Radio Free Slaughter

Maybe I shouldn’t listen to the BBC anymore.

I start most days by switching on National Public Radio and tuning into the early morning BBC programs.

I enjoy hearing the news from another country and getting a different perspective on current events.

However, lately the BBC has become the bearer of some very bad news indeed as I first learned of the mass shootings in Orlando and now Dallas from British reporters.

On both occasions I was half-awake and hoping I was dreaming only to find that the horrific events were all too real.

So we have yet another mass shooting in America and it’s particularly upsetting to hear foreign journalists report on the blood-soaked insanity that’s destroying my country.

I have British friends and I have absolutely no idea what to say when they ask me what the hell is going on here because I don’t fucking know.

It’s seems so pointless to even mention this latest atrocity, and I know I’ve said this so many times before, but I can’t ignore what’s going on around me.

I can’t pretend everything’s okay while the bullet-riddled bodies keep piling up.

In case you were wondering, a "public mass shooting" is defined as one in which four or more people selected indiscriminately, not including the perpetrator, are killed.

I know these definitions are necessary but I find it rather disturbing that we are establishing parameters for this sort of mayhem.

However, when you look at the unstoppable spate of shootings, I suppose you have to set up some kind of guidelines so people don’t get confused.

This time five Dallas police officers were killed by a sniper bent on murdering white cops and he did it just blocks away from Dealey Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was assassinated 53 years ago.

Open Carry, Open Season

The killer, an African-American war veteran, said he was angry about recent police shootings of black men.

After refusing to surrender, the murderer was killed by something called a “bomb-delivering robot.”

Please understand that I have absolutely no sympathy for this psychopath and I didn’t want other officers to be killed or wounded by this bastard, but I’m not comfortable with cops wiping people out with bombs.

Yes, if this guy had killed one of my friends or family members I’d want him dead by any means available. And I’m very glad that he is dead.
But I’m concerned about crossing the line from law enforcement to vigilantism, from enforcing to the law to waging war. What’s next—drone strikes in our cities?

And now we have all the talk about healing and coming together, which we get after every mass shooting. But it’s impossible for us to heal when we keep on ripping off the bandages.

The gun-loving crowd is blaming President Obama—big fucking surprise--because he dared to express concern about police shootings of African-Americans.

I don’t recall Mr. Obama specifically telling people to go out and murder police officers—at least the BBC didn’t report it--but logic doesn’t matter to people who believe guns are the answers to all our problems.

I thought perhaps the fact that the victims were white cops might sway some of these firearms fanatics to reconsider their extreme positions and give serious thought to toughening the gun laws to keep some of the lunatics out there from getting their hands on these horrible weapons.

And then reality set in and I thought about all the other mass shootings in America in recent years—or at least the ones I can remember—and how nothing had changed.

I can’t blame the BBC for all this bloodshed. I’m a journalist and I know that they’re just reporting the news.

I’ll keep listening, but I’ll say a prayer before I switch on the radio and brace myself for news of the next nightmare that’s sure to come.

Comments

Bijoux said…
Well, it doesn't seem to be a picnic in Britain right now, either. Evil seems prevalent everywhere these days.
Rob K said…
There's a whole lotta hate out there
Ron said…
Rob, I don't know what to say about all this going on here because it's only getting worse. Where is all this anger and hate coming from? And it's not just here because it's happening everywhere. Britain has their share of issues as well. Perhaps not with shootings, but they have contended with terrorist bombings. As well as other parts of Europe and the world.

And you're right, after something like this happens there is always talk about healing, and love, and coming together. But then it happens again and again.

It makes you wonder where is all this anger, hate, and violence stems from? That's what we need to be examining.

Rob K said…
Ron, I have no idea. It just seems that people are simply refusing to tolerate anyone who is different from themselves. There's a frightening "Us vs. Them" mentality that has hijacked a large part of humanity.

As far as changing that attitude, well, I have no idea.

Take care, buddy.

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