7 killed in Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin

Seven people have been shot this afternoon at a Sikh temple in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek; here are some of the gory details courtesy of Boston.com:

Boston.com wrote:

OAK CREEK, Wis.—Police in Wisconsin say seven people are dead at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, including the suspected gunman.

Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt says tactical officers have been through the temple where shots were fired about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He says they found four people inside the building and three people outside.

He says one of those killed outside is the suspect, who fired on the first officer to arrive. Wentlandt says that officer fired back, killing the suspect. He says the officer is now at an area hospital in surgery.

Wentlandt says police do not believe a second shooter was involved.

He also says the best information he has is that two people, including the officer who was shot, were taken to hospitals.

Tell me this doesn't make you sick.

This is so sad. The shooter may have been a member of a white supremacist group.

Further info on the shooter courtesy of Good Morning America:

GMA wrote:

The gunman who opened fire in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., and killed six people has been identified as Army veteran Wade Michael Page.

Page, 40, opened fire outside the temple before entering around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning and killed six people. He served in the Army from April 1992 through October 1998.

Page was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer who sustained "eight or nine" gunshot wounds, authorities confirmed. Officials are treating it as a case of domestic terrorism.

Though police have not given any details on the motive of the shooter, but Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Special Agent Thomas Ahern said Page had tattoos that suggested he had ties to white supremacists.

"It is being investigated. And what his tattoos signified is being investigated. They are all pieces of a possible puzzle to learn what was his motive in carrying out such a horrific act," Ahern said.

While in the Army Wade served as a sergeant, and later as a specialist based in Ft. Bliss in Texas and at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Wade's job was as a Hawk missile system repairman, and he then became a psychological operations specialist, defense official confirmed to ABC news.

On Sunday the FBI and a bomb squad arrived at a home in Cudahy, Wis., near Oak Creek, and ABC News Milwaukee affiliate WISN reported the action appeared to be related to the temple shootings earlier in the day.

I'm glad they're treating it as domestic terrorism. Because that's exactly what it is.

The shooter has been unofficially identified as a former soldier named Wade Michael Page.

And the conspiracy theories will start in 3...2...1...

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Lady Anne wrote:

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Whatever the case, Fred Phelps needs to go down in flames. And bears. A plague of bears upon Westboro Baptist Church.
The bastards.

TheIan wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Whatever the case, Fred Phelps needs to go down in flames. And bears. A plague of bears upon Westboro Baptist Church.
The bastards.

I wouldn't wish them on the bears--they'd undoubtedly be poisoned if they ate a member of the WBC.

TheIan wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Whatever the case, Fred Phelps needs to go down in flames. And bears. A plague of bears upon Westboro Baptist Church.
The bastards.

Actually, a Plague of Bears would be appropriate. IIRC, the Old Testament Prophet Elisha called down bears to eat two little kids because they made fun of the fact he was bald.

Elisha and Fred Phelps would've gotten along really well, I suspect. Though Lady Anne's right-it's not the bears fault they're dickweeds.

It's the media's fault. The killer was obviously going after Muslims, and all those brown people look alike.

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Since the creation of the EDL three years ago, it has been pointed out to various members of the far right that their claim that they are "not racist because they're against Muslims and Islam isn't a race" doesn't hold water because (among other things, but those rest on an understanding of what racism is which is something the far right remain willfully ignorant of) they have, on numerous occasions, not protested against Muslims, but turn their aggression towards anyone brown or asian (White muslims confuse the shit out of them. They get called "race traitors" because, you know, Islam isn't a race.)

Recently they've turned this article on it's head and claim that whenever the media uses the term "asian" they actually mean "muslim". So their ignorance is justified due to their ignorance. It's rather brilliant.

Now... correct me if I'm wrong, but the use of the term Asian is different in the states than it is in the UK. Here "Asian" can apply to anyone east of Russia. Including Indians, Arabs right through to Chinese and Japanese. IIRC the American usage of the word "Asian" applies specifically to Japanese/Chinese (what the Brits might call Oriental)

Either way. Nick Griffin is a scumbag whose only reaction to this tragedy is that he's sorry it wasn't Muslims who were killed.

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WD40 wrote:

Here "Asian" can apply to anyone east of Russia. Including Indians, Arabs right through to Chinese and Japanese.

Um. Technically, the only thing east of Russia would be Japan (and, in a roundabout way, Alaska and Canada and stuff.) South of Russia, however...

Jay/Cris wrote:

WD40 wrote:

Here "Asian" can apply to anyone east of Russia. Including Indians, Arabs right through to Chinese and Japanese.

Um. Technically, the only thing east of Russia would be Japan (and, in a roundabout way, Alaska and Canada and stuff.) South of Russia, however...

Errr... Yeah...

East of Russia's western border, then....

But yaknowotimean...

Right after 9/11 there was a wave of attacks against Sikhs.

It takes a special kind of dumbasscrazy to do it eleven years later.

Exodia's Right Leg wrote:

Right after 9/11 there was a wave of attacks against Sikhs.

It takes a special kind of dumbasscrazy to do it eleven years later.

There's always been special kinds of dumbasscrazy folks out there... And since 9/11 we've had folks like Pam Geller, Bryan Fischer, Glen Beck, Paul Dacre, Richard Desmond and more legitimising paki-bashing and blatant racism and calling it "self-defence".

The problem arises when these sorts of people are given airtime and legitimisation. Over here Nick Griffin and Tommy Robinson are only interviewed when their respective activities are involved. You guys have Pam Geller as a regular on a mainstream news channel and Michelle "McCarthy" Bachman was in the running to be the fucking president.

Given that level of legitimisation, I'm genuinely surprised events like this are so rare. (And a cynical part of me is pretty sure that they're not that rare...)

TheIan wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Whatever the case, Fred Phelps needs to go down in flames. And bears. A plague of bears upon Westboro Baptist Church.
The bastards.

Forget the bears....what we really need are a squadron of Predator drones to napalm WBC into oblivion.

Chris91 wrote:

TheIan wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Chris91 wrote:

Those charming souls at Westboro Baptist Church have now seen fit to throw in their two cents...

Huffington Post wrote:

Just minutes after it was reported that people had been shot at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, the hate mongers at Westboro Baptist Church were tweeting out: 'God Sent Another Shooter.'

According to a tweet from Fred Phelps, the leader of the so-called church, the shooting was punishment for the bad treatment his group had gotten in Wisconsin.

So...God hates Sikhs?

Or maybe Fred Phelps thinks he's God, and sent the shooter...

Whatever the case, Fred Phelps needs to go down in flames. And bears. A plague of bears upon Westboro Baptist Church.
The bastards.

Forget the bears....what we really need are a squadron of Predator drones to napalm WBC into oblivion.

But that would damage everyone around them. No...the WBC needs a prolonged campaign of humiliation, laughter, and exposure of deep, dark secrets (c'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?)

Lady Anne wrote:

C'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?

No. That would make me feel sympathetic for him, and I'd have to start seeing him as a complex human being. I'd rather keep him as an inherently stupid and grossly, inhumanly insensitive villain.

Jay/Cris wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

C'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?

No. That would make me feel sympathetic for him, and I'd have to start seeing him as a complex human being. I'd rather keep him as an inherently stupid and grossly, inhumanly insensitive villain.

I dunno. We'd be able to brand him as a hypocrite. That could be worth a few laughs.

TheIan wrote:

Jay/Cris wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

C'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?

No. That would make me feel sympathetic for him, and I'd have to start seeing him as a complex human being. I'd rather keep him as an inherently stupid and grossly, inhumanly insensitive villain.

I dunno. We'd be able to brand him as even more of a hypocrite. That could be worth a few laughs.

FTFY

Jay/Cris wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

C'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?

No. That would make me feel sympathetic for him, and I'd have to start seeing him as a complex human being. I'd rather keep him as an inherently stupid and grossly, inhumanly insensitive villain.

Hey man watch it are you saying gay people can't be inhumane villians?

bonus: Hell I'd argue that he's a complex human being as he is now. I mean shit how much psychological damage does a single person have to have to be that damn angry at EVERYTHING? Constantly too, the fucker doesn't let up.

Lady Anne wrote:

(c'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?)

In order to be gay, he'd have to be capable of loving someone else...and deep down, I don't think he even loves himself.

Chris91 wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

(c'mon, wouldn't you like to confirm that Fred Phelps is gay?)

In order to be gay, he'd have to be capable of loving someone else...and deep down, I don't think he even loves himself.

Sexual attraction =|= love.