About Las Vegas

- In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, I had to take some time and get some things off of my chest. Some people, likely many, may not like what I have to say at some points. That said, you may want to stick it out til the end for the lesson, or just read it below because, just like a pencil, the point is at the end. - This week we had the deadliest mass shooting in American history. At the time I’m writing this, 59 people are reported dead, and well over 500 are injured. I'm not gonna mention the scumbag murdering SOB by name because I strongly believe that we shouldn't make these people famous, and the news organizations have been plastering his name across every readable surface since they got it. This guy was a murderer. NO two ways about it. As the news came in today and I read more and more about what they know, and what they don't know, I started bouncing things around in my head. Never mind that the media always goes out there and shares the guy's name, job, girlfriend, former employers blah blah blah… As all this crap started going out the question everyone was still, mostly fairly, asking was why? Why did a 64 year, old multi-millionaire, retired accountant decide one day to shoot up at country music festival in Las Vegas? What made this guy snap? Did anybody know? Were there signs that he could have been stopped? I don't know. At this point nobody really does. But what I've come to realize is, I really don't give a shit. I don't really give a half a rat's ass about who the fucker is and why he shot nearly 600 people. All that matters is that out there are nearly 60 people who didn't make it home from a concert. Sixty people who will never again see their moms, dads, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives… And all of those moms, dads, sisters, brothers, husbands, and wives that now have to put somebody that they love into a box for no good reason, because, trust me, there is NO "good" reason for why this motherfucker did what he did. But you know what really gets to me? All the self-righteous motherfuckers on social media who go out there spewing their bullshit and politicizing this heinous act. Those people who, rather than show support for those who were lost, or the injured, choose to rant about how this is all because the of the GOP, or all because of Trump. Or the people who say this wouldn't have happened if we banned automatic weapons. - SIDEBAR- Automatic weapons ARE illegal, and it appears that the dozen or so automatic riffles used in this shooting were all acquired illegally. So a ban wouldn't have stopped him. People who want to do bad things and commit terrible acts don't care about laws.- These people are out there using this terrible act of violence against innocent civilians as an excuse to spew hatred, when the bodies are still being counted. It seems like everywhere I looked this morning was somebody else bitching, oh the GOP says you have the right to own guns but not the right to healthcare… This is all because Republicans care more about gun owners than the people they kill… I bet they're gonna make all these people pay for their medical treatment… First off, yes they're probably gonna get some sort of bill for medical treatment. Some of these people may need therapy for a while after this. But at the same time, there are millions upon millions of dollars given to help people in these type of situations every year so that they don't have to pay for being the victim of a violent crime. I personally had all my medical bills covered by just such a fund when I was hospitalized following "the Incident." And secondly, this is not a gun rights issue, this is a sick bastard issue. You CANNOT blame the tool for being used irresponsibly. You blame the person who used the tool. You don't sue Jack Daniels every time somebody gets drunk and kills a pedestrian. No, you blame the person who did the killing. In this case, that man is already dead. Some may say that isn't truly justice. To me, one less sick fuck in the world who chose to savagely murder others is a good thing. But what isn't good is spreading vitriol across the internet while the bodies are still warm. They haven't even identified everybody and there are people out there making this a political issue instead of showing concern for the victims and their families. To all of those people, some I may even consider my friends, who take this as an opportunity to spew hate towards any political party or person or policy: FUCK YOU! It's not about you, or any political bullshit, it's about those people who lost their lives and the families who now have to put them in the ground. So many people chomping at the bit to shit on politicians on either side of the aisle and hate hate hate, when what this whole world needs is love. We need to be coming together to help these families get through this. We need to be out there donating to these charities so that nobody hurt by this psychopath has to pay for the damage done to them. We need to be going out and donating blood, because 600 people out there sure as hell lost a lot of it. We need to be coming together as a country and saying we love you and we’re here to help, whatever you need. And when the dust has settled and the services have all passed, and the survivors are home, then we can have a civil discussion about what can be done to try and prevent something like this from happening again. No wise choice has ever been made under duress. Now is not the time for some kneejerk legislative reaction that will only truly serve to get one political group or another public favor. Now is the time for unity and strength and love for everyone affected by this tragedy. And for the time being, it's time to keep your political views to yourself.