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My opening sentence to this editorial is not hyperbole and is not issued to be opposition rhetoric by an ultra-liberal, progressive Democrat, but a statement of fact by a concerned American who fears that more and more people are going to die at the hands of evil and deranged madmen with guns, if certain deadly firearms are not outlawed. Eleven people were senselessly and tragically murdered and six others were wounded during a shooting rampage at Tree Of Life Congregation on Saturday morning, October 27th, 2018 when an anti-Semitic gunman - carrying an arsenal of weapons - burst in to this Pennsylvania house of worship and fired rounds of bullets from a deadly Colt AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and three Glock .357 handguns. Authorities report the gunman used all four weapons. The Glocks were reportedly purchased legally. As for the AR-15, it is unclear how that weapon was obtained. A shotgun was later discovered in the suspect's car.
As death rang out from his guns, hate rang out from his mouth as the killer allegedly shouted "All Jews must die" while he blasted bullets throughout a 20-minute massacre.
In an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on the Monday, October 29th broadcast of Good Morning America, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said that shortly after the synagogue's service had begun on Saturday morning, he "heard a loud sound in our lower lobby, which is one flight of stairs below our sanctuary" which he determined to be gunfire. The rabbi was able save some of his congregation by evacuating them to another area of the temple. Others he was sadly unable to reach. Fortunately, Rabbi Myers happened to be carrying his cell phone that day in the synagogue. He called 911. A total of seventeen people were shot including four police officers who responded to the scene in the affluent Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Thankfully Rabbi Myers - along with local police and other first responders - acted quickly, otherwise the suspect could have escaped and more people could have been killed.
According to a study by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, about 48 percent of Jewish children in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area live in Squirrel Hill. The Anti-Defamation League says the slaughter at Tree Of Life or L'Simcha Congregation is believed to be the deadliest assault in history on the Jewish community in the United States. The fatalities include men and women ranging in age from 54 to 97. The victims have been identified as Joyce Fienberg, age 75...Richard Gottfried, age 65...Rose Mallinger, age 97...Jerry Rabinowitz, age 66...brothers Cecil Rosenthal, age 59 and David Rosenthal, age 54...Bernice Simon, age 84 and her husband, Sylvan Simon, age 86...Daniel Stein, age 71...Melvin Wax, age 88...and Irving Younger, age 69.
Federal officials say local police engaged the gunman as he tried to flee the temple, which forced the suspect back inside the building. After being wounded multiple times by officers, he finally surrendered, was taken in to custody and transported to a local hospital.
After being released from the hospital on Monday morning, October 29th, the killer - and yes, he is a killer; there is no need to allege anything at this point - was pushed in a wheelchair while wearing handcuffs as he appeared in federal court that afternoon. The judge ordered he be held without bail.
Although his identity is widely known through
other means of media, I refuse to give the killer any recognition, so his name
will not be revealed in this column. However, if convicted in a court of law,
the 46-year old monster could be sentenced to the death penalty. He has been booked on twenty-nine criminal counts including eleven federal hate-crime
charges. Court documents indicate that the gunman had been posting anti-Semitic
slurs on social media, and that moments before he entered the synagogue, he
wrote vicious verbiage on a website that is frequented by white supremacists.
"I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I'm
going in." The criminal complaint notes that he made statements to law
enforcement authorities "evincing an animus towards people of the Jewish
faith." The complaint also states that the suspect told one police
official..."They're committing genocide to my people. I just want to kill
Jews."
As a result of this mass shooting attack, synagogues across America have increased their security, including some presence of armed police officers.
As a result of this mass shooting attack, synagogues across America have increased their security, including some presence of armed police officers.
On September 11th, 2001, I anchored my radio station's all-day coverage of the terrorist attacks. After 9/11, when I hosted my political talk show, I encouraged my listeners to not live in fear. Sadly - now more than seventeen years later - with bombs being sent through the mail and people being shot to death in synagogues, churches, schools, and other public places, I have to admit that we are indeed living in an age that is frightening. I shudder to think what kind of fear the members of Tree Of Life Congregation will live through each and every time they walk in to their temple. The carnage of October 27th, 2018 will be ensconced in their memories forever. Men and women, boys and girls, will reflect on that day each year they attend Kol Nidre services for Yom Kippur...and they will remember the people they lost even when they celebrate a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah. Will it ever become easier? That's a question that nobody can really answer. From Friday night and Saturday morning services to each and every Jewish holiday, the murders at Tree Of Life will be part of the lives of that community through eternity, just as 9/11 will be for everyone in our country.
America, as a whole, became united after 9/11. Hopefully, the city of Pittsburgh will come together following this horrific catastrophe. But after 9/11, America's commander-in-chief was President George W. Bush. As much as I disagreed with his politics, Mr. Bush helped to bring a peaceful calm to our nation amid a devastating tragedy when radicalized international terrorists attacked America on our soil. President Bush had the impossible task of attempting to comfort us, as we all mourned through an earth-shattering day. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ordered his terrorists to hijack four U.S. passenger airlines and to use those aircrafts as weapons to kill Americans. After we suffered a numbing day on September 11th, 2001, President Bush addressed the nation from The Oval Office in The White House. Part of Mr. Bush's consoling speech included the following. "Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us." President Bush concluded by saying..."This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."
Although each of my readers undoubtedly know the facts about 9/11, we should never forget exactly what happened that day. Al-Qaeda terrorists first brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were crashed into the North and South Towers in lower Manhattan. A third airplane - American Airlines Flight 77 - was crashed into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane - United Airlines Flight 93 - crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is thought that the terrorists intended to crash that aircraft into The White House or the United States Capitol, but courageous passengers thwarted the hijackers and, by doing so, saved the lives of perhaps hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Washington, DC. The 9/11 attacks killed 2,996 people and injured more than 6,000 others. In the months and years following the attacks, additional people succumbed to 9/11-related cancer and respiratory diseases.
On April 19th, 1995, two domestic terrorists bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City causing 168 people to be killed and more than 680 others to be injured. At a Memorial Prayer Service on April 23rd, President Bill Clinton delivered an eloquent and comforting address, which included the following compassionate passages. "To all the members of the families here present who have suffered loss, though we share your grief, your pain is unimaginable, and we know that." Mr. Clinton continued..."Let us let our own children know that we will stand against the forces of fear. When there is talk of hatred, let us stand up and talk against it. When there is talk of violence, let us stand up and talk against it. In the face of death, let us honor life. As Saint Paul admonished us, let us 'not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'" In conclusion, President Clinton offered these profound words of wisdom. "Wounds take a long time to heal. But we must begin. Those who are lost, now belong to God. Some day we will be with them. But until that happens, their legacy must be our lives."
When the space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28th, 1986, President Ronald Reagan offered Americans comfort and composure after witnessing such a gruesome and distressing disaster. In a speech delivered from The Oval Office, Mr. Reagan embraced all Americans. "Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss." President Reagan concluded his address with a salute to the Challenger astronauts. "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God." On February 1st, at a memorial service at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Mr. Reagan's command of language and communication continued. "What we say today is only an inadequate expression of what we carry in our hearts. Words pale in the shadow of grief. They seem insufficient even to measure the brave sacrifice of those you loved and we so admired."
"We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America. Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief, that our world, too, has been torn apart, that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. We've pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide. Whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it. Newtown, you are not alone."
The words in the above paragraph are the touching and powerful quote from President Barack Obama's speech after twenty first grade students and six educators were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14th, 2012. Soon after police and other first responders arrived to the school, the deranged gunman committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Any American with a heart, shed tears after those six and seven-year old children were murdered in a bloodbath of horror.
"We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America. Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief, that our world, too, has been torn apart, that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. We've pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide. Whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it. Newtown, you are not alone."
The words in the above paragraph are the touching and powerful quote from President Barack Obama's speech after twenty first grade students and six educators were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14th, 2012. Soon after police and other first responders arrived to the school, the deranged gunman committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Any American with a heart, shed tears after those six and seven-year old children were murdered in a bloodbath of horror.
You'll notice that by introducing the heartfelt remarks by Presidents Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Obama, I did so by describing that each gave Americans "comfort" in the wake of agonizing sorrow. But now we are handicapped by Donald Trump. This was a time when Trump should have...and could have...stepped up to the plate to hit a home run and prove that he can be a leader for ALL Americans... not just those who support his politics. For a brief moment, Trump made an attempt at indicating that he was a real president of the United States and not an "apprentice" who lacks the experience and the know-how to serve in such an office. On October 27th - after the mass shooting at the synagogue in Pennsylvania - Trump expressed that "the hearts of all Americans are filled with grief." He continued by declaring that "It will require all of us working together to extract the hateful poison of anti-Semitism. The scourge of anti-Semitism can't be ignored." Also that same day, Trump voiced that "This wicked act of mass murder is pure evil. Our minds cannot comprehend the cruel hate and the twisted malice that could cause a person to unleash such terrible violence during a baby-naming ceremony. This was a baby-naming ceremony at a sacred house of worship on the holy day of Sabbath."
Why couldn't Donald Trump articulate such sincere sentiments from behind the desk of The Oval Office...in a peaceful setting...void of cheers and applause from a rally filled with his voters...and disconnected from the campaign trail and the mid-term elections? Because Trump takes advantage of every opportunity - even through tragedy - to satisfy his narcissism and his ego. What could have been presented as a genuine presidential address with a backdrop of The White House merely became the preamble to more and more harsh tones towards his opposition in the Democratic Party. At a rally in Illinois the same day, Trump flipped from being a president who wants us to believe he truly cares about everyone in a unified manner...to verbally bashing Democrats...including his favorite targets - his opponent from the 2016 election, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton...as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts...and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Democrat of California.
In a week when a sick-minded and evil individual terrorized our nation by sending pipe bombs to high-profile Democrats and others who support the liberal and progressive agenda...Trump refused to back down on his hateful rhetoric towards Democrats. But following a nationwide manhunt, a 56-year old male suspect - a crazed fanatic of Donald Trump - was arrested by local and federal authorities in Plantation, Florida on Friday, October 26th, 2018. Fingerprint and DNA evidence helped the F.B.I. and other law enforcement authorities to identify the alleged bomb-maker. The van that he allegedly drove to ship his packages was covered with pro-Trump stickers, along with anti-Democrat images including a picture of Hillary Clinton with a target over her face. Another sticker simply stated..."CNN Sucks." The suspect is accused of building fourteen explosive devices and mailing them to prominent politicians and others who support the Democratic Party and who have criticized Trump. The parcels were manila envelopes lined with bubble wrap. All of the packages were sent via the United States Postal Service, but each was intercepted before reaching the intended victims. Fortunately, none of the homemade bombs were ever detonated so nobody was hurt. The list of individuals who were targeted by the would-be assassin include the aforementioned Secretary Clinton and Congresswoman Waters...plus former President Barack Obama...former Vice President Joe Biden...former Attorney General Eric Holder...former C.I.A. Director John Brennan, whose intended bomb was sent to CNN Center in New York City even though Brennan is an on-air analyst for NBC News and MSNBC...former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper...Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey... Senator Kamala Harris, Democrat of California...Oscar-winning actor, Robert DeNiro... New York billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who was first to receive a bomb-enclosed package...and California billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer. As with the suspect in the Pennsylvania synagogue shootings, I have no desire to give any publicity to the alleged mail-bomber, so his name is deliberately omitted from this column.
A supermarket - not too far from where I live - was the site recently of a double homicide. It's not safe to go anywhere anymore when men with guns will shoot people to death in grocery stores, houses of God, and classrooms with children.
Donald Trump's reaction to the murders at Tree Of Life Congregation was not only about sympathy for the loss of life. Politics and his obvious opposition to stronger gun laws in our country were also tossed in to the mix when Trump responded to reporters as he boarded Air Force One on route to campaign stops in Indiana and Illinois following the synagogue deadly shootings. Trump insists that America's current gun laws had "little to do" with the killings in Pennsylvania. Instead, Trump went on the defensive by stating..."If they had protection inside, the results would have been better."
At a Monday, October 29th news conference, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced..."Tomorrow the president and first lady will travel to Pennsylvania to express their support of the American people and grieve with the Pittsburgh community." But will it simply be for show? Will Donald Trump on Tuesday night, October 30th resume his attacks on Democrats, the media and anybody who opposes him? Will he this week go to more rallies...lie to his base...and speak vindictively about Democrats and the press? After going to Pittsburgh, will Trump later erase any positive...that he attempts to accomplish for the country as a whole...by returning to his bully pulpit and a further divide of our country? That is all up to Donald Trump and him alone.
At a Monday, October 29th news conference, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced..."Tomorrow the president and first lady will travel to Pennsylvania to express their support of the American people and grieve with the Pittsburgh community." But will it simply be for show? Will Donald Trump on Tuesday night, October 30th resume his attacks on Democrats, the media and anybody who opposes him? Will he this week go to more rallies...lie to his base...and speak vindictively about Democrats and the press? After going to Pittsburgh, will Trump later erase any positive...that he attempts to accomplish for the country as a whole...by returning to his bully pulpit and a further divide of our country? That is all up to Donald Trump and him alone.
In an October 27th tweet from former President Obama, he wrote..."All of us have to fight the rise of anti-Semitism and hateful rhetoric against those who look, love, or pray differently. And we have to stop making it so easy for those who want to harm the innocent to get their hands on a gun."
Gun laws in the United States must be made tougher. The National Rifle Association (NRA), Republicans in Congress, and yes, Donald Trump too, contributed to the brutal murders of Jewish grandmothers and grandfathers while they prayed in their synagogue.
On the evening of June 17th, 2015 - with a Glock 41 .45 caliber handgun - a 21-year old white supremacist murdered nine African-Americans during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Three other people were shot but survived their wounds. In December 2016, the racist killer was convicted in federal court. Come January 2017, he was sentenced to be executed and currently remains on death row in an Indiana federal prison.
It was the morning of November 5th, 2017 when a gunman wearing black tactical gear approached the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas near San Antonio. Before entering the building, he shot and killed two people outside. Once inside the church - with a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle - he opened fire and murdered another twenty-four worshipers and wounded twenty others who were praying at their Sunday service. As he shot people in the pews, the killer shouted, "Everybody die, motherf---ers." The service was being photographed by a video camera so the church could later upload a recording of the religious proceedings online. Therefore, the shootings were also caught on camera. After the gunman fled the church, a battle ensued with a local resident and former NRA firearms instructor who was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Stephen Willeford exchanged gunfire with the suspect and shot him twice...one bullet hitting the killer's chest under his tactical gear. Police later found him dead in his SUV with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
After both the South Carolina and Texas mass shootings, a Republican-controlled Congress still refused to ban assault weapons and will not pass any tougher gun control legislation to protect the American people. It is obvious that the GOP does not want to jeopardize their pocketbooks because of the amount of money that is contributed to Republicans by the NRA. Even after toddlers were murdered in Connecticut, Republicans in Congress would not agree to change gun laws in our country.
President Obama did issue executive actions after Newtown, including one that blocked people with severe mental illness from buying guns. But that order was reversed by Donald Trump shortly after he took office when Trump signed a Republican-led bill in to law that rolled back Mr. Obama's regulation.
Gun laws in the United States must be made tougher. The National Rifle Association (NRA), Republicans in Congress, and yes, Donald Trump too, contributed to the brutal murders of Jewish grandmothers and grandfathers while they prayed in their synagogue.
On the evening of June 17th, 2015 - with a Glock 41 .45 caliber handgun - a 21-year old white supremacist murdered nine African-Americans during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Three other people were shot but survived their wounds. In December 2016, the racist killer was convicted in federal court. Come January 2017, he was sentenced to be executed and currently remains on death row in an Indiana federal prison.
It was the morning of November 5th, 2017 when a gunman wearing black tactical gear approached the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas near San Antonio. Before entering the building, he shot and killed two people outside. Once inside the church - with a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle - he opened fire and murdered another twenty-four worshipers and wounded twenty others who were praying at their Sunday service. As he shot people in the pews, the killer shouted, "Everybody die, motherf---ers." The service was being photographed by a video camera so the church could later upload a recording of the religious proceedings online. Therefore, the shootings were also caught on camera. After the gunman fled the church, a battle ensued with a local resident and former NRA firearms instructor who was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Stephen Willeford exchanged gunfire with the suspect and shot him twice...one bullet hitting the killer's chest under his tactical gear. Police later found him dead in his SUV with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
After both the South Carolina and Texas mass shootings, a Republican-controlled Congress still refused to ban assault weapons and will not pass any tougher gun control legislation to protect the American people. It is obvious that the GOP does not want to jeopardize their pocketbooks because of the amount of money that is contributed to Republicans by the NRA. Even after toddlers were murdered in Connecticut, Republicans in Congress would not agree to change gun laws in our country.
President Obama did issue executive actions after Newtown, including one that blocked people with severe mental illness from buying guns. But that order was reversed by Donald Trump shortly after he took office when Trump signed a Republican-led bill in to law that rolled back Mr. Obama's regulation.
When is all the hate and violence going to stop
in America? From guns to bombs, we are living in a time when our political
climate is so volatile and incendiary that it is actually causing people to commit murder. I understand the need to give an opinion on an issue as I do it everyday. That is our First Amendment right as Americans. And sometimes our views - both from the right and the left - can be inflammatory. But there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to ever become so hateful that it results in violence. My heart breaks for the people who pray at Tree Of Life Congregation. Although a bris was among the ceremonies being conducted at the temple that day, no children were physically injured. As a Jew myself...and as an American...I'm sick over the devastation that stole the lives of innocent souls who that morning were celebrating a new baby's entrance in to the world and in to Jewish life. I am truly sad for the people who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and friends...all because the demonic mind of an anti-Semitic savage is riddled with hate.
Churches and synagogues are solemn, sacred sanctuaries. No one should be afraid to attend their chosen house of worship. But is that where we are today? God help us if it is.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
Churches and synagogues are solemn, sacred sanctuaries. No one should be afraid to attend their chosen house of worship. But is that where we are today? God help us if it is.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
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