Monday, October 2, 2017

Shooting in Vegas

We woke up this morning to the news of at least 58 people dead and another 515 wounded in a shooting that happened at an outside concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Country music artist Jason Aldean was playing at the time. From my understanding a man opened fire with automatic weapons from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay down into the crowd.

I know that most of you have already heard about this and I'm not actually bringing you this as a news report, I just wanted to give my opinion on some things and ask for yours on this issue.

There are going to be questions and speculations about what we should have done, but like any other tragedy you cannot prepare for anything that you don't know about.

I have a problem with the media, I know that information has to be gathered and reported on, but Why in hell are they contacting the shooters ex-wife and hounding her for information? From what I gather they were only married for six years and have no children, they divorced some twenty years ago...What does this tidbit of info have to do with what this guy did in Las Vegas, and what would she have to do with it?

Leave her alone! That is my opinion.

There are people who are hurt, there are people who were killed, the shooter is dead, quit concentrating on him and let's get out and help the people and families who were victimized, whether it's giving blood or offering a simple prayer, prayers are important and are very helpful.

Pray for the victims. This is my opinion.

Fear and anger is inside all of us now. What to do, where to go, and when is something like this going to happen again? Cindy has just heard from a coworker, her sister was at this concert standing next to a friend when she was wounded during this melee. Las Vegas is fairly close to where we live, and this person although no one that we actually know, still makes this too close to home for us.

What do you do now? Fear can make it scary to go out to venues like this, but is stopping all of your activities the answer? I don't think so, we have to continue living in spite of tragedies like this.

Continue to go out and do what you normally would. Again just my opinion.

If you have a problem or an issue with someone, how is going out and taking innocent lives the answer to solving your problem? If you have an issue with a person in particular how is beating the snot out of them making it any better? You simply take the attention off of the issue and place it in your own lap.

Respect and compassion seems to be gone in our society now, the answer to problems are being answered with weapons, we are too busy lashing out and killing each other than trying to solve any actual problems.

We need to work through issues somehow without violence, if an issue can't be solved then remove yourself from the situation, lashing out with violence is never the answer.

I am angry about what happened, I have many opinions but no answers as to why people do what they do.

How are you doing today? and What is your opinion about the current state of affairs that make up your life?

43 comments:

  1. Our son is getting married in Las Vegas on Saturday so this is weighing heavily on our minds. The problem is complicated; too many guns in the wrong hands and too many people, including our President, tearing down the institutions that for decades have made America great. Long ago Mrs. C. and I made the decision to travel with alert eyes and ears, but we know tragedy can strike anywhere.

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    1. Hello Stephen, I can see how this would cause concern for your son's wedding, our son and daughter in law are going there in a few weeks for their honeymoon and hopefully they will have a good time, I have a feeling that your son's wedding will come out just perfect.

      You are right the problem is complicated and there is no set answer, it is really interesting to me reading everyone's opinions. Thank you my friend.

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  2. Yep, I've been watching the news on this and they do what they do. Gun control is all the left wants to talk about. How about helping those in Las Vegas. Good grief.

    I think our current President is doing a great job getting America back on track.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    1. Hi Sandee, I think his initial talk this morning was good, he explained the situation and asked for prayers for the victims and families without turning it into a political speech.

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  3. I think police should contact everyone who's ever had any sort of relationship with the shooter to try to get some answers, but they certainly don't need to give out those names to the media.

    I agree that we have to continue to live our lives, but my husband did cancel his trip to Vegas this week for work because it's going to be more trouble than it's worth.

    What I wonder is how the hell does someone get 11 rifles up to their room in a Vegas hotel? Anyone who's stayed in a hotel on the strip knows the pain of carting luggage for miles from a parking garage, the maze of finding the right set of elevators in the actual casino, and making it up to the room. Do you know how many security cameras there are in all that? It makes zero sense to me how he did this.

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    1. Hello Bijoux, I have no problem with law enforcement doing their investigation and trying to find answers, but when the media descends on someone's house and starts shoving a microphone in their face I think this is just wrong.

      Like you I wonder how he got that many weapons to his room unnoticed, I don't understand it.

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  4. I am not against stricter gun regulations though I am led to believe the weapons in this attack are already strictly regulated so that will never be an answer. I guess these kinds of open venues will have to end.

    I am not aware of any institutions that have made America great that have been recently or are currently being torn down; probably should be part of a different conversation.

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    1. Hello Joe, my understanding of the weapons used I believe that you are right in that there are already regulations on them, but obviously those regulations really don't mean much to someone who wants to get their hands on one.

      It would be a shame if we were forced to end venues like this.

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  5. It was quite the news to wake up to indeed. There were some Canadians there as well and I believe two of them are deceased. Should we stay home out of fear? No! What could have been done? Very little. Could the administration of the hotel been more vigilant about arms coming in to the building? yes! Should the admissions desk be asking for all luggage to be opened and searched like they do at airports? Possibly. Could you use stricter gun control in the States Of course! But even if you had stricter gun controls people will still find a way to get them if they want them. Why did he do it? Who knows...possibly it was a case of mental illness. People do seem to be suffering these days from mental illnesses. Can we scan for mental illnesses at public venues? No! So many questions....sorry I have no really useful solutions for you.

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    1. Hello Delores, None of us have any answers but you make some valid points. Thank you for weighing in on this one.

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  6. No answers from here. Horror and sorrow is all I can give you.

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    1. Hello EC, It is a bad thing that happened, I appreciate you being here my friend.

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  7. I agree with you about the media, and, let's face it, sensationalism and lurid details and invasive interviews make money because that's what a lot of people want to read, so I think the public as well as media needs to look in a mirror for that one. I feel sick at heart for all the people involved, and I do mean all. A happy, mentally healthy human doesn't shoot people like they're prey. I'll need to hear the facts on this one before I give an opinion on why or how it happened, or how it might have been prevented . . .

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    1. Hello Jenny, I agree that a happy mentally healthy human doesn't do things like this, I wonder if we will ever find out what his reasoning was.

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  8. I'm a gun owner and a retired veteran so while I am and full-fledged "Libtard" I don't run off like a frightened chicken when someone talks about weapons. That being said, it's damn funny that we're the only Western, industrialized, country where these things happen on a regular basis.

    As for the media, yeah, they should leave Paddock's ex-wife alone but in a free country you have to take the good with the bad.

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    1. Thank you for sharing the opinion of a retired veteran and gun owner, no matter which direction your political interests are on, your opinion is still important.

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  9. It makes no sense. Is something in our culture causing all the violence? What went wrong? This never happened when I was growing up.

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    1. Hello John, I think there is a lack of respect for ourselves and others now days. That may sound kind of simple but respect for others would stop a lot of this...just my opinion.

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  10. The first question everyone wants to know is why someone would do something so awful so I don't blame the media for seeking out relatives to question. Misplaced anger in my opinion.

    Save some of that anger for our congress who are getting ready to introduce an RNA-backed bill to loosen laws on buying gun silenters. Law enforcement unions say it will make it harder to pin point where an active shooter is---in situations exactly like this one. Can you image if he'd had another 15 minutes before they could find him? Yet Republicans law makers only care about those big donations the RNA makes to their campaigns so they have no trouble getting sponsors for the bills they want. And as soon as this story dies down they'll pass the damned bill.

    I heard one report that he sued one of the Los Vegas hotels and lost so that might play into his reasons why he did it. HE did the shootings, not the media. He was able to break down eleven military type assault weapons and pack them in away that no one was the wiser to what he had in his room. HE did that, not the media and the gun lobby helps guys like him by manufacturing guns that can't be picked up by metal detectors. Not sure if it applied in this case but in general this is another loosening of sensible gun laws that the Republicans have done at the direction of the NRA. So blame the democrats for turning every mass shooting into a discussion about sensible gun control laws. If we don't do it now, then when? When your next neighbor is allowed to legally own a nuclear bomb? Sorry to get on my soap box, but you asked for opinions.

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    1. And Jean I wouldn't expect anything less than your honest opinion, I'm not looking to debate you or downgrade your opinions at all, I seriously wanted to hear what you think, so with that said, soap boxes are allowed and Thank you for opening up and sharing your concerns.

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  11. If someone can show me that assault weapons are actually sporting devices then I wouldn't keep writing my lawmakers about gun control. They surely are not meant for hunting nor for target practice but simply to kill man.

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    1. Hey Patti, I never saw a reason for the general public to own an assault rifle either, like you pointed out I see no legitimate reason to have one.

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  12. I saw his brother talking, he didn't seem quite right in the head either

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    1. Hey Adam, They were running an interview with his brother this morning, I didn't see it the same as you described but I may have missed something you saw.

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  13. Like Adam, I saw the interview with his brother and had a completely different take on it. I saw that his brother was so stunned by what had happened he could hardly find the words to explain how unlikely his sibling's actions were . . . I wonder if it was the same interview.

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    1. Hello Jenny, The interview you described sounds like the same one I saw, may have been a different one than Adam saw.

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  14. I feel sorry for all the victims involved and their families. I also feel so much for his family, especially his mom who has to be at least 80 years old or so (just doing basic math). The horror of seeing what your son did would about kill me I do believe. Some media is looking for sensationalism and will go about any angle to get it. Best to let the investigators work and tell us what we need to know and always good to keep one's eyes opened when out and about in public.

    betty

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    1. Hello Betty, I agree with you the shooters Mom has to be really hurt knowing what her son did, prayers are needed for his family also along with prayers for the victims and their families. His family had nothing to do with any of this.

      The media for the most part is doing a good job, my rant is to the ones that are trying to sensationalize the situation, by camping out on the lawns of those who have nothing to do with it. Yes we should allow the investigators to do their job.

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  15. Very well said Jimmy and I agree with everything, particularly leaving the ex-wife out of it.
    Being so far away, this doesn't affect me personally, but I do feel awful about the whole thing.
    I do know for sure, that I will never visit America. I know there are good places where things like this are unlikely to happen, but still, the slightest chance has made up my mind. Of course we already know I can't afford to travel anyway.

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    1. Hello River, Thank you my friend, should you ever change your mind and decide to come to America there are very nice places for you to see, you could even drop by to see Cindy and I ;-)

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  16. News like this sickens me. I never understood why someone who wants to take their own life prefers to take out hundreds of innocent people with them. I have a daughter that enjoys these concerts. I could not help but think of the mothers and fathers that constantly worry about their adult children as they are trying to make it in this unpredictable world. We live in a battle zone and all we can do is pray we are never in a crossfire.
    Lisa

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    1. Very well said Lisa, we do worry about our adult children living in this world, we don't want them scared to do anything and we do want them to enjoy life, but situations like this does make you wonder when we will be caught in the crossfire of someone's delusion on how their life should end.

      Praying for everyone's safety is a must, and paying attention to our surroundings is a new habit we need to learn.

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  17. Hello Rick, I completely understand, there are really no words to explain it.

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  18. I can't even imagine what it was like for the people present. I only heard audio of the assault, and to say it's disturbing is putting it mildly. What makes a person do something like that? Like you say, we can't prepare for such things.

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    1. Abby, Just hearing the audio is scary, I can't believe that many rounds were being fired so quickly, Cindy's brother and his wife usually are at concerts like this, we were really concerned that he was there, we were sure relieved that he wasn't.

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  19. I agree. Every time anything like this happen, the media seem to make it a circus and jump no board of the 24 hour a day reporting even when there is nothing more to be said. Prayers for sanity for this nation! It is a shame the amount of violence we experience compared to the rest of the developed world.

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    1. I agree the amount of violence is staggering to all of us, and the twenty-four hours of reporting the same exact news over and over does not help.

      Our nation does need prayers, and we all need to be on our knees doing exactly that.

      Thank you Sir.

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  20. I have none, either, except that the type of weapons he used are only for killing people, not for hunting!!

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  21. Very true Fran, I agree with you 100%

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  22. I'm glad you've posted this Jimmy, and it's something I'll touch on briefly when I update my blog later this week. I can tell you, that this recent violent act truly floored me, wondering what would cause someone to commit a crime like this. Unfortunately, this guy left no clues, and almost everyone he knows, including his own family is shocked, leaving law enforcement to seek answers. Similar to when I joined the Air Force, when the government stealthily contacted my kindergarden teacher,(how did she even remember me) family members, clubs I joined and friends I hadn't seen in years in an attempt to gain info about my character before allowing me my clearance. It's sad, but they are going to dig and dig without regard for anyone until they get the answers they need to figure this out. I feel sorry for his ex-wives, but I'm not surprised they reached out to them. Also, I can imagine that his current girlfriend is cringing inside as she is now considered a "person of interest", and we know that her world and possibly that of her family is going to be turned upside down. I totally agree with you. Violence is never a way to resolve an issue, and only makes it worse for all involved. As I heard of a husband throwing his body over his wife to protect her from those gunshots, and then dying himself, I cried and cried. I continue to pray for more kindness and tolerance in this world, and thank you for the post. Hugs...RO

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  23. Hello RO, This whole thing is mind boggling, like you said there aren't any clues so far as to why he would have done this, and the number of weapons along with the ammunition he had right there in his room, he was planning this for a while it seems.

    The stories coming from the people involved, how they helped perfect strangers get to safety, shielded their loved ones, and held the hand of the dying so they wouldn't be alone in the end, restores your faith in mankind and breaks your heart at the same time.

    This is the kind of compassion and love we should show one another every day.

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  24. You know how no shoe bomb ever has killed anyone on a plane, yet we all willingly take our shoes off when we go through security at an airport?

    Funny how we are not willing to do anything about guns being in the wrong hands when they have killed so many people (including small children).

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    1. There are a lot of things we should definitely do, and simple steps to protect ourselves even.

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