Fuck "love and prayers." It's about policy, stupid.

[rep the dems]

In a statement early Thursday, Gov. Nikki Haley asked everyone to "please join us in lifting up the victims and their families with our love and prayers."

Until we do more than just offer our thoughts and prayers, it's just going to be the same old thing over and over again.

[Bonobo]

1. Hear, hear! I'm filled with more rage than love and prayers right now.

I'm feeling like the next time a cop roughs up a young black man or young black girl, that they get visited by an angry fucking mob and hauled the fuck out of their little police station.

There is a way to react to this kind of shit, and I'm feeling like the patience and soft requests for internal changes to be examined is over.

Why am I blaming the cops, you say?

Because it is 1000% worse when they do it, because they represent authority, the powers that be and they influence others more powerfully. SO start with them and root this Nazi bullshit the fuck out!

[yeoman6987]

9. Prayers to the victims

Horrible night. God bless their families during this difficult time.

[joshcryer]

2. It was a crime at a church during a prayer service.

And every half hour they are doing prayer circles.

Give me a break.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

3. I understand and appreciate your anger. Please let me say two things

1) The mayor, sheriff, and the church official are very purposefully framing this as the gunning down of innocent people in a church as opposed to framing it as a race hate crime. It's a deeply Christian state, and framing the crime this way will tend to be unifying.

2) People look to faith as a source of comfort in times like this, and a Governor's job is to bring comfort and calm. I suspect the President will say something similar tomorrow morning.

This is the senseless act of a sick individual. He used a gun, but could have just as easily used explosives or gasoline. The event evokes memories of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

[rep the dems]

16. That's perfectly fine

And however they want to frame it, they can't duck the fact that it's a *gun* issue (even you use the phrase "gunning down&quot . When I say "fuck love and prayers" I don't mean to say that we shouldn't actually offer our sympathy. But from a person like Haley, those are empty words because what they'll really do to support the victims is nothing. We've tried nothing over and over again and we end up having this same discussion far too many times.

[Arugula Latte]

4. Pray to the same sociopathic deity that caused or allowed this in the first place?

Sense. That makes none.

[Joe the Revelator]

6. Oh, give it a rest.

[MellowDem]

18. The one she believes in...

Genocided the whole world at one point, better to genuflect before such a benevolent dictator I guess?

Religious privilege makes such weird things quite normal.

It also makes it easy to deflect from real issues with appeals to the supernatural.

[merrily]

5. Why else do Americans elect Governors, except to hear them talk about

lifting up in prayer the families of people who were shot to death in church?



I don't want my elected officials to lead me in prayer. If and when I want that, I know where to go to find it.

In fairness, as best I could tell from the coverage, the Mayor and the police are responding as one would wish. And the people who were in church are responding amazingly well. I don't think I could come close--and nonviolence is almost a religion with me.

[Betty Karlson]

7. Hear hear! (eom)

[malaise]

8. These people spew hate all day and then

want peace, love and prayers after hate crimes.

Fuck Nikki Haley.

[Enthusiast]

10. True.

[malaise]

11. THIS - "I am very tired of people telling me that I don't have the right to be angry,"

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/18/police-respond-to-shooting-at-sc-church/
<snip>
Soon after Wednesday night's shooting, a group of pastors huddled together praying in a circle across the street. Community organizer Christopher Cason told the Associated Press he felt certain the shootings were racially motivated.

"I am very tired of people telling me that I don't have the right to be angry," Cason said. "I am very angry right now."

Authorities said the shooting took place at approximately 9 p.m. local time. Police would not immediately confirm the identities of the victims. Mullen said there were survivors, but did not say how many, or how many were inside the church at the time of the shooting.

Dot Scott, the president of the Charleston NAACP, told the Post and Courier newspaper that she had spoken with a female survivor who said the gunman walked into the church and briefly sat down before standing up and opening fire. Scott said the gunman told the woman he was letting her live so she could tell others what had happened.

[Enthusiast]

12. He just wanted to kill black people? Because Obama or something?

This is one sick society.

Every day Limbaugh and Fox fan the fires of racism.

[Enthusiast]

13. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

"Until we do more than just offer our thoughts and prayers, it's just going to be the same old thing over and over again."

Thoughts and prayers are nice but they are not achieving the desired results.

[the band leader]

14. The POS that did this needs to find himself spending the rest of his life in general population.

[NightWatcher]

17. Prayer= don't do anything now, just surrender control

[alarimer]

19. I agree.

Maybe change the poisonous atmosphere in your state, Nikki. That will be a good start.

You could start by removing the symbol of hatred that is the Confederate Flag from state property. A gesture, to be sure, but an effective one.

[99Forever]

20. I'm with you.

I want the rein of terror the gun bullies have put this nation in, to be ended. Permanently.