Gunman opens fire in Tennessee church, 7 injured

[lame54]

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20080727/Church.Shooting/

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A gunman entered a church during Sunday services and opened fire, sending seven people to the hospital, officials said.

No one was reported killed, but a church member who arrived moments after the shooting said some victims had head injuries. A hospital would not release their conditions...

There were about 200 people in the church at the time of the shooting watching a youth performance being put on by 25 children.

Police had cordoned off the church with yellow and red tape, and were taking statements and collecting video cameras from church members who'd been taping the performance. Police at the church would not immediately release any information and did not return phone calls from The Associated Press.

[Nitrogenica]

1. Why is the gunmans name being withheld? Is he a freeper?

[gatorboy]

13. That's what I want to know.

They've already released the name of one of the individuals he killed but they're keeping a tight lip on the shooter. My guess is the church was open to gay members and he wasn't none too happy about it.

[Ahpook]

17. I live in Knoxville...

just down the street from this incident. Some of the local blogs are saying the church had a sign out stating they allow gay members among other things. It has been the cause of some assholes complaining.

They also said the shooter was wearing a red, white and blue shirt and was yelling hateful slogans before he opened up.

This is all just what i have been reading. If true, we ALL know who this fucking asshole is?

[SoxFan]

73. Looks like the opposite, actually

A guy with an ax to grind against organized religion, even Unitarianism, which pushes the definition.

[spin]

2. Many people can't understand why you carry in a church...

I haven't attended church in 20 years, but if I decide to attend I will be carrying my legally concealed weapon.

[michreject]

3. Illegal in Tn

Only bad guys are allowed to carry where they please.

[spin]

7. My quick research showed that Tennessee did allow carry...

in a church. Further research makes me believe that church carry is not allowed.

If indeed you can't carry in the church and therefore churches are "gun free" zones, that might have influenced the bad guy to pick a church as his target.

[michreject]

10. Apparently it's up to the church

Falls under this law.

TCA 39-17-1359

http://www.tennessee.gov/safety/handgun/handguntca.htm

[spin]

22. Well that helps explain my confusion...

A quick search on Google turned up this statement:

As the office manager for a Tennessee church, and someone who is lucky to have , I am very glad that TN doesn't have any silly restrictions on church carry.

Signed,
The Most Well-Armed Church Secretary in the County
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/06/ccw_bans_in_chu.php

Obviously not as good a source as yours! On second reading I realize that I didn't pay close attention the the "very rational and understanding bosses" portion of the post.

[michreject]

31. As for me

If my legally carried gun is not allowed, neither am I. But then concealed means concealed.;-)

[IntravenousDemilo]

4. Why would you want to conceal your weapon?

I say gun-carriers should stick them in hip holsters out in the open, like in westerns. If troublemakers see them displayed prominently, THEN they'll know enough not to start any shit. And other people who don't like guns can just avoid the people who are carrying them. Everybody wins. No concealed carry!

[LeFleur1]

8. BUT

It might be easier to shoot someone dead if they didn't know you had a gun. :)

[spin]

9. In Florida there is a movement to allow open carry...

It will probably fail as it would scare off the tourists. The tourists from the big cities of the north east or Chicago probably have little or no idea of how many Floridians carry concealed.

Personally, I prefer to carry concealed. If you carry openly and the shit hits the fan, you may be the first person the bad guy takes out, because you're the guy with the gun openly displayed. Another plus is that some people don't treat you like some a right wing lunatic because they see your weapon, what they don't see doesn't bother them.

[IntravenousDemilo]

30. So you don't think there's a deterrent factor to openly displaying your weapons?

If a sufficient number of Floridians carried their pieces in the open, wouldn't that make people think twice before acting out? I know I'd be fairly careful about what I did (and said) if I were in a heavily armed area.

And people averse to guns won't treat you like a loony so much as they'll avoid you altogether. If they think you're a loony, you'll never hear about it because you won't be within earshot, so why should you care? If you're concerned about being shunned, well, it's also important that people have a clear choice as to whether they'll be in the presence of firearms or not, and with whom they wish to associate. It's more honest and upfront. Your last statement -- what they don't see doesn't bother them -- sounds very much like the rationale that the farming industry uses in lobbying against the identification and labelling of genetically modified food in the market. "People won't want to buy it if they know it's a GMO, because they're afraid of GMOs. It will cut into our sales." Well, that's not everyone, just those who have qualms about eating genetically modified foodstuffs. I believe that people have the right to make an informed choice regarding what they wish to put into their bodies. And by the same token, if the gunshy don't want to hang around people with guns, they shouldn't be forced to.

[spin]

62. Yes, a visibly armed society is a polite society...

at least to those with guns displayed in full view.

But there are considerable drawbacks to open carry in my view. My primary concern is that it makes you a target. Consider the fact that a large semi-auto is a fairly expensive item costing between several hundred dollars to well over one thousand. Wearing one openly in public is like walking around with a large wad of bills sticking out of your pocket.

Judo and karate players with black belts owners don't strut around in public wearing their Gi and their black belt. If they do this, they might attract attention from some individual who feels he can beat them in a fight. The martial arts teaches you to avoid conflict unless truly necessary. If you go looking for trouble, it will find you. People with concealed carry permits also avoid confrontation. Carrying a weapon is very serious, using it even when truly necessary will result in legal and emotional hassles beyond belief.

Your comment:
If you're concerned about being shunned, well, it's also important that people have a clear choice as to whether they'll be in the presence of firearms or not, and with whom they wish to associate. It's more honest and upfront.

To be fair, I live in a small rural town in north Florida. Since every adult in this house has a concealed carry permit and we have made this fact known to the locals, I would imagine most people I meet in town know I carry. Gossip about new people in a small town travels fast, and we have only lived here for two years. I'm not worried about being shunned and have encountered no problems from the locals, many of whom also have carry permits.

Let me assure you that if you're a rational, sane and honest individual you have no reason to fear a person with a concealed carry permit. In fact, these people are the least dangerous people you'll meet in you daily travels. Crime statistics prove this. I consider myself honest and upfront even when I carry a weapon as what I do is completely legal in the state I live in. The karate expert that you meet on the street doesn't carry a badge or sign announcing that he has lethal ability, and he or she also is no threat to you. No law that I know of requires me to let people know that I have a gun on my person when I interreact with them. In fact, I may find myself in serious trouble if I inadvertently display my weapon to you or others.

There is one advantage to open carry. You can carry a large weapon without the requirement of concealing it. In the summer Florida heat this could be useful.

For a discussion of Open Carry vs Concealed carry with both sides of the issue visit the following links:
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=26536
http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum6/7507.html

[conscious evolution]

35. I agree

It is the not knowing that bothers me.
I would rather see someone with an AK slung over their shoulder than to worry whether a freak has one hidden on his person.

[spin]

64. So you're saying that a person with a concealed carry permit...

is a freak?

Consider this statistic:

Permit holders are a remarkably law-abiding subclass of the population. Florida, which has issued over 1,346,000 permits in twenty years, has revoked only 165 for a "crime after licensure involving a firearm," and fewer than 4200 permits for any reason. <45>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry_in_the_United_States

Now you might have a valid point if you stated that you worry about a criminal with a gun hidden on his person.

[NNN0LHI]

11. If I felt I needed a gun to attend church I would find some other nonsense to believe in

Something where the nuts seated next to me were not carrying loaded guns.

Don

[blue sky at night]

5. Hey........I like the bent of this thread....

more guns. more guns....more guns! GUNS ARE GREAT, GOD DAMN IT IF ONLY WE HAD MORE GUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pavulon]

6. More mental health care

and then guns are not relevant.

[stray cat]

12. Mandatory mental health care in a lock up facility

alot of those who act out violently blame everyone else for their problems and would not willingly accept mental health since they are perfectly fine and everyone else is the problem and out to get them.

[michreject]

33. Well...........

I have my share.:evilgrin:

[applegrove]

14. Okay gungeon people. Doesn't this scream out for more gun control?

[Pavulon]

15. How would "control" stop this?

gun control is myopic and beyond reasonable checks idiotic.

The problem is mental health care. There are many countries with similar access to firearms, especially long guns, that do NOT have these events.

These incidents are Made in America. Question is why and what can be done.

[gatorboy]

16. Why are you so sure this is a mental health issue?

[Pavulon]

19. By definition, no matter what motive, it is a mental health issue.

if he just snapped and shot people or if he was motivated by hate it is mental health.

The actions are the result of that person's mind. The Fred Phelps people are disgusting but do not kill people. They may end up sharing the same thoughts.

If the guy was motivated by some homophobic hate and acted on it that is a mental health problem.

That does NOT release him from culpability but is to blame for his actions.

[gatorboy]

21. Well I guess then you should notify the entire NRA that they should be on meds.

homophobic hate is standard for a large portion of the gun crazed base.

[Pavulon]

23. Prejudices are not murder

everyone has something. They are irrational thoughts or rationalized by some thing. Guy gets laid off, blames the person who took his job.

Person gets robbed by a person blames the race of the person who robbed them.

What I am saying is that prejudices are not the same as murder.

The promotion of violence is mental illness, carrying out violence is mental illness.

Taking the step to kill people is, by definition, mental illness.

[gatorboy]

24. Uh, you just said, "if he was motivated by hate it is mental health."

The NRA is built on homophobes, thus a majority have mental health problems. You're words buddy. You can try an weasel your way out of your own words all you like but, hey, deep down we know you're right.

[Pavulon]

25. Lets see that connection between the NRA

and homophobia. Who fucking cares about the NRA or the CIA they are not the point.

Behavioral science is not a new field buddy. so you can either be rational or irrational about the point I am making.

Correlation between NRA membership and homophobia, racism, or iq is up to you to prove.

There are lots of racists, homophobes, xenophobes, and generally shitty people running around.

The process that takes them from asshole to murderer is what I am talking about. THAT is a mental health issue and finding that may be useful to preventing or at least reducing crimes like this.

[gatorboy]

26. Yeah yeah, sure buddy. Again you ignore you're own words?

Perhaps you were temporarily mentally ill when you typed them? It's post #19 if you need help.

Why are you defending mental ill homophobes?

[Pavulon]

27. Irrational choice..

are you 12 or retarded?

What I said is not a defense of anyone or their action. Mental illness is not a defense, it will not protect a person in a jury trial.

However understanding what leads up to person murdering others is worth understanding. That may lead to a preventative action. Just like the bastard at UV this prick probably could have been stopped before he did this.

Now unless you can produce the link supporting that NRA homophobe position consider your margin called.

Your entire house of cards sits on that position, back up what you claim as fact.

[gatorboy]

34. You're obsessive defense of the NRA could probably be chalked up as a mental illness.

Seriously man, don't you folks think of anything else? :crazy:

[Pavulon]

37. I am thinking of that link

the one you used to conclude what you posted as fact. I mean you do have some basis in reality right?

Your reading comprehension is broken.

[gatorboy]

39. Are you afraid to admit that NRA members are racist and homophobic?

Do you have any links providing proof that they support gay rights? I'm sure you do! :eyes:

[Pavulon]

43. Thats not how adults use the internet and discuss stuff

the general consensus is that if a person makes a statement of fact, like the University of Florida has a history of fielding players with violent records, that statement can be backed up with a link.

Now if you dont have a link then you pretty much have to say, that is like, just my opinion man. And that way everyone can separate opinions from reality.

[gatorboy]

45. So the reality is there are no racist homophobes in the NRA?

How did you come up with that statement without proof yourself? The adults will wait for you to get back with your answer. :)

[gatorboy]

47. Here's reality for you, you big baby.

http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2002/04/29/2

http://www.pinkpistols.org/newspapers/sovo.html

http://www.thetaskforce.org/press/releases/pr661_041604

You like the NRA, that's fine. Just stop wasting our time with your fucking. Bullshit.

[Pavulon]

49. Nice you met the minimum

now you can move on to reading comprehension. At no point was the NRA the point of my post.

behavioral science and mental health availability were.

Since you tried I will not address your source bias, but thanks for making an effort.

[gatorboy]

50. Source bias? You really are mentally ill.

You MUST be an NRA member. :eyes:

I'm right, you're wrong. Neener neener.

[Pavulon]

52. Nope, dont beat my wife

either. The point is not the nra. Now I am sure I could go nra.com and post something from there refuting your post.

Again you have NO DATA. No sample, just some person who said something.

The point of the entire post sequence was about behavior and prejudice, not a lobby.

[gatorboy]

53. "Just some people that said something"

They're coming to take you away, haha. :crazy:

[Pavulon]

55. I am sure the NRA

has no opposition to the sources characterization.

You did a great job hijacking the conversation.

[gatorboy]

56. Hey buddy boy, you didn't seem to mind.

:)

[exothermic]

58. I'm gay, NOT in the NRA, never have been and own several guns.

I guess you'll have to let me know just which kind of crazy fuck I am...

[spin]

65. Most NRA members I've known would have no problem...

with you being gay.

So what. Your life is every bit as valuable as anyone else. You didn't state that you owned weapons for self defense. If you do, I say good for you. Homophobia is just as disgusting as is racism.

[spin]

29. Actually racism is often the cause of gun control...

For a discussion on this idea check out the DU post Black Man With A Gun?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=181335&mesg_id=181335

Especially interesting is the historical link posted on the Black man with a gun web page.
http://www.blackmanwithagun.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=140019513&sec_id=140000845

An excerpt:
In the 1990s, "gun control" laws continue to be enacted so as to have a racist effect if not intent: Police-issued license and permit laws, unless drafted to require issuance to those not prohibited by law from owning guns, are routinely used to prevent lawful gun ownership among "unpopular" populations. Public housing residents, approximately 3 million Americans, are singled out for gun bans. "Gun sweeps" by police in "high crime neighborhoods" whereby vehicles and "pedestrians who meet a specific profile that might indicate they are carrying a weapon" are searched are becoming popular, and are being studied by the U.S. Department of Justice as "Operation Ceasefire."

The history of gun control is fascinating and eyeopening.

The NRA members I've known were not homophobic. In fact, I've known several gays and lesbians who shot at the ranges I used to haunt. They never experienced any discrimination or rude comments from the members. If anything we felt they might have more reason to own a weapon for self defense than most of the other members.

[benEzra]

70. The conservative roots of U.S. gun control...

mostly racism and xenophobia.

The Conservative Roots of U.S. Gun Control

[IntravenousDemilo]

41. If there weren't such severe penalties for murder --

-- if, let's say, you did someone in and all you got was three months and a fine -- I can assure you that the Fred Phelps people would be out in full force, guns a-blazin'.

[Ghost in the Machine]

74. Wel if that was the case, who's to say that ol' Freddie Boy would still be around?

:shrug:

The next soldier's funeral he protested would be his last... you could bank on that...

[IntravenousDemilo]

79. That's very true.

:)

[SidDithers]

54. It's the No True Gun Owner Fallacy...

True gun owners are good & safe people. If a gun owner freaks out and shoots up a church, then he's not a real gun owner, he's an unsafe, mentally defective criminal.

Sid

[Pavulon]

57. Driver

if you get drunk and kill someone you are a murderer.

same as if you shoot a person while "flipping out"

your position is broken.

[libnnc]

18. according to the local news story ...

"KPD Chief Sterling Owen said officials are not ready to release the suspect's name or age, but he did say that mental illness is not believed to be a factor in the suspect's actions. Owen also said the FBI is now involved in the investigation."

http://www.wbir.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=61322&catid=29

[Pavulon]

20. AMA defined mental illness

maybe not. But there is a point that a person crosses when taking an idea from conceptual to action.

I am sure most people have at one point thought, even if for a second, about killing someone or themselves. The vast majority of people do not carry out their actions.

Even if he is motivated by hate or homophobia those things are not the same as killing people.

The act of killing a person that is not defensive or carried out in uniformed service is, to me, a mentally ill action.

That does not mean he is not a piece of shit, if this turns out to be true, and not liable criminally for what he did.

This shit just does not happen in other countries.

[applegrove]

67. He shot 7 people. That was a gun with quick reloads or a clip. If it was a shotgun.

Basically only guns that cannot be used multiple times - or shot multiple times in one go should at the very least be banned.

[benEzra]

76. A shotgun can shoot eight or nine 9mm projectiles with a single pull of the trigger.

Depending on shell choice, a 12-gauge (.729 caliber) shotgun can shoot 8 or 9 .36 (9mm) projectiles, 10 or 12 .33 caliber projectiles, or 25 to 30 .24 caliber projectiles with a single pull of the trigger. Or, a single .729 caliber slug, for the ultimate single-shot lethality.

BTW, do you realistically think that you can outlaw all non-single-shot guns in this country? Seriously? You're talking guns that have been on the civilian market for 180 years, minimum.

Merely raising prices on replacement magazines for popular handguns, and requiring new civilian AR-15 type rifles to have fake adjustable stocks instead of real ones (e.g., the 1994 Feinstein non-ban), cost the House and Senate in '94, and unseated the sitting Speaker of the House for the first time since the freaking Civil War. How do you think a ban on 95+% of the ~300 million guns in U.S. civilian hands would go over?

Answer: It wouldn't. The party that tried it would be tossed out on its ear.

And even if it did, how the hell do you think you would collect them?

[Pavulon]

77. Like herion, and suicide bombings

this is tatp. Here is a video showing you how to make it. This is a high explosive.

Whitman used a deer rifle to kill many people. Bolt action.

This is what a bali bomber used to kill dozens in a bar. Palestinians use it because it can be home made.

The problem is what MAKES PEOPLE choose to KILL other people. MURDER is illegal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHU1Jud1AQ

now dont go and blow yourself up playing mr wizard.

[michreject]

36. No

The gun grabber want to ban ***cough-cough*** assault rifles, hand guns and your daddy's hunting rifle but shot guns are OK to own. This clown used a shot gun.

Please explain how gun control would have prevented this?

[aikoaiko]

40. GA law prevents me from carry a concealed gun into a church.

I'm not sure such laws are effective with murdering shooters.

[spin]

66. I would work to change that law...

now might be a good time.

Obviously God doesn't always protect people in a church. His ways are mysterious.

[benEzra]

69. RIGHT on schedule...

Okay gungeon people. Doesn't this scream out for more gun control?

RIGHT on schedule...the obligatory "Oh goodie, I get to bash gun owners again."

This loser apparently used a traditional 12-gauge/.729 caliber shotgun. They are as legal in most of Europe as they are here.

Are you suggesting banning shotguns too, now?

[applegrove]

72. Why did he get 7 shots off if it was a shotgun? Answer that my friend.

Must have been a clip. Once again there is no reason for such technology in the hands of the regular public. Unless the other 6 got hit by buckshot...

We don't know the facts yet. What we do know is that the USA has a gun loving culture and that works its way into the hands of deranged people like clockwork. I know, I know, guns don't kill people...

Gun love culture kills people. That is just the truth of it.

[Pavulon]

75. Dude wise up

a shotgun does not have clip. It uses a tube magazine.

Shotguns are far more destructive than handguns.

It is a long gun and would pass through a person and carry enough energy in the pellets to injure others.

Why does this shit not happen in Finland, Switzerland, or Canada?

Shotguns are very common in all those places.

Drug culture kills, suicide kills, this shit is the minority.

[Irreverend IX]

78. You don't know much about shotguns, do you?

The most common shotguns in the US, the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500, often come with magazines that can take 7-8 rounds. And even if the gun has a smaller capacity, it's easy to carry extra shells with you and load them by hand. Pump-action shotguns are not going to get banned anytime soon, since they're among the most popular sporting arms in the country and any attempt to restrict them would be politically suicidal.

Keeping in mind that 262,000,000 people were killed by their own governments in the 20th century (http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM), I trust civilians with firearms technology a lot more than I trust governments with it.

[benEzra]

81. Per reports, he shot 3 times before he was tackled, apparently hit 7 or 9 people.

Why did he get 7 shots off if it was a shotgun? Answer that my friend.

Per some reports, he shot 3 times before he was tackled, apparently hit 7 or 9 people. An eyewitness has reported that it was a shotgun, but I haven't seen anything official regarding make or model yet.

As I posted elsewhere, a shotgun can fire eight or nine 9mm (.36) projectiles, 12 or so .33 projectiles, 25-30 .24 projectiles, or a single .73 caliber projectile with a single pull of the trigger, depending on shell choice. If reports are correct, he was shooting at a crowd of heads, with a gun that shoots multiple projectiles per trigger pull.

Must have been a clip. Once again there is no reason for such technology in the hands of the regular public. Unless the other 6 got hit by buckshot...

I assume you mean a magazine instead of a "clip"? (A clip is a device for loading cartridges into a magazine.)

You do realize you are talking about 1830's to early 1860's technology, yes? Fifteen-round magazine fed rifles hit the civilian market around 1861, 30+ rounders in the 1880's or so.

BTW, you seem to dismiss "buckshot" as if it were something less than it is. A single load of buckshot is equivalent to a long burst from a NFA Title 2/Class III restricted machinegun, except the shotgun typically provides a more symmetrical group. At close range, a shotgun loaded with buckshot is the most lethal of all small arms, civilian or military.

[benEzra]

83. Another story saying it was a few shots from a shotgun:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/27/church-shooting-leaves-several-injured/

Church member John Bohstedt said in addition to the guitar case, the gunman carried a smaller case that could have been a photo bag. Bohstedt said the man took a shotgun out, walked to the back door on the right back corner of the sanctuary and took two shots,

Kemper said the gunman walked into the side of the sanctuary after firing one shot from a hallway.

She said the gunman was yelling "hateful things" and was wearing a red, white and blue T-shirt.

"He looked like bad guy." Kemper said.

The gunman was shooting indiscriminately, Kemper said. She said at least four shotgun blasts were fired on the Second Presbyterian side of the church.

She said church members who were in the play, Bohstedt and Terry Uselton, jumped on the gunman and restrained him.

[-..__...]

80. Well... now that you mention it...

No.

As a matter of fact, as a member (and former member), of a few pro-RKBA groups (including the NRA), I contribute a portion of my time (and money), working towards repealing existing guns control laws.

[johnfunk]

28. Suspect identified as Jim D. Adkisson of Knox County

Details here

[Pavulon]

32. Picture

http://www.knoxnews.com/
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/27/church-shooting-leaves-several-injured/

[johnfunk]

42. More details from KnoxNews

A disturbing and telling description of the suspect:

[Witness Barbara] Kemper said the gunman walked into the side of the sanctuary after firing one shot from a hallway.

She said the gunman was yelling "hateful things" and was wearing a red, white and blue T-shirt.

"He looked like bad guy," Kemper said.

The gunman was shooting indiscriminately, Kemper said. She said at least four shotgun blasts were fired on the Second Presbyterian side of the church.

She said church members who were in the play, Bohstedt and Terry Uselton, jumped on the gunman and restrained him.

…

Kemper tried to comfort a little boy whose mother had been shot in the head. She said there was a handprint of blood on the back of the boy's shirt.

The "hateful things" may well be the sort of words that would prompt the FBI to launch a civil rights / hate crime probe.

I'm sure that black-hearted douchebag Wayne "Mister NRA" LaPierre is relieved that this time it happened in a dirty fucking hippie church instead of one aligned with a real Christian denomination.

[johnfunk]

82. Jim Adkisson -- police photo

[MindPilot]

38. Y'all act if this shit is uniquely American -- only the gun part is.

in other places this nutjob would have used a bomb and hurt 70 people instead of seven.

[johnfunk]

44. It's still seven... make that nine too many

I'm sure your words will bring great comfort to the family and friends of Greg McKendry.

[MindPilot]

51. Yes, still X too many and still could have been worse.

[mudesi]

46. Well that's a ludicrous statement (nm)

[MindPilot]

48. What's ludicrous about it?

Here, someone looking to do some damage and create carnage uses a gun; it other parts of the world, explosives are used. Am I wrong?

[exothermic]

59. Inconvenient facts bother you?

Here's just one small recent example
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCzOX2kTl3McYb4IhVF9ERzTQ7JwD924V6380

[Xenotime]

60. It's illegal to get bombs. - in case you didn't know.

[Pavulon]

63. Ban guns, that works like drug ban right, link

TATP, choice of suicide bombers..

Make at home instructions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHU1Jud1AQ

Thermite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S84UMbF0s2k

[ColbertWatcher]

61. Another stop in NRA's 2008 Tour...

...I added that to the Truthiness Encyclopedia's NRA page:

Tinley Park, Illinois
Kirkwood, Missouri
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
DeKalb, Illinois
West Palm Beach, Florida
Memphis, Tennessee
Henderson, Kentucky

and the latest stop:
Knoxville, Tennessee

Please add any that may be missing.

[TexasObserver]

68. UU is very progressive and supports gay marriage.

One of my adult sons is UU. They're hardcore progressives, and I will be interested to find out if the church was targeted for its political/humanitarian views.

I can't believe this guy walked into a children's performance of ANNIE and started killing innocent, unarmed people.

[benEzra]

71. The church had recently put up a sign informing people that gay individuals were welcome.

I wonder if that had anything to do with this loser's motives.

[TexasObserver]

86. Probably. He picked them for a reason.

A guy like this stews for years about all the things in life he hates. One day his loser's life reaches a point where he suddenly decides to kill some of those people he imagines are ruining his life.

[johnfunk]

84. Alleged shooter Jim Adkisson described himself as a "Confederate"

From WBIR's web site:

A neighbor told 10News Adkisson described himself as a "Confederate" and a "believer in the old South." She says Adkisson self-identified in this way to her on more than one occasion, but that she didn't know what he meant by it.

A "Confederate" and "believer in the old South." In other words, he hates the United States of America.

Is it too goddamn hard for anyone in the media to
say he's a "domestic terrorist"?

[TexasObserver]

85. Believer in the old South = filled with hate about blacks, immigrants, gays

[unapatriciated]

87. yep, that's what I have encountered since moving to Georgia....

I have a co-worker who constantly says she won't shop Walmart in the evening because she doesn't like the clientele. "Dirty mexicans with three or four kids hanging off their carts" (her words).
I told her do the world a favor and don't shop there at all and informed her of their various human rights violations.


btw she has a side business doing landscaping and has no problem hiring Hispanics because "they work hard and cheap" she just doesn't want them shopping at her Walmart. I told her if she paid them more maybe they could afford to shop elsewhere, thus solving her problem.

[TexasObserver]

89. Yeah, I see them, too.

I have always been amazed that anyone could despise entire races. I can find a legitimate reason not to like just about anyone, so why stoop to get the illegitimate ones?

[GreenPartyVoter]

88. He shot that church up just because they're liberal. :^(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080728/ap_on_re_us/church_shooting