This Just in: 88 year old white supremacist opens fire @ Holocaust museum

[sailboatgirl]

I work at the local Jewish/Holocaust Museum...our campus is obviously in shock right now, as well as being on heightened alert.

Just looked at some of the links..he was Greek in college. Oy...

[WVU alpha phi]

I just read the Yahoo article on it- they just said he was elderly, not 88!

I've been to the Holocause museum in DC before. Creepy.

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by WVU alpha phi

I just read the Yahoo article on it- they just said he was elderly, not 88!

I read that one too. I thought he was like late 60s or 70s. Not nearly 90!

jeez.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by WVU alpha phi

I just read the Yahoo article on it- they just said he was elderly, not 88!

I've been to the Holocause museum in DC before. Creepy.

When we went to the museum back in 1997, there was a bomb threat and we had to evacuate.

I guess the FBI was right when they predicted that right-wing extremism would increase. Between the election, the declining economy, and the increasing legalization of gay marriage, their heads are just exploding, I'm sure.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

When we went to the museum back in 1997, there was a bomb threat and we had to evacuate.

I guess the FBI was right when they predicted that right-wing extremism would increase. Between the election, the declining economy, and the increasing legalization of gay marriage, their heads are just exploding, I'm sure.

Update: One of the security guards is dead.

Well Mr. Neo Nazi will die in jail...if he makes it out of the hospital that is...

[tri deezy]

Yeesh... I also saw that he was president of his fraternity. Perhaps we should leave out which frat it is... Not the best alum. As a Jewish girl living about two miles from the Holocaust Museum, I'm stunned and angry. I'm so sad about the guard, but more than sad, I'm angry.

[DaemonSeid]

He vowed to "Go out with his boots on"

[paulam]

Originally Posted by tri deezy

Yeesh... I also saw that he was president of his fraternity. Perhaps we should leave out which frat it is... Not the best alum. As a Jewish girl living about two miles from the Holocaust Museum, I'm stunned and angry. I'm so sad about the guard, but more than sad, I'm angry.

What a terrible waste of a life. This man could have dedicated himself to improving the world peacefully but instead chose a path the lead to his ultimate failure.

I feel certain that every synagogue will be saying a special prayer tonight, the beginning of the Sabbath, for Mr. Johns, the Security Guard who gave his life to protect others. May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort knowing what a fine man he was.

Since Day 1, there has been rampant anti-semitism in the world. This is the year 5770 on the Jewish calendar. There are only 14,000,000 Jews worldwide (yes, fourteen million...less than the population of the state of Texas). What are these people so afraid of? What do they think this small group of mostly decent professionals (with more than a few bad apples...no group is perfect) can do to them?

Prejudice is based on ignorance and fear. Many of those who spout this hatred may not even know any Jews or blacks. Why not open a dialogue if you are one of them? You may be surprised.

I can't help but wonder what that famous Holocaust denier, Mel Gibson is feeling now. He is procreating again. I do not believe G-d is finished with him yet...not by a long shot. Gibson now has no place to go with his hatred. Innocent children were in the Museum yesterday. Had not the other guards reacted as they were trained to do, those children could have been victims as well.

All decent people of any faith can do is to keep the lines of communication open and teach the next generation to respect others who believe differently than they do.

My $.02!

Paula M
Sigma Delta Tau
Patrae Multi Spes Una
One Hope of Many People

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by paulam

I can't help but wonder what that famous Holocaust denier, Mel Gibson is feeling now. He is procreating again. I do not believe G-d is finished with him yet...not by a long shot. Gibson now has no place to go with his hatred.

Wha...?

Although Mel Gibson has been caught saying anti-Semitic things, he has confirmed that he does believe that the Holocaust happened. His father is a known Holocaust denier, but Mel Gibson has refuted his father's belief in that regard.

Besides, what does Mel Gibson or the fact that he has a kid on the way have anything to do with what happened in DC? This is vaguely hysterical, and makes it hard for the things you say that actually make sense to be taken seriously.

[honeychile]

Has anyone else thought that this nutjob was trying to commit suicide by police? I've been to the Holocaust Museum several times, and the first thing I said when I heard about the shooting was, "He couldn't get too far - it's probably the most secure museum in DC." His choice of entrances says a lot, too.

I'm very interested in hearing whether or not he has a terminal condition, because that would give him a chance to "go out with glory".

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

When we went to the museum back in 1997, there was a bomb threat and we had to evacuate.

I guess the FBI was right when they predicted that right-wing extremism would increase. Between the election, the declining economy, and the increasing legalization of gay marriage, their heads are just exploding, I'm sure.

What was the baseline level of right-wing extremism that we're comparing it to?

I think we've had a couple of really high profile cases here lately, certainly, but compared to the early 1990s with Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City. . .

I think the FBI is correct that the situation needs to be monitored because no level of extremist violence should be regarded as normal, but unless we really know what the data is, it's hard to make comparisons. So often we're at the mercy of the media in our perceptions of increases and decreases.

ETA: This is kind of a random question but do we not hear as much lately about left wing extremism because of political shifts and leftist being happier or because there's actually less of it? I don't mean that a crazy balance of "hey, there's been a holocaust attack we're reporting, let's find a terrorist animal rights story to balance it out" should be attempted, but are we actually experiencing fewer destructive acts by extreme, extreme left wingers because capitalism is looking so weak already? Does this stuff really swing back and forth opposition to where the locus of political power is on the spectrum?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

What was the baseline level of right-wing extremism that we're comparing it to?

I think we've had a couple of really high profile cases here lately, certainly, but compared to the early 1990s with Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City. . .

I think the FBI is correct that the situation needs to be monitored because no level of extremist violence should be regarded as normal, but unless we really know what the data is, it's hard to make comparisons. So often we're at the mercy of the media in our perceptions of increases and decreases.

ETA: This is kind of a random question but do we not hear as much lately about left wing extremism because of political shifts and leftist being happier or because there's actually less of it? I don't mean that a crazy balance of "hey, there's been a holocaust attack we're reporting, let's find a terrorist animal rights story to balance it out" should be attempted, but are we actually experiencing fewer destructive acts by extreme, extreme left wingers because capitalism is looking so weak already? Does this stuff really swing back and forth opposition to where the locus of political power is on the spectrum?

First, we can't put OKC on the same level as Ruby Ridge. I would consider Oklahoma City's tragedy as right-wing terrorism. Ruby Ridge, at its very basic summary, was government intrusion on private land.

I think there are fewer left-wing extremist activities, because the extreme right has more targets--people of color, gays, abortionists, etc. With the left, their terrorism is usually more environmental in nature. It's much more sexy to report on right-wing nutjobs bombing a gay bar than it is to write an article about animal rights activists "liberating" a lab, in part because of the attempts at death and injury.

But, I stand by my point that some segments of the extreme right don't know what to do with themselves now that gay marriage is becoming the law of the land in a growing number of states AND we have a black President.