Mateo Warren

For two days, I’ve been trying to concisely put into words everything I’ve felt since the shooting in Orlando.  I’m just another voice among millions speaking their mind, but this is as therapeutic for me as actual therapy or drugs are for others.  I’ll try to keep this as brief as I can.

I remember how I felt after 9/11 and Sandy Hook.  After 9/11, I felt fear (my Dad was ATC in Elmira, and I worried a plane might crash into his tower).  After Sandy Hook, I felt all-consuming rage (innocent children, and that could have just as easily happened in my Mom’s classroom).  But, after Orlando, I felt numb.  There were too many emotions to process at once; I think that part of my brain short-circuited.  The horror of such an attack; the indignation that ANOTHER mass shooting occurred; the eerie worry that it could have been any number of my friends celebrating Pride month, or even me; the deep sorrow at watching people on Facebook and across the internet panic about missing friends and family members…

 I know what I will remember most from this tragedy: the haunting video of Christine Leinonen standing outside the club, breaking down as she tries desperately to contact her son.  Another night, another city, that could have been any of my friends’ mothers, or my own.  Standing outside, helpless, praying against all odds that her child was all right.  Her son and his boyfriend died in the shooting.

 They died in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.  One demon killed 49 innocent people, wounded 50+ more, and shattered hundreds of lives.  And, of course, the usual responses (Jesus, the fact that I even have to use the phrase “usual responses” in regards to mass murder should be enough of a wake-up call) have all come into play:

            - The gun vs anti-gun debate is in full swing on social media.

            - The usual vitriol about Islam and Muslims is equally deafening.

            - The WBC and other hate groups have praised God for the shooter. 

            - The “truthers” have already started to call it a hoax. 

            - The politicians have offered their thoughts and prayers (or, in one case, congratulated himself on knowing this was going to happen). 

            - The profile pictures have changed. 

            - Donations for the victims have poured in. 

            - Blood has been donated in amazing quantities, and some banks have taken the historic step of ignoring the ban on homosexuals donating blood. 

            - The LGBTQ+ community and their allies have again banded together to denounce another attack on their already fragile sense of security

 … and the country is left to wonder, “When does it end?  How do we stop it?”

 I don’t have the answer, and I won’t pretend to.  The talking heads on TV will take care of that.

 What I do know: the subhuman bastard who carried out these attacks should never have been able to get his hands on the weapons he used to kill the 49 people in that club.  I’m still a firm believer that sane, law-abiding citizens have a right to own guns, but I also believe it shouldn’t be easier to get a semi-automatic rifle than it is to get a driver’s license.

 Another thing I know: America needs to grow up, drop the hate, and stand in solidarity with her LGBTQ+ citizens.  The anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric over the past year, especially the inflammatory comments by certain leaders in both the churches and the government, has absolutely contributed to what happened in Orlando.  In 2016, some of your fellow Americans are still afraid to be who they really are.  They’re ashamed to love who they love.  They fear showing any affection in public, something “straight” couples would never even think to worry about.  They repress or hide their feelings.  They force themselves to live a lie because they fear being judged by society based on the paraphrasing of a book written 2000 years ago.  If we don’t take the step to fight against religion-based prejudice against LGBTQ+ citizens, then the terrorism and violence against these citizens will never truly end.  Let’s make America “The Land of the Free, and The Home of the Brave” again, a place where anyone can feel secure in loving whomever they want, with no fear of discrimination or reprisals.

If you’re a person who truly thinks that this attack (or any others) was God punishing America for homosexuals, kindly remove yourself from my life, because I can’t help you, and you’re not worth the breath I’d waste trying to convince you otherwise.  For everyone else: let your LGBTQ+ friends and family members know that you love and support them, and do whatever you can to ensure their rights are equal to their “straight” counterparts.  Tolerance is no longer enough; Equality is the only option.

Lastly, don’t remember the name of the murderer.  Remember the names of the victims, and live your life in a way that will honor them and all the other victims of terrorism, hatred, and discrimination around the world.  May they all rest in peace.

Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old

Amanda Alvear, 25 years old

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old

Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old

Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old

Cory James Connell, 21 years old

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old

Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old

Frank Hernandez, 27 years old

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old

Kimberly Morris, 37 years old

Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old

Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old

Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old

Thank you for hundreds of thousands of hours of entertainment.  Thank you for giving rise to the pictures, the music, the games, the pesterlogs, the fandom, and for possessing the patience and tenacity to do more in seven years than most of us will do with our entire lives.

It has been an honor and a privilege.  I cannot wait to see what you do next.

OMG.  You guys.  My body wasn’t ready.  I’m still quivering.  Holy shit.  So.  Freaking.  Good.

No spoilers yet, plenty of time for that later.  But a couple of thoughts:

- 18 minutes went by SO QUICK omfg.

- Hussie hosted it on YouTube; no breaking the internet this time :D

- SO SO SO SO GOOD

- (slight music spoiler) I totally called the second half of “Eternity Served Cold” being used in it and I almost screamed when it started.

This is an old internet thing, but I finally got around to doing it at work today.  Open up your iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, or whatever else you use to listen to all your musics.  Set it on random.  Each song that plays goes under the following categories.  You have to go in order, and no skipping.  This will be the soundtrack to the movie of your life.

(It’s not necessary, but I added color commentary in italics below my answers because this is America and I do what I want).

Opening Credits: “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars Well, we’re off to a great start so far…

First Day At School: “What a Girl Wants” – Christina Aguilera Wait, really?  I feel like this would fit better with the next question.

Falling In Love: “Like a Virgin” – Sister Cristina Nevermind.

Breaking Up: “Waterfalls” - TLC Nice.  This thing is kind of on point so far.

Prom: “The Final Countdown” – Ely Bruna I can picture it clearly.  But, wait, aren’t I single and alone now?  Who am I dancing with?!

Mental Breakdown: “Love the Way You Lie” – Eminem, Rihanna Haha oh my God this literally couldn’t be more perfect.  Prom was rough, apparently.

Flashbacks: “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele I can’t even begin to describe how perfect this would be if I dated people.  Also, the royalties alone are going to eat up our budget.

Getting Back Together: “Up Around the Bend” – Creedence Clearwater Revival The mental montage of riding along the highway and running through various fields and other not-city locations is just… stunning.

Wedding Scene: “Let It Go” – Pentatonix It better be them actually singing this in person.  Otherwise, the wedding is off.

Final Battle: “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” – Nightwish Can’t believe it took Nightwish this long to pop up, but DAMN they’re coming in with a vengeance!!!  This song could absolutely be a battle theme, too.

Death Scene: “What is Love” – Haddaway … what.

Funeral Song: “Boom Boom Boom” – Venga Boys … okay this is just got ridiculous.  Clearly my funeral is going to be a comedy of errors.

End Credits: “Kryptonite” – 3 Doors Down Oh, good, we’re finally back on something that sort of makes sense.

Finale: “Demons” – Imagine Dragons Yeah, I can get behind this.  It’s a very finale-sounding song.

I was just doing some casual, light reading about Mass Extinction Events, and I came across the Wikipedia article for 99942 Apophis, which is a Nearth-Earth Object that people were worried might strike earth.  It has since been decided that there is no risk on the original date in question, but what really got me is the date that it said it would possibly hit:

April 13th.

So now I can’t decide if this is just a very odd coincidence, or if Hussie is doing that thing he does where he uses vaguely obscure references to mess with our minds.

My favorite part of the voice is the Blind Auditions where they press the button and spin their chairs.

But, like... eventually America’s gonna be sick of that gimmick, right?  So, how is it going to work from there?

Picture it: The Voice, Season 9.

The judges ride mechanical bulls in order to get people on their team.  Whoever lasts longest gets first dibs.  

http://www.gofundme.com/Pizza4Equality

Are you baffled at the fact that a shitty pizza joint somewhere in Bumfuck, Indiana could game the mass media enough to earn almost $1 million?

Do hate seeing one of the staples of American cuisine being warped into a tool for hatred, rather than love?

Here’s how you can fight The Stupid(TM), and help the youth of America in the process.

Let’s reward love, not hate.