Prayers For The People Of Colorado
I woke up this morning and saw messages on my phone from family and friends in Colorado. That's where I'm from and where nearly all of my closest extended family lives.
The messages were hard to believe. An overwhelmingly armed gunman wearing a gas mask sprayed a movie theater with a chemical agent and gunfire at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. And a dozen people died and many more were wounded.
Police apprehended the shooter -- reportedly James Homes, 24 -- at his car.
CNN says the victims being treated ranged in age from 3 months to 45 years old:
One police officer carried a girl believed to be about 9 with gunshot wounds to her back out of the theater, a witness said. "She wasn't moving."
Authorities also have evacuated the suspect's Aurora apartment building after "he made a statement about explosives" in his unit, Oates said.
The shooter used at least four guns -- an "AK type" rifle, a shotgun and two handguns, the federal law enforcement official told CNN.
The shooting news immediately brought to mind the horrific Columbine school shooting, in which 13 people were killed and 23 injured.
Evil exists in this world. Whether we pretend it does or we pretend it doesn't.
Two other items of note. One of the victims wrote recently about narrowly avoiding being killed at the Toronto mall shooting and how it changed her life.
And the mother of the alleged shooter was called by a news outlet:
A San Diego woman who identified herself as James Holmes' mother told ABC News she had awoken unaware of the shooting and had not yet been contacted by authorities. She immediately expressed concern that her son may have been involved.
"You have the right person," she said, apparently speaking on gut instinct. "I need to call the police... I need to fly out to Colorado."
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
"Evil exists in this world. Whether we pretend it does or we pretend it doesn't."
...and a lot of that evil (that exists in the world,) exists on movie theater screens. I don't want to give this monster any excuses, but Hollywood is a powerful influence--influence that can go either way.
Feb '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
I don't want to minimize the horror of this tragedy, I really don't ...
But who brings a three month old and a nine year old to a midnight showing of a violent PG-13 movie?!
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Amy Schley: I don't want to minimize the horror of this tragedy, I really don't ...
But who brings a three month old and a nine year old to a midnight showing of a violent PG-13 movie?! · 2 minutes ago
I think the 3-month-old situation is different. At that age, children can sleep right through even the loudest movie. When my oldest was younger than 6 months old, like that, I took her to movies. Those were, in fact, the last movies I saw in movie theaters.
But it's not just the violence of the movie, it's the time of night, too.
But no matter what, no parenting mistake such as that can be blamed for cold-blooded murder.
Dec '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
What a tragedy. I lift up the families to the Lord Jesus, that He will be their comfort and strength.
I wonder how quickly the Left will create the "narrative".
Dec '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Nine year old I don't have an issue with. It's summer, he won't have school in the morning, and I certainly saw stronger fare when I was his age (and PG-13 didn't yet exist). As a movie goer, I'd be annoyed at a baby being brought to such an event. I don't want to drop $15 bucks on a film to roll the dice on whether the infant will cry during a (probably) loud film.
I am really curious why the killer's mother thought her son might be involved. How can a mother expect such a thing of her son? Did she warn anyone, or try to get him help?
What concerns me is that they - the pols and pundits and experts and advocates - will take a single traumatic event like this and use it to draw broad generalizations about the culture and push intrusive legislation that, in the end, will never stop this from occuring again, but intrude on the freedom and privacy of the 99% of us who are sane (or at least sane enough not to do this).
Edited on July 20, 2012 at 3:30pmDec '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Last Outpost on the Right: What a tragedy. I lift up the families to the Lord Jesus, that He will be their comfort and strength.
I wonder how quickly the Left will create the "narrative". · 1 minute ago
It will at the least make it harder for them to play name games with Bane, Bain and Romney without being condemned for poor taste and insensitivity.
Jun '10
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Last Outpost on the Right: What a tragedy. I lift up the families to the Lord Jesus, that He will be their comfort and strength.
I wonder how quickly the Left will create the "narrative".
That's what I should've added, but didn't. And regarding the Left, you can expect them to blame the NRA...naturally.
Dec '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Mel Foil
Last Outpost on the Right: What a tragedy. I lift up the families to the Lord Jesus, that He will be their comfort and strength.
I wonder how quickly the Left will create the "narrative".
That's what I should've added, but didn't. And regarding the Left, you can expect them to blame the NRA...naturally. · 0 minutes ago
Please tell me their convention isn't in Denver this year. And has anyone spotted Michael Moore yet?
Feb '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Amy Schley: I don't want to minimize the horror of this tragedy, I really don't ...
But who brings a three month old and a nine year old to a midnight showing of a violent PG-13 movie?! · 2 minutes ago
I think the 3-month-old situation is different. At that age, children can sleep right through even the loudest movie. When my oldest was younger than 6 months old, like that, I took her to movies. Those were, in fact, the last movies I saw in movie theaters.
But it's not just the violence of the movie, it's the time of night, too.
But no matter what, no parenting mistake such as that can be blamed for cold-blooded murder. · 3 minutes ago
And I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the parents for their child's death. Avoiding children is the reason I go to off hours showings, and so I was simply surprised that there were children in the audience at all. After all, the evening showings tonight are going to be so full of teenybopper chattering that the kids won't even notice the violence.
Jan '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
This is just terrible. I'll be praying for all involved.
Jun '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
According to a friend just across the border in Cheyenne, WY, Aurora is "crime capital of the Denver-metro area."
Jul '10
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Another reason I carry my pistol with me at the movies.
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Well, in a sense yes. But it's a really big city with different neighborhoods, just like any other city. I have friends and family who've lived there and enjoyed it quite a bit.
Aug '10
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
It is a horribly tragic thing. Will any of the blame that the media will project be projected back on itself ? The practice for such acts will be found in the gaming and the topics of such movies that are directed at the male demographic 18-25.
My fifteen year old daughter and some friends watched a couple of movies from Netflix the other night and she expressed astonishment that anyone could ever make or think of something as gross as SAW.
Not I have not seen the movie, the name seems bad enough, but was surprised at her revulsion with the content. I can only imagine what other movies show and tell to this content-laden generation. And therefore, I blame Hollywood for it's endless gusher of gore that they throw at our children. Of course it will affect them , and one or two them will be pushed over the edge.
Shame on them for Saw, for the accusations they will call on inanimate pieces of metal and wood and plastic rather than the sociopathic chaos they package in games and movies and call entertainment, and the river of attention on this rather than Bulgaria.
Edited on July 20, 2012 at 4:33pmOct '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
I can't stop thinking that if someone else had been carrying in the theater, this might have ended differently. Probably a few innocent people would have been wounded or possibly killed by the gas-mask wearing gunman, but one or two others in the theater carrying their own guns could have lessened the overall loss of life by taking him out.
Jun '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Amen. Christ have mercy.
Jun '12
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Albert Arthur
I can't stop thinking that if someone else had been carrying in the theater, this might have ended differently. Probably a few innocent people would have been wounded or possibly killed by the gas-mask wearing gunman, but one or two others in the theater carrying their own guns could have lessened the overall loss of life by taking him out. · 3 minutes ago
Truth.
May '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Is there a relationship between the crime rate (especially violent crime) and the political rhetoric at the time? This might be a question for Tim Groseclose. It seems to me that when the leadership speaks in positive, affirming terms crime declines. When leadership speaks in divisive terms, crime increases. Has anyone else noticed this or am I making a false association?
Aug '11
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Is it just me, or does referring to it as the "Batman Shooting" or the "Dark Knight Shooting" just add to the perversion?
Jun '10
Re: Prayers For The People Of Colorado
Albert Arthur
I can't stop thinking that if someone else had been carrying in the theater, this might have ended differently. Probably a few innocent people would have been wounded or possibly killed by the gas-mask wearing gunman, but one or two others in the theater carrying their own guns could have lessened the overall loss of life by taking him out.
Safest place in America, from a mass murder incident: Saturday afternoon at a busy public shooting range.
Edited on July 20, 2012 at 4:32pm