Yesterday at 2:30 P. M. a gunman motivated by hate and dressed in tactical gear killed 10 people and wounded three others at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket where I’ve shopped.
Officials said the gunman streamed the attack on a social media platform.
The suspect, an 18-year-old white man, dressed in tactical gear, was taken into custody after shooting 13 people at the Tops Friendly Market supermarket. Four store employees, including a security guard, were among the victims. Eleven of the shooting victims are Black, two are white. The captured gunman will be charged with a Hate Crime among other charges.
You have to wonder what would possess someone to don a helmet and Kevlar armor, drive 200 miles, and shoot innocent people doing their Saturday grocery shopping. Our country continues to decline into chaos. And, if this mass shooting can happen in placid Buffalo, NY it can happen anywhere.
Well, sadly, it does happen everywhere and anywhere in the States, and too often elsewhere in the world. Doing this kind of thing for presumably an online community is pretty much akin to lynching back in the day. The same sort of nihilism in service of fantasies of staving off encroachment by Others. Or just taking out one’s anger, some of it justified by the consistent exploitation of nearly all of us all, most of it misdirected–no one at that grocery store was foreclosing on one’s house or making it more difficult to keep a good-paying job where one might be treated with respect–and ginned up by the yahoos who want to keep the market for guns profitable and the overly violent anger with the wrong people flowing.
I have to wonder to what extent the murderer thought he was a hero for Striking Out against some value of Them, whether “sheeple” or just those who remained Mean to him or whatever the hell, and to what extent he just thought it would be fun to show he Could Be In Charge of Their Fates.
Sorry it was so close to home, George.
Todd, senseless killings disrupt not only the families of the victims but the community where fear and mistrust grows. There have been about 200 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022 so far. We all know more will come.
I couldn’t believe my eyes reading this – your lovely city of Buffalo?
And he drove 200 miles or more?
Of course this reminded me of Kyle Rittenhouse.
I feel with you and all the people of Buffalo and just wish that more people in the US will realize that the “weapon state” is not a long term future.
On a totally different forum we just discussed deaths in the USA. Last year about 50 000 killed by guns (half of them suicides) but even more horrible:
100 000 people killed by overdose of Fentanyl etc.
This is not the country that I liked to visit so often in the past.
Just to give you an idea:
I was in the USA almost 20 times, 3 times in the 80s on business trips (getting information on IT developments) from NYC to San Francisco, Silicon Valley to Boca Raton.
And I liked what I saw so I often returned, sometimes with my first wife and even took the granddaughter to Disney/Florida, often alone and last four times around 12 years ago with my new wife – we were both over 60 already.
We never had any problems, met a lot of friendly people – I could tell a lot of moving and funny stories.
So I don’t get it at all what happened in the last years.
Hope for the best!
Wolf, the US hasn’t changed that much…you’d still meet good people. We’ve had mass murder and drug abuse to ridiculous extents throughout our history But the shrillness of most things has been ratcheted up in larger part because our rich (who are also your rich, basically humanity’s rich) are getting ever richer at everyone else’s expense, with remarkably few brakes on them and very few attempts at Good public relations through good works as they once demonstrated, while also sending goons to beat and kill workers who asked for decent pay and conditions. And the people who see their lives getting worse and worse, however slowly or quickly, are angry and looking for Someone to hold responsible, or just wanting to get by with the habits they picked up from “ethical drug” companies’ products. And, of course, they are encouraged to be angrier and angrier, particularly these days at those Democrats who are attempting reform, usually with little support when not opposition from the larger body of the Democratic Party, as well as the aggressive resistance of most elected Republicans.
Todd, what has changed is the number of people dying every day whether it’s drug overdoses, Covid-19, mass shootings, suicides, and lives lost through our broken Healthcare system. The life expectancy of Americans is dropping. That’s a Bad Sign for the future.
George, I never had any problems on my USA-trips, met some really nice people.
But when I saw this the first time:
Life expectancy in the US fell from 78.9 years in 2019 to 76.6 years in 2021
I still don’t get it!
PS:
Of course in Europe we also have health problems, obesity among them (growing here in Hungaty like crazy and of course causing diabetes, heart problems etc), but in a leading country like the USA?
Wolf, the front page of today’s NEW YORK TIMES announces 1 million Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. That, coupled with the rampant drug overdoses/deaths and our broken Healthcare system, sends our Life Expectancy numbers plummeting.
And the despondency and rage that drives all that (including resistance to public health measures) is caused, in large part, by the cheapening of human life…by the greater and greater inability to live with something approaching security in a world where everything is even more gamed for the most privileged, and against the rest of us, than has been the default, at least in the majority (though not everywhere, in the US. Of course, in too much of the world, that’s been the default for most of history. We’re seeing more and once again (more than since the Depression and the Gilded Age) more of it visited upon more of ourselves.
Todd, there is evidence that many of these fringe groups receive funding from Dark Money sources. And, China is the main supplier of the chemicals to make fentanyl in Mexico for the drug cartels to smuggle into the U.S. and kill thousands of people.
Well, fascists will Out–China’s essentially fascist (almost simon-purely so) government, the fascist cartels, the fascist regimes in way the hell too much of the world, and our local sorts striving to get ever more power here. I suppose some Chinese might even think occasionally of the turnabout from when the British, particularly, were pushing drugs on them.
Todd, I recently read a book on the Soviet Union that charted over a billion dollars spent financing fringe groups in the U.S. with the goal of causing dissension and violence. Today, nefarious groups funded by Dark Money seek to trigger a Race War.
For a “leading” country, we have the most ridiculously expensive and catch as catch can medical system. One of the many ways in which corporate interests are placed well ahead of citizen interests.
Obscenely wealthy lunatics want race wars, even as the more sane obscenely wealthy want means to keep themselves such, which mean less taxation and control of their business interests–but you don’t need hidden conspiracies when the Steve Bannons and Stephen Millers (more Steves at the ready) are willing to push forward such agendas in the White House…and the Joe Manchins of the world, enabled by bad policies and choices made by the leadership of the Democrats, get to enable such activity.
Todd, some wealthy individuals and groups welcome chaos so they can profit by it.
Wolf, the shooter had a “Replacement” manifesto in his vehicle. According to the manifesto, the goal of immigration is to “replace” white people so they need to strike back. Nutty stuff!
Pollsters will tell you that significant majorities of Americans are in favor of gun control or of keeping Roe intact, but they won’t vote in a way that’s likely to help those causes. They’ll wring their hands and piss and moan about these things, but they’ll enter the voting booth thinking about the price of gas and vote for the same old shit.
Michael, I agree with you. Our voting process seems to be broken–or manipulate–depending on your level of suspicion. And the Electoral College should have been dispensed with decades ago.
Definitely, the EC has never been a legit mechanism. What I suspect people don’t see enough of are Democrats willing these days to actually militate for improvement, rather than somewhat less berserkly slavish service to corporate interests. When they do see those Democrats, they most often elect them
Todd, with Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin sabotaging any meaningful Democratic legislation now, things look dire indeed.
Though the power play, sad as it was, that didn’t opt for at least temporarily join with Murkowski and Collins and even Sinema on board–even given that half-loaves usually are the enemy of the good–was a less than brilliant ploy.
Joining with, that is.
Another terrible tragedy made possibly by a combination of easy access to firearms, lack of awareness or recognition for mental illness, and a right-wing media presence that is as racist as it is uncaring about the consequences of its demonizing and “otherizing” of anyone not the “right” color, gender, sexual orientation, political belief, religious outlook, ethnic heritage, country of origin, first language, etc. I don’t “have to wonder” what possessed the shooter to do what he did: I will wager a substantial sum that he grew up in a home with Fox News and right-wing talk radio blaring 24/7 and spent most of his time online on toxic sites that only stirred his misguided belief that he “had to do something.” I will say this though: you know how I know he’s white? He survived to be taken into custody.
Deb, crazies with guns put all of us at risk. You’re right about the mental health issues our country faces as well as the brainwashing of vast numbers of FOX NEWS true believers. All the Talk Radio programs in our area are conservative.
We all know why this is happened. Spewing hatred has its consequences. And as long as the NRA fills war chests of elected officials, it will continue. Oh, to be able to move to Canada although that is not the country it once was either.
Patti, the shooter who killed 10 people in Buffalo Tops grocery store had this on the stock of his AR-15: HERE’S YOUR REPARATIONS!
What Deb said. But how pathetic is it, every time one of these things happen – and this is mass shooting #198 (!!) so far this year in 125 days (so you do the math) – seeing people on television saying some variation of “I can’t believe this happened in my neighborhood.” Why not? It can happen anywhere and everywhere, and it does. The closest to us was the mass shooting on the subway N train at 36th Street. (A fun aside, for Deb: the subway shooter, Frank James, has apparently “bonded” in jail with – wait for it – everyone’s favorite pedophile, R. Kelly!)
Where were this kid’s parents? Where did he get the guns? What about the body armor – did he get it online, or at Walmart? And if you were driving to a place with a lot of black people, I can think of closer places. Buffalo was over 200 miles away, while Philadelphia was under 175 miles away. And Rochester,, on the way to Buffalo, has a higher percentage of black people than either. I know exactly where he lived. We went to summer camp for six years in Pennsylvania, just across the border from Binghamton. I’m willing to bet social media was his main conduit of “news” and information.
Jeff, the shooter bought his AR-15 in New York State, but went to Pennsylvania to buy the conversion kit that turned his assault rifle into a machine gun. Yes, what about the parents…
This is now. Later this year, the Republicans will take over and radically change our society for the worse — including ensuring that they will remain in power for years to come. I despair.
Jeff, I’m glum, too. Voters usually vote their pocketbooks and with Inflation making everyone poorer, the Democrats will lose Big Time.
Inflation driven Entirely out of corporate greed…and terror in the face some slight greater autonomy among workers.
so sorry to hear this just saw it in the paper and came to check your status.
I saw an ad for people whose great grands came from Ireland to be able to get an irish passport. I contacted them, but never heard back. I have a friend whose mother came from Ireland, and she has the passport, so will ask her how she did it.
I hate what is happening to this country that I love, and that the GOP seems intent on ruining it further.
Maggie, I’m interested in what the outcomes will be in Tuesday’s Primary Elections. Will the “Trump” picks win…or will they crash and burn!
TOO MANY GUNS.
LIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
THE DUMBING DOWN OF EDUCATION IN AMERICA
ANGER VS. KINDNESS
TOO MANY GUNS
Rick, that just about covers it.
Most Americans believe Roe should be kept in place.
Most Americans believe there should be some sort of gun control.
Most Americans believe in LGBTQ+ rights.
Most Americans believe in pathways to citizenship for immigrants.
Polls consistently show all this.
The minority who oppose these things will soon be in power, and will wield that power heavily.
Jeff, majorities only matter if they vote.
And some people — many people? — who believe in the things I listed will vote Republican anyway.
Jeff, for most voters, if they don’t like the Economy they just vote for the Other Guys. Binary voting is the norm.
I don’t meet too many people about which that is true…though I do meet some who wonder when Democrats or others will actually start advocating for someone other than their donors, in any real way. Lip service doesn’t cut it…and allows the ever-more fascist sorts to keep getting their way.
Todd, and then there’s the distraction–critical race theory, The Wall, gun rights–conservative groups use to distract from real issues like Climate Change, Inflation, and Mass Shootings.
The comments here are depressing. I too despair of what is happening in our country. Especially if Republicans do get what they want.
Tracy, most commentators on this blog support Jeff Smith list. Yet, the political process short-circuits any kind of positive action on these pressing issues.
Yes. A process devoted to not upsetting the wealthiest donors.
The shooter was evidently motivated — at least in part — by the “great replacement theory,” most significantly espoused by Tucker Carlson. He’s a son of a bitch.
There are so many sons of bitches working diligently to destroy our country that it is impossible to keep count. Most prominent, of course, are those in the Republican Party but the Democrats are not entirely blameless. Disaffected Americans seem to be easily gulled (and unaware) of this evil. And let’s not forget the sons of bitches in Russia, China, and elsewhere who gleefully work to attack the fabric of our society. Sons of bitches all.
I realize that I am being grossly unfair by using the term son of a bitch. To dogs. They deserve better. And so do we.
I weep.
Jerry, I totally agree with you. I can only surmise that China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other countries hostile to the U.S. are funding these hate groups in order to cause disruption and division and violence. None of the current chaos is naturally occurring.
Re *ucker Carlson:
He also went to Hungary to give talks like Steve Bannon but he was too fascist even for the right wing government party Fidesz.
Several other US propagandists appeared here, I don’t get it what they want from this small insignificant country.
Re guns:
I’ve often wondered how it is possible in the USA to buy guns at 18 years – but if you want to buy a beer you have to be 21!
And I find it even crazier that some people take their younger children to a shoouting range and even give them access to guns or give them as a present like that 15 years old school shooter.
Wolf, conservatives spread their “message” world-wide. You’re right about parents who buy guns for their children.
I want it to be 1972 again – no cell phones, no internet, etc.
Not to mention an all-male Supreme Court who believed that a grown woman should control her own reproductive system!
Deb, you certainly make a good point!
Except for William Rehnquist and Byron White…the next Chief and Good Ol’ Whizzer White.
Rick, I couldn’t go back to those non-internet days. I’m ordering something from AMAZON almost every day!
You and Jackie both.
Just stimulated the economy for a new television.
Geeze, George, is this your blog or Todd Mason’s?
Anyway, it’s all Trump’s fault!
Bob, you’re certainly right about Trump! Todd has a lot to say…and I’m listening!
I was being facetious.
And just this afternoon, a mass shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California. According to reports, one dead, five wounded. A Taiwanese congregation was in the church at the time. No motive has been given and a suspect is in custody.
Sad. And perhaps preventable if our leaders had been more interested in working for the people instead of specials interests and their own political power.
Damn.
Jerry, it’s getting to the point where we have a mass shooting every day!
And, sadly, moron see, moron do remains a tendency.
And IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE was a warning that Trumpism can always use foreign fascist money…but it doesn’t need any. There’s plenty of corrupting power-seeking wealth to be hoarded and protected domestically…and plenty of people who will listen to anyone who promises them that Things Will Be Just Fine if Only We Beat Up on Some Arbitrary Others. So Don’t Worry Your Pretty Little Heads about where your tax and expense money is going, as the wealthy deserve all they have, and any more they can accrue. But it’s those Others who are causing problems!
1972…not exactly a paradise, even compared to today.
https://twitter.com/DaveSFoley/status/1525860224732741633 Toronto-born Dave Foley sympathizes and wonders. The responses are a typical mix.
Todd, there will be massive media presence in Buffalo when Biden comes to town.