11.5.2009 | Thursday

Rants in the face of tragedy

category: Bitches & Moans, Stop the Press
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1 Comment

reading time: 3 minutes

NOTE: Contents may offend.  If you want to continue the hate, feel free to use the "x" at the upper right hand corner of this window.  NOT INTERESTED!

My heart breaks as I am watching the coverage of the Fort Hood shootings.  So many lives have been lost or ruined today.  13 are dead, including the alleged gunman.  31 more are wounded to varying degrees.  Another suspect is still in custody at this time.

Tragedies like these take a piece from everyone involved, even from those of us watching from afar.  The families of those that were killed will never be the same.  The lives of those who survived will never be the same.  So many lives lost and ruined for something that should never have had to happen.

I'm an Army wife and an Army veteran.  I could never imagine taking the life of any of my brothers and sisters in uniform.  I may not be wearing the uniform today, but in my heart I am and always will be a proud Army soldier.  I understand PTSD, and I understand the angst of war.  I understand the conflict between your personal and religious beliefs and following the orders of your military superiors.  But to turn your weapon on your fellow soldier is never the answer.

The alleged gunman was an active duty major stationed at Fort Hood.  Ironically he was a mental health psychiatrist.  It is alleged that one of his motives may have been a pending deployment to Iraq.  It has also been reported that he is a recent convert to Islam. 

Maybe this is true, maybe it isn't.  It is too early in the process for that to be anything but a theory at this point.  I don't care if his religion was a factor or not, whatever his motives and reasoning may have been, HE WAS WRONG.  He had no right to manifest his problems on innocent people the way he did.

I have been on Twitter a lot today, and I am so disgusted by what I am seeing on there.  I find it thoroughly disgusting how quickly people began to use this tragedy to fuel prejudice and hate.  Not everything in this world is about religion, but if this was about his religion, it is completely narrow-minded and prejudicial to judge the religion and all of its followers by the actions of a few.  I have watched these same people use this tragedy as another weapon against Obama, calling him a closet Muslim and a terrorist.  I have watched these people jump on Obama because he used notes in his speech.  BIG FUCKING DEAL!  He used notes, he wanted to be prepared.  Again, BIG FUCKING DEAL!  I just thing there are bigger fucking things to worry about in this world than whether or not Obama used notes when expressing condolences.  I personally see his notes as proof that it was important enough to him to feel he wanted to be prepared.

"Dear Muslims: You are not the victims today. Not if you're still alive and don't have any holes in you."  That is a quote I just read from someone on Twitter.  That is a prime example of why I am so disgusted with these people.  What is that but their hate breeding more hate?  That is nothing more than prejudicial hatred.  Do these people not realize how their words could be used to describe themselves, too?

These people sit in smug superiority behind their screens, safe in their anonymity, while they sit in judgment of all they don't agree with.  But all they are doing is reacting to hate with more hate.  As a friend said tonight, hate breeds hate.  As they sit there spewing their judgments, their prejudices, and their hates, are they any better than they feel so superior to?

It amazes me how they categorize people into neat little boxes.  A lot of these people I am disgusted by tonight began following me after I had tweeted about a run in I had with a soldier hater in my grocery store parking lot.  Most of them are former military soldiers, like me.  I began realizing soon after that that was where the similarities ended. 

I am not a republican.  I am not a conservative.  I am a very liberal Democrat.  I am entirely for same-sex marriage.  I am pro-choice.  I am not a Christian.  AND THAT IS MY RIGHT!  I don't believe in sitting in judgement of others' religious beliefs, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or personal politics.  I believe in FREEDOM OF CHOICE!

THAT is why I joined the Army, and that is why I served.  Because I believe in freedom.  Because I don't believe that sitting in judgement of others promotes freedom.  I don't think that spewing hate promotes it either. 

I love my country, and I love the freedoms it provides us.  I love the fact that we can have different opinions and be able to talk to them  But why the hell can't we talk about them with respect?  That is the fucking beauty of this country, the choices we have.  So how come if you don't fit that ultra-conservative, anti-everything profile, you don't deserve any respect?

Today was not about Muslims, Obama and the Nation of Islam.  It was about one guy with some serious issues that took his problems out on innocent people.

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One response to “Rants in the face of tragedy

  1. I am also continually surprised and dismayed by the recent lack of decency and the sudden flare to hate I see in people I used to respect lately. I’ll stand right up with you to support others’ rights to choose to be peacefully different. I’ll even try to be tolerant of all this hate speech we hear lately, though I worry that it fuels more violence and I wonder if maybe a line shouldn’t be drawn somewhere, especially with the mindless invective I keep hearing launched against our leaders. :(

     

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