Are you justifying 9-11 and Bin Laden if you believe that pre-2001 US Middle East policy was flawed?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Are you justifying the looting of stores and businesses in Baltimore if you point out the almost hopeless sense of frustration in the African American community regarding acts of police brutality like the one that cost the life of Freddie Gray?

Are you justifying the two men shooting at a "Draw Muhammad" event and injuring a security guard when you note that the event's organizer Pam Geller organized the event not as a celebration of free speech but rather an obvious attempt to provoke a violent reaction in order to try and prove her own personal twisted world view?

The answer to all of these questions, at least here at DU, should be a clear and unequivocal "No". We should be capable of nuanced thinking. Sadly, not all of us are.

Inexcusable acts of violence are just that. Inexcusable. The perpetrators of those acts will always bear primary responsibility.

However, just because an act may be inexcusable in and of itself, it shouldn't stop us from trying to trying to investigate the root causes that helped sow the seeds for those acts. If for no reason else, so that responsible folks might learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating them and give irresponsible people room to move in.

[mmonk]

1. One must always seek to identify the underlying problem.

Once you do that, there are less problems to react to.

[daleanime]

2. K&R.....

[Bluenorthwest]

3. In the US each year, re: FBI stats, there are over 7,000 bias crimes against persons in the US

What is the 'root cause' of these crimes? Which groups are most often victims? By far the largest number are among African Americans, about 3,600 US bias crimes a year are motivated by racial bias, 60% of those are against African Americans. Next would come LGBT people, about 1,300 such crimes per year, next come religious bias crimes, about 1,200 of those a year, 60% against Jewish people, about 20% against Muslims.

Now. Let's look at all of those anti gay crimes. Let's talk about the anti gay messages of the Pope, just for a minute. Francis says LGBT rights are Satan's idea, fighting them is God's war and LGBT people seek to 'disfigure God'. Francis also says that gay couples having children is child abuse, he says this even as his own organization is infamously rife with child sexual abuse. He is spiritual leader to 43% of Uganda, not to mention his influence in the US where anti gay hate crimes are daily, multiple occurrence.
I assume that your contention would be that Francis words are not motivating all that anti gay sentiment. I would like to hear your case for why his hate speech is innocent.....