From the article below it sounds like the shooter likely had a political motivation for the shoot at the Family Research Council. While I agree that homosexuals should have the same right to marry as heterosexuals this is no way to go about trying to make change. To my knowledge though the Southern Poverty Law Center has never advocated violence and this seems more like one individual, who is likely disturbed, taking matters into his own hands. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...l-rights-group-shares-blame-for-shooting?lite Family Research Council says civil rights group shares blame for shooting WASHINGTON -- The president of the Family Research Council, whose employee was shot in the group's Washington, D.C., office, said on Thursday that a civil rights group bears some responsibility for the shooting. Follow @NBCNewsUS Floyd Lee Corkins II, age 28, of Herndon, Va., was charged in the Wednesday shooting. "Floyd Corkins was responsible for firing the shot yesterday that wounded one of our colleagues and our friend," Tony Perkins said. "But Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy." Perkins said the shooting victim, Leo Johnson, is not simply a security guard but is, in fact, the group's building manager, does not wear a uniform and does not carry a gun. Told in the hospital Wednesday night that he was considered a hero, Johnson responded to Perkins, "This hero business is hard work." The Southern Poverty Law Center has been strongly critical of the Family Research Council, and the two groups have been waging a public debate against each other for the past several years. Court documents accuse Corkins of walking into the council’s headquarters and telling a security guard words to the effect of "I don't like your politics." The documents said Corkins drew his gun and shot the guard in the arm before the guard subdued him. Another guard called police, they said. Authorities said Corkins was carrying a handgun, two additional loaded ammunition clips, and a box of 50 more rounds. Also in his backpack, they said, were 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches. Investigators said his parents told the FBI that their son "has strong opinions with respect to those he believes do not treat homosexuals in a fair manner." The Family Research Council strongly opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. Corkins had worked as a volunteer at a Washington center for homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people. Perkins sent an e-mail to members last month in support of comments by the restaurant chain's president, Dan Cathy, who criticized same-sex marriage. Corkins appeared briefly in federal court earlier Thursday. He was ordered held without bond, and a public defender was appointed to represent him. Corkins is in FBI custody as part of a probe into whether the shooting could be considered a hate crime, the FBI has said. Pete Williams is NBC News' chief justice correspondent.
It's sad, but the heated political rhetoric now really seems to attract the sort of nutjobs who think they're helping by doing something like this. And all he did was kill an innocent security guard. That guy was just working for a living. He wasn't hurting anyone. Total bull****.
Shooting people is never a good way to make a point -- unless you want to prove that you are good at shooting people.
There is nothing okay with shooting people. It's definitely not an okay way to make a political point. It's also sad that they are trying to widen the blame net to include a great organization like the Southern Poverty Law Center. That's a political move and not related to the shooting.
Yeah, that's pretty awful. Exploiting their murdered security guard to make a political point. God these people are so horrible now.
Terrible. It feels especially bad to me to me that someone that apparently shared a political adversary with me would do such an unforgivable thing. It makes it, to me, an even more than a tragic event; I even feel vaguely complicit though I know that's irrational. We need stronger gun control. But much more than that we need decent mental health care in this country, because it doesn't exist. And it really is true in these cases that "guns don't kill people," mental illness kills people.
Not downplaying the tragedy of this shooting pro or con, the security guard was wounded. He was not shot to death. Thank goodness for that, at least.
That's good news. I read a report earlier that said he was dead. I need to start waiting - the news media is so hyped to break a story now that the first ones are always incomplete.
Maybe the lesson of this is all the poltical rhetoric needs to be toned down from all sides?! (like that will ever happen...)
I agree that it needs to be toned down, but not for the reason of this shooting. Because I don't believe hyped political rhetoric had anything to do with it. I think an unstable person was made aware of a problem, and the unstable person made an unstable and irrational decision to commit a terrible crime. I do agree that political rhetoric needs to be toned down because it is lacking in any sort of dignity or class, and often exploits people who have sincere beliefs. For instance, the fact that people would exploit the unfortunate incident of the security guard to attack a group that has been a champion of civil rights is tasteless, horrible, and wrong. But I don't believe it will cause someone to shoot a guard at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Been watching this develop, I thought the a-hole with the drive thru video was the craziest thing I'd see in regards to this issue.
I'm guessing if this trend in political violence continues, it'll be more about aa lack of overall faith in the political system than the overheated political rhetoric, which is another symptom of the former.
Morris Dees would never advocate violence personally or through SPLC. However I am not surprised that SPLC is being connected through the media, people on the left and right try to capitalize on tragedy.
The SPLC has become highly radicalized. They have labeled the FRC as a hate group. So, turn about.... Looks like it needs to label itself as a hate group. And, of course, libtards never, ever, ever try to exploit shootings for political gain. That just never happens - at freaking all.
Whenever anyone on either side does exploits shootings to create inaccurate connections it's wrong. Labeling organizations as hate groups because they campaign for a cause of bigotry against a particular group of people isn't that radical. So again SPLC isn't a hate group, and is in no way responsible for the shooting.
So true. Speed has trumped accuracy in the so called 'news' of today. It's amazing how cloudy the details can be when the implications are so great. I'm not sure if the result, people tuning out because of it, would be a good or a bad thing. It's almost like accidental desensitizing. News so bad that you can't and probably shouldn't pay attention until it's vetted by time and/or "approved" sources. Scary times.
Typical garbage from teh right to equate the Southern Poverty Law Center with wingnut "christian" hate groups like the FRC. It's sole reason for existence these days appears to be to discriminate against gays and save children from insidious homo SpongeBob. There's a word for that: Hate. The FRC and Jimmy Dobson are basically Westboro baptist church but doesn't use the term "f-gs" as much... **** those guys and their bigotry.
really sad how the right is now blaming the left / Obama for this. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/...e-evidence-of-what-they-call-war-on-religion/ Why do they have to turn every tragedy into an attack on the left. War on religion? Since when is the fight for freedom and equality a war on religion???
It is stupid and I don't think most people buy into it, but when Giffords was shot the left blamed the right (Sarah Palin specifically lol) and when the abortion doctor was shot the left said it was Bill O'Reilly's fault.
