Wisconsin: Dead Sikhs; Disrupted Lives

There's sad news from Milwaukee today. Prayer couldn't hurt.

Seven people were killed, including the one who shot the first six. Sudden death tends to be upsetting, and the circumstances of these deaths adds to the hurt.

A man who may have had a '9/11' tattoo went to a Sikh temple, where he killed six people. Then he shot at police, and got killed himself. I put excerpts from the news at the end of this post.¹

Hate Crime?

I'm not a big fan of 'hate crime' legislation. Partly because I've run into too many examples of 'hate crime' being defined as 'any action or statement I don't like.' That said, I recognize that some crimes are motivated by hate: and that legislators decided it'd be nifty to pass some new laws.

All that doesn't change the fact that seven people are dead: apparently because one of them had anger management issues. And, possibly, no clue about complexities of our world.

I try not to rant about folks who aren't like me. For starters, that doesn't fit into some basic instructions my Lord gave: Love God; love your neighbor; everybody's your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40; Matthew 5:43-44;  Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

Domestic Terrorism?

I'm pretty sure that some folks will be upset because:

• These murders
  • Aren't officially labeled a "hate crime"
  • Have been called a "hate crime"
  • Are being treated as "domestic terrorism"
• Those Sikhs were
  • Killed
  • Living in Milwaukee
  • Complaining about being shot at

Seven Unnecessary Deaths

Get ready for very serious, or excited, folks declaring that those killings happened because America has too many:

• Guns
• Police officers
• Religion
• Foreigners
• [insert political party or group]

I've already seen an example from that 'reason for the shootings' list.

For what it's worth, my 'analysis' is that six people are dead because the seventh fellow killed them; and the seventh person is dead because he decided to shoot at police. If the seventh person hadn't decided to kill the first six, all of them would be alive today. My opinion.

Murder, Faith, and Freedom

I don't think there's an excuse for killing innocent people. I also think that Sikhs, Baptists, and anyone else, should have some assurance that their worship service won't be interrupted by 'shots fired.'

Much more to the point, the Catholic Church says:

• Murder is wrong
  (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2270-2275, 2280-2283)
• Religious freedom is vital
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104-2109)
  • For everybody
    (Catechism, 2106)

Related posts:

• A big world
  • "Father Beheads Daughter, Singer Killed: Opine, But Check Your Facts!"
    (June 19, 2012)
  • "Diversity in Unity: Two Millennia and Counting"
    (April 18, 2012)
  • "South Sudan, the Táin Bó Cúalnge, and Working for a Better World"
    (January 6, 2012)
  • "World Refugee Day 2011, the Pope, and 'He Doesn't Have Family...' "
    (June 20, 2011)
  • "War, Genocide, Refugees, and a Somali-American Helping Rwandan Refugees"
    (June 18, 2011)
• Feelings, faith
  • "Mourning Aurora's Dead: Good News, of a Sort"
    (July 23, 2012)
  • " 'Religious People aren't Reasonable?' "
    (December 18, 2011)
  • "Japan, Good Taste, Common Sense, and a Duck"
    (March 15, 2011)
  • "Hating People? Not an Option"
    (December 9, 2010)
  • "'Catholics and Muslims along with the fake Jews all are Satanic Cults' - Who Knew?"
    (April 2, 2009)

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¹ Excerpts from the news:

"Sikhs react to the Wisconsin temple shooting
CNN (August 5, 2012)

"Sikhs and their supporters in the United States and India reacted with sorrow, disbelief and anger Sunday to news of a shooting at a temple in Wisconsin that left at least seven people, including the suspected gunman, dead. Here's some what they said:

"-- The Sikh Coalition

"The Sikh Coalition, which describes itself as the largest Sikh American civil rights organization in the United States, has started an emergency response.

" 'The Sikh Coalition's thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the shooting, the Sikh community of Milwaukee, and the larger community of Wisconsin, which we know will stand with their Sikh neighbors with their support and prayers during this very trying time,' said Sapreet Kaur, the group's executive director.

"-- Kanwardeep Singh Kaleka, Wisconsin temple member

"Kaleka, who helped police interview witnesses, decried the attack as a hate crime. Authorities have not classified it as such, saying they are treating the shooting as a 'domestic terrorist-type incident.'

" 'It seems like this person has this 9/11 tattoo, obviously has some animosity about those incidents, and ignorantly takes it out on a community that he thinks are responsible -- which is ludicrous in every way. Not only are we Sikh, we're not Muslim. But Muslims themselves are not responsible as a group for that,' said Kaleka.

"Just days after September 11, 2001, a Sikh man was gunned down outside an Arizona gas station, apparently because he looked Muslim or Arab...."

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"Shooting at Sikh temple in Wisconsin leaves at least 7 dead, including gunman
FoxNews.com (August 5, 2012)

"Seven people, including a gunman, were killed in a shooting at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee Sunday in what police say is being treated as an act of domestic terrorism.

"Authorities including the FBI, the ATF, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department and Cudahy police are now searching a house in Cudahy, Wis., believed to be linked to the suspect, WITI's Brandon Cruz reports....

"...Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said the shooting suspect ambushed and opened fire on an 20-year veteran officer who was attending to a victim at the scene. Another officer then shot and killed the suspect.

"Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt said the officer who was ambushed was shot multiple times and is being treated in surgery, but is expected to recover....

"...At a news conference late Sunday afternoon, Edwards released no information about the suspect, including his identity or a possible motive.

"Edwards said the FBI will lead the investigation because the shootings are being treated as an act of domestic terrorism...."