Holocaust Museum Shooting

Not a rifle, but a shotgun:

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I’m so ignorant as to firearms, RML will have to educate me as to the significance of using a shotgun instead of a rifle.

MSNBC’s website is reporting the shooter is 89 years old. Not sure what that means. Makes me think it’s more likely he’s homegrown.

Atkisson Brigade: MSNBC is reporting that name of suspect is James Von Brunn, a white supremacist, born 1920.

@SanFranLefty: Shotgun spreads little pellets from a shell – can do tremendous damage. MSNBC said von Brunn not likely to make it.

@blogenfreude: Hell readies a room for another dying bigot. Hope the guard pulls through.

@SanFranLefty: A shotgun is a short range weapon (less than 50 yards) that fires a load of pellets that spread as they move toward the target, which is why it is used to hunt birds, for example. A rifle is a longer range weapon that fires a single projectile, the bullet, to targets at distances up to several hundred yards. A shotgun can also fire a slug (which is like a huge bullet) at short ranges under 100 yards. A rifle bullet will often penetrate a body, depending on the construction of the bullet, among other factors, while shotgun pellets tend to be absorbed by the body and usually won’t overpenetrate (go through walls of a house, etc), which is a consideration in law enforcement and home defense. Bottom line: either one can kill you depending on caliber/gauge, range, type of ammunition used, shot placement and other factors.

They also have his stuff over at Stormfront (you can go on your own if you want); here’s more: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389×5818747

@blogenfreude: Oh dear God. This part of his website bio gave me chills:

In 1981 Von Brunn attempted to place the treasonous Federal Reserve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent, citizens arrest. He was tried in a Washington, D.C. Superior Court; convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge. A Jew/Negro/White Court of Appeals denied his appeal. He served 6.5 years in federal prison.

How much you want to bet he singled out an African-American security guard at the Museum?

@SanFranLefty: Shouldn’t the Department of Homeland Security do a threat analysis and issue a report or something on possible RW crazeeness?

@SanFranLefty: MSNBC (liberal media) says “he may have had connections to hate groups or anti-government groups.” Pretty tepid.

@blogenfreude: Oh, that will heat up by prime time.

@redmanlaw: Does Barry – or Janet – have the sack to say “told you so”? Or would that just be poking the hornets’ nest?

@redmanlaw: Stop that – you know they already did one (and retracted after said crazees screamed and stomped their feet).

Also – YouTubed him – all that came up were LeBron James videos. Make of that what you will.

@blogenfreude: Who, me?

/walks down hall, whistling with hands in pockets . . .

Much like their persistent shrieking about gays (seems a lot of them loves the feet tapping) and unreproductive sex (biggest “consumers” of pr0n) , the wingnuts prove yet again they are hiding themselves behind a glass window.

The basic con arctype can be summed up as: “he who smelt it, dealt it.”

We should never get complacent about Hopey’s safety. Anyone remember Richard Pryor’s impression of what it would be like if Jesse Jackson ever got elected and gave a speech?

Local DeeCee teevee channel says a bomb-sniffing pupster “got a hit” on a car parked near the museum….

@Prommie: Is Cheney’s bunker in an undisclosed location still available?

Not a good day to be a wingnut.

Mz Kalifphonya (Silicone Valley) was fired (TM by the Donald) by the Donald for being a big pain in the ass.
http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/10/carrie-prejean-fired/

This makes sense. I was just down near the Mall for lunch, and heard two museum security guards talking about the 14th Street bridge being shut down, and some students on a field trip asking their teacher how far away the Holocaust Museum is. It’s fortunate, at least, that the guard was able to stop the gunman before he did any more harm.

Atlas Juggs is blaming … wait for it … the Reverand Jeremiah White.

@rptrcub: Obama faces 10 times the risk Cheney ever faced, every day, and will, every day he is president; what a wussbag that Cheney is.

@rptrcub: He’ll get marginalized as a “Holocaust denier” rather than part of the RW paramilitary wing.

Good God. The things you find out about after coming up for air at work.

In re shotgun vs. rifle, please remember that Cheney’s pal got fired upon by a shotgun and lived. So there is hope yet that any damage will heal.

Nothing more to say that is relevant or true.

@chicago bureau: They just said the guard he shot is in “grave” condition. Not good. Suspect in critical cond.

@blogenfreude: She got that from Drudge (although he’s never a primary source for anything, is he?). I looked at DR and he conveniently topped the headline about the museum shooting with something about Rev. Wright saying he’s been muzzled by Black Eagle’s peeps.

@rptrcub: I smell a deal between the Donald and the Rupert to shuttle her along to the inevitable book contract.

@Nabisco: I’m sure this guy was watching Rev. Wright’s sermons every day as he planned this.

@Nabisco:

Can you imagine what fine literature that will be? Almost as complex and nuanced as “My Pet Goat”, I bet.

The Jewish Community Foundation of San Francisco has its headquarters next to my gym. They have pretty intense security there, I’m curious to find out if it’s been stepped up at JCFs and JCCs around the country for fear of a copy-cat.

My guess is that the SPLC has a file on this guy that isn’t so much a file, but a full file cabinet.

So: a very early, uninformed read on this — Anybody trying to play political games with this, from either or any side, is going to inherit the wind.

A possibly strong case could be made by gun control advocates, but this guy was a nut and was going to get his hands on a shotgun any which way he could. That’s probably a non-starter.

Bibi, Boehner et al couldn’t possibly link this to the whole settlements brou-ha-ha — this bastard probably hated Palestinians just as much, if not more, than Jews. But your lower-level hacks (Michelle Bachmann, I’m looking at you for no particular reason) might come across with this, and then be checked into the boards as a direct result.

And so: we can’t pin this on the usual suspects. This is just a nutjob who acted accordingly. Why he hasn’t been put in check before now is a good question.

@Nabisco: No, Janet does not have the sack to say that and Barry’s too cool to nyah, nyah, nyah.

@SanFranLefty: The JCC on Amsterdam near me has huge concrete barriers – I am still a bit nervous when walking by it. We have nuts here as well.

CNN reports that the security guard has died.

Oh no – MSNBC says the security guard died.

Related: We now have a ticking time bomb scenario.

“So we’ve captured a cold-blooded killer with ties to an organization with a history of terrorism who now says that there are a number of other active plots around the country. When do we start waterboarding Scott Roeder?” And presumably members of Operation Rescue and other white-wing organizations, as detailed in the recent HomeSec security report.

@blogenfreude: Nuts? In New York? I’m shocked.

@Dodgerblue: @SanFranLefty: Sad. I hope the old bastard lives to stand trial.

From the AP: “The Holocaust Museum guard that died in today’s shooting is Stephen Tyrone Johns. He is African-American and worked at the museum for 6 years.”

Eyewitness reports said the asshole targeted the specific guard. No doubt because of his race.

what the fuck is WRONG with people?

@SanFranLefty: The entire Jewish community should turn out for Mr. Johns’ funeral. The whole fucking Tribe. This is what being Jewish means — you show up.

@Dodgerblue: I hope Mr. Johns is remembered this Shabbot at the services of every temple in this country (and abroad). Having it happen at the museum dedicated to the Shoah compounds the desecration.

In a bizarre coincidence, former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was in the lobby when it happened:

Former Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen was just inside the door of the Holocaust Museum when the shooting took place, NBC News reported. He was waiting for his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, who has written and directed a one-act play that was to be performed at the Holocaust Museum Wednesday night. The performance is now being rescheduled for Thursday evening.

Langhart Cohen’s play is called “Anne and Emmett;” an imagined conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till. It was being performed as part of a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Anne Frank’s birth.

“This is what the play is about,” Cohen said. “It’s about hate.”

I am beyond horrified by this. That’s two victims of right wing extremist terrorism in the last 2 weeks, both gunned down in locations that should be sanctuaries from violence and hate. Could we PLEASE get some serious investigations of domestic terrorism underway?
Janet? Barry? Bueller?

From the Holocaust Museum’s website:

“There are no words to express our grief and shock over today’s events at the Museum, which took the life of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns. Officer Johns, who died heroically in the line of duty, served on the Museum’s security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns’s family. We have made the decision to close the Museum Thursday, June 11, in honor of Officer Johns and our flags will be flown at half mast in his memory.”

Mistress Cynica: We already had one of those. But Janet got slapped by Boehner because it said that veterans coming back from the war may be prone to this sort of thing. Which, of course, was a bad thing to say. And there were other assorted wingers saying that it was picking them out for treatment in an America imbued by Hope.

“The guy came in with a shotgun and started shooting at the police officers,” one witness said. “He had a Confederate hat on. We thought it was a joke or something.”
– witness quoted by NBC.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/One-Shot-at-Holocaust-Museum.html

Would someone please tell me if they can see the top video in the newest post? Media Matters and MSNBC are really getting on my nerves.

@blogenfreude: I seen ’em both and have stuck them on my FB page.

Everything shows up here in Safari 3 (haven’t upgraded yet) and Mac Firefox 3. But if you’re still stuck with IE6, all bets are off.

Thanks – this piece of junk at work actually wheezes if I open more than 3 tabs.

WH spokesmodel Gibbs say Obama is “saddened.” Could we upgrade that to “outraged” please?

@Mistress Cynica: Well, at least he was “shocked and outraged” by last week’s homegrown terrorist. Or so it was attributed to him. I’m getting a bit cranky about measured responses.

Mistress Cynica / nojo: Admittedly, this was a couple blocks from his house. I don’t blame the guy for being sobered by the whole thing. But, yes: this does run right into the whole measured response thing.

@Mistress Cynica: @nojo: The wingnuts love to play the victim, so I see why the responses are measured. Also, all the mouthbreathers are already saying “How come Obama didn’t say anything about the Mooslem who shot up the recruiting center last week?” in response to any criticism of the anti-Semitic/anti-black hate speech. I don’t think Barry wants to say anything that can make it appear in the least that he is fanning the flames that are licking around. Christ, two serious assassination plots have already been foiled and he’s not even half of a year into the Presidency?

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