Patterico's Pontifications

7/20/2012

Report: 15 Dead and 50 Wounded at Batman Screening in Colorado; UPDATE: Other Reports Say 12 or 14

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 6:29 am



Apparently the work of a lone gunman, who is in custody. More details as they become available.

My advice: let’s resist the urge to find a Larger Lesson of any kind at this point, and just see what unfolds.

UPDATE: I’m also seeing reports saying 12 dead and 14 dead. Early reports in situations like this are notoriously inaccurate: caveat lector.

UPDATEx2: Commenter “Rusty Bill” provides several links showing people ignoring the above advice.

Piers Morgan and Bloomberg are predictably jumping on the “we need gun control” argument. There are obvious rejoinders, but I don’t feel like discussing them at this particular moment in time.

Only slightly less predictable is an apparently unevidenced rush to blame the Tea Party. If the reporting at Breitbart.com is accurate (and I’m reserving judgment because the story is developing, and everything in a developing story must be questioned), Mr. Snuffleupagus and his crew at ABC were able to uncover a 50ish guy from a nearby city with the same common last name as the 24-year-old in custody.

Convincing! Can we get an op-ed about the Loughner connection stat! We have to publish in two minutes, people. TWO MINUTES!

Watch it, ABC. This is the kind of attitude that causes national networks to report that ObamaCare has been struck down. And there just may be a 50ish Jim Holmes in Colorado who is yelling at his TV that he’s not the guy, and why didn’t they just pick up the phone and call him to confirm?

262 Responses to “Report: 15 Dead and 50 Wounded at Batman Screening in Colorado; UPDATE: Other Reports Say 12 or 14”

  1. So awful…Hope there will be some shred of decency on the Left, unlike when they blamed the Giffords shootings on Sarah Palin practically while the victims were still be triaged.

    The Sanity Inspector (79aa38)

  2. I blame incivility.

    JD (459580)

  3. In my experience, weirdos who blurt out “maybe I should murder him” and “I want to shit on your wife” and such are generally extreme lefties. Their paranoia and inability to succeed forces them to support a society based on low personal responsibility and authoritarian government.

    They often become obsessed with condemning what authority is common sense and necessary. Police, for example. They also look to those who are nice and happy with extreme suspicion and paranoia. It doesn’t occur to them that being happy is a decision rooted in personal responsibility. They think it’s evil.

    But there are also whackos on the right. I think they tend to get pushed to the fringe.

    The interesting thing is that these nutjobs often have political views that could fit on both fringes of the spectrum. Incoherent, but consistently angry. And at root, probably mental illness. My guess is also some drug usage.

    I think it’s just common sense that nutjobs do not reflect on the mainstream platforms they occasionally wish to usurp or invade. It would reflect on those platforms if the nutjobs were able to get a lot of people to support their nutty ideas and hatred, but that’s very unusual.

    This shooting is horrible. That so many were harmed makes me wonder if it was a place gun carrying was available to the law abiding, but I shouldn’t speculate. All I know is this is a horrible thing. I shouldn’t be egocentric, but it’s sad that it took something like this for me to put my own problems in perspective. We should all take in the good things we have in our lives and be grateful today.

    Dustin (73fead)

  4. I omitted a paragraph from my last comment (and I’m glad), but it explained that the hostility to normal authority is deflection from the dependence on a society that needs it.

    Like a resentful teenager who will grow up to never get a job of his own.

    Dustin (73fead)

  5. Joel Pollak is ping-ponging between calling the suspect “Holmes” and “Homes” in his piece about ABC claiming a Tea Party connection.

    Patterico (feda6b)

  6. Blecch. I just reversed something in my update that was the complete opposite of what I had intended to say. It was up for about ten seconds, so I am just stealthily correcting it and hoping nobody noticed.

    Except, this comment kinda gives it away, I guess. Whoops.

    Everybody makes mistakes, and they seem to happen more in situations like this. Caution!

    Patterico (feda6b)

  7. I blame teabaggers. And Palin.

    JD (459580)

  8. 2. Wait, wait, Bloomberg didn’t really say anything on the radio show. He didn’t want to comment on the details because the facts weren’t it. He agreed with a caller that a gun is a tool.

    (The caller mentioned a hammer and a machete. he could have mentioned an automobile)

    The only trouble the killer was in was he got a traffic ticket. There are some other things I heard secondhand on the radio – that is someone on the radio saying it secondhand, so all I know is maybe to look out for more.

    Ths happened very early in the morning. What is this, an overnight showing of the movie?

    The initial death toll was reduced.

    Sammy Finkelman (58e1fc)

  9. No, Sammy, Bloomberg knew exactly what he was getting at,

    Soothing words are nice,” Bloomberg said during an interview on WOR News Talk Radio 710 in New York City. “But maybe it’s time the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they’re going to do about it, because this is obviously a problem across the country. And everybody always says, ‘Isn’t it tragic?’”

    “I mean, there’s so many murders with guns every day,” he continued. “It’s just gotta stop. And instead of these two people, President [Barack] Obama and Governor [Mitt] Romney talking in broad things about, they want to make the world a better place. OK. Tell us how. And this is a problem. No matter where you stand on the Second Amendment, no matter where you stand on guns, we have a right to hear from both of them, concretely, not just in generalities, specifically, what are they going to do about guns?”

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78756.html#ixzz21AnZy9By

    narciso (ee31f1)

  10. His Dad is also James Holmes, fwiw…had a small business in the area and some hobby interest in firearms…and there at at least two other jim Holmes in the nearby area who would seem to me more likely to have some interest in the tea party.

    Typical of ABC to seek and declare a too good to connection,

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  11. If Romney had just released ONE more year’s worth of tax returns, this entire trajedy could have been avoided!

    Icy (4e9549)

  12. Ths happened very early in the morning. What is this, an overnight showing of the movie?

    Just about every theater had showings starting at midnight. It’s opening night.

    Dustin (73fead)

  13. As usual, especially given his mother’s instant assertion about them having the right J. Holmes, there is going to be serious mental instability and delay or refusal and/or just plain inadequacy of treatment.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  14. Too good to check, just like my typing.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  15. No matter where you stand on the Second Amendment, no matter where you stand on guns, we have a right to hear from both of them, concretely, not just in generalities, specifically, what are they going to do about guns?”

    — To hear Nanny Bloomberg suffering from the “government must do something!” disease is about as surprising as seeing Sammy the Equivocator misrepresent what he said.

    Icy (4e9549)

  16. _____________________________________________

    they blamed the Giffords shootings on Sarah Palin

    And, oh, what irony when it turned out the killer had friends from his high-school years who described him as being of the left. I recall at that time noting that one of the most infamous assassins in US history, Lee Harvey Oswald — who murdered a figure so greatly embraced by a large number of liberals — also had a stereotypically, classically far-leftist background.

    This is from one of the millions of blog sites out there, and I don’t know whether the hypothetical about the murderer’s possible motives is applicable, but the description of the political slant of the movie is interesting.

    James Holmes, DOB 12/13/1987, the car he was driving had Tenn license plates. The Batman movie portrays the OWS crowd in a negative vein,the new Batman movie featured the villain as an Occupy Wall Street type. I would first look at the possibility that James Holmes, DOB 12/13/1987, was caught up in the OWS movement took it upon himself to strike back against “THE MAN.”

    Mark (a346be)

  17. Never let a crisis go to waste.

    AZ Bob (1c9631)

  18. Not helpful

    Icy (4e9549)

  19. Jeff G, who if not strictly local is at least regional, adds one salient detail to the mix: the theater in question is a designated “Gun-Free Zone”, so even legal carriers weren’t allowed in with their proper defenses.

    Always remember: to a prospective spree shooter, “Gun-Free Zone” means “Target-Rich Shooting Gallery”.

    PCachu (e072b7)

  20. I wonder how helpless his mom was to get him help or his activities restricted. Likely, completely helpless.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  21. if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater there would’ve been armed Secret Service people there to take the shooter down, and many lives would have been saved

    unless they’d stepped out to bang some whores

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  22. THIS JUST IN: A police department source, speaking on condition of anonymity, has revealed information from the suspect’s private journal. Apparently, Jim Holmes became despondent after learning that his great uncle was the late porn legend Johnny ‘Wadd’ Holmes. In his diary Jim Holmes wrote “I just don’t measure up. I think I’m gonna go kill some people.”

    Reports that at the time of the shooting the suspect was wearing a custom t-shirt that read “Damn ObamaCare Won’t Pay For My Penile Implant!” remain unconfirmed.

    Icy (4e9549)

  23. 8- I am not sure why you’re making jokes about a dozen freshly dead murder victims you sick SOB.

    tye (419805)

  24. tye, go troll somewhere else.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  25. Yes, tye, we all know that you don’t get it.

    Icy (4e9549)

  26. Bill Handel on KFI-640AM (Los Angeles) read a report that James Holmes was confirmed by the University of Colorado Medical School as a “past student” at that school.
    Holmes grew up in San Diego.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  27. Too bad Handel doesn’t have Gripe Night on the air anymore.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  28. When we find out that the gunman did it because Batman didn’t save his invisible dog Skippy from the space aliens’ experiments, and that he got his guns from an ATF program, they’ll still blame it on the Tea Party, or Limbaugh or the NRA.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  29. Guns again, damn lax gun laws are to blame.

    If our government leaders weren’t wasting time creating even more high paying jobs Americans don’t want and won’t take, and instead do something about our thriving economy and the doggone excessive prosperity it inflicts on our social safety net, then maybe they’d have time to run more gun to Mexican drug smugglers and give midnight movie fans a little peace and quiet.

    ropelight (e41526)

  30. 26- you’re right. I don’t get what goes through somebody’s mind when they make glib comments at a time like this.

    tye (419805)

  31. Tye – I don’t see you calling out ABC news, or the MFM after Giffords. Take your faux contrived outrage and shove it.

    JD (459580)

  32. UPDATE (and this is legit). ABC has issued a correction:
    “An earlier ABC News broadcast report suggested that a Jim Holmes of a Colorado Tea Party organization might be the suspect, but that report was incorrect. Several other local residents with similar names were also contacted via social media by members of the public who mistook them for the suspect.”

    Icy (4e9549)

  33. Take your jokes about massacre and can them.

    tye (419805)

  34. 33- perfect. Jd apologize… you mandydouchtery Jack hole.

    tye (419805)

  35. tyke, many people will stop attempting to get your goat when you pack your bags and leave for good, removing your inanity from the conversation.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  36. AD, the apartment they are taking apart is within a few hundred yards of Univ of Colorado Medical center.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  37. I take it back. It isn’t lax gun laws, it’s condominiums.

    Yep, too damn many condominiums and girls in skimpy outfits. Well, maybe not the young pretty ones. Humm, this is more complicated than I thought. I need a little more to sort things out.

    ropelight (e41526)

  38. Maybe Ross will buy a clue, wholesale, probably not,

    https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog

    narciso (ee31f1)

  39. 26- you’re right. I don’t get what goes through somebody’s mind when they make glib comments at a time like this.
    Comment by tye — 7/20/2012 @ 8:42 am

    — It is hardly surprising at all when JD makes a comment that directly relates to one aspect of the thread (specifically, the part where Patterico wrote “Only slightly less predictable is an apparently unevidenced rush to blame the Tea Party.”) and you cannot understand why he did it.

    Icy (4e9549)

  40. _________________________________________________

    they’ll still blame it on the Tea Party, or Limbaugh or the NRA.

    The possible politics surrounding this tragedy may be full of odd twists and turns:

    Gawker.com: Making an unplanned phone call into the nationally syndicated radio program Schnitt Show yesterday, comic book writer Chuck Dixon, co-creator of the character Bane, refuted claims made by Rush Limbaugh that the homophonic similarities between the Batman villain and Mitt Romney’s financial services company Bain suggest a liberal conspiracy to smear the presidential candidate.

    Graham and I are both staunch conservatives, so from our angle there is no liberal agenda,” Dixon said, referring to his DC partner Graham Nolan.

    “The idea that there’s some kind of liberal agenda behind the use of Bane in the new movie is silly,” Dixon told ComicBook.com in the aftermath of the Limbaugh segment. “I refuted this within hours of the article in the Washington Examiner suggesting that Bane would be tied to Bain Capital and Mitt Romney appearing. Bane was created by me and Graham Nolan and we are lifelong conservatives and as far from left-wing mouthpieces as you are likely to find in comics.”

    Despite vehemently denying that there was any connection to be made between his Batman work and the current election cycle, Dixon did offer Limbaugh and other right-wing straw-graspers a consolation prize.

    “As for his appearance in The Dark Knight Rises, Bane is a force for evil and the destruction of the status quo,” Dixon said. “He’s far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you’re looking to cast him politically. And if there ever was a Bruce Wayne running for the White House it would have to be Romney.”

    ^ The killer may have absolutely no interest in the details of the Batman movie, and he is a psychopath no matter what. But if it turns out he does have a background with some sympathies towards OWS, that will move the story closer to a case of life imitating art.

    Beyond that, it’s a relief to learn about the background of at least some in the comic-book industry after recently reading about other writers in that line of work creating characters who are gay and end up in same-sex marriages. When it comes to things similar to that, this era (eg, of Obama’s “Goddamn America”) seem even more increasingly bizarre and oddly deranged.

    Mark (a346be)

  41. The real deal; moved to CO to complete PhD, dropped out of school a month ago. Mom indicated she knew he did it even before authorities told her

    http://www.turnto23.com/news/31289583/detail.html

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  42. Why didn’t anyone shoot back? Oh yeah, gun-free zone.

    luagha (a45003)

  43. I, for one, will NEVER attempt to get tye’s goat.

    Call me a sucker for young creatures in love.

    Icy (4e9549)

  44. [J.H.] recently moved to Colorado to pursue a PhD at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus, according to reports. James was studying neuroscience and just withdrawn from the program in June

    He was studying neuroscience …

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  45. Its going to be a case of untreated mental illness like Loughner. Clayton Cramer has been spending quite a bit of time blogging and writing about how the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders has gotten off track due to misguided “civil rights” advocates.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  46. SPQR yep. Something’s got to change. His parents would have been nearly impotent to do anything to save him.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  47. Or any of the people he killed and Injured.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  48. 8- I am not sure why you’re making jokes about a dozen freshly dead murder victims you sick SOB.
    Comment by tye — 7/20/2012 @ 8:22 am

    — Not to belabor the point, but has anyone here made a joke about the victims?

    I didn’t think so.

    Icy (4e9549)

  49. I’ve already emailed to ABC News demanding Brian Ross’ firing.

    Everyone should.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  50. Icy, tye is a long established liar.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  51. SPQR Just did.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  52. ______________________________________________

    I wonder if the following is going to pan out?:

    breitbart.com:

    James Holmes, the suspect arrested in connection with the mass shootings at a screening of the new Batman movie early this morning in Aurora, CO, could be a registered Democrat, according to documents obtained by Breitbart News. Earlier, ABC News’ Brian Ross and George Stephanopoulos speculated on Good Morning America that Holmes was a Tea Party member, based solely on a name appearing on a Tea Party website.

    The James Holmes for whom Breitbart News has obtained documentation is 25 years old (the suspect has been reported as 24 years old). He has links to addresses in both Colorado and San Diego, where his mother has been reported to be from, according to news reports. He was issued a traffic citation in 2011–his sole run-in with the law. The same is true for the suspect arrested in connection with the shootings, according to reports.

    Furthermore, the James Holmes for whom records were obtained by Breitbart News registered as a Democrat on June 14, 2011. He registered from an address in La Plata County, Colorado, and his status is listed as “inactive.”

    Breitbart News has not confirmed that this James Holmes is in fact the suspect, but the details above appear to match closely. There are certainly more facts in our documents than in ABC News’ irresponsible speculations.

    Mark (a346be)

  53. La Plata County makes no sense, that’s no where near Denver/Aurora.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  54. _____________________________________________

    La Plata County makes no sense, that’s no where near Denver/Aurora.

    And isn’t it interesting how you (and I too) feel rather cautious about relying on such information in spite of the fact (1) we’re not in the media, (2) we’re not reporting the story to a national audience, and (3) even though the details from Breitbart are at least somewhat more complete than what the reporters from ABC News were going on.

    Oh, and the MSM isn’t biased to the left because…they’re owned by big corporations!!!

    Mark (a346be)

  55. ABC confirms other reports that the suspect is from San Diego.

    The link also says ABC and Brian Ross apologize for disseminating information that the suspect was linked to the Tea Party, stating the claim was released “before it was properly vetted.” Is this tantamount to an admission of recklessness?

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  56. For those people not familiar with Colorado geography, La Plata county is in the southwest corner of Colorado. Approximately 8 to 10 hour drive from the Denver metro area. Its largest city is Durango. You almost can’t get farther from Denver and still be in Colorado than La Plata.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  57. 54- i wonder how the article cited us any different than the abc report that was delivered before properly vetted. Outrage in 3…2…1…

    tye (419805)

  58. Is not us

    tye (419805)

  59. The link also says ABC and Brian Ross apologize for disseminating information that the suspect was linked to the Tea Party, stating the claim was released “before it was properly vetted.” Is this tantamount to an admission of recklessness?

    It’s also an admission of runamok bias. Why was he searching through Tea Party sites? The next Tea Party shooter will be the first. This is a meme that only attracts the radical left fringe, and which they are dying to exploit. The frustration after the Giffords thing was palpable, to the point where they smeared the Right even after the facts were known.

    Or did Ross also check all the leftish blogs and Obama fansites? I’d bet not.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  60. In a certain sense, all speculation — even ‘informed’ speculation — is irresponsible.

    But it sure is fun

    Icy (4e9549)

  61. Recklessness by representatives of major media?
    A media outlet owned by Disney, headed by a phalanx of Hollywood, Left-Wing Progs.
    As Dennis Prager has said, businesses (corporations) for the most part are neither moral, or immoral, but amoral; as their interest is in making a profit.
    And in the News Business, if it Bleeds, it Leads!

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  62. You almost can’t get farther from Denver and still be in Colorado than La Plata.

    Reporter thought balloon: “So, if he’s not a Tea Partier, maybe he’s a Mormon.”

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  63. A shooting connected to the TEA Party….

    Well, we don’t know about this guy?
    http://www.examiner.com/article/the-mouse-gun-that-roared

    Oh, wait, he shot two armed robbers in a fast-food joint (well, I’m sure they looked like Obama’s son he never had).

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  64. AD, and he did a pretty good job of clearing those two thugs out.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  65. tye has to be a bot. A real person would eventually get embarrassed for being so stupid.

    JD (459580)

  66. Once again we have a dramatic, tragic event. Once again the media picks and chooses which news is important for them and America to (almost exclusively) focus on. The campaigns are reeling, making changes in campaign appearances and canceling ads in Colorado. Spokesmen are pointing fingers, pontificating, and hacks are spinning behind the scenes. Blogs are going nuts–but with little info and much misinformation.

    I’d like to think that while he is expressing his horror and also his genuine sympathy to the movie theater victims and their families, Mitt also has another opportunity here to show his character and reach out to others. He can remind the American people that this same number of victims die violently most summer weekends in the streets of Chicago alone. Yes, one or two at a time and not just by guns. They are young and old. Beatings, knives and other deadly means are also used. But the victims are just as dead as the CO. victims and the violence frightens and intimidates their community as much. The families of these dead are as heartbroken and devastated, but they bear their loss alone.

    The difference is that the political campaigns ignore this warfare entirely, and the media yawns and is not very interested in searching for “the reasons” it happened, or to delve into the “background”, history, and political beliefs of the perpetrators. “Civility” is not demanded. Campaigns don’t cancel events and pull ads in respect for the victims.

    elissa (280618)

  67. JD, is “being a real person”, and being a Leftist like tyke, mutually exclusive?

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  68. 69- dehumanizing your political opponents is your reaction to a tragedy like this? Very telling.

    tye (419805)

  69. _______________________________________________

    Meanwhile, the guy who loves to make everything about him, him, him, — including the statement he made not long ago about if he had a son, he’d look like Trayvon Martin — had this to proclaim today:

    “My daughters go to the movies. What if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater, as so many of our kids do every day?”

    So just as his “you didn’t build that” comment — at the very least — was a Freudian slip, his need to personalize the tragedy in Denver is sort of a variation of that? IOW, in order for him to feel more sympathy towards the victims and greater outrage about the killings, he has to envision his daughters sitting in that same theater?

    Mark (a346be)

  70. Mark – his daughters would have had multiple armed secret service personnel with them.

    JD (459580)

  71. elissa, remember that Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois, are – de jure – Gun Free Zones!
    IL is the only state in the nation that has no form of Concealed Carry.
    http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592552.pdf

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  72. ==It’s also an admission of runamok bias. Why was he searching through Tea Party sites?==

    This is a brilliant observation and an excellent, important question, but one which will be largely overlooked, Kevin M.

    This question must be asked of the head of the news department at ABC and the owners of the network. Does Ross regularly and immediately examine certain sites when unpleasant news breaks? How can a “respected” investigative journalist be so ready to jump to conclusions if not for bias? Does any entity in ABC vet statements of star reporters before they are allowed to spew?

    Tapper, Steph, and others must also be asked what they think about this. Is it company policy? Do they find it acceptable journalism?

    elissa (280618)

  73. I am going to follow the story and provide major updates throughout the day, here.

    Aaron "Worthing" Walker (23789b)

  74. Do they find it acceptable journalism?

    Yes

    JD (459580)

  75. 70- It has nothing at all to do with tragedy, except the tragedy of your stupidity – which must be a painful burden for you to carry around constantly.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  76. Iowahawk’s twitter feed is hysterical.

    JD (459580)

  77. 77- what’s the subject of this thread chief?

    tye (419805)

  78. “[J.H.] recently moved to Colorado to pursue a PhD at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus, according to reports. James was studying neuroscience”

    Preemptive victims of Obamacare?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  79. AD – tye is diligent about staying on topic.

    JD (459580)

  80. one of JH’s listed courses: Biological Basis of Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders.

    Shades of Dr. Amy

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  81. 80- I’m actually surprised it only took 80 comments to blame Obama for this.

    tye (419805)

  82. I am surprised that the Tea Party was blamed before breakfast

    JD (459580)

  83. Anschutz campus confirms he was “in the process of withdrawing” from his program. I will guess he was being forced or strongly encouraged to withdraw.

    His apt. complex neighbors say he was already withdrawn in another sense: he refused to make eye contact, acknowledge the pretense of others, eg, would never reply to an in-passing “hello” or engage his neighbors in any other way.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  84. “80- I’m actually surprised it only took 80 comments to blame Obama for this.”

    tye – What blame, moron? Apologize. That was a question.

    You were the one who called Obama a Muslim terrorist last night. You have standing here to criticize others.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  85. NO standing

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  86. The, it’s the reaction that is blameworthy.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  87. The =tye (DYAC )

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  88. I want to know exactly to what the mom responded “You’ve got the right guy”.

    “Mrs. Holmes? A guy named James Holmes just shot a theater full of people”
    “You’ve got the right guy”

    vs
    “Mrs. Holmes? Is your son 24-year old neuroscience phd candidate James, who currently lives in Aurora, Colorado?”
    “You’ve got the right guy.”

    If it’s more like the first, it would possibly indicate he’d made threats. If it’s like the second, that’s a different thing entirely.

    MayBee (fb7121)

  89. If only Margaret Sanger were still running “Planned Parenthood”, none of these pathologies would survive to adulthood (or infancy).

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  90. Brian Ross should be fired.

    JD (459580)

  91. Maybee, maybe he’s just a nut who kept ranting about Batman this and Batman that, and his mom connected it right away.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  92. _______________________________________________

    If this is accurate, it possibly — possibly — reveals the particular direction of the nature of the killer’s derangement. IOW, it would be just the opposite of his being a supposed member of the Tea Party (or the right), of his being more like the gunman who shot Giffords in Arizona. Or a person against moral authority, more sympathetic with the bad guys than the good ones (eg, opponents of capital punishment often shed tears over the treatment of a convicted murderer instead of his victims):

    newyork.cbslocal.com: New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the gunman suspected of attacking a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado resembled Batman’s arch-villain “The Joker” at the time of the shocking attack.

    “We have some information, most of it is public. It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red, he said he was ‘The Joker,’ obviously the ‘enemy’ of Batman,” Kelly said at a news conference after noon.

    Mark (a346be)

  93. 38. I take it back. It isn’t lax gun laws, it’s condominiums.

    Yep, too damn many condominiums and girls in skimpy outfits…

    Comment by ropelight — 7/20/2012 @ 8:57 am

    No, ropelight, it’s precisely because of the girls in skimpy outfits running around college campuses that we need more condominiums.

    According to Sandra Fluke’s testimony about the gymnastics going on at Georgetown, it’s just that the students run out of money paying for their own.

    The problem is we don’t have free condominiums.

    I blame the Catholic Church.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  94. Mr. Joker usually has green hair I thought

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  95. happyfeet – I thought the same thing, green not red.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  96. 80. “[J.H.] recently moved to Colorado to pursue a PhD at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus, according to reports. James was studying neuroscience”

    Comment by daleyrocks — 7/20/2012 @ 10:09 am

    I see certain parallels with Maj. Hasan Nidal, the Fort Hood shooter.

    It sounds like if you’re a madman about to embark on a shooting spree, the safest place to hide is among trained medical professionals.

    Second safest. The first is in any jurisdiction policed by Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.

    Sheriff: ‘Entire Neighborhood’ Knew Jared Loughner Was Troubled

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  97. Well there is a certain honesty, on his part;

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/07/20/Time-Mag-Exploit-Dark-Knight

    narciso (ee31f1)

  98. Faculty member: Holmes was ‘strangely quiet in class’

    A colleague of mine just spoke with a neuroscience faculty member who said he taught shooting suspect James Holmes in a class at the University of Colorado medical campus.

    The faculty member, who asked for anonymity because of privacy concerns, said Holmes was “very quiet, strangely quiet in class,” and said he seemed “socially off.”

    When the staff member heard Holmes’s name in connection with the shooting today, he thought that the suspect could well be his student, and he was not surprised to find out later that it was.

    When Holmes and other neuroscience students took their comprehensive exams last semester, Holmes did very poorly, he said. The school’s staff wasn’t going to toss him out, the educator said, but they were planning to do something remedial, and contemplated putting him on academic probation.

    http://liveblog.washingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/colorado-theater-shooting/#liveblog-entry-2023

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  99. Will Brian Ross be forced, by Iowahawk, to change his name?

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  100. 97. happyfeet – I thought the same thing, green not red.

    Comment by Pious Agnostic — 7/20/2012 @ 10:30 am

    I can see it now. A couple is checking out TVs at bestbuy when a news bulletin comes across all the screens in the showroom. The police are appealing to the public for help locating a gunman on the loose. They report the gunman resembles the Joker from Batman.

    The only other person in the showroom is a man with flaming red hair, white greasepaint all over his face, and exaggerated painted red lips smeared crazily around his mouth. He’s wearing a suspiciously large overcoat, especially for July.

    She: “Do you think that’s the guy the cops are looking for?”

    He: “No. Everyone knows the Joker has green hair, not red.”

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  101. Thank GOD that the police commissioner of New York City saw fit to insert himself into the story.

    Icy (4e9549)

  102. 🙂

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  103. Anyone want to take bets as to how long it’ll be before the Obama campaign or its surrogates ties this shooting spree to Romney?

    The villain in this Batman flick is called “Bane” after all.

    Mass Murder. Dark Knight. Bane. Hmmm.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  104. Steve57 — thanks for the laughs, could use that today.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  105. That’s why comic-book nerds don’t make the best detectives; we get distracted by this kind of minutia.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  106. 105- I’m guessing never. The writers of Batman must have had some amazing foresight to create that character in 1993. How long did it take this site to hint that Obama was to blame? A few hours. 80 comments. Either way. Thank you daley

    tye (419805)

  107. “Reckless Disregard”
    Isn’t that civilly actionable?
    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/07/20/why-is-brian-ross-still-working-for-abc-news/

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  108. Bane v. Bain
    Didn’t the Wash Examiner “break” this news last Monday, and it was followed up by Rush on Tuesday?
    Plus, the two creators of “Bane” self-describe themselves as conservatives, if not TEA Party acolytes.
    So, it seems that, in the Clinton lexicon, this is “Old News”!

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  109. tye is misinformed.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  110. Tye, his reaction is blameable… But his attitude about fun control probably is blame able, too. Armed citizens wouldn’t have been such sitting ducks

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  111. How long did it take this site to hint that Obama was to blame?

    How long before ABC blamed the Tea Party on national television?

    JD (459580)

  112. Tye, his reaction is blameable… But his attitude about gun control probably is blame able, too. Armed citizens wouldn’t have been such sitting ducks

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  113. Where did “this site” blame Obama?

    JD (459580)

  114. Has anybody determined yet whether the weapon used was from Fast and Furious?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  115. Steve57 thanks for that.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  116. I’m also seeing reports saying 12 dead and 14 dead. Early reports in situations like this are notoriously inaccurate: caveat lector.

    Probably won’t know the final count for several days or more. There are several people (9 or 10) who are in critical condition.

    Very sad day.

    Brandon (d777af)

  117. “Where did “this site” blame Obama?”

    JD – I saw a commenter on this site call Obama a muslim terrorist.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  118. Compare and contrast the action and reaction at this internet cafe in Ocala FL
    http://www.examiner.com/article/the-mouse-gun-that-roared
    to what happened at Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen TX
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luby%27s_massacre

    Gun Free Zones kill.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  119. The press conference included a report that 59 people were wounded and 12 died for a total of 71 victims. My condolences to all the victims and their families, as well as to our Colorado commenters who I know are grieving with their fellow Coloradans.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  120. At the press conference, the police also said they believe the suspect used a Glock, an AR-15 and a shotgun in the theater. They found another Glock in his car.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  121. How long did it take this site to hint that Obama was to blame?

    Liar.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  122. Also from the press conference: The suspect’s apartment has what appear to be several incendiary devices with chemicals and booby-traps/wires.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  123. “80 comments. Either way. Thank you daley”

    tye – Liar. Waiting for my apology. Neurosciences Phd candidate drops out of program and goes on shooting rampage. Is Obamacare involved?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  124. The previously linked article said 10 were dead at the scene, so additional deaths will be at a number of different hospitals, hence the confusion in counting reports (in haste). But yes, it sounds that quite a few of the injured are in critical condition.

    Other than saying he was arrested in the parking lot, it is unclear whether he just stood there or what.

    Beck and his producer went to town on the “Brian Ross” from ABC might be the Brian Ross wanted in a robbery and murder, but we’re not sure…

    As far as “Bane”, Rush said something about it having been noted already by some late night comedians.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  125. Bill Handel on KFI-640AM (Los Angeles) read a report that James Holmes was confirmed by the University of Colorado Medical School as a “past student” at that school.
    Holmes grew up in San Diego.

    CBS Denver also reported that Holmes graduated from UC Riverside (in SoCal) with a degree in neuroscience, and was a graduate student at UCoMS.

    This guy is apparently very bright. Given the calculated nature of his crime, I would agree – bright in a very demented sort of way.

    Brandon (d777af)

  126. Of course, Obama does remind us that Holmes did not do this shooting alone. Government built the roads from his apartment to the theater, built the electrical infrastructure to the theater, and built the public universities that educated him.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  127. Well, it won’t be at all hard to keep up with this shooting story. Diane Sawyer says it will be the topic of “Good afternoon America”, there will be a special edition of ABC evening news, as well as tonight’s 20/20 program and Nightline.

    Of course, if you are interested in any other news of the day, or like to follow events around the world..

    elissa (280618)

  128. Has anybody determined yet whether the weapon used was from Fast and Furious?

    Sources say officials are considering the possibility the weapons may have been acquired as part of the ‘Fast and Furious’ illegal gun sales program run by the Obama administration; other sources say investigators are checking to see if the dealer was ordered by BATFE to make the sale.

    (Nah, no one’s actually saying any of that. But it seems so fun with “journalists” do it…)

    Rob Crawford (c55962)

  129. Maybe it’s just me, but I would prefer that the “other” Mr. Holmes quietly but ruthlessly attends to getting a nice fat monetary settlement from Ross and ABC. Continuing the “Tea Party was defamed” business on the airwaves and blogs just keeps the political (but irrelevant) aspects of this tragedy alive, and continues the association of the tea party with this event in Google searches, etc.

    elissa (280618)

  130. Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said the suspect was wearing black, military or police-style tactical gear including a helmet, vest, leggings, throat protector and groin protector. He said he surrendered to police without a fight.

    http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/theater-shooting-gunman-just-firing-picking-random-people/?hpt=hp_t1

    Uwe Boll directed a film entitled “Rampage” in which a young 23 yo man goes on a shooting rampage dressed in very similar gear. I wonder………

    Brandon (d777af)

  131. _____________________________________________

    “Brian Ross” from ABC might be the Brian Ross wanted in a robbery and murder

    Also, Iowahawk’s twitter page wryly sums up the ludicrously incompetent (yet purposeful) nature of Ross even daring to say a peep about a name grabbed from the Internet. There’s no doubt that if his armchair sleuthing turned up even a hint of an association with, say, “Hope and Change,” he’d have done back flips to avoid mentioning that such a person possibly was the shooter.

    It will be a fitting end to the way that people like Ross originally dealt with this tragedy if the movie theater murderer’s MO is somewhat similar to that of Jared Loughner, or a person who, as things turned out, reflects a history of left-leaning proclivities. A killers then and a killer today who some in the MSM so greatly — so passionately — wanted to instead tie to the Tea Party, to the right.

    Mark (a346be)

  132. Where did “this site” blame Obama, tye? Lie much?!

    JD (459580)

  133. Much? Tye lies all the time, without stopping.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  134. Comment 80.

    tye (419805)

  135. Daley did not accuse Obama, and commenter does not equal this site, tye. Is this site responsible for your nonsense?

    JD (318f81)

  136. __________________________________________

    He: “No. Everyone knows the Joker has green hair, not red.”

    That would make a classic, hilarious “d’oh!” moment in the last box of a comic strip.

    It now seems that earlier talk about the killer saying he was “the joker” is accurate, leading me to feel more confident in guessing that the murderer is going to have some parallels (ie, political ones) to the gunman who shot that Congresswoman in Arizona.

    Mark (a346be)

  137. ==It will be a fitting end to the way that people like Ross originally dealt with this tragedy if the movie theater murderer’s MO is somewhat similar to that of Jared Loughner, or a person who, as things turned out, reflects a history of left-leaning proclivities.==

    Even if shooter Holmes is a registered Democrat does it matter? Does one’s political affiliation now become an accepted integral part of every news story–of every part of one’s identity and usefulness in American society?

    Will it become common to hear, “I’ll never allow my son to be coached in little league by a liberal”? “Will it ever be OK to tell a kid, “Sorry you can’t take piano lessons from Mrs. Bright because it says on her facebook page that she sympathizes with the Tea Party”? Will people demand to know if the surgeon is a Democrat or a Republican before they allow them to perform their kidney transplant?

    Sane citizens have got to try to end all this “all politics all the time” nonsense.

    elissa (280618)

  138. 140- yes he did. None of the peanut gallery put him in his place for doing so. You essentially sanctioned it.

    tye (419805)

  139. Someone should tell you, tye, that one of the features of your reputation on this site is that you do not seem to be able to make a post about something political (or that you want to make to be political) without somehow telling a lie.

    Oh, I just did.

    htom (412a17)

  140. Wow, I went back and read comment #80 and sure enough, it says (I’m paraphrasing) “Obama is to blame for the murders last night in Colorado where that guy killed all those people dressed as the Joker.”

    I guess tye was right.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  141. _______________________________________________

    Does one’s political affiliation now become an accepted integral part of every news story–of every part of one’s identity and usefulness in American society?

    Sadly, Elissa, because that’s how too much of the MSM plays the game. In two recent incidents of a gunman on a rampage, first in Arizona and now in Denver, early rumblings from the left played up the angle that such ruthlessness was either caused by a conservative or somehow instigated by the right.

    I agree that it’s sleazy to play up politics at such times, but never forget the very telling event in 2002 when Democrats/liberals turned the large funeral for Paul Wellstone, the Senator from Minnesota killed in a plane crash, into a political (and weirdly heartless and crass) spectacle.

    Mark (a346be)

  142. 140- yes he did. None of the peanut gallery put him in his place for doing so. You essentially sanctioned it.

    Again with the lies. Is “this site” responsible for every comment? If Finkleman says something in 173492746483 words, and nobody responds, is that a tacit sanctioning of same? When does a comment become the voice of this site?

    JD (318f81)

  143. “I guess tye was right.”

    PA – No he’s not. Why did Holmes drop out? Surveys report 83% of doctors are considering leaving their practices due to Obamacare. Did Holmes see the writing on the wall and decide there was no future in a field such as neuroscience and that he had just wasted years of his life? We have no idea. That’s why comment was phrased as a question.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  144. I know daley. I should have used the sarcasm tag.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  145. Daley – Pious was mocking the idiot.

    JD (318f81)

  146. When does a comment become the voice of this site?

    When it’s convenient for tye to lie about it. That’s when, JD.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  147. PA and JD – Got it. Maybe my clarification will help the idiot who accused Obama of being a muslim terrorist last night.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  148. tye leaves dozens of comments that are ignored. It must mean we all agree with them.

    Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b)

  149. On TV I keep seeing the picture of Holmes in his orange T-shirt with a self-involved smirk on his face. Right off it occurred to me the boy just ain’t right. Now, after seeing it 10 or 12 times, I’m sure of it. He’s crazy as a shit house rat.

    We’re lookin’ right straight at an insanity defense.

    ropelight (e41526)

  150. Maybe Sammy can clear things up for tye.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  151. Surveys report 83% of doctors are considering leaving their practices due to Obamacare. Did Holmes see the writing on the wall and decide there was no future in a field such as neuroscience and that he had just wasted years of his life?

    daley, a Ph.D in neuroscience isn’t an MD. And actually a career in medical research offers a pretty decent future.

    Of course, a lot of those MDs who are thinking of dropping out are doing so because there’s no future in treating patients thanks to ObamaCare. But many of those doctors are thinking of going into research as an alternative. Where they don’t have to just take the pittance the government will require them to take for treating patients.

    So ObamaCare will increase the competition for those just coming out of college and trying to get jobs in research. In that sense, his prospects might have dimmed considerably.

    But who knows. I’m suspecting that a guy inclined to paint himself up and go on a shooting spree probably might have a hard time getting through the interview process even if job openings were going begging. Apparently he couldn’t even get through the educational process, as by some reports he was a former student because he was highly encouraged to leave the program.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  152. Comment by elissa — 7/20/2012 @ 11:55 am

    RR to staff at Washington hospital after his shooting:

    I sure hope you’re all Republicans.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  153. If Holmes is 24 he could have voted in the last Presidential election, so what are the chances ABC will ask friends and family about his political preferences, now that it appears evident he is a mentally imbalanced college dropout?

    Yeah, “a snowball’s chance in hell” is about what I would guess too.

    sherlock (aeaf2b)

  154. Comment by Mark — 7/20/2012 @ 12:03 pm

    And lost the subsequent election (in large part) because of it.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  155. “daley, a Ph.D in neuroscience isn’t an MD.”

    Steve57 – Thank you for stating the obvious.

    “And actually a career in medical research offers a pretty decent future.”

    A matter of opinion, plus at this point we have no idea of the career goals of Holmes, so the addition of your speculation on top of my speculation serves no purpose unless you just like to argue.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  156. tye – I have no information indicating that Holmes is not a member of OFA. Conversely, I have not heard, read of received any reports indicating that he is a member of OFA.

    Do you think I could make it as a capital “J” journalist with the MSM?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  157. …unless you just like to argue.

    I wasn’t trying to argue. Quite the opposite. I was saying that your speculative question about ObamaCare might have some merit even though he wouldn’t have been going into the field those MDs are abandoning due to ObamaCare.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  158. It appears that your advice is falling on deaf ears…

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/07/20/It-Begins-ABC-Ross-Stephanolpoulos-Point-to-Tea-Party-for-Dark-Knight-Shooting

    Now they switched to blaming the gay pride parade.

    if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater there would’ve been armed Secret Service people there to take the shooter down, and many lives would have been saved

    unless they’d stepped out to bang some whores

    So true.

    Michael Ejercito (2e0217)

  159. 148- doubling down.

    tye (419805)

  160. Tye – what criteria do you use that allows an individual comment, which you lied about, to then speak for the site as a whole?

    JD (318f81)

  161. 10. Bloomberg was not endorsing gun control. He was saying there should be something doen to reduce gun murders. He’s for “stop and frisk”

    .

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  162. SF: This happened very early in the morning. What is this, an overnight showing of the movie?

    Comment by Dustin — 7/20/2012 @ 7:34 am

    Just about every theater had showings starting at midnight. It’s opening night.

    They couldn’t start shoiwng the movie at around 6 PM the previous night? It had to be not before a certain calendar date?

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  163. Comment by Icy — 7/20/2012 @ 7:39 am

    To hear Nanny Bloomberg suffering from the “government must do something!” disease is about as surprising as seeing Sammy the Equivocator misrepresent what he said.

    I didn’t hear the whole thing.

    It was maybe “government must do something” disease, which can lead to a multiplicity of laws over time, but it wasn’t specifically gun control.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  164. I heard from someone tgaht the gunman used tear gas (where did he get it?) and that he was duplicarting a scene from the movie – later Mark Steyn said on the Rush limbauugh show that this was A SCENE FROM A 1986 BATMAN COMIC BOOK.

    And here it is:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176683/Was-deadly-shooting-inspired-Batman-comic-book.html

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  165. A sad event to take place..

    And yet I’m not surprised in the slightest that the mainstream media got it wrong.. As per usual.

    Alissa Dirks (a95d6f)

  166. A quick check of Wikipedia could have told Braian Ross that there were many people named James Holmes:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holmes

    James Holmes may refer to:

    James Holmes (programmer), Java developer
    James Holmes (actor), British actor
    James Howard Holmes (born 1943), diplomat
    James Leon Holmes (born 1951), U.S. federal judge
    James William Holmes (died 1994), convicted murderer
    Ducky Holmes (James William Holmes, 1869–1932), baseball player
    Jamie Holmes (born 1983), soccer player
    Jimmy Holmes (born 1953), Irish former footballer
    Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, a blues musician
    Jim Holmes (1882–1960), baseball pitcher
    James Flournoy Holmes, album cover artist

    added today (No Wikipedia article link)

    James Eagan Holmes (b. 1987), alleged shooter in the 2012 Aurora shooting

    Of course what Brian Ross liked was that tghis person lived in Aurora and had an Internet presence.

    James Taranto says in Best of the web:

    “According to HowManyOfMe.com, there are 36 James Tarantos in the U.S.

    Men named James Holmes are much more numerous:
    HMOM.com puts the count at 2,909.”

    Here it is:

    http://www.howmanyofme.com/search/

    There are 5,225,343 people in the U.S. with the first name James.

    Statistically the 1st most popular first name.
    99.7 percent of people with the first name James are male.

    There are 174,804 people in the U.S. with the last name Holmes.

    Statistically the 161st most popular last name

    There are 2,909 people in the U.S. named James Holmes.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  167. Finkelman, are you paid by the word or the syllable?

    SPQR (26be8b)

  168. If I put it here you don’t have to click on the link.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  169. tye is misinformed malformed.
    Comment by Pious Agnostic — 7/20/2012 @ 10:55 am

    — FTFY

    Icy (4e9549)

  170. Since the “suspect” has told police he was the Joker, we must make it clear that so far there is no evidence yet he was linking with the image of Obama as the Joker.

    Bill G (2c9baa)

  171. 140- yes he did. None of the peanut gallery put him in his place for doing so. You essentially sanctioned it.
    Comment by tye — 7/20/2012 @ 11:59 am

    — It’s tough to pay attention to the other kids when the brat of the litter demands all of your time.

    Icy (4e9549)

  172. They couldn’t start shoiwng the movie at around 6 PM the previous night? It had to be not before a certain calendar date?
    Comment by Sammy Finkelman — 7/20/2012 @ 1:22 pm

    — It’s a marketing gimmick, Mr. Sammy.

    [It sounds like u go to the movies about as often as I do]

    Icy (4e9549)

  173. Since the “suspect” has told police he was the Joker, we must make it clear that so far there is no evidence yet he was linking with the image of Obama as the Joker.
    Comment by Bill G — 7/20/2012 @ 2:30 pm

    — And HOW do you know that he told this to the police?

    Icy (4e9549)

  174. Finkelman, please … please … make me click a link. Force me.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  175. Sammy,

    I’d rather have a link than long excerpts. However, if you insist on excerpts, please also add the link.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  176. Even Kevin Drum, now at Mother Jones, is embarrassed by Brian Ross:

    I don’t normally call for people’s heads for making a mistake, even a bad one, but this is really beyond the pale. What kind of reporter says something like this on national TV despite knowing full well that he has no idea if he’s pegging the right person? Is there really any good reason Ross should still be employed by ABC News by the close of business today?

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  177. Maybe tye can head over there and bash Mr Drum.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  178. “Red” “Green” – Odds that he is color blind?

    Phillep Harding (1b8b26)

  179. Hi Sammy–

    There are some aspects of your 2:18 post which I find interesting/different in an “oh that’s kind of interesting” sort of way. Personally, I don’t at all think that your posts are offensive, or devoid of worth, but I do find them confusing and hard to wade through sometimes. Often I don’t bother when time is really crunched. As others have mentioned, the length (and stream of consciousness aspects) of many of your comments is such that the potential good stuff seems to get buried or sidetracked because of the minutiae.

    I’m absolutely the last person who should talk because I know I can get wordy sometimes, too, but here I go: Sammy, please consider trying to think out in advance what is the main point you are going for in each post–type out your thoughts– and then edit, with honesty, looking for clarity, brevity and relevance. Remove what is unnecessary or redundant, and/or use links instead of ultra long excerpts. Do you think that might be worth a try? I believe it might help me (and others) to appreciate your comments and contributions more.

    elissa (280618)

  180. The shooter was at one time Phi Beta Kappa and a top drawer student. His devolve-ment from a high functioning if a bit odd scholar to a very remarkably socially withdrawn academic failure sounds like schizophrenia to me. I guess we will find out in the fullness of time.

    SarahW (b0e533)

  181. Is there really any good reason Ross should still be employed by ABC News by the close of business today?

    Michael Eisner’s wife thinks he’s dreamy?

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  182. Eisner is back in-charge of ABC? Since when?

    Icy (4e9549)

  183. SarahW, at odd times throughout the day the shooter’s parents have entered my mind. Without knowing a thing about who they are, or their relationship with their son, or how they may have tried to get him help, it’s almost impossible to imagine what they (and any siblings if he has any) must be going through. To know that as his parents you brought someone into the world who, sick or not has ended and ruined so many lives, must be devastating beyond our comprehension.

    elissa (280618)

  184. My God… hearing the stories of terror and loss just breaks one’s heart. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have lost so much at the hands of this murderous lunatic.

    Colonel Haiku (b61252)

  185. Icy, well he’s not, but he’s the one I remember – saw him at way too many “Mighty Ducks” games.

    But, since they’ve sort of created a revolving door over in the Ex-Suite at Disney, perhaps he is still the power behind the thrown.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  186. They couldn’t start shoiwng the movie at around 6 PM the previous night? It had to be not before a certain calendar date?
    Comment by Sammy Finkelman

    what… am I chopped liver?

    Colonel Haiku (b61252)

  187. Comment by Sarahw — 7/20/2012 @ 9:07 am

    He was studying neuroscience

    So we could say e was influenced by some writings into thinking people do not have free will – and if people don’t have free will, there’s no reason to waste time thinking about whether he should do anything or not. But this would be just making things up.

    Sammy Finkelman (58e1fc)

  188. Mitt Romney’s comments earlier today…

    http://youtu.be/MyZqAyEPgwY

    Colonel Haiku (b61252)

  189. Sammy,

    It’s become commonplace for blockbuster action movies like Batman to premiere at Midnight on the official release date.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  190. Walmart even has midnight release DVD parties.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  191. I know people panic in situations like this but I can’t fathom why this young father did what he did.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  192. Comment by DRJ — 7/20/2012 @ 3:59 pm

    Hasn’t Apple also done this?

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  193. Comment by DRJ — 7/20/2012 @ 4:05 pm

    He’s going to be ‘splainin’ that to his wife (and parents) for years – if not forever.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  194. Some updates:

    There are a total of 1 people shot, with 12 dead, and some of the 59 extremely critically wounded. And the 59 maybe don’t include other injuries, like shrapnel.

    One person who escaped a shooting in Canada this June, because she had a premonition or something, got killed in this one.

    Both candidates quit campaigning and Obama ordered flags to be put at half staff for 5 days, through July 25. Three members of the military were hurt and one is missing.

    All 4 guns he had were bought legally, within the last 6 months, which is a rather fast pace for buying guns. The last was bought within the past month, after he had quit school.

    His apartment is booby trapped, or appears to be so with chemicals and maybe trip wires and the police are still not in there. The shooter told them it would be – saying something like it’s not over.

    He did not say a word when doing this. He started with – a gas grenade ? and one shot but then picked up the pace. Fired his guns over the course of a minute or two and then calmly walked through the theatre and out like nothing had happened. He told the police he was The Joker.

    There wasn’t a scene in the movie with shooting like this apparently but there was a trailer for a movie about Los Angeles gangsters, particularly Mickey Cohen and that had a theatre being shot up. That trailer has now been pulled.

    In one of those fighting-the-last-war preventative measures, Warner Brothers (?) is now not going to allow anyone with a costume to go into the movie. The killer wore a costume. He was costumed from head to toe and nobody could tell anything about him, even his race, except for his height and approximate weight.

    It could have looked at the start like a stunt by the movie (since this was the premiere)

    NBC’s Brian Williams traveled to Aurora, Colorado, for the evening broadcast.

    Thoughts that occur to me:

    The killer in Norway also shot maybe as many people. Maybe more people can be killed by one man with a gun than a typical bomb. The suicide bomber in Bulgaria killed just 5 Israelis, the bus driver, and himself.

    Sammy Finkelman (58e1fc)

  195. Jeez, thanks a lot Dad. You’re a pip!

    Gazzer (c596b5)

  196. Some updates:

    There are a total of 1 people shot, with 12 dead, and some of the 59 extremely critically wounded. And the 59 maybe don’t include other injuries, like shrapnel.

    One person who escaped a shooting in Canada this June, because she had a premonition or something (“an odd feeling”) got killed in this one.

    Both candidates quit campaigning and Obama ordered flags to be put at half staff for 5 days, through July 25. Three members of the military were hurt and one is missing.

    All 4 guns he had were bought legally, within the last 6 months, which is a rather fast pace for buying guns. The last was bought within the past month, after he had quit school.

    His apartment is booby trapped, or appears to be so with chemicals and maybe trip wires and the police are still not in there. The shooter told them it would be – saying something like it’s not over.

    He did not say a word when doing this. He started with – a gas grenade ? and one shot but then picked up the pace. Fired his guns over the course of a minute or two and then calmly walked through the theatre and out like nothing had happened. He told the police he was The Joker.

    There wasn’t a scene in the movie with shooting like this apparently but there was a trailer for a movie about Los Angeles gangsters, particularly Mickey Cohen and that had a theatre being shot up. That trailer has now been pulled.

    In one of those fighting-the-last-war preventative measures, Warner Brothers (?) is now not going to allow anyone with a costume to go into the movie. The killer wore a costume. He was costumed from head to toe and nobody could tell anything about him, even his race, except for his height and approximate weight.

    It could have looked at the start like a stunt by the movie (since this was the premiere)

    NBC’s Brian Williams traveled to Aurora, Colorado, for the evening broadcast.

    Thoughts that occur to me:

    The killer in Norway also shot maybe as many people. Maybe more people can be killed by one man with a gun than a typical bomb. The suicide bomber in Bulgaria killed just 5 Israelis, the bus driver, and himself.

    Sammy Finkelman (58e1fc)

  197. Sammy,

    Your “update” has a typo, which is why I wish you would simply provide links instead of summarizing or quoting at length.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  198. “...which is a rather fast pace for buying guns…”

    And you know this how, SF?
    I bought two motorcycles last week, is that a rather fast pace too?

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  199. DRJ–That same young couple was the subject of an extensive interview on ABC Nightly News. He was holding the baby and she was crying and talking about the shrapnel in her leg and how she protected her daughter as they escaped the theatre. Unless I missed it, the subject of the baby being lost and left behind was not mentioned. In retrospect, the baby may actually have been safer and more protected from shots on the floor than had they carried it out in the midst of the rampage–but they couldn’t possibly have known that at the time.

    elissa (280618)

  200. OJ has announced that he has identified the tea party member responsible for the murder of his wife and ron goldman

    joe (93323e)

  201. What happened that the liberal argument in support of traditional, mainstream media? You know, that we need trained gate-keepers in charge of the news.

    AZ Bob (7d2a2c)

  202. elissa,

    Unless I misread the article or the report is wrong, the father not only left his family in the theater, he drove away without them and only came back after she escaped with the children and called him:

    ‘I’m just disoriented after I put him down,” Rohrs said. “I’m just waiting for me to hit the ground and fall down dead. You could see the gunfire and people are dropping.”

    He says he tried to retrieve his son but eventually jumped over the balcony and fled.

    But Ms Legratta saw Ethan as she lay on the floor with the wound to her leg that stretched from her upper thigh to waist.

    She pulled the infant to him and ran out the theatre with her daughter and baby boy – only realising she had been hit when she made it outside.

    Rohrs said he was horrified to realise his fiancee, son and daughter when he made it outside.

    ‘My son’s still in there,’ he told ABC News. ‘My girlfriend is still in there. I’m out here. Who leaves their child there?’

    The couple then reunited outside the cinema, after Ms Legratta phoned her fiance who had driven away from the scene.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  203. I’m certain we will learn many stories of heroism and courage, such as this young mother’s. I’m going to try to remember what she did and forget what he did.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  204. Some men just aren’t the marrying kind.

    Pious Agnostic (ee2c24)

  205. PA – Is there a picture?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  206. Sammy Finkleman… you better lawyer up son, cuz I’m developing a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome from so much scrolling. Brevity (or links) is the soul of wit, suh.

    Colonel Haiku (b61252)

  207. Yes… there’s a photo, Daley:

    http://t.co/XZLa5q8p

    Colonel Haiku (b61252)

  208. Colonel – That’s JD’s type.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  209. Why would you have a 3 month old at a midnight showing of the Dark Knight?

    JD (459580)

  210. They took their four-year old and their infant to…a midnight showing….of Batman.

    Before the shooting started, I’ll bet their neighbors were thinking “it couldn’t get worse than this.”

    I apologize.

    Pious Agnostic (ee2c24)

  211. Pious – GMTA

    JD (459580)

  212. JD

    Why would you have a 3 month old at a midnight showing of the Dark Knight?

    You have no idea how many times today on FB, Twitter, and elsewhere I came across that same question.

    One person on FB stated that they often take their infant to movies and he/she sleeps right through it.

    This brings to mind an incident that happened about a decade or so ago as I was in a theater watching “Sleepy Hollow.” A couple entered the theater with a baby stroller and sat up front. I was towards the back. Just after the first beheading, the woman walked to the back of the theater leaving her husband and child behind. About 30 seconds went by when I heard her yell very loudly so all could hear “COME!!!!” I’ve never seen somebody exit a theater so fast.

    Brandon (d777af)

  213. I think it’s true that some babies would do fine at a movie. What amazes me is the parents who took their 3,4,5-year-olds to the midnight movie. Not only is it too late for them, it’s too mature.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  214. 216. Why would you have a 3 month old at a midnight showing of the Dark Knight?

    Comment by JD — 7/20/2012 @ 4:57 pm

    I dimly remember when I was growing up my parents bringing us to late night movies. Of course, they were drive ins. And they fixed a place for us to sleep in the back of the Chevy Malibu station wagon.

    The reason why was they were saving up to send us to private schools and they couldn’t afford a babysitter. They couldn’t afford furniture. We used fruit crates instead. Priorities. The amenities could wait. Still, every once in a while they needed a night out and that was the only way they’d get one.

    On the plus side, if someone opened up on us with an AK they’d only have had a few seconds to shoot around that chevy small block V8 before they were eating close to two tons of Detroit iron.

    When you’ve got a car, you’ve got a weapon.

    Steve57 (65d29f)

  215. Not only is it too late for them, it’s too mature.

    Agreed.

    Regarding the suspect’s mindset, schizophrenia? Could very well be. I think the real connection though may be more of a fascination with violent movies.

    I put this together this afternoon after having seen the Uwe Boll movie Rampage just last night – probably about an hour before the actual incident. Yeah, I was bored. But I found something significant in the movie that I think might have been an influence, and that’s the way the guy was dressed.

    http://tbmint.blogspot.com/2012/07/parallels-between-real-life-massacre.html

    This is just a single blog post and probably won’t go anywhere other than on here. It’s listed as private.

    Brandon (d777af)

  216. Rules for taking babies to theaters
    2001 Big Space baby-OK
    Eraserhead baby-not OK

    pdbuttons (1ad69e)

  217. On the plus side, if someone opened up on us with an AK they’d only have had a few seconds to shoot around that chevy small block V8 before they were eating close to two tons of Detroit iron.

    Time to bring back the old drive-ins “It’s the only way to be safe.”

    Brandon (d777af)

  218. http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/07/20/Hewitt%20Live%20Stream

    Interesting live stream going on now re: the Aurora massacre.

    Brandon (d777af)

  219. Interesting observation from life stream: “The guy has no apparent internet footprints” except maybe “Adultfriendfinder.com.”

    Brandon (d777af)

  220. Whoops, “live stream.”

    Brandon (d777af)

  221. Some men just aren’t the marrying kind.

    Comment by Pious Agnostic — 7/20/2012 @ 4:46 pm

    One often wonders what they will do in such extraordinary situations: would we hide Jews, would we protectively stand in front of others and sacrifice ourselves, would we be compelled by our own love for our children that, without hesitation, we would lay down our lives for them, etc. In this case, I cannot imagine the utter disappointment and despair one must feel upon realizing they possess no such might and courage. Even for the sake of their offspring.

    Dana (292dcf)

  222. Dana, I think you’re right. To look in the mirror every day while you shave would be a hard thing.

    Pious Agnostic (ee2c24)

  223. I wonder if this report is true:

    The bookish demeanor concealed an unspooling life. Holmes struggled to find work after graduating college, Tom Mai said.

    Holmes enrolled last year in a neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver but was in the process of withdrawing, said school officials, who didn’t provide a reason.

    I read elsewhere that Holmes was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate.

    I’ve seen very successful kids who struggle if the first time they “fail” is in adulthood, although none of them have done something like this. In general, however, I wonder if the more successful someone is, the harder it is for them to deal with not succeeding.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  224. O’Reilly Fox show stated reason for young kids there was to save the $15 an hour for a babysitter? Maybe O’Reilly pays that but I must be out of it if babysitters command that rate in 2012. Recall California was talking about babysitter laws requiring break times and someone to fill in for that and lunch time, etc.

    Anyway some shrink was on and said if he had talked to the killer as a patient beforehand, the psychobabble expert would have called 911 and had him committed. Yes, I’m sure they would have been able to hold him and prevented the subsequent carnage. Interesting that a Fox intern had escaped death at a recent shooting in Canada but met her fate in the movie theatre.

    Calypso Louis Farrakhan (e799d8)

  225. Well she knows who he is now, too.

    SarahW (b0e533)

  226. A blog post by Jessica Ghawi’s brother. It’s heart-breaking.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  227. Calypso, very eerie indeed. And her tweets at the time even contained a coincidental reference to a weird guy in a Batman costume shouting “My parents are dead”

    SarahW (b0e533)

  228. screen cap of that Tweet made at the time of the Eaton shootings:
    http://twitpic.com/a9vo2l

    SarahW (b0e533)

  229. From the live Stream, some guy was attempting to make the case that Holmes may be a member of The OWS movement – Black Bloc due to the black clothes and gas mask:

    http://www.debbieschlussel.com/51951/black-bloc-occupy-james-holmes-was-aurora-batman-killer-part-of-occupy-extremist-offshoot/

    Lots of speculation going on – we’ll not know the truth from the MSM; I’m pretty certain about that.

    Brandon (d777af)

  230. Most of you probably know this but Jessica Ghawi used the name Jessica Redfield in her sports media job.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  231. DRJ,

    Apparently he was an honor student at UC Riverside. Mom said he couldn’t find a job with his (bachelor/master?) degree, so he enrolled in Colorado.

    Then apparently last month he did very poorly on some exams and the university was considering what they should do in that case.

    I think something snapped. He didn’t see a future for himself – combined with other potential scenarios – OWS? I don’t know, but it would seem that being involved in groups that paint a dismal picture of the world might be a factor.

    Brandon (d777af)

  232. Thank you for that link, DRJ.

    Let’s remember the good people who were lost, as Jordan asks us to remember Jessica Ghawi, and not the coward shooter.

    Dustin (73fead)

  233. Most of you probably know this but Jessica Ghawi used the name Jessica Redfield in her sports media job.

    Very sad about Jessica. Apparently she escaped a shooting at a mall in Toronto last month.

    The father of her boyfriend (who was also shot, but survived) gave an interview to Fox.

    Brandon (d777af)

  234. She wrote this on her blog in the aftermath of the Eaton shooting:

    I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.

    SarahW (b0e533)

  235. SarahW

    I read that earlier today. That about sums it up perfectly.

    Brandon (d777af)

  236. FWIW, the trouble finding a job and then with school could have been something that “drove him over the edge”, but it is also very possible that those things were the result of the onset of mental illness and descent into irrationality. The little we have of the mother “knowing it was him” suggests they had seen evidence of his coming unglued and were unable to intervene.

    But hopefully we will get whatever information to know what we need to know. It seems strange that he took so many lives, then apparently more or less surrendered to police and warned them about his appartment.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  237. If you are in PST, Anderson Cooper is having Jessica Ghawi’s brother on his show (CNN) after in just a few minutes to share about his sister.

    Dana (292dcf)

  238. Cue Harry Chapin. Beautiful but eerie.

    Neo (d1c681)

  239. MD in Philly,

    I appreciate your analysis as someone with some expertise in mental illness, but not all crimes are the result of mental illness. This one certainly comes closer to the mark of someone who is mentally unstable, but Timothy McVeigh was declared perfectly sane, and he killed many more people.

    I would opt more for “temporary insanity” than a complete mental illness, simply because the guy was able to earn a bachelor’s degree and then enter a PhD program. In my experience, the ability of a schizophrenic to do such a thing is not impossible, but very rare.

    I think the OWS angle needs to be considered as well as the guy’s apparent obsession with movies and particularly violent films. See my post above regarding the outfit that he wore. A schizophrenic person would be less likely to have the organization to carry through what this man did. It was a very calculated move.

    Brandon (d777af)

  240. MD in Philly:

    The little we have of the mother “knowing it was him” suggests they had seen evidence of his coming unglued and were unable to intervene.

    You might have something there. I also read that the mother knew right away that it was probably her son. Interesting observation.

    Also the neighbor friend who stated that he was “quiet and a loner” might help to figure this out. There’s certainly a lot that we don’t know about this guy that will eventually come to light.

    Brandon (d777af)

  241. ____________________________________________

    some guy was attempting to make the case that Holmes may be a member of The OWS movement

    An early report about records indicating he perhaps was a registered Democrat apparently didn’t pan out. However, it does appear he fancied himself as sort of The Joker, or a nemesis to a character committed to law and order, namely Batman.

    Many on the left often sympathize with non-conforming, anti-establishment troublemakers, so if Holmes ends up being very similar to the shooter in Arizona — or certainly is confirmed as having had ties to OWS — that won’t surprise me.

    Mark (a346be)

  242. O’Reilly Fox show stated reason for young kids there was to save the $15 an hour for a babysitter?

    — Or, perhaps (just perhaps), it had something to do with the extremely limited number of babysitters that are willing and able to work from midnight to 3am.

    Icy (31a7c1)

  243. An early report about records indicating he perhaps was a registered Democrat apparently didn’t pan out. However, it does appear he fancied himself as sort of The Joker, or a nemesis to a character committed to law and order, namely Batman.

    I doubt if most OWSers are registered anything. They are anti-establishment; which means that they would neglect any connection with establishment politics. The Dems support them to their own peril. But we already knew that the Democrats live in a dream world where everyone would get along if they just followed the curent political correctness.

    Brandon (d777af)

  244. 249-um….. anarchism is actually extreme rightism. So…. “the dems” have nothing to do with this

    tye (e165c5)

  245. tye, you continue to demonstrate your utter ignorance. Anarchism is not extreme “rightism” … whatever that is. Anarchism is of the Left and has been so for more than a century.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  246. “anarchism is actually extreme rightism”

    Wrong again Bozo.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  247. Tye,

    I’m at a loss as to how you connected my statement at 249 as having said anything about anarchism. Not only are you wrong about anarchism being of the extreme right, you’re wrong about my statement. Anti-establishment does not mean anarchism; it means that they would prefer a different establishment where they make the rules. They go against both the political left and the political right not because they are apolitical or anarchists, but because they want a new set of rules. You are however right that many of them are self-avowed anarchists. I believe that’s a misnomer though. They use apparent anarchy as a means to an end; not the end in itself.

    Anarchy as a means to an end where the rules have changed is completely of the left – out of the Alinsky playbook.

    Brandon (d777af)

  248. Tye,

    So apart from the utopia that the extreme OWS leftists envision, the means of anarchy have historically led to the opposite effect; to either extreme right regimes or more often to extreme leftist regimes – but one thing is common; they are all totalitarian in nature.

    Brandon (d777af)

  249. Tye,

    Also – interesting along the same lines is Breitbart’s review of TDKR: “The most conservative film ever.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/07/20/Spoiler-Alert-TDKR-Most-Conservative-Movie-Ever

    Brandon (d777af)

  250. 249-um….. anarchism is actually extreme rightism. So…. “the dems” have nothing to do with this
    Comment by tye — 7/20/2012 @ 11:36 pm

    — Uunh! Sometimes your lies are SO painful.

    Icy (31a7c1)

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    Free Newcamd (f3fe5c)

  252. 253 You are so painfully dense and stupid, your comments are a textual hate crime.

    Jack Klompus (dc05ef)

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