CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, August 12, 2019

Insanity: Repeating steps that do not work

We already know what did NOT work to prevent the horrors of El Paso and Dayton. For example, it does not work to take weapons away from law-abiding citizens. In fact, it is counter-productive. On several documented occasions, armed, law-abiding citizens have been able to stop mass shooters in their tracks, preventing further bloodshed.

It does NOT work to declare certain places to be gun-free zones. Ninety-seven-point-eight percent (97.8%) of mass shootings take place in designated gun-free zones. The gun-free designation tells the would-be mass murderer exactly where to go to kill the most people without being stopped early-on by some arms-bearing, law-abiding citizen.

The El Paso crimes were committed by a right-wing nut who, wrote in his manifesto, "... My opinions on automation, immigration, and the rest predate Trump and his campaign for president. I’m putting this here because some people will blame the President or certain presidential candidates for the attack. This is not the case." This statement is being ignored by the anti-Trump media.

The Dayton shooter was a left-wing nut, a Satanist-and an avowed supporter of Senator Elizabeth Warren. More facts being ignored by the anti-Trump media. Still, neither Senator Warren nor President Trump is responsible for these mass murders.

The scandal is that the El Paso right-wing nut and the Dayton left-wing nut were both known by their high school and Internet peers to be dangerous to others and to themselves. The Dayton shooter was reported to authorities more than once. The mother of the El Paso shooter asked police if her son should have an AK-47. No one intervened.

Foretelling their actions, these crazies use certain words and phrases (keywords) on the Internet. Congress should make domestic terrorism a federal crime so the National Security Agency (NSA) computers can screen all electronic communications for certain keywords often used by these crazies.

Here’s a tip for NSA: Go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/incel and read about the subculture of involuntarily celibate, young, white males. Follow the links provided by Wiki to the forums used by "incels" who are males filled with resentment, misanthropy, self-pity, self-loathing, thoughts of suicide, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and a sense of resentment about being denied the free sex to which they feel they are entitled. NSA monitoring of the "incel" forums might lead to the mother lode of potential mass murderers and to the prevention of these horrific crimes.

According to Wikipedia, "At least four mass murders, resulting in 45 deaths, have been committed in North America by men who have either self-identified as ’incels’ (persons who are involuntarily celibate) or who had mentioned incel-related names and writings in their private writings or Internet postings..."

Mass murderers, however, do not require firearms. The Thugee Cult of ancient India murdered, simply for plunder, as many as two million innocent travelers. Because the Thugs abhorred bloodshed, they strangled their victims with silk scarves. In 1870, instead for calling for "scarf control," the British rulers of India simply identified the Thugs, and shot them.

Although turning the NSA loose on social media could raise 1st Amendment concerns, future mass murders might well be prevented. Plus, a fight with 2d Amendment defenders could be avoided. We suggest. You decide.

©2019. William Hamilton.

William Hamilton, is a laureate of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame, the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma University Army ROTC Wall of Fame. Dr. Hamilton is the author of Formula for Failure in Vietnam: The Folly of Limited Warfare, McFarland Books, (2019). For pre-publication orders: Toll free: (800) 253-2187 "Central View," can also be seen at: www.central-view.com.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com