We the People: A time for action

Three people were wounded and one killed in a mass shooting at Northern Arizona University. The suspected shooter, an 18-year-old freshman, did not have the courtesy to commit suicide and is in custody. The police named him but since these selfish creeps commit their crimes in order to get publicity, the name should not be repeated.

The names of all these cowards should never be uttered again. Society and the media must stop giving the attention sought by individuals willing to commit mass murder because they are unhappy or unsatisfied with their lives. If these losers know they will not receive the notoriety they crave, they will have less motivation for acting upon antisocial fantasies.

The media should identify the retailer who sold the weapon, the manufacturer of the weapon and the person who conducted the background check so the people can know how easy it is to get a weapon into the hands of a mentally unstable individual. Which presidential candidate will do something about this national problem?

Meanwhile, in New York City, the mayor denies a problem with violent crime in New York City. He seems to believe that there is no correlation between the way City Hall marginalized the role and the capability of the New York City Police Department with the increase in deadly violence on our streets. Well, on…

• June 15, 2015, four people were shot and a fifth slashed during a violent fight outside a Brooklyn nightclub.
• July 24, 2015, a shooter walked behind a victim and shot him dead in cold blood in broad daylight on a Bronx sidewalk. A disturbing surveillance video captured the cold-blooded execution.
• Labor Day, 2015, an aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo died after being shot in the head during a wild shootout on a Brooklyn street.
• October 9, 2015, a man was shot dead outside a strip club in the Bronx.
• October 12, 2015, a man died after being shot inside a vehicle at Ashland Place and DeKalb Avenue in Fort Greene.
• October 12, 2015, three women were shot and one died outside Motivo night club in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.

There are more shootings and more kids sneaking guns into schools due to an actual or a perceived lessening of the NYPD’s ability to stop criminals from carrying weapons. Mayor de Blasio, what are you going to do about it?

In the Middle East, two powerful devices were exploded by suicide bombers at an anti-government peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, killing almost 100 people and wounding hundreds of others. The powerful blasts shook nearby large buildings. The attacks occurred during a rally that included a pro-Kurdish group advocating a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish desire for independence. The attacks occurred just three weeks before national elections.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but the government suspects the ISIS terrorist state since Turkey recently changed its military policy on ISIS in Syria. Turkey has allowed U.S. warplanes to launch strikes on ISIS from southern Turkey. In an interview with CNN, Esra Ozyurek, chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the London School of Economics, said that if ISIS was being hurt by the strikes from Turkey, “there will be attacks” by ISIS against Turkey. It seems the strikes must be hurting ISIS.

The Turkish government called for three days of national mourning and urged the country to fight terrorism. The prime minister said, “This is an attack that does not target a specific group … it is an attack on the entire nation and (an) attack on our unity.”

The U.S. condemned the attack and urged Turkish citizens to “recommit to peace and stand together against terror,” according to a State Department statement. President Obama conveyed deep sympathy for the victims and described the attacks as “heinous.”

The blame will eventually correctly be placed on ISIS or ISIS supporters. This clearly shows the world must stand together and fight, or suffer separately in the face of terrorism.

There is a need for the responsible nations of the world to come together to stop this violence. President Obama must delicately balance providing support to the legitimate nation states in the region without being manipulated to further the territorial aspirations of Iran and Russia.