One of the worst days in American history, I would say, wouldn't you? The worst mass murder ever. And, Was America just attacked again by Islam, by an American? By an American Muslim, a citizen? Born here, and lived here his whole life?
I don't think so. I have checked myself repeatedly today as I have written my doubts: "Am I being willfully blind? Is the truth too consequential for my world view?" I checked myself repeatedly today and the answer is no. There is little negative about Islam that I have not embraced and with gusto. Just a week or so ago, "Gratuitous Insult of Islam for the Day." I just don't believe Islam is at the root of this one. But I gladly keep an open mind!
If it is true, my world view is shattered. So be it! A world view is mutable. I and mine will mutate.
But I will have to answer dark, pitch dark questions to my satisfaction, each of us must, I suggest, we are each individual moral agents living in a republic, each of us must answer them, I will answer them, and unflinchingly.
Such as: If it is true, what do we do with the American Muslim population? We watched this guy. He was on the FBI's radar, twice interviewed, on separate occasions. Not enough credible evidence to detain him or keep closer tabs on him. Today 50 Americans were slaughtered by a Muslim American who law enforcement had credible concerns about. If it is true, the present policy toward Muslim Americans failed catastrophically today.
Do Muslim Americans represent a Fifth Column in America? Do we go back to police racial profiling of Muslims, as we did after 9/11? If so, we must lower the threshold for state intervention, no? Do we do it only for Muslims? How about for Muslims who come to the FBI's attention, because they are Muslim? Would that be constitutional? If not, do we make an end run around the Constitution for a national emergency? FDR and the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Do we ghettoize Muslims as Trump or Cruz or Bush or some Republican proposed? As Hitler did.
Those are some of the questions. President Obama's proposals today, gun control and love trumps hate are not the answers. He will not even ask himself those questions. He will unflinchingly not answer those questions. If it is true he will still not answer those questions. His worldview is immutable. He is certain. He has that certainty, not of one who knows, but of one who doesn't know he doesn't know.
But those are all "if's" and I am convinced by a preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt at this point, and my worldview is open to mutation by evidence to come, I will answer those questions unflinchingly, but I am convinced by a preponderance of the evidence on this first, worst, day that this was a homophobic massacre with Islam used as a beard.
I sense that the American people, by and large, feel as I do, but of course I could be wrong there too. There is little that I have seen of "last straw-ism" today but maybe people are waiting and seeing. I do not see the same last straw thinking that I saw after 9/11, even after Boston and San Bernardino. If Orlando had followed those patterns, if gay people had not been so exclusively targeted, I think we would see reactions similar to those others. I have seen no evidence in the first 24 after the massacre that there is or is incipiently a gestalt shift in Americans' reactions, as we saw after those others, as we saw in race relations after the Baltimore black-on-white race riots over Freddie Gray's death. In a word, I do not think that this has so far and is unlikely to, change Americans' views of who they want as their next president. But the polls will answer that question for us, and quickly.
Good night, my friends.
I don't think so. I have checked myself repeatedly today as I have written my doubts: "Am I being willfully blind? Is the truth too consequential for my world view?" I checked myself repeatedly today and the answer is no. There is little negative about Islam that I have not embraced and with gusto. Just a week or so ago, "Gratuitous Insult of Islam for the Day." I just don't believe Islam is at the root of this one. But I gladly keep an open mind!
If it is true, my world view is shattered. So be it! A world view is mutable. I and mine will mutate.
But I will have to answer dark, pitch dark questions to my satisfaction, each of us must, I suggest, we are each individual moral agents living in a republic, each of us must answer them, I will answer them, and unflinchingly.
Such as: If it is true, what do we do with the American Muslim population? We watched this guy. He was on the FBI's radar, twice interviewed, on separate occasions. Not enough credible evidence to detain him or keep closer tabs on him. Today 50 Americans were slaughtered by a Muslim American who law enforcement had credible concerns about. If it is true, the present policy toward Muslim Americans failed catastrophically today.
Do Muslim Americans represent a Fifth Column in America? Do we go back to police racial profiling of Muslims, as we did after 9/11? If so, we must lower the threshold for state intervention, no? Do we do it only for Muslims? How about for Muslims who come to the FBI's attention, because they are Muslim? Would that be constitutional? If not, do we make an end run around the Constitution for a national emergency? FDR and the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Do we ghettoize Muslims as Trump or Cruz or Bush or some Republican proposed? As Hitler did.
Those are some of the questions. President Obama's proposals today, gun control and love trumps hate are not the answers. He will not even ask himself those questions. He will unflinchingly not answer those questions. If it is true he will still not answer those questions. His worldview is immutable. He is certain. He has that certainty, not of one who knows, but of one who doesn't know he doesn't know.
But those are all "if's" and I am convinced by a preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt at this point, and my worldview is open to mutation by evidence to come, I will answer those questions unflinchingly, but I am convinced by a preponderance of the evidence on this first, worst, day that this was a homophobic massacre with Islam used as a beard.
I sense that the American people, by and large, feel as I do, but of course I could be wrong there too. There is little that I have seen of "last straw-ism" today but maybe people are waiting and seeing. I do not see the same last straw thinking that I saw after 9/11, even after Boston and San Bernardino. If Orlando had followed those patterns, if gay people had not been so exclusively targeted, I think we would see reactions similar to those others. I have seen no evidence in the first 24 after the massacre that there is or is incipiently a gestalt shift in Americans' reactions, as we saw after those others, as we saw in race relations after the Baltimore black-on-white race riots over Freddie Gray's death. In a word, I do not think that this has so far and is unlikely to, change Americans' views of who they want as their next president. But the polls will answer that question for us, and quickly.
Good night, my friends.
