shot and wounded at baseball practice
We live in a crazy, crazy world. People are not supposed to get shot while at baseball practice!
The Congressional Baseball game, an annual event since 1909 , is supposed to be a fun, nonpartisan event for charity. The Democrats play the Republicans. The teams are made up of Senators, Representatives and staffers. The game is played in Nationals Stadium. It's a really big deal.
(About a week later, the women of Congress play softball against the women of the Washington, DC press corps. Also fun, I'm sure, but not as big an event as the baseball game.)
The teams practice early in the morning, before everyone gets busy doing what they do on the Hill.
Yesterday the Republican practice in Alexandria, Virginia, was interrupted by a gunman, with a powerful semi-automatic rifle, who was intent on shooting as many people as he could.
Apparently he was only able to shoot a handful of people, before being shot and apprehended by Capitol Police and Alexandria Police. He later died.
Shot in the hip was Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip. He was attended to by Representative Brad Wenstrup, a former combat surgeon. The other shooting victims include a lobbyist, a Congressional aide and two Capitol Police officers.
The Capitol Police were at the practice only because Scalise is a member of the House leadership.
It's really weird hearing eyewitness accounts of a shooting from the likes of Senator Rand Paul (he was in the batting cage at the time). He described the gun as sounding like an AR-15. He said that the presence of the Capitol Police prevented a massacre.
The Democrats were practicing at another location. They posted a photo on social media showing themselves praying for the Republican colleagues.
Gabby Giffords tweeted her thoughts and prayers.
The shooter was apparently a supporter of Bernie Sanders. Sanders condemned the shooting as "a despicable act."
My first thought was "OMG, they're shooting at Congressmen!"
My second was "Thank G-d no one got killed."
And then, perhaps uncharitably, "Maybe now that it happened to one of their own, they'll finally do something about gun violence."
But then my inner cynic reminded me who the shooting victims are ...
Later in the day there was a shooting in San Francisco, and then there was panic in Brooklyn when shots were fired near the Barclay Center. Just another day in gun-happy America.
The Congressional Baseball game, an annual event since 1909 , is supposed to be a fun, nonpartisan event for charity. The Democrats play the Republicans. The teams are made up of Senators, Representatives and staffers. The game is played in Nationals Stadium. It's a really big deal.
(About a week later, the women of Congress play softball against the women of the Washington, DC press corps. Also fun, I'm sure, but not as big an event as the baseball game.)
The teams practice early in the morning, before everyone gets busy doing what they do on the Hill.
Yesterday the Republican practice in Alexandria, Virginia, was interrupted by a gunman, with a powerful semi-automatic rifle, who was intent on shooting as many people as he could.
Apparently he was only able to shoot a handful of people, before being shot and apprehended by Capitol Police and Alexandria Police. He later died.
Shot in the hip was Representative Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip. He was attended to by Representative Brad Wenstrup, a former combat surgeon. The other shooting victims include a lobbyist, a Congressional aide and two Capitol Police officers.
The Capitol Police were at the practice only because Scalise is a member of the House leadership.
It's really weird hearing eyewitness accounts of a shooting from the likes of Senator Rand Paul (he was in the batting cage at the time). He described the gun as sounding like an AR-15. He said that the presence of the Capitol Police prevented a massacre.
The Democrats were practicing at another location. They posted a photo on social media showing themselves praying for the Republican colleagues.
Gabby Giffords tweeted her thoughts and prayers.
The shooter was apparently a supporter of Bernie Sanders. Sanders condemned the shooting as "a despicable act."
My first thought was "OMG, they're shooting at Congressmen!"
My second was "Thank G-d no one got killed."
And then, perhaps uncharitably, "Maybe now that it happened to one of their own, they'll finally do something about gun violence."
But then my inner cynic reminded me who the shooting victims are ...
Later in the day there was a shooting in San Francisco, and then there was panic in Brooklyn when shots were fired near the Barclay Center. Just another day in gun-happy America.
It's real horrible and sad how our country have been so divide and hard heart....Coffee is on
ReplyDeleteOne has to wonder when they'll finally wake up and realize that some sensible gun control laws might help keep guns out of the hands of the crazies. But, they're so sure if they start this, they'll lose their guns, so they won't even try. And the cycle perpetuates.
ReplyDelete