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Waffle House hero: Today in Tweets 4/22/18 Edition

James Shaw Jr., who wrestled the gun away from the Waffle House shooter

By David Futrelle

Another mass shooting, this time at a Waffle House in Tennessee, leaving four people dead and the suspect still at large. Luckily, an extraordinarily brave customer was able to wrestle the shooter’s AR-15 from him, saving who knows how many lives.

The most infuriating thing about the whole story? The suspect had been arrested before, for trying to access a restricted area in the White House, and all of his guns were confiscated. Authorities ultimately gave them back to the suspect’s father … who gave them right back to his son. Who used one of them in the shooting today.

In other news, Kanye continues his Twitter rampage, Shania Twain comes out as a fan of Trump, and some dude plays Van Halen in a Guitar Center.

https://twitter.com/colbyklaus/status/988148570581762049

https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/988178332503101440

The suspected shooter was white; his victims were all people of color, and it seems more than a little likely that this was an act of white supremacist terrorism.

In somewhat lighter news, Kanye doesn’t seem to be too happy that people are dragging him on Twitter for his endorsement of alt-lite weirdo Candace Owens.

Meanwhile, Shania Twain says that if she were an American citizen she would have voted for Trump, and gives the most ridiculous possible reason one could ever give for doing so: he seems honest.

Apparently Chris Cantwell isn’t the only one who sees women as property:

One tough kitty:

And a rock god:

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F is for Fro
F is for Fro
6 years ago

I’m happy that they apprehended the Waffle House shooter, and I’m glad someone was able to disarm him; That man’s a hero.

Y’all– I’m a gun owner, and at this point I’m willing to turn in mine if it’ll help at all. I ain’t got an AR, just a pistol– I have one because I live out– and the police might not show up for some time in case something happens. But, I also feel like the paranoia surrounding that “what if” in gun culture is what breeds these mass shooter types. I really don’t ever want to use my pistol to kill anybody– but I also fear that I might make a poor decision in the heat of a crisis, too.

I know a lot of folks who seem to believe that guns can fix the things they don’t like. Well, guns can’t stop change. But, Change can stop guns– I believe that. I hate that shootings keep happening, but I feel like they’ll keep happening until something is done. And that “something” can’t be just handing out more guns. Heck, I go to breakfast sometimes– and I’d like eating a big ol’ Belgian Waffle without fear for my life.

Sorry for the rant– but I had to let it out, I guess.

tim gueguen
6 years ago

There’s a clip on CBC’s page about the incident showing police arresting what may be the driver.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pedestrians-struck-white-van-1.4631564

numerobis
numerobis
6 years ago

The Quebec City Mosque shooter is giving me the strongest vibes he was poisoned by the incel community among others.

The media isn’t picking up on these hints, but the fact he had trouble connecting with women (awkward and inappropriate behaviour) was mentioned in an earlier article. He claims to have debated shooting up feminists instead. Now in this article now he’s apparently obsessed with Eliot Rodger (with wanting to stop him, he says… I’m not sure exactly that I should believe him on that point, given he was talking to a psychologist his defense would call to testify).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/alexandre-bissonnette-sentencing-defence-1.4631294

Lamontagne, who assesses the potential risk dangerous convicts pose for reoffending, said Bissonnette had struggled with suicidal thoughts since adolescence, when he was bullied by classmates, but “the downward spiral started during the spring of 2014.”

Relying on his own interviews and on Bissonnette’s extensive medical records, Lamontagne laid out how the young man had become absorbed by Elliot Rodger, who killed six people outside a university campus in Isla Vista, Calif., in May 2014.

“He started to have this fantasy that he could commit suicide and go back in time, to prevent this drama from happening,” Lamontagne explained.

Once he was ready to carry out his plan, Bissonnette told Lamontagne, he realized the people who had bullied him during his adolescence would have another reason to laugh at him if he killed himself.

“That’s when he said he came up with the idea of killing people before committing suicide,” Lamontagne said.

Scildfreja Unnýðnes
Scildfreja Unnýðnes
6 years ago

Toronto van murderer identified as Alek Minassian: a fucking 4chan incel.

https://everipedia.org/wiki/alek-minassian/

From a facebook post shortly before the attack:

“Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger​!”

CBC saying that the authorities are blaming mental illness, because of course they’re assuming it’s fucking mental illness.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-leaders-respond-van-incident-1.4631909

F is for Fro
F is for Fro
6 years ago

Yeah, I saw the Toronto news after I posted that rant. Anybody else starting to feel down in the dumps? 🙁

…What’s happening, man?

Nikki the Bluth Wannabe
Nikki the Bluth Wannabe
6 years ago

@Lumipuna
Agreed.

weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee

Since the authorities seem to not be understanding why incel could be a motive beyond the standard “he must be a mentally ill lone wolf” boilerplate, maybe Ontarian Mammotheers could email police tip sites or elected officials with links and tell them what incels are up to. Because those incel sites are just as much of a breeding ground for radicalization as any Nazi or ISIS recruitment effort.

epitome of incomprehensibility

I just heard about the Toronto van attack on the 10 PM news. The channel (CBC) reported that the man responsible called himself an incel, it quoted the post that Scildfreja did above, and gave a bit of background on incels and their previous connection to violence (esp. Elliott Rodger).

…Just heard someone on TV (it’s not in my line of sight now, so not sure who) say “no terrorism link”. How is this not terrorism?

ETA: connecting this with WWTH’s post above: the reporters/people they’re interviewing ARE saying that the incel ideology is a problem and being explicit about it, but they don’t seem to be calling it terrorism

Holy shit, though, this is depressing. It seems like so many violent incidents in so short a time. And this is egotistical, but for me it hits closer to home when it’s, well, closer to home.

Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
6 years ago

How is this not terrorism?

Because he was white and domestic and a white supremacist/misogynist, rather than brown or foreign or Muslim. :/

weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee

Earlier in the afternoon, before the suspect was identified, there was a writer for the Daily Beast on MSNBC. I’m blanking on his name. But at this point they still though it might be ISIS related and the writer was Muslim. So there was some discussion of how differently the media coverage is when it’s a Muslim vs. a white right wing extremist. He made the very good point that we are actually being endangered by the refusal to call any act of mass violence that isn’t done by a Muslim extremism terrorism. Usually we focus on how that furthers Islamophobia and endangers innocent non-violent Muslims or innocent non-violent mentally ill people, but I hadn’t quite framed it in my mind the way this MSNBC guest had. But he’s right. The word “terrorism” automatically makes people care more. Law enforcement and politicians will put a whole lot more resources into understanding and stopping this mass violence if radicalized white nationalists or misogynists are also called terrorists. Are we just so dedicated, as a society to demonizing and othering Muslims and people with mental illness that we’re willing to let people die to keep the narrative going that white mass murderers can only be mentally ill lone wolves? Apparently we are.

Sometimes I think that Charles Manson couldn’t have been prosecuted if the Manson family murders happened today. Because the prosecution depended on tying in his “Helter Skelter” ideology with the murders his followers committed. These days, I think only the ones that physically committed the Tate and LaBianca murders would have been prosecuted because nowadays group radicalization is only done by Muslims in the eyes of the authorities. Not that there’s a specific authority figure in incel that has the cult leader sway that Manson did, but at this point, anyone who administrates an incel site or a white nationalist site needs to be considered an accomplice and these sites need to be shut down.

I’m just so tired of these murders happening again and again and everyone in charge and everyone in the media playing dumb about the causes. I just…

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kupo
kupo
6 years ago

This is an open thread, right? Anyone else sick of headlines about Melania’s hat? Here is the antidote.

https://politics.theonion.com/melania-trump-hosts-state-dinner-in-stunning-black-shro-1825514894

Dvärghundspossen
6 years ago

To everyone who’s asked: Didn’t get that job I was waiting to hear from. But I have another job interview Friday next week and I really really really hope I get that one.

EJ (The Other One)
6 years ago

All my best wishes, Dvärg.

Dvärghundspossen
6 years ago

Thanks!

Dvärghundspossen
6 years ago

Ok I’m resurrecting this thread because I had that other job interview today and I so really really really really want this job. I have been so nervous and anxious about this interview before, I’ve had trouble eating for days now because I get nauseous when I get anxious, although weirdly at the very interview it’s like I made full circle or something and came out the other side super confident. So I was interviewed by a whole bunch of faculty people, they were like “hope you don’t feel intimidated by being interviewed by so many people” and I’m like “nah I’m good but really, for the sake of equality you should have allowed me to bring my posse, like an entourage of people that could stand behind my back cheering for me while you ask me questions”. Also they asked me which subjects I felt most and least confident teaching, I said I have so much teaching experience and so much skill basically you can throw anything at me and I’m just gonna go into the lecture hall and kill it. If I have to say something I’m less competent in then okay I’ve never taught symbolic logic. Although I could totally do that to. And I’m basically an expert in everything else.
Then after the interview and trial lecture my head felt completely empty and now I’m drunk so I’m writing this drunk.
OMG how much I hope I get this job.

Alan Robertshaw
Alan Robertshaw
6 years ago

@ dvarg

I’ll keep everything crossed for you!

kupo
kupo
6 years ago

@Dvärghundspossen
I really hope you get the job! Best of luck! Cheers! ?

Dvärghundspossen
6 years ago

THANKS!!!!