Texas Tower Massacre - 2009

On August 1, 1966 Charles Joseph Whitman started the day by killing his wife and mother. He left a note in his apartment.

"I do not quite understand what it is that compels me to type this letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague reason for the actions I have recently performed. I do not really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts."

Charles Whitman left his apartment and drove to the Texas University. The ex-Marine climbed the 307-foot tower with a cache of weapons. From this aerie he shot dead 13 and wounded 32 others with telescopic rifles. This rampage lasted for hours. Finally two Austin police officers put down the killer with shotguns.

"We got him."

Medical examiners found a brain tumor in his head. He was also on speed and rumors abounded about his abuse as a child by the Catholic priests from his home parish of Lake Worth, Florida.

No one blamed the guns.

Not then.

Now now and not when gunmen assail 'soft targets' such as school, fast food chains, and malls. Strangely no deranged gunman has ever attacked a gun show.

Guns and guns and guns.

Not once in America has a mass murderer assailed a gun show, proving that either the madmen are scared of not accomplishing their murderous mission or gun shows calm the burning blood of a killer's brain.

Don't get me wrong. I like shooting guns. Just not at people.

Unless they are after my family, then it's open season.

Lock and load.

Texas Tower Massacre

On August 1, 1966 Charles Joseph Whitman started the day by killing his wife and mother. He left a note in his apartment.

"I do not quite understand what it is that compels me to type this letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague reason for the actions I have recently performed. I do not really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts."

Charles Whitman departed from his apartment and drove to the Texas University. The ex-Marine climbed the 307-foot tower with a cache of weapons. From this aerie he shot dead 13 people and wounded 32 others with telescopic rifles. This rampage lasted for hours. Finally two Austin police officers broke through the barricaded door and put down the killer with shotguns.

"We got him."

At his autopsy medical examiners found a brain tumor in his head. He was also on speed and rumors abounded about his abuse as a child by the Catholic priests from his home parish of Lake Worth, Florida.

No one blamed the guns.

Not then.

Now now and not when gunmen assail 'soft targets' such as school, fast food chains, and malls or a concert at Las Vegas.

Strangely no deranged gunman has ever attacked a gun show.

Guns and guns and guns.

Not once in America has a mass murderer assailed a gun show, proving that either the madmen are scared of not accomplishing their murderous mission or gun shows calm the burning blood of a killer's brain.

Don't get me wrong. I like shooting guns. Just not at people.

Unless they are after my family, then it's open season.

Lock and load.

Bang Bang Batman

On July 31, 1966 Charles Whitman typed out a suicide note in his Austin, Texas home. The following is an excerpt from that letter; "I do not quite understand what it is that compels me to type this letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague reason for the actions I have recently performed. I do not really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts." Later that night the ex-Marine murdered his mother and wife." In the morning Whitman transported an arsenal of weapons and ammunition to the Texas Tower of the UT campus. Upon reaching the viewing deck Whitman barricaded the door and loaded the weapons to commence what was to become America's worst mass shooting. Since then scores of gunman have assaulted schools, restaurants, business, and homes without warning. The only event seemingly safe from such massacres are NRA conventions and gun shows. The names of gun rampages have been scorched into the national memory and the ruthless attack on a Colorado movie theater has joined the tragic list Columbine, Virginia Tech, Luby's cafeteria, the San Diego McDonald's and many other deadly shootings. Typically a friend described the Aurora Theater shooter to the BBC as "really sweet, shy" and "didn't have any creepy vibe about him at all". James Holmes also seemed normal to gunshops at which he purchased an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, two .40-calibre Glock handguns and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun. His ammo was bought online without any ID checks, which wouldn't have mattered since the twenty-one year-old neuroscience student had no significant criminal record. The audience watching the new Batman movie had any warning about the attack, although New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly stretched the limits of his imagination by telling reporters that Mr Holmes had portrayed himself as Batman's arch-rival, the Joker. NYPD's top cop should know that at moment like this the best thing to say is nothing, but he was joined at the hip by a Texas GOP congressman's remark that the Aurora shooting was linked to “ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs. We've threatened high school graduation participations, if they use God's name, they're going to be jailed ... I mean that kind of stuff. Where was God? What have we done with God? We don't want him around. I kind of like his protective hand being present." A better protection would be strict gun control laws and a complete ban on the sale of assault weapons to prevent a reoccurrence of these massacres, but the NRA and their congressional allies on both sides of the aisle regard the right to bear arms as more sacred that Freedom of Speech, so sadly there will be Columbine II and a Texas Tower III as long as America loves guns more than life. ps by the way the new Batman movie A DARK KNIGHT RISES is supposed to suck.