Blogger Candidate Forum: The Orlando Shooting

Police directing family members away from Pulse
Orlando, Florida
cnn.com

Hello Everyone:

Once again, current events take precedent over our usual chat on all things architecture, historic preservation, urban planning and design.  In this case, it is the heinous mass murder of 50 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  By now, we all know what happened: a gun man (Blogger will not dignify him by mentioning his name), pledging allegiance to ISIS, entered Pulse and began shooting into the the crowd.  By the time the shooting spree was over, 50 people were killed and another 53 were injured.  Pulse is a nightclub that caters to a homosexual clientele.  This shooting came 24-hours after senseless killing of Christina Grimmie, a singer who was doing a meet and greet following a concert.  This was a tragic weekend for the Gay and Lesbian community,  city of Orlando, the state of Florida, the United States.  Even more tragic was the reaction by presumptive Republican nominee Donald J. Trump.

Trump tweet: Orlando shootings

© Twitter

bbc.com

We all saw and read the tweets-Mr. Trump appearing to take a victory lap in the wake of "word terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.."(http://www.cnn.com)  Once again, Mr. Trump called for tighter controls on immigration from Muslim countries.  Read the tweet on the left-hand side.  It makes you wonder about the man who Republicans are about to nominate as their standard bearer in the fall campaign.  Mr. Trump went on to erroneously claim that the shooter was born outside the United States.  The shooter was born in New York to parents who came from Afghanistan.  Further, he used the occasion to blast the presumptive Democratic nominee, Secretary Hillary Clinton, on policies that he presumed would increase the threat of terror.

Trump tweets with responses
hollywoodlife.com

In a speech at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire today, Mr. Trump said,

We have to screen applicants to whether they are affiliated with or supporting radical groups and beliefs...We have to control the amount of future in this country and we have to prevent large pockets of radicalization from forming inside America  (Ibid)

He went on to say,

She wants to take away Americans' guns and then admit the very people who want to slaughter us...

Donald Trump went on to say,

This is a very dark moment in America's history. A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub because he wanted to kill Americans but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because their sexual orientation...Remember this, Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti gay and anti American...This is not just a national security issue, it's a quality of life issue.

What we have is a candidate who appears to be capitalizing on a tragic event in order to score political points.  Mr. Trump has gone as far as to accuse Madame Secretary of doing nothing more than "paying lip service" to the LGBTQ community about protecting them by allowing more Syrian refugees into the country.  He said,

She can't have it both ways.  She can't claim to be supportive of these communities while trying to increase the number of people coming in who want to oppress these same communities... (Ibid)

Trump on same gender marriages
snopes.com

If anything, Mr. Trump is using this tragedy to score points with the LGBTQ community and the greater electorate at large by pitting one group against another.  In this case, the Muslim versus LGBTQ.    Mr. Trump's show of support for the LGBTQ community rings hollow because he has stated his opposition to same gender marriages.  When Mr. Trump says,

It's an assault of the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity... (http://www.nydailynews.com)

You get the impression that he is paying lip service to the LGBTQ community.  This statement sounds like something his speech writers cobbled together to make their candidate sound less incendiary, which would make complete sense given the Trump campaign is trying to tighten up and avoid any rhetorical missteps.  Even if Mr. Trump is trying to sound more presidential, his record on support of the LGBTQ community is mixed.

Gay and Lesbian hands
ctlgbtlaw.wordpress.com

The Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated to the improvement of Gay and Lesbians around the world, outlined each of the candidates's position on issues central to the LGBTQ community.  As stated, Mr. Trump opposes marriage equality, supporting domestic partnership benefits instead.  He believes that federal should protect people from gender orientation discrimination and the landmark Civil Rights Act (1964) should be amended to include protection from sexual orientation discrimination. Yet, despite disagreeing with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to sign off on marriage licenses for same sex couples, he supports the alleged First Amendment  Defense Act which would create more situations like the one in Kentucky.  His record on Conversion Therapy, Adoption, and Anti-bullying is unclear. (http://www.hrc.org)

Donald Trump told Fox News Sunday that he would "'Strongly Consider' Appointing Judges To Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Decision..."  Speaking to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, he pledged to protect and preserve religious liberty a reference to Christian and religious liberty." (breibart.com; 9-19-2015; Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition 9-19-2015; hrc.org) Mr. Trump has a history of going back and forth on important issues central to the LGBTQ community which makes Blogger wonder how genuine are his words of support following the Orlando shooting?

In the coming days and weeks, the investigation into the shooting will yield clues about the shooters's motive.  Further, it will also reveal how Donald Trump and Secretary Hillary Clinton lead in times of national tragedy.