Binghamton shooting predictably brings out the bigots

The tragic shooting in Binghamton, N.Y., yesterday left 14 dead, including the gunman, and dozens, perhaps hundreds of other lives altered forever. Sadly, though, it also gave the crazed wingnuts another reason to rant.

Looking at the extensive online coverage of the incident from the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, I was disgusted to read comments from one local citizen person who calls herself "Nemesys." She is truly a disturbed and sick individual, as these comments* attest:

When your life is seconds away from ending - help is only minutes away. Gun restriction laws are EVIL. "Diversity" and gun grabs created THIS mess.

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He probably was despondent over a loss of "honor" (shame) if he was laid off. Asians are shame-based. He would percieve himself as an utter failure, in HIS culture. The picking-yourself up/moving forward is a White cultural more.

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[responding to a comment about the language barrier] Well - this is a huge issue for emergency personnel, all over the Nation. The Tower of Babel social engineering is a DISASTER. "Diversity" is a nightmare.

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Thousands of Americans are out of work. Why are these "employers" (slavers) bringing in all this dangerous, unstable, unassimable foriegn "help"? The dislocation makes the immigrant worse, and adds to the utter destruction of the USA.

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Vigilantism is much more effective in controlling crime, then your type of totalitarian hatred. You WANT people to be sitting ducks, just ripe for the mowing down. You are evil.

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There are plenty of examples of well-trained, armed citizens DROPPING shooters. Just ordinary people. Responsible gun owners practice shooting. So when some foreign born nutjob throws a lead-filled tantrum, it's really good to have actual American shootists around.

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I am condemning a truly racist Racial faction seizing power, and shutting down the First Amendment. No-one is more arrogantly racist than a Jew.

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...they hail from a DISTINCT Racial Supremacist ethnic group. The group that owns Wall St. The group that literally owns the "Fed". And they are NOT White. They pass as White - but they are NOT White. They tend to be "dual" citizens, with loyalty to another Nation.

Who am I referring to? Think fast.

...It's Jews. They've been kicked out of 109 Nations, over a perios of 200 years. They play nice, at first. That's how they get their cloven foot in the door.**

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Just think. If [the victims] had stayed in their own countries, they might very well have lived to see the sunset. Terrible sad, really.

Nemesys' profile picture is very small and you can't see much detail, but it's obviously a young woman outdoors aiming a rifle into the sky. Lovely. (This counters the very reasonable supposition that these comments were written by CNN's anti-immigration troll Lou Dobbs.)

Hate speech always seems to rise to the surface when something like this happens, especially on the Internet when writing such drivel from the safety of Mommy's basement. Whether it's Binghamton, Virginia Tech, or the Beltway sniper case, if a non-white shooter is involved, it comes down to bigotry. They certainly weren't spewing their racist hate after Columbine, or the recent shootings in southern Alabama ...

The bottom line is that this incident, like all those before it, is a senseless tragedy. And these tragedies are compounded by the thoughtless racists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis who find empowerment in them.

UPDATE (9:51 am 4/5/09): PatchyFog makes an excellent point in Comments: I assumed that "Nemesys" was from Binghamton ("local citizen," "deranged cretin in Binghamton"), and I shouldn't have done so. She could be from anywhere, thanks to the anonymity of the Internet. I apologize.

I've changed the "local citizen" reference above as well as the title of the post. Thanks to PatchyFog for bringing that unwarranted leap of logic to my attention.

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* Links are to articles from which each comment, and the ones that follow without links, are taken.

** Edited for clarity, drawn from two different comments.

Virginia Tech

The horrifying news from Virginia Tech today has hit close to home. I believe my stepniece is a student there, but I can't reach anyone for news and I don't want to call her mother for fear of unnecessarily upsetting or worrying her. I also know several people who work there or who have worked there over the years.

Here's a link for free live video on MSNBC, for as long as it lasts.

And here's the statement from Virginia Tech's president, Charles Steger:

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 16, 2007

The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There were two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities. The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus. I want to extend my deepest, sincerest and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims which include students There are 22 confirmed deaths.

We currently are in the process of notifying families of victims. The Virginia Tech Police are being assisted by numerous other jurisdictions. Crime scenes are being investigated by the FBI, University Police, and State Police. We continue to work to identify the victims impacted by this tragedy. I cannot begin to covey my own personal sense of loss over this senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act The university will immediately set up counseling centers. So far centers have been identified in Ambler Johnston and the Cook Counseling Center to work with our campus community and families.

Here are some of the facts we know:

At about 7:15 a.m. this morning a 911 call came to the University Police Department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall. The police immediately responded. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment.

We will proceed to contact the families of victims as identities are available.

All classes are cancelled and the university is closed for the remainder of today. The university will open Tuesday at 8 a.m. but classes are cancelled. The police are currently staging the release of people from campus buildings.

Families wishing to reunite with the students are suggested to meet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. We are making plans for a convocation tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the university community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.

This hits home in a less personal but nevertheless still profound way: I work at a university, and it's not impossible to imagine a similar tragedy occurring here. Security is relatively lax and anyone can walk into pretty much any building (save perhaps dorms) during working hours at least. It's very sobering and, to be honest, upsetting.

My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, and I will continue to try to learn about the status of my stepniece.

UPDATE (4:21 pm 4/17/07): My stepniece is okay and safe.