Hello White House Correspondents: Welcome to Our World!
Still searching for a motive? I think I have a clue.
Photo by Phil Roeder
While the stylish coiffed and bejeweled insiders hid beneath tables at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this past Saturday during a gunman’s security breach, two veteran police officers were transporting a robbery suspect for medical observation to Chicago’s Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, the suspected criminal killed one of the officers and seriously wounded his 57-year-old partner, not yet identified, who is according to the police department, “fighting for his life.”
From the Chicago Tribune: Chicago police officer fatally shot at Swedish Hospital remembered for kindness and public service. “A knack for public service was one of Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew’s defining qualities, friends and neighbors recalled Sunday. Bartholomew, 38, who had been with the police department for a decade, was identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as the officer fatally shot Saturday morning at a North Side hospital.”
Earlier in the month, in Shreveport, Louisiana, eight children—3 to 11 years old—were gunned down by the father of seven of those children. He also wounded two women before he was shot dead by police.
A few days later at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, ten people were shot and one died in another yet mass shooting. Seventeen-year-old high school senior Martha Odom was simply an innocent bystander on Spring Break when she was fatally shot in the chest. The suspect was also 17-years old. His grandmother drove him away from the scene, but he was later arrested and charged.
Just a typical month of Second Amendment well-regulated gun violence in the United States where everyone is locked and loaded.
Thankfully, no one was killed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and the exclusive after-dinner parties and next day’s hangover brunches could resume without incident. Such stamina and courage among the Fourth Estate! Yet, while our endless shootings take place across the country from shopping malls to synagogues to schools, the WHCD story takes up all the oxygen in the media atmosphere. That’s what happens when you have a room full of rapacious reporters, the president and his entourage, and a bunch of cabinet members in the same room.
I watched the breaking news on cable. It was a reminder of why I don’t regularly watch cable news. The commentary of the panel on CNN was particularly annoying. I am not sure who the woman was who tearfully reminded us that those correspondents were human beings and had families. (BTW, high-paid talking head: so do we.) Then there was Van Jones who enlightened all of us with this comment: “Bullets are physical things…and they move past you faster than you can react.” Incredible analysis.
On and on it went until I went to sleep. In the morning I was confronted with the very predictable headlines such as “Washington Shooting: Suspect in Custody, Motive Unclear” (DW.com); “Investigation into WHCD shooting underway as authorities probe suspected gunman’s motive” (FoxNews); “Motive of gunman at White House Correspondents Dinner remains under investigation” (CBS News). A redundant load of redundancy on full display.
I am no Sherlock Holmes, but I have some theories about the gunman’s motives. Could it be the rising costs of healthcare, groceries and gas? Could it be that we have a president that has been accused of horrible collaborations with Jeffrey Epstein, and has ordered a feckless justice department to cover up those allegations? Could be that the same president and his family are corrupt and profiting from their positions of power? Could it be an illegal and economically disastrous war in Iran? Or, is it that the gap between the those that can survive and those tossed to the curb is widening?
The White House will simply say that the would-be assassin was “deranged” and “crazy.” (Oh, and the Democrats are at fault and this is why we need a new East Wing ballroom that absolutely no U.S. citizen asked for.) Perhaps he was. Trying to settle grievances with murder is a vile and horrible act and should never be condoned. He will probably spend the rest of his days in prison. Yet, his possible reasons for such an evil act remain.
The Baton Rouge police chief said that the motives for the mall gunman might be “social media beefs and maybe gang-related stuff.” The Shreveport killer was motivated by a domestic dispute. The Chicago cop killer’s motive could possibly be that he wanted to escape his robbery charges.
The search for motives is cold comfort for the victims and their families. Discovered motives do not stop the next guy with a grudge and a gun from walking into his neighborhood Rural King and legally purchasing, say, a Sig Sauer M400 TREAD. This human hunting weapon comes, according to Rural King’s website, “…standard with a 16” stainless steel barrel which provides incredible shot to shot consistency and tight groupings.” Built right here in the good ole USA.
(Incredible shot to shot consistency? What does that even mean? A better kill rate? More bang for your buck?)
The next mass shooting is coming, perhaps to your nearby Walmart, Starbucks, campus, nursing home, church…Then we will search for those elusive motives, send our thoughts and prayers, set out teddy bears and flowers by the yellow crime tape, while our legislators stick their heads deeper into the sand of apathy, forever beholden to their paymaster, the National Rifle Association. And that same Congressional Cartel will ignore any ideas for improving the lives of Americans who have easy access to an arsenal of guns and who keep falling deeper into debt and desperation.