Terror In Orlando

As the people of Orlando are still trying to absorb the shock of Sunday's nightclub massacre, others are trying to figure out how and why these senseless things continue to happen. Perhaps the most intriguing thing in the aftermath is the way that it's being politicized. Let's take a look....

As expected, the anti-gun pundits seized another opportunity to scapegoat the weapons. Before the smoke even cleared, we were already hearing calls for stricter gun control laws. They love to blame the gun but somehow ignore the fact that it takes human intervention to fire it.

The shooter in this case, Omar Mateen was a Muslim who, during the nightclub melee, pledged his allegiance to ISIS via a 911 call. And it's also been reported that Mateen shouted "Allah Akbar" during the massacre. But for some reason, this is all being downplayed. We're told that it's simply a hate crime and an act of terrorism. While these are indeed valid descriptions, the part about the guy being a radical Islamist seems to get conveniently ignored.

To no one's surprise, Donald Trump doubled down on his call to delay entry to the US for any Muslim immigrants until they can be fully vetted. Of course, prominent Democrats, including the President and Hillary Clinton, somehow view this as just another "racist" rant by the Republican presidential hopeful. Whether you agree or disagree with Trump, the facts dictate that there is a serious problem when it comes to radical Islamists. There have been roughly 25,000 Islamic-fueled terrorist attacks around the world since 9/11. But somehow, we're expected to believe that it's not such a big problem in the US. Aside from the terrorist attack in Orlando, we've also seen recent attacks in San Bernardino, Chattanooga, Fort Hood and the Boston Marathon. And in case anyone forgot, we also had quite an incident in New York City back in 2001. But even after all of this, the harshest thing that the President can say about radical Islam is that it's a nothing more than a political talking point.

Earlier today, President Obama gave an address from the White House concerning the use of the term "radical Islam". In a condescending tone, he lashed out at those who feel that this is an appropriate label to put on recent terrorist attacks. While taking some obvious jabs at Donald Trump, the President's address came off looking like half lecture/half campaign speech. Perhaps even worse, he looked weak.

Setting all of this aside for a moment, we should all be equally outraged about what happened at the Pulse nightclub on Sunday morning. And while it's true that this was a gay nightclub, this wasn't simply an attack on gays. It was an attack on America. Islamic extremists frown on the freedoms that we enjoy in our country. And that's precisely what they're targeting. In the delusional world of these sadistic pricks, they treat women like than farm animals and homosexuals even worse. Do we really want to be "friends" with countries that advocate this kind of third-century bullshit? (By the way, I am certainly not grouping all Muslims into this category. But if you happen to believe that women have no rights or that gays deserve to be thrown off of rooftops, you are a sadistic prick.)

Speaking of sadistic pricks, let's talk a little about Omar Mateen....

We've learned that he was a 29-year-old US citizen born in New York to Afghan parents. He had been investigated in recent years by the FBI for possible links to terrorist organizations. Despite these suspicions, Mateen was employed by a Department of Homeland Security contractor for the past ten years. And just last week, Mateen legally purchased a Sig Sauer MCX (presumably the one used in the murders). From people who knew him (including his wife), we are told that he had an an issue with gay people. And now to make things even more confusing, it's being reported that Maheed himself may have been gay.

During the attack, Mateen made a 911 call and pledged his allegiance to ISIS. Hmm, that sure sounds like something an Islamic terrorist might do. But let's not tell anyone...

And speaking of not telling anyone, it's just been reported that Mateen's wife (Noor Salman) knew about his plans to shoot up the Orlando night club. And she did absolutely nothing. According to a source from Fox News, Salman will likely be arrested.

Not surprising, the FBI has come under some scrutiny for letting Mateen out of their sites. But I think that's a bit unfair. Although Mateen had made some inflammatory remarks and seemed like a real douchebag, he still hadn't committed any crimes. There wasn't a whole lot that the FBI could do under the circumstances. Interestingly enough, prior to the shooting, Hillary Clinton's State Department shut down an investigation of Mateen's mosque due to profiling concerns. Isn't political correctness just grand?

So, did this guy fly under the radar? Well, not really, After all, he was on the radar as recently as 2014. Should he have been permitted to work for a DHS contractor? Should he have been able to legally purchase guns? Without sacrificing some of our basic rights and freedoms, I don't think there's a clear answer here. It sucks that so many people have to die before we figure it out.

With all of this being said, my heart goes out to all of the families and friends of the Orlando victims. May they find the strength they need to get through this senseless tragedy.

kw