Uncommon Sense: Politicizing a Tragedy

Nick Kangadis | June 13, 2016
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At Uncommon Sense, the mind-numbingly stupid will find no refuge. The sky is blue. Water is wet. Look both ways when crossing the street. If you build it, they will come.

We don’t prey on people’s legitimate sensitivities, but we hunt for faux outrage - and whatever the heck “micro-aggressions” are supposed to be.

We’re going to Liberalville, and taking them to a place called reality!

Before we get started, I would just like to take a moment and give my condolences to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. No one of any race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other segment of the population should have to endure that much hate. While it won’t bring back their loved ones, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in the wake of this horrific event.

The shooter, Omar Mir Saddique Mateen, was from the Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie area of Florida. Until about six months ago, I lived within a half hour of that area, and I had a few gay friends that would frequently go to Orlando to party and have a good time. I also have a bunch of straight friends that live in the Orlando area. I am thankful to say that everyone is fine and checked in as safe.

But this is not about lifestyle orientation. This is about a large segment of a religion that does not accept the right to life of members of the LGBT community. Or women. Or those of other religions.

While all the liberal pundits share their opinion of what happened in the early hours of Sunday morning, we need to call them out for being tolerant of intolerance and remember that 49 human beings (not including the terrorist) have lost their lives so far. While Mateen’s mission was to kill gay people, the airwaves are being dominated by talk of gun control and Islamophobia.

Whether it’s some nut on MSNBC, or the president himself, political talking heads didn't waste any time in politicizing a terrorist attack before the victims' bodies were even identified.

Prior to 9/11, I had never seen an entire country come together and be so decent to each other as in the weeks following the attack. The attack in Orlando was the deadliest attack on American soil since then, and while people are coming together to try and make sense of what happened, it does not feel even close to the nation's unified reaction in 2001.

Our country is exponentially more divided than it was 15 years ago, which we can at least partly attribute to weak-minded people who would rather hug it out with extremists than punish those responsible for such violence.

Here’s an example:

You’ll have to excuse Ms. Kohn. She has what we like to call “Foot-in-Mouth” syndrome.

Kohn is correct that every religion has its zealots, but one religion in particular seems to always be catching headlines for tragedies like this. Hint: it's not the Christians.

Perhaps the most egregious entry into the politicization of a terrorist attack that happened less than 12 hours before was yesterday's speech by President Barack Obama, who said:

The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a powerful assault rifle. This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.

Leave it to the president to not waste an opportunity to talk about gun control.

Obama said that “we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be.” How about we be a country that doesn't immediately make excuses for criminals and terrorists for the sake of political correctness? How about we be a country that allows ourselves time to grieve together before pushing an agenda?

Give people time to heal before turning a tragedy into political fodder. Stop trying to divide people that only want to come together to support each other. Be good to each other. Be kind, be gentle, be decent, be loving, but don't be a pushover. Stand for your beliefs, and the rights of others to have different beliefs. Even if you feel your beliefs are constantly under scrutiny, be who you are within the law.

Therefore there is no “Golden Jackass” winner for this week -- because if this kind of propaganda keeps overshadowing human decency, we all lose.

What did you think of this week’s edition of Uncommon Sense? Have an idea for next week’s “Golden Jackass” winner? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Until next time, don’t let the man get you down.

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