Orlando’s PULSE and a Global Response

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The Pulse was known as Orlando’s Premiere Gay Ultra Lounge, Nightclub, and Bar until Omar Mateen and his AR-15 terrorized patrons early Sunday morning killing 49 and injuring 53.

By Eileen Fleming

The Pulse and Orlando will never be the same because of Omar Mateen’s tortured soul and “hatred of gay people”

Mateen regularly visited gay clubs and was violently abusive at home.

On Wednesday NBC News reported that Mateen’s wife, Noor Zahi Salman told police she feared he was going to attack a gay nightclub on Saturday night and pleaded with him not to do anything violent- but she also failed to raise any warning.

Salman told the FBI that her husband told her he was going to see friends but that she believed he was actually planning to unleash terror at the Pulse nightclub, a two-hour drive north from their home in Port St. Lucie.

Barack Obama confirmed Mateen was “self-radicalized”.

The FBI said he professed kinship to the conflicting ideologies of al-Qaida, Hezbollah and the Boston Marathon bombers.

Mateen was investigated by the FBI in 2013 and 2014, yet Mateen was free to make gun purchases!

The medicine this sick world needs is love.
Hatred must be replaced by love,
and fear by faith that love will prevail. ~ from Peace Pilgrim

On Monday night’s Late Show, Stephen Colbert reacted to the terrorist attack in Orlando stating: “I don’t know what to do, but I do know despair is a victory for hate. Hate wants us to be too weak to change anything.”

But Conan O’Brien on TBS nailed it: “These are weapons of war, and they have no place in civilian life.”

Samantha Bee surpassed all at FULL FRONTAL:

Assault weapons have killed at least 49 people in Orlando, 26 people in Sandy Hook, 12 people in Aurora, and 14 people in San Bernardino.

These weapons of mass-murder are available for purchase on-line, at trade shows, and at gun brokers across our nation and they are the weapon of choice for mass murderers.

Commonsense calls for the immediate ban on all assault weapons and gun reform.

As of this writing 496,476 have signed This Petition to the White House and Congress to BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS NOW

Bryan G. Fulwider, is President of the Interfaith Council of Central Florida and one of the “Three Wise Guys” on NPR’s WMFE station in Orlando “Friends Talking Faith with The Three Wise Guys” radio show

At Facebook Fulwider wrote:

The heart is an amazing instrument. It can be broken and it can be strong all at once. That was our experience in Orlando tonight as we gathered for the vigil. As the 49 tolls of the bell rang from the church steeple for each life lost in the horrific mass shooting, we knew our hearts we’re strong with our love for the loved ones of all the victims and for each other. We knew that our commitment to uphold each other in this time of tragedy is unwavering. We will not let hate overcome our clear resolve to stop this senseless violence and hatred. Love will prevail!

Dr. Elisabeth Kugler-Ross explained:

There are only two emotions: love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. From love flows happiness, contentment, peace, and joy. From fear comes anger, hate, anxiety and guilt. It’s true that there are only two primary emotions, love and fear. But it’s more accurate to say that there is only love or fear, for we cannot feel these two emotions together, at exactly the same time. They’re opposites. If we’re in fear, we are not in a place of love. When we’re in a place of love, we cannot be in a place of fear.

Arun Gandhi was born in 1934 in Durban, South Africa, and he is the fifth grandson of Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi. Arun grew up under South Africa apartheid laws and was beaten by White South Africans for being too Black and by Black South Africans for being too White. Arun Gandhi said:

One thing that I’ve observed over the years is that unfortunately peace is the most abused and most misunderstood word in the dictionary. We become aware of peace only when there is a war and then we try to work hard to put an end to the war, and once the war is over we think that we have achieved peace. That really is not peace.

Peace begin from within, that we have to be at peace with ourselves, and the only way we can be at peace with ourselves is by understanding and acknowledging our own weaknesses and doing an introspection to find out what our weaknesses are and how can we transform those weaknesses into strength….Anger became a very important aspect of [my Grandfather’s] philosophy of nonviolence. [1]

Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi explained, “that anger is like electricity. It’s just as useful and just as powerful as electricity is but only if we use it intelligently. But it can be just as deadly and destructive if we abuse it. So just as we channel electrical energy and bring it into our lives and use it for the good of humanity we must learn to channel anger also in the same way so that we can use that energy intelligently rather than abuse anger and cause death and destruction.” [IBID]

Peace will never be wrought through violence. Peace or violence is felt within and usually expressed through language and actions. Hatred, frustration and anger will view all opponents as enemies and neglect to see the opportunity they provide us to grow. Gandhi encouraged us to recognize that our ‘enemies’ are only our misguided brothers and sisters in the Human Family [Ibid]

Gandhi also noted: “The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.”

Statement from Pulse

Like everyone in the country, I am devastated about the horrific events that have taken place today. Pulse, and the men and women who work there, have been my family for nearly 15 years. From the beginning, Pulse has served as a place of love and acceptance for the LGBTQ community. I want to express my profound sadness and condolences to all who have lost loved ones. Please know that my grief and heart are with you.– Barbara Poma, Owner