Aaron Alexis: Another ‘Good Boy’ Who Killed a Lot of People
Aaron Alexis was a good guy; “gentle” according to the Buddhist Monks at the temple where he allegedly worshiped. Friends and co-workers say they’re confused and find it hard to believe Alexis could have gone on a murderous rampage Monday morning. I can’t imagine what they’re going through, not having a personal relationship with any murderers and all. I do have one question for them.
Really; you’re shocked? Is that the Merriam-Webster version of “literally” shocked, by chance? Two incidents with guns and treatment for serious mental illness tell me this guy was a walking time bomb. How the hell did those closest to him not see it?
When he shot out the tires of a car owned by men he felt “disrespected him”, were you surprised? When he shot into the ceiling of his apartment because his upstairs neighbor was too loud for his taste, were you shocked? When he was booted from the Navy for a “history of misconduct”, were you confused? Were you completely unaware of his arrest record?
About as unaware as the geniuses that gave this guy a government security clearance, apparently.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m tired of these stories. I’m tired of hearing about how these “good guys” simply snapped when nothing could be farther from the truth. I’m tired of hearing politicians jump on the anti-gun bandwagon within hours of these shootings. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Senator Feinstein). As if guns just get up, walk out of their cabinets, and aim at unsuspecting victims.
How many shooters in the past decade have a history of mental illness? How many of these men have a history of obsession with violent video games? Lack of social interaction? Fractured home lives? When are we going to have a real discussion, devoid of political posturing? Which is more important, Mr. President? Scoring points with voters or actually stopping these incidents?
I can’t help but notice this shooting happened in another “gun free zone”. Those seem to work so well. Just like at Sandy Hook and Columbine and Ft. Hood. Would a gun have helped in this case? I have no idea. But I can tell you the ability to defend ones’ self should be protected at all costs. It’s sad that so many members of Congress don’t see it that way. Especially considering the level of protection they receive at the Capital and, for some, at home. I wonder how much time Congress will waste on attempting to pass an assault weapons ban. A ban that will help as much today as it did when it was in place on April 20, 1999.
Will they spend any time exploring the effects of violent video games on these rampaging slime balls? It’s been reported that Alexis played first-person shooter style games for hours at a time. Much like Adam Lanza and James Holmes. I certainly won’t blame a video game any more than I’ll blame a gun for causing a shooting. But what happens to your brain when you spend hours in front of a screen? How do you develop social skills, empathy, or any feelings for other human beings when you don’t have any physical contact with them?
Why didn’t anyone in Alexis’ life remind him he was a grown man? It’s as if he had no one to tell him to stop blaming the world for his problems. His father told authorities in 2004 he had “anger management problems.” Please, tell me how those “problems” were addressed in the last nine years. Better yet, tell Monday’s victims. Tell the families of those that lost their lives in another tragic and completely avoidable shooting.
What the hell did anyone do to stop this jerk from ruining the lives of innocent people again and again?
Links:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-navy-shooter-profile-20130917,0,3662076.story?page=2
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dianne-feinstein-congress-guns-96880.html
http://thehill.com/capital-living/cover-stories/295415-lawmaker-security
Image: Source: Baby with Skull; uploaded by tm: author: Ewan Munro from London, UK; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
