First thought; what is accomplished by naming the trigger-men (and they are always men, are they not?) in mass shootings?
Let them be nameless.
That will deny them fame in a fame-obsessed culture. That in itself could pull the plug on more than a few mass shootings.
Second thought; when we view pictures of the shooter's family home, it is obvious that he was not some stereotypical "ghetto nigger." He came from a family that was dialled into the "American Dream" and had to a large extent arrived there.
Third thought; friends and neighbours report that the shooter was "not the same" after his tour in Afghanistan. What do we know about his experience in theatre? Very little, other than he was discharged as a result of sexual harassment issues. What does "not the same" mean? Are we talking about PTSD?
Fourth thought; did he seek treatment for PTSD? Was there treatment for his PTSD? Or did asking for treatment result in nothing more than putting his name on a list at the VA that might result in actual psychiatric care two, three, four or more years down the road?
Fifth thought; while waiting for the psychiatric care that might have been provided him somewhere down the road, when America's budget priorities might provision it, was he short-stopped with anti-depressants, the same anti-depressants that, when we view them advertised on TV, include among their potential side-effects the warning that "if this medication makes you feel like doing harm to yourself or others, contact your doctor immediately?"
Last thought; I'm with Obama when he says America is not nearly as divided as people think. A tragedy on the scale of what happened in Dallas last week gives far too much cred to extremists on all sides.
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