Tunnel Wall: Jun 29, 2018

Friday, June 29, 2018

Capital Gazette Keeps Working, And Publishing, After 5 Die In Newsroom Shooting

Greg M Sr. ‏ @GregMSr

NPR

"Today we are speechless," reads the opinion page in Friday's edition of The Capital, where the staff is still reeling after five of their colleagues were shot and killed. Despite Thursday's attack, the staff put out a newspaper, with powerful reporting on its own tragedy.

"That opinion page — A9 — sits almost entirely empty, with a huge blank space where columns and editorials would normally be.

"Beneath it, the editorial staff wrote, "Tomorrow this page will return to its steady purpose of offering our readers informed opinion about the world around them, that they might be better citizens.' " . . .

Pictured: The empty Friday Opinion page.

The limits of liberal virtue-signalling

"You might think that the Dems would get a clue that they were being trolled. But when you are full of angry self-righteousness, all perspective and any trace of a sense of humor disappear. (If you don’t believe me, tune in to any of the late night Trump-hating comedians and watch the unalloyed hatred that now replaces humor)."

Tony Branco

. . . "You might think that the Dems would get a clue that they were being trolled. But when you are full of angry self-righteousness, all perspective and any trace of a sense of humor disappear. (If you don’t believe me, tune in to any of the late night Trump-hating comedians and watch the unalloyed hatred that now replaces humor).

"That’s why the Dems at the convention fell for one of the great political pranks of all time:

On Friday, conservative Houston-area Rep. Briscoe Cain pranked Democrats at their own convention. He, a political consultant and other activists others handed out yard signs reading, “This home is a gun-free safe space," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"It's amazing how many people took one and thanked us. They said they would put it in front of their house. I think it's funny," the Houston-area Republican told the newspaper, adding: "Nobody should put this in front of their house."

"I wonder how many of the Dems understand the natural limits of virtue signaling?" . . .

Under Trump, We win while wimps whine

Dig around some, however, and you’ll find plenty of victories. Here are just a few of the accomplishments that have taken place in 2018 thus far.

Ghenghis Gary

2018 Has Been Very Good to Trump "In his final day of campaigning ahead of the 2016 primary in the state of South Carolina, then-Republican nominee Donald Trump held three different rallies. Feeding off the energy of the crowd, he delivered a classic Trump line.

“ 'We’re going to win so much,” he told thousands of supporters in attendance. “You're going to get tired of winning. You’re going to say, ‘Please Mr. President, I have a headache. Please, don't win so much. This is getting terrible.’ And I'm going to say, ‘No, we have to make America great again.’”

"It would become one of many classic Trump quotes from the 2016 campaigning season -- one that supporters would repeat with big smiles, and one that detractors would laugh about in dismissal as they mocked the real-estate tycoon’s chances of becoming president.

"The notion of winning so much that people would get tired was obviously delivered tongue in cheek, but here we stand, just over two years removed from that rally, and supporters are beginning to enjoy a glimpse of what the now-president predicted back then." . . .

“So Much Winning” in 2018

Everyone can agree that Trump had a unique strategy as a politician -- and now as president. Whereas most political figures use the same safe, cookie-cutter strategies, he goes against the grain.

He uses provocative tweets and tangential tales to send the media into a frenzy. Then, have gotten the media to yammer about issues that don’t really matter, he gathers his team and goes to work, unimpeded by reporters and commentators who are busy booking segments on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.

Reckless: The Rush To Blame Trump for Maryland Newspaper Shooting Blew Up In The Left's Face

Matt Vespa

. . . "The rest of the media should have taken note. There was no drama, commentary, or jumping to conclusions with this story. The publication also had stories about the colleagues that they lost, which also served as a final goodbye Still, plenty of anti-Trump folk on social media could not help but blame one person for this shooting: the president of the United States. No, I’m not kidding. Not shocking, I know—but it’s just totally unspooled. Ramos’ beef with The Capital stems back to 2011. In 2012, a defamation lawsuit was dismissed. All of this predated Trump as president, but it’s convenient. It’s reckless, and totally predictable that the Left stepped on a rake doing this. God bless Twitchy for doing this; I would go insane finding the worst of the worst on liberal Twitter. " . . .

Read the vindictive comments here.

"It’s the age of Trump Derangement Syndrome, if you think the media, everyone really, would slow their roll on on stories like this in the Trump-era. Nope, not in the least bit, which ends up with the whole industry having egg on its face. When The New Republic notes this tragic and heinous shooting stemmed from the Obama-era days, you know a) it’s not Trump’s fault (so ridiculous we have to say this); and b) the Left stepped in it." . . .

The Capitol Gazette, the shooting, and the dead

NY Times “ 'He didn’t have enough bullets for us,” Mr. Davis said, struggling to grapple with the images of his fallen colleagues. “It was terrifying to know he didn’t have enough bullets to kill everyone in that office, and had to get more.' ” . . .
From the Miami Herald:

A former leader of the Capital Gazette described the intensity with

which Ramos fought the newspaper in court.“He waged a one-person attack on anything he could muster in court against the Capital,” Tom Marquardt, a former editor and publisher of the Capital Gazette, told the Los Angeles Times. “I said during that time, ‘This guy is crazy enough to come in and blow us all away.’”Social media posts from an account in Ramos’ name indicate that — even after the lawsuit was dismissed — he held a years-long grudge against the newspaper, the Times reports.

MSM . . . "Paul Gillespie, a staff photographer, had just finished editing photos from one assignment and was preparing for the next when he heard shots behind him, and the newsroom’s glass doors shatter. Another shot, and Gillespie dove under a co-worker’s desk “and curled up as small as I could,” he said.

“I dove under that desk as fast as I could, and by the grace of God, he didn’t look over there,” he said. “I was curled up, trying not to breathe, trying not to make a sound, and he shot people all around me.”
"Gillespie said he heard one colleague scream “No!,” then a shot, then another colleague’s voice, and then another shot. Then came the sound of the gunman getting closer to where he was hiding, Gillespie said.
“ 'I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to die. I can’t believe this.’” Gillespie said.
"Instead, the gunman passed him, continuing to shoot, he said. Eventually, there was a lull in the shots, and Gillespie said he stood and ran for the exit, through the shattered glass, jumping over a colleague who he believed was dead as another shot rang out in his direction. Once outside, he ran to a nearby bank, where he screamed for people to call the cops." . . .

Capital Gazette shooting victim Rebecca Smith: "Rebecca Smith was a recent hire at the Capital Gazette but had already proved herself a valuable asset.
"Smith, 34, a sales assistant, worked in the news organization’s office in Annapolis. She was one of the five people who were shot and killed Thursday afternoon.
Her boss, Capital Gazette advertising director Marty Padden, said she made sure the sales office ran smoothly.
“ 'She was a very thoughtful person,” Padden said. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed. She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.” . . .

Rob Hiaasen, journalist killed in Maryland newsroom shooting, had deep South Florida ties

"Hiaasen, 59, had worked as a columnist and editor for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis since 2010. But his connections to South Florida were lifelong. He grew up with his brother, Miami Herald columnist and author Carl Hiaasen, in the Fort Lauderdale area and worked at the Palm Beach Post in the 1990s." . . .

Capital Gazette shooting victim Gerald Fischman: Clever and quirky voice of a community newspaper . . ."Fischman’s personality was so quiet and withdrawn that it hid the brilliant mind, wry wit and “wicked pen” that his colleagues would treasure.
"For more than 25 years, Fischman was the conscience and voice of the Annapolis news organization, writing scathing, insightful and always exacting editorials about the community.
He was the guardian against libel, the arbiter of taste and a peculiar and endearing figure in a newsroom full of characters.

Capital Gazette shooting victim John McNamara: Sports reporting was his dream "John McNamara was toiling as a news copy editor at the Capital Gazette when he left to pursue his dream: sports reporting.
"He honed his skills at the Prince George’s Journal, a competitor to the Annapolis news organization. Within a few years, the Capital Gazette hired him back. He would work there for nearly 24 years.
"McNamara, 56, was one of five staff members who was shot to death at the Capital Gazette on Thursday." . . .

Capital Gazette shooting victim Wendi Winters: A prolific writer who chronicled her community . . . "After a career in fashion and public relations in New York City, the 65-year-old mother of four moved to Maryland 20 years ago and began stringing for the Annapolis news organization. She soon built a reputation as a prolific freelance reporter and well-known community resource.
"The Edgewater woman was one of five Capital Gazette staff members killed in the shootings Thursday.
"Her daughter Winters Geimer said the family was gathering late Thursday." . . .

The Capital Gazette web site.

At this hour the names of the wounded could not be found.