Sunday, August 5, 2012

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 5:43-44Mark 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:
Related posts:

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...."

"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...."

3 comments:

Brigid said...

No end quote: "Have been called a "hate crime"

The Friendly Neighborhood Proofreader

Brian H. Gill said...

Brigid,

Found it, fixed it: thanks!

Anonymous said...

The legend and a hero is Satwant Singh Kaleka!

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.