PA - 11 killed, 6 injured in mass shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue, 27 Oct 2018 *guilty, death sentence*

[rosemadderlake]

Anti-Defamation League director: Rise in anti-Semitism 'more than what one man does'

He noted that the ADL saw a 57-percent increase in acts of harassment, vandalism and violence directed at the Jewish community in 2017, and has noticed an uptick in online harassment as well.

"We are seeing an environment in which anti-Semitism has moved from the margins to the mainstream as political candidates and people in public life literally repeat the rhetoric of white supremacists," Greenblatt said.

From the article--

Jewish Community Centers around the country were subjected to bomb threats throughout 2017.

Prominent politicians and media figures have spread conspiracy theories about Jewish figures, including billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) last week suggested without evidence on Twitter that Soros was funding a caravan of Central American migrants trekking toward the U.S. border.

---
The targeting and use of misinformation for any kind of gain is beyond reckless. Imo

The Internet, for all its good serving purposes, is also a Pandora's box. And it's larger than anyone imagined. Groups such as the one the murderer belonged to, once on the fringe are now connected with a collective megaphone and the protection of the 1A.

How easy is it for some to hate behind a constructed anonymous identity? The invented persona with full permission. And when that intention becomes a reality is when becomes the random, that is so unpredictable.

Not sure there's any getting that genie back in the bottle.

But when I hear the stoking of flames, demonizing, for reckless motivations, results at any cost, I have to wonder to what end? And does anyone really understand power at all.

 

[cybervampira]

Brain research has shown that trauma changes the brain.

It sure does. However, IMO it takes a certain predisposition to become an ”evil“ killer. There are many people with severe PTSD, many who suffered a terrible childhood, but not all of them murder.

Quite a few serial killers had traumatic head injuries in their childhood. Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, David Berkowitz, Ed Gein, to name a few. Maybe they were not born as psychopaths, but they had damages to their cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, or other parts of the brain that are responsible for a lack of empathy.
A psychopath lacks empathy just like a person with frontal head injury, study suggests

Anyway, I was referring to you saying there are no infants born evil. I think there are. I wouldn‘t label them ”evil“ though. They may just have a brain defect and it depends on their upbringing how they act out on it.

 

[cybervampira]

 

[bluesneakers]

Pittsburgh synagogue rampage spotlights rising anti-Semitism in America

“Prior to the election of President Donald Trump, anti-Semitic harassment and attacks were rare and unexpected, even for Jewish Americans who were prominently situated in the public eye,” authors Samuel Woolley and Katie Joseff wrote.

“Following his election, anti-Semitism has become normalized and harassment is a daily occurrence. The harassment, deeply rooted in age-old conspiracies such as the New World Order, which alleges that an evil cabal of Jewish people have taken autocratic control of the globe, and Holocaust imagery – faces placed inside Nazi concentration camp ovens or stretched on lampshades – shows no signs of abating.”

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2...5160-102918-anti-semitic-incidents-ONLINE.png

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I did not say they are “100 percent correct all the time.” Perhaps you need to read my post again.

I do not respect hate. JMO

I'm thoroughly confused. Who in the world that is of sound mind would ever respect hate????

I am not here to argue with anyone. Imo it is also very wrong for any powerful organization to label anyone a hate group when that is not the case.

I could fill this thread with many links about how many have been targeted by SPLC that are now deciding to pursue lawsuits for defamation but this thread is NOT about the SPLC.

But I will say this...No one admired their good work more than I did in the past century. Morris Dees was a man I admired greatly and the great causes they took on and won rooting out horrific hate groups.

Did you know in 2014 the FBI decided to no longer use the SPLC when targeting hate groups?

You are highly intelligent blue.. so I am sure you are aware. All it takes is a simple Google search as to why the SPLC has changed from what they once were during the civil rights era and in the past century when they did so much good work.

I'm sorry that you dont approve of my opinion or criticism.

Imo labeling anyone's organization a hate group when they weren't isn't just a mere mistake.

SPLC has been doing this way too long for it to be a mere mistake on their part imo.

It can be and has been highly dangerous to do so.

I will leave this thread now. I know threads like this never end well. It seems to become more combative instead of having the capability of civil discussions where both sides are posted and respected.

I will continue to pray for everyone who lost their lives due to this hate filled monster of hate and the grieving families left behind to cope with all of the devastation he caused.

I dont need to be on this thread to do that.

Jmo.

 

[Cryptic]

There is a great big target on many people in the US. Native Americans, blacks, those from Mexico and Central American, Muslims, and LGBTQ. Women as well.

Non Moslems seem to bear a target as well.

There have been at least four mass murder attacks targeting those who either oppose fundamentalist Islam or are perceived to be opposed to it:

- Boston Bombing, New York truck attack, California shooting attack, Pulse Night Club attack.

I suspect the inter net plays a role in facilitating these attacks. Though the internet has been hugely beneficial, it also provides very easy access to a dazzling variety of hate propaganda.

In previous generations, those seeking the material had to be on specialty mailing lists, printed material was crude, unappealing and the publishers constantly went bankrupt. Likewise, those wishing to listen to a speaker or attend a meeting often had to drive long distances. Now, all that is a 'click' away- with far "better" graphics than previous media.

 

[bluesneakers]

'Respond to Hate With Love': Muslim Organizations Raise Thousands to Benefit Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims

As Pittsburgh continues to reel from a tragic weekend, a Muslim-led effort has begun a crowdfunded campaign to raise money for the victims of Saturday’s synagogue shooting.

The charity drive has already been a success, with organizers claiming to have raised an average of $2,000 per hour since launching the effort on Saturday. Within six hours, the campaign had already reached its initial goal of $25,000. In less than 24 hours, it had broken $50,000.
..
“Those who were stolen from us by this hateful person were like family,” says Wasi Mohamed, the Executive Director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh and Emgage Pennsylvania, a nonprofit Muslim advocacy organization. “We feel obligated to follow this Prophetic tradition on standing up for the Jewish community.”

“The Pittsburgh Muslim Community extends our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims, their families, and all of our Jewish brothers and sisters,” the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh said in a statement. “We condemn this hate crime unequivocally, and denounce all forms of hatred and bigotry. The Pittsburgh community is our family; what happens to one of us, is felt by us all.”

 

[bluesneakers]

Pittsburgh shooting comes amid rise in hate crimes, growing anxiety about right-wing extremism

A 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office found that since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, far-right-wing violent extremists were responsible for 106 killings in the United States, while Islamist-inspired violent extremists have killed 119.

The GAO found that while the number of deaths were roughly similar, the number of incidents were not; far-right extremists committed almost three times as many attacks — 62, compared to 23 by radical Islamist extremists.

“We have one of the most diversified threat matrices that we’ve had in a decade, but the most ascendant is the far right wing,” said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino. Right-wing extremists commit more attacks, he said, but when Islamist militants act, “their attacks tend to be more lethal.”
...
Hate crimes against Muslims spiked in the most recent FBI data, from 2016, to their highest level since 2001, when Islamist militants hijacked four airliners to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people and sparking a wave of anti-Muslim incidents.

 

[CocoChanel]

On a better note, here is a picture of the man who shot to black guys at the Kroger's in KY. Looks like the face of man who just realized he did something incredibly stupid and messed up his life. T
View attachment 153257

Just a correction, this killer shot a black man, Maurice Stallard, and a black woman, Vickie Jones. Mr Stallard was the father of the city of Louisville’s Chief Equity Officer, Kellie Watson.

 

[CocoChanel]

Two things I didn't see mentioned:

- the reason the older folks were there is because they were doing preparation; the others had not arrived yet (makes sense to me, IMO)

- these are Orthodox Jews. Don't they need to be buried before the next sundown?

Thanks. Prayers and Peace too ALL.

At the press conference this morning, the ME was asked about the Jewish requirements regarding burial and he answered that they were working closely with the clergy and doing their best to adhere to and honor the Orthodox tradition.

 

[rosemadderlake]

Charlottesville 2017

Again: This is in America in 2017.

At the end of the day, we felt we had no choice but to cancel a Havdalah service at a congregant’s home. It had been announced on a public Facebook page, and we were fearful that Nazi elements might be aware of the event. Again, we sought police protection – not a battalion of police, just a single officer – but we were told simply to cancel the event.

Local police faced an unprecedented problem that day, but make no mistake, Jews are a specific target of these groups, and despite nods of understanding from officials about our concerns – and despite the fact that the mayor himself is Jewish – we were left to our own devices. The fact that a calamity did not befall the Jewish community of Charlottesville on Saturday was not thanks to our politicians, our police, or even our own efforts, but to the grace of God.

And yet, in the midst of all that, other moments stand out for me, as well.

John Aguilar, a 30-year Navy veteran, took it upon himself to stand watch over the synagogue through services Friday evening and Saturday, along with our armed guard. He just felt he should.

We experienced wonderful turnout for services both Friday night and Saturday morning to observe Shabbat, including several non-Jews who said they came to show solidarity (though a number of congregants, particularly elderly ones, told me they were afraid to come to synagogue).

A frail, elderly woman approached me Saturday morning as I stood on the steps in front of our sanctuary, crying, to tell me that while she was Roman Catholic, she wanted to stay and watch over the synagogue with us. At one point, she asked, “Why do they hate you?” I had no answer to the question we’ve been asking ourselves for thousands of years.

At least a dozen complete strangers stopped by as we stood in front the synagogue Saturday to ask if we wanted them to stand with us.

And our wonderful rabbis stood on the front lines with other Charlottesville clergy, opposing hate.

In Charlottesville, the Local Jewish Community Presses On

---
Some memories of the unspeakable fear rabbis and members of the Jewish, and Charlottesville community faced that day when hate came to town. ---more at link

A defining event that correlates to the precipitous rise of anti semitism. Make no mistake, the courage to stand up displayed that day was heroic, but the question is why is this happening in America in 2017? What was unleashed?

My heart feels very heavy, broken hearted, much like after Sandy Hook. So many heartbreaks, the senseless slaughter of the most vulnerable...

Bbm: And how is it possible that anyone, any community could endure that question with no answers for thousands of years?

Change comes from the ground. I know every community stands with Pittsburgh. And religious clergy of all faiths will reach out, and be of great comfort. I hope it will rise up to higher expectations at the top, for all of us.

 

[bluesneakers]

Shooting Victims Remembered: 'The Loss Is Incalculable'

Personal stories, details, memories.

Heartbreaking.

ETA other links:
Shooting victims remembered: ‘The loss is incalculable’ | The Star

'The loss is incalculable': Pittsburgh shooting victims remembered

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims remembered: ‘The loss is incalculable’

 

[CocoChanel]

From your same excellent source Rose:
4 Ways to Talk to Teens after the Pittsburgh Shooting

 

[CocoChanel]

Shooting Victims Remembered: 'The Loss Is Incalculable'

Personal stories, details, memories.

Heartbreaking.

Something’s not working with your link blue.
And I really want to read it.

 

[CocoChanel]

My heart feels very heavy, broken hearted, much like after Sandy Hook. So many heartbreaks, the senseless slaughter of the most vulnerable.

This. I couldn’t quite identify it, but yes, this is exactly what I am feeling.
I really thought things would change after Sandy Hook, and that we as a nation would not tolerate any further atrocities and would do whatever it took to stop them. And yet, here we are.

 

[Fairy1]

This. I couldn’t quite identify it, but yes, this is exactly what I am feeling.
I really thought things would change after Sandy Hook, and that we as a nation would not tolerate any further atrocities and would do whatever it took to stop them. And yet, here we are.

To me, it seems like a huge rock has been dislodged and all the icky, gross and scary things beneath have been unearthed. What a sad and frightening time in America.

 

[DefenestrationDoll]

Something’s not working with your link blue.
And I really want to read it.

Me, too. I think I found it online:


Shooting victims remembered: 'The loss is incalculable'

 

[margarita25]

To me, it seems like a huge rock has been dislodged and all the icky, gross and scary things beneath have been unearthed. What a sad and frightening time in America.

I feel the same way. Old wounds have been reopened. Very old wounds. Very deep wounds.

 

[bluesneakers]

Something’s not working with your link blue.
And I really want to read it.

Oh crap, I'm sorry! Let me fix it.

 

[DefenestrationDoll]

As the white nationalist movement faltered in the U.S. over the last year, Gab remained one of its safe harbors

“The leadership of the organized movement is in pretty bad straits,” said Heidi Beirich, a spokeswoman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit organization that monitors and sometimes sues far-right groups.
But one bright spot has been Gab, a Twitter-like social-media service whose logo is a green frog, which has attracted far-right users for its unwillingness to eject racist users.
Bowers’ account featured neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic memes on his page, and he posted on the site about his plans moments before attacking the synagogue. Bowers was a “verified” user on Gab, which indicates he was likely a “premium” account holder who paid to gain access to special features on the site, which claims more than 700,000 users.

As the white nationalist movement faltered in the U.S. over the last year, Gab remained one of its safe harbors - Los Angeles Times