That Number 22 – A Tribute To Dayton And El Paso Victims : August 6, 1945 – Hiroshima

                                                                                                                        BS”D

I was doing research for an upcoming Blog, and came across this on Google Search.

It was posted on Facebook, and I was attracted to it because one of the names she uses is Hannah, who is Lori Kaye’s daughter, aged 22 when Lori Kaye was gunned down in Poway.

I am having trouble understanding why a brother would shoot dead his 22 year old sister, and I am sure most of you are too,

Kathy’s words are very comforting and I feel it important I share them with you. So Kathy, I hope you will forgive me if I am sharing this without your permission, but I respect you for what you said and how you said it.

Kathy Crabb Hannah Page

From her Facebook Page

August 4 at 10:43 PM ·

This is Megan Betts and her brother Conner.

This is a Facebook snapshot….much like what we all post.

But the reason I’m posting?

Megan Betts, 22, was shot dead when her brother opened fire on a crowded street in Dayton last night.

He killed his little sister…that he had probably taught to ride a bike and tie her shoes.

And, he also killed another eight people and wounded 26 more before he was shot dead by nearby cops, with the entirety of the bloodshed playing out in less than a minute, officials have said.

The other eight deceased victims were identified by officials as Lois Oglesby, 27; Saeed Saleh, 38; Derrick Fudge, 57; Logan Turner, 30; Nicholas Cummer, 25; Thomas McNichols, 25; Beatrice Warren-Curtis, 36; and Monica Brickhouse, 39.

Officials confirmed that one of the male victims was Megan Betts’ boyfriend, but did not specify which.

So much to say about all of this, but it’s not the day.

So….I suppose there’s a mom and dad in Ohio who lost two children last night, a grandmother who lost two grandchildren.

The devil is clearly the winner in this scenario. And the pain of these families?

I can’t imagine.

The motive? Only God knows.

Bottom line? We have opened our senses to violent movies, served up by the Hollywood hypocrites. We’ve stimulated the kids, and then turned our heads while they “kill” all day long on video games.

We’ve told them that murdering a baby isn’t even a crime that God is an unnecessary bondage they don’t need to examine, and then we pat them on the back and turn them loose on society.

The devil has dispersed demons to infiltrate the circles of our families, our kids, our grandkids.

This is that.

Nothing short of demonic possession drives a person into the manic behavior that precedes and accompanies these murderous sprees.

Period.

Bring Holiness back, truth back, the Ten Commandments back……overturn abortion and the immoral stance of the Obama era, and watch the country turn around.

Prayers for all. Tears for all.

America. It’s time.

Guns don’t kill. Demonic people do.

Let’s preach Jesus again. The Bible again.

And let’s call a lie a lie, and the truth the truth.

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The El Paso Massacre-

22 Dead and many injured.

At this point, we know that the gunman travelled from the Dallas area to carry out the El Paso shootings.

It seems clear that the gunman was targeting the Hispanic population which seems to be confirmed by the information coming out of the investigation. And when I heard all of these details I just could not stop to think back about JFK’s assassination on November 22, 1963.

In reality, the El Paso shooting really was caused by an individual from Dallas who killed and injured many innocent people many miles away. But instead of firing from a distance, reports have it that he killed his victims from close range.

In JFK’s case, he was in Dallas, and was fired upon from long range, and he was hit by two bullets, the second one doing the most damage. Lee Harvey Oswald was thought to be JFK’s assassin, but under police protection, only two days later Jack Ruby kills Oswald on national TV.

I’m trying to understand if there is a connection here, and while there was very little time to digest this whole story, it seems that there is a message that we can all learn from this chain of events.

By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were preparing for the next presidential campaign, he had not formally announced his intentions.

At the end of September, JFK traveled west to put a spotlight on natural resources and conservation. But he also used it to sound out themes such as education, national security, and world peace.

A month later, the president addressed Democratic gatherings in Boston and Philadelphia. On November 12, the first important political planning session for the upcoming election year took place. At the meeting, JFK stressed the importance of winning Florida and Texas and talked about his plans to visit both states in the next two weeks.

Mrs. Kennedy would accompany him on the swing through Texas, which would be her first extended public appearance since the loss of their baby, Patrick, in August. On November 21, the president and first lady departed on Air Force One for the two-day, five-city tour of Texas.

President Kennedy was aware that a feud among party leaders in Texas could jeopardize his chances of carrying the state in 1964, and one of his aims for the trip was to bring Democrats together. He also knew that a relatively small but vocal group of extremists was contributing to the political tensions in Texas. US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson had been physically attacked a month earlier after making a speech in Dallas. Nonetheless, JFK seemed to relish the prospect of leaving Washington, getting out among the people and into the political fray.

In Fort Worth, a light rain was falling on Friday morning, November 22, but a crowd of several thousand stood in the parking lot outside the Texas Hotel where the Kennedys had spent the night. The president, wearing no protection against the weather, came out to make some brief remarks. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” he began, “and I appreciate your being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He went on to talk about the nation’s need for being “second to none” in defense and in space, for continued growth in the economy and “the willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership.” The president reached out to shake hands amidst a sea of smiling faces.

Back inside the hotel the president spoke at a breakfast of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, focusing on military preparedness. “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” he said. “We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead.”

The presidential party left the hotel and went by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Arriving at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy disembarked and immediately walked toward a fence where a crowd of well-wishers had gathered, and they spent several minutes shaking hands.

The first lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she brought with her to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connelly and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys entered and sat behind them. Since it was no longer raining, the plastic bubble top had been left off. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson occupied another car in the motorcade.

And then in just hours, the American people would be struck again with grief and suffering when the President’s motorcade passed the Texas Book Depository and shots rang out. Two hitting the President, from which, he never survived.

Please note that in those days there was no need to campaign more than one year before the election because people were not falling over one another to join the race like they are today.

Lessons to Learn

The modern age of communication has its rewards and dangers. In the case of the two shootings in El Paso and Dayton, those events clearly illustrate the danger.  Could it have been possible if those two shooters would have had a more positive outlook on life  instead of watching the negative rubbish on the Internet, this may never have happened. But it has and we must go forward and learn lessons from these two tragedies.

There have been many comments looking for the root cause of these deadly shooting. Many people have blamed many things, but let’s think back to the time period when JFK was shot and most probably we will have our answer.

There were no video games, Internet never existed,, neither was there a fax or a cellphone. There was just a basic phone and a simple TV where everything that was shown could be monitored and regulated. But now the Internet has grown so big and out-of-control, it’s like a monster has taken over our children’s lives.

What happened to the time when families would sit together for a good family chat and discussion to allow everyone to participate and air their complaints and get a pat on the back for a good deed.

What happened to the time when children would leave their homes to go out to play and everyone would get along with each other without having to deal with bullies or bullets.

What happened to the time when people would be smiling more than they would be angry or sad

What happened to the time when we respected our elders rather than challenging their  authority?

This list could go on and on, but it seems the  root of the problem starts right at home.

For those of us who have had to search for the meaning of being a Jew and keeping Shabbat, it has been a journey worth all the effort.

Our Shabbat is really quality time when we connect with our children and close family. And for someone not fortunate enough to have a family to be with, it’s a gigantic Mitzvah to invite anyone of those people you know to participate with your family.

Hopefully all of our efforts will help make this a better world.

And to Kathy who I first quoted when I began this Blog, thanks for those powerful words.

To the families who were affected by these tragedies, we send our condolences and hope that the future will be peaceful for you and your families.

August 6, 1945 was the beginning of end for the Japanese to announce surrender. The first Atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima and when it was all over many casualties resulted. However, only when the US dropped the second A bomb on Nagasaki did the Emperor decide to call it quits. And therefore it’s important to note the significance of this when compared to Parshat Shoftim.

In the Haftorah as I have said before, at least four times the reading repeats itself and that seems to indicate a strong message that G-d wants us to listen to. These two tragedies are another reminder, just like the two A bombs it was necessary for the US to drop to finally convince Japan to end the war.

Hopefully we all will begin getting the message G-d is sending to us, which Kathy does a great job in points out.