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    CHIEF QUEEFJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:31pm

    Please keep in mind that Omar Mateen has been on FBI radars since 2013 for possible connections to ISIS terrorist activity: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/...

    And please keep in mind that Omar Mateen had a concealed carry license issued by the state of Florida and was legally allowed to purchase high-caliber assault weapons despite the fact that he was a known ISIS sympathizer: http://www.redstate.com/jaycaruso/2016...

    Also, please keep in mind that our Republican congress just blocked a bill preventing suspected terrorists from legally purchasing assault weapons: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/gop-bloc...

    And please, please, PLEASE vote accordingly. The same right-wing politicians telling us all Muslims are bad because of radical Islamic terrorism are fighting tooth and nail (along with their gun lobbyist puppet masters) for the “rights” of actual, real terrorists to stockpile weapons of war.

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      Mo-CHIEF QUEEF
      6/12/16 3:40pm

      Thank you for that information. Seriously. I have been wondering all morning/day how he could be identified and on a watch-list yet still have access to a gun, assault rifle at that. I figured he would have had to use a fake name or something to acquire the gun and that much ammo, but it looks like that is not the case. Sadly. SMH.

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      PocketfulOfRadiumCHIEF QUEEF
      6/12/16 3:41pm

      Fuck the NRA and the leash they have on republicans in congress. This shit CAN be prevented, but we can’t even pass a law restricting people on the No Fly list from getting fucking guns. Just, fuck it all.

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    TheDrDonna, Paid Shillary Killinton SupporterJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:39pm

    One point of correction: this isn’t the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the US. During the extermination of the native Americans, there were many massacres of this size and greater. This is only the deadliest mass shooting in recent history. I’m deeply upset about this too, but we cannot allow ourselves to erase the struggles and history of others when we discuss it.

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      DrWhoSoccerStarTheDrDonna, Paid Shillary Killinton Supporter
      6/12/16 3:46pm

      I feel like those are classified as genocide. I think an army unit carrying out orders from a government that was doing some fucked up things at the time is different than a man who acted on his own hatred.

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      MotherOfUnicorns will only call Trump Cheeto JesusTheDrDonna, Paid Shillary Killinton Supporter
      6/12/16 3:51pm

      This is an amazing point, thank you for making it.

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    Flying SquidJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:25pm

    “[This] has nothing to do with religion,” he said.

    What it has to do with is ideology. You can use most religions to mold them into an ideology, but when ideology takes over for critical thinking, the result is rarely good.

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      Nicole WattersonFlying Squid
      6/12/16 3:27pm

      Hahaha, when you’ve got religion in mind, critical thinking was never there to begin with.

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      Mo-Flying Squid
      6/12/16 3:33pm

      I agree. I don’t think his religious affiliation caused his behavior but I’m not sure that it was helpful, esp. if his viewpoint was aligned with fundamentalist teachings (no matter the religion).

      I will add that I hate that news outlets are branding this as a terrorist attack, because it’s most definitely a hate crime more than anything else. Many guest speakers on CNN’s panel are actively debunking that label and calling it a hate crime. Additionally, the race to politicize this for gain by some is appalling, esp. when it’s obvious that this man, the shooter, had some serious issue with homosexuality or else he would have just gone to a mall and killed people there. Overall though, I’m just saddened today because this has been a terrible week for death and tragedy.

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    Chuck E.JE Reich
    6/12/16 3:22pm

    Just fuck the whole world.

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      randilynisFINDILYNChuck E.
      6/12/16 3:28pm

      Except for all the people who ran straight to the blood bank.

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      Chuck E.randilynisFINDILYN
      6/12/16 3:30pm

      Absolutely agree with you.

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    DrWhoSoccerStarJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:29pm

    As a straight guy, I can’t understand how someone can see a gay couple and be offended enough that they feel it is necessary to take such extreme measures on innocent people simply for being who they are. The LGBT community isn’t offensive, its people like him that are offensive.

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      HavenDrWhoSoccerStar
      6/12/16 3:49pm

      I suspect what he saw angered him so because he liked what he saw, but as with gay catholics and a host of other folk, they’ve been taught only to hate themselves. so of course they turn the anger on those who can rightfully happily express themselves. But I don’t care. even if that tiny bit of speculation were true. fuck him. hes a murderer.

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      GELLA - LLAPDrWhoSoccerStar
      6/12/16 4:02pm

      Because perverts

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    Blueberry JonesJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:58pm

    Islamophobia is not a helpful reaction to homophobia. A Christian person could have done this, and it would still be both a hate crime against the LGBTQ community and terrorism. People (that I’ve seen in the press, Facebook, in the comments section of other articles) have this idea that only Muslims can be terrorists. That’s false.

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      germankiwigalBlueberry Jones
      6/12/16 3:59pm

      The Islamophobes are already out in full force in the comments, and it’s so fucking upsetting that they exploit this tragedy for their own racist hatred.

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      EmpatheticIgnoramusgermankiwigal
      6/12/16 6:12pm

      I agree, but we should not ignore that religion has served to legitimize hatred of LGBT people. We should not be promoting tolerance of any religious organization or movement that preaches intolerance of LGBT people or promotes oppression of women, as many Islamic and Christian organizations do. I’m not sure whether and to what extent this murderer’s hatred of LGBT people was influenced by religion, but I’m not willing to call this murder a “rogue” or “mentally ill” person, the same way I’m not willing to give the same dismissive treatment to the far more numerous white mass murderers we have seen recently in the U.S. There are cultural influences that create these monsters. More information is needed here, and I do not want to be interpreted as defending the conservative gun-fetishizing, muslim-hating idiots that will be attempting to reduce this tragedy to Islamic terrorism. But I think it is undeniable that Islam and Christianity have operated in some areas to promote and sanction intolerance of LGBT people, and I don't think it is only the extreme or fringe practitioners of these faiths that hold and promote these views. Basically, I don't think that in dismissing the Islamophobic trolls, we should simply ignore that the use of religion to legitimize hatred of LGBT people IS part of the problem here, and that Islam (in addition to Christianity) is used by many to justify and promote bigotry, and that must be stopped.

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    fondue processJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:27pm

    Despite confirmation of Mateen’s ties to extremist, jihadist ideology, his father, Mir Seddique, told reporters that this was not the case.“[This] has nothing to do with religion,” he said.

    Sorry, dad, but it looks like it does. Just more proof about how a person’s shift to extremism can go unseen, or people won’t make the connection between little hints and signs. I really hope our legislators can agree that we need to find a way to detect these changes before it’s too late.

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      redredwineyoumakemefeelsofinefondue process
      6/12/16 3:35pm

      it’s a cross-section of things: religious extremism, homophobia, masculinity-gone-wrong and gun culture. Incredibly sad.

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      I Have No Account and I Must Postfondue process
      6/12/16 3:41pm

      I think this is a case of English as a Second Language affecting the quote. I think he’s trying to distance the rest of the family (and the Muslim religion as a whole) from the views of this single individual.

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    jinniJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:30pm

    In California, gun control legislation was tightened after a call to arms by the Black Panthers. Republicans were against gun control until the idea of African-Americans arming themselves was disseminated, and suddenly restrictions became feasible.

    I wondered whether a similar racial fear (this time of Muslims) might prompt some legislation in this regard; and then I thought: No; we’re too far gone. There will be no call for gun control by any right-wing politicians; if anything, they will simply call for persons with Arabic names to be denied access thereto.

    Islamophobia entrenched. Arms madness entrenched.

    Business as usual. Such a sad day.

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      rabbithairjinni
      6/12/16 3:38pm

      exactly — and the point is, it doesn’t matter about ISIS or muslims or whatever the fuck else. the point is that guns are overly accessible to people who want to do harm, and the majority with the power to stop it do not want to stop it.

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      RandyYouTubeVideojinni
      6/12/16 3:40pm

      Homophobia entrenched.

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    mscoffeeJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:30pm

    I posted this earlier on another thread, but since the post is up, I’m repeating it, because I’m still feeling it.

    I was also out dancing and drinking at a club in NYC last night, celebrating a bachelorette party. These people were dancing and drinking and celebrating too. Why was I safe, and these people weren’t? Because I’m straight? Because I live in a city with strict gun regulations? Because of sheer dumb luck??

    It doesn’t make sense and it’s not fair. I’m sad and I’m angry. I know this doesn’t add much to the discourse. I know that I’m an outsider - I have straight/cis privilege, and my friends in the LGBT community are hit even harder. I’m just sitting home alone and wanted to share feelings, because everything sucks and I wish knew how I could help everyone in Orlando.

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      SeparationOfChurchAndStatemscoffee
      6/12/16 3:39pm

      This has definitely hit us in the LGBT community hard, but we appreciate and need the love and support of our allies also. Nothing changes if our friends also don’t feel the sting of loss and grief from this. We’re all in this together, and your support an sorrow is appreciated and welcome here. We need all the love we can spread today.

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      mscoffeeSeparationOfChurchAndState
      6/12/16 3:43pm

      good point. I saw a facebook comment earlier basically saying “you don’t understand because you’re straight,” and I think it made me a little sensitive to stepping on anyone’s toes.

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    randilynisFINDILYNJE Reich
    6/12/16 3:35pm

    Florida representative Alan Grayson also stated that the massacre was “more likely than not ideologically motivated.”

    I find this very confusing? Was this statement made before the shooter’s statement?

    It’s not Muslim ideology but isn’t it still extremist ideology?

    What was his father’s point about the kissing incident and what part of that was his son offended by, if not his religious sentiments? He hated homosexuality absent a religious filter?

    Sorry. These questions are just part of the jumble that is my brain on grief.

    Edited to add quote in question.

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      Nicole WattersonrandilynisFINDILYN
      6/12/16 3:38pm

      It’s just a pathetic attempt at excusing Islam for this atrocity. Islam clearly had a huge influence, to say otherwise is to be intellectually dishonest.

      His father’s statement was just saving face. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just as disgusted as his son, just not willing to commit the crime.

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      I'm Fart and I'm SmunnyrandilynisFINDILYN
      6/12/16 3:41pm

      It was made before the 911 call was made public.

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