"Parallel Universe"

While on vacation I read this article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, reprinted from a national news service.  I did not save it, because I was on vacation, and because, well…  you’ll see.

On Sunday December 29, 2019, a man walked into a Texas church, killed two people and was then himself killed by a member of the armed church “Security Team.”

Although an obvious tragedy, there was a clear sense that arming the church’s “Security Team”, had been the right thing to do, as taking out the shooter had ”…  saved an untold number of lives.”

(Note:  The double-homicide in the church sactuary followed the earlier Church of Sunderland Springs (Texas) mass shooting that left 26 people dead.  A law allowing guns in church was then enacted to help avoid such terrible episodes in the future.)

Aside from mourning the slain parishioners, the prevailing reaction was that “The suspect was stopped thanks to the quick and heroic reactions of those ‘safety members’ inside the church.”

The sensible message:  “Be prepared.”

Days later, a follow-up article found Jack Wilson, “a 71 year-old former reserve deputy sheriff {who} took out the shotgun-wielding suspect with a single shot to the head during services” explaining, ‘I don’t see myself as a hero.  I see myself as doing what needed to be done to take out an evil threat.’”

A local response to Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg condemning the idea of guns in churches was,

“He apparently wishes Wilson had been unarmed and thus unable to defend his fellow congregants.”

This is so weird.

Following the thought process of those Texas parishioners, everything they did makes perfect, reasonable sense.

Except, to me – and maybe others as well…

It doesn’t.