Orlando
I have taken down today's post. It was written before news reached me of what happened in Orlando early this morning. What we know so far—
- At around 2:00 a.m., a shooter attacked a gay club in Orlando.
- 50 people are dead as of this writing, and 53 are wounded, many critically.
- One out of every six people in the club was killed.
- It is the worst mass shooting in American history.
- It is also an act of terror. The shooter called 911 while he was killing people to pledge allegiance to Isis, the Middle-Eastern terror group.
- Isis has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
- Isis has directed its soldiers to target gay people.
- The attack comes during Gay Pride Month in America, which typically features large gatherings and parades around the country throughout June.
- A man was arrested this morning in Los Angeles at a Gay Pride parade in West Hollywood. He was carrying an assault rifle, many rounds of ammunition, and explosives. Officials believe that by arresting the suspect, they stopped a massacre.
Earlier this evening, the entire state of Florida held a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Orlando shooting. With that in mind, I will not post a piece of music today on this site, but will keep silence to honor the dead; the wounded; and those who lost people they loved.
I photographed "Against the Wall," the image above, at Brigham's Wall, west of the Beehive House in Salt Lake City (2006). The title is from Isaiah 25:4 (KJV): "the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."
