you never know.

You come for me, be prepared. But it's a mighty lonesome feeling to be gay in a small town far from modern civilization, and surrounded by people who hate your guts and think you are the devil's own spawn. I hope the guys find a new home in a better place real soon. Like my Mama always said - "Texas is a good place to be from." She was right, of course, as usual.

BTW - that Church of Christ in Clarendon is not to be confused with the very gay-friendly United Church of Christ, which has been conducting same-sex weddings for some years now. This Church of Christ is, I believe, the one that doesn't allow any musical instruments to be played in church, and thinks they are the only ones going to Heaven - like so many other half-baked, self-righteous fundamentalists who blacken the name of the one they claim to follow with their smug hatred and deep ignorance.

The Transit of Venus

As filmed by NASA in four different wavelengths of light. Won't happen again till 2117, so it's a rare and awesome sight.



Also, just for fun - this 1893 map of the Earth, which purports to show that the literal words of the Bible are superior to all scientific calculations. Right. Dude was totally serious, too.

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And one last note:  Ray Bradbury, dean of science-fiction writers, died at age 91 on Tuesday.  He wrote many wonderful stories that I loved as a boy, including The Martian Chronicles, a 1950's vision of the first colonies on the Red Planet.

We know too damn much now to take them as probable fact, which is a pity.  But if you haven't ever read any of the stories in that collection - do.   They are classics of the genre, and Bradbury is a master storyteller who will keep your fingers turning the pages and will make your imagination bloom.