Yes, I realize this is my sports blog and I don’t usually tackle subjects outside of the NFL, the NFL Draft or the Iowa Hawkeyes but this weekend was just too much to ignore. As everyone who isn’t living under a rock knows a crazy man took an assault rifle and shot up a nightclub in Orlando, FL. He shot over 100 people with around half of them dying from their injuries (the death toll could still rise with some people in critical condition). This has become the hot topic political issue at the moment and rightfully so.
There are all kinds of hot button issues rising up from this tragedy including gun laws, the NRA, radical Islamic inspiration, LGBT hatred and the choices we have to make this fall in the Presidential election. It is no secret to anyone that knows me that I’m a Democrat but this issue goes beyond simple party affiliation. Each side has staked their territory with Donald Trump laying the blame at the feet of Barack Obama because somehow if he says the words “radical Islam” that will save the day and Hillary Clinton because well she’s his opponent so he has to blame her. Clinton has turned her attention to the NRA and Congress’s inaction on gun laws but she too is blaming Donald Trump because he’s her opponent. The political finger pointing is ridiculous and the only person who said anything I believe is right was President Obama when he said this is our fault, it certainly is.
The idea that gun law reform alone would solve the problem of mass shootings in this country is incredibly narrow-minded. Don’t get me wrong we need common sense gun laws that stop obviously unbalanced and dangerous people like the Orlando nightclub shooter from getting his hands on an AR-15 assault rifle and anybody that doesn’t see that is blinded by stupidity. But that is only treating a symptom, not the disease. I don’t believe anybody “needs” to own an assault rifle and anyone that tells you they need it for hunting isn’t a very sporting person, if you can’t kill an animal with a regular rifle you should probably find a new hobby. But as I said that is the symptom not the disease. The disease is hate.
People want to blame radical Islamic terrorist, ISIS or some other organization because the shooter called 911 and pledged his allegiance to many groups. Well he was crazy because he actually pledged that allegiance to multiple radical groups that actually oppose each other which leads me to believe he had no frickin’ clue what the hell he was talking about. He was apparently very vocal about his hatred of gay people and was probably motivated as much by that as some dedication to radical Islamic views. The truth is crazy never needed a reason before why start now. But whether he was crazy or it was terrorist inspired or it was simply the worst case of homophobia in history it was inspired by hate.
This is the reason why I could never support Donald Trump for President. I am admittedly not a Hillary Clinton fan and I wish we had better choices overall for this Presidential election but Donald Trump is simply the worst candidate ever for President and he couldn’t come at a worse time. Donald Trump is only about hate. He stands for absolutely nothing more than fear and hate. He does not have moral compass and he has absolutely no conviction in anything because he doesn’t actually believe anything he says. He only spouts off divisive, mean-spirited vitriol because he is a horrible person, I don’t usually judge people but his rhetoric has left me with no other explanation. Handing this country over to someone like this at a time when we need to come together is dangerous. Hillary Clinton was right when she said Trump is temperamentally unfit for the Presidency.
I don’t agree with Democrats that think gun laws are somehow going to save us all and that is the one and only answer to this type of violence. It’s a piece of the puzzle but it isn’t the whole picture. We need to address the issues that divide us. We need to realize that not everyone is like us and that’s okay. We can agree to disagree and still be civil, well at least there was a time in this country when we could do that. You’re going to hear a lot of talk from Donald Trump about Second Amendment rights for gun owners but he seems to have forgotten to read the Amendment that comes right before it that guarantees freedom of religion in this country. We also must understand that the protection of freedom of religion means you are free to practice your religion but it doesn’t mean you get to impose your beliefs on others. That means if you’re Muslim you don’t get to kill people because you’ve misinterpreted your own faith and it means if you’re Christian you don’t get to pass laws that discriminate against Muslims, gay people, transgendered people or anyone else because you’ve decided to cherry-pick the parts of the bible to believe in.
I had seriously considered not voting for anyone for President this year, just leaving it blank, my own little protest in not choosing between the lesser of two evils (okay there was never a chance I would vote for the Donald but I was going to abstain because I’m not a Hillary fan). That is no longer a choice because I have to vote against even the idea of a fear-mongering, hate-spreading, pandering jackass with absolutely nothing remotely redeeming about himself winning the Presidency of the United States. Trump is part of the problem and he will never be part of the solution.
Okay, I’ll get down off my soapbox now and go back to talking about sports, how ’bout them Hawkeyes.
The Hott Read 