The hero of the story that unfolded today at the Holocaust Museum, Stephen Tyrone Johns, died from gunshot wounds sustained as he protected the lives of hundreds. My prayers are with his family. I've been trying to wrap my head around this for a good part of the day.

From The Anchoress:

I know nothing about Officer Steven Tyrone Johns, but today he laid
down his life for the sake of strangers, and in doing so he echoed all
that is heroic and fine in humanity and in heaven; his huge sacrifice
contradicted and defeated the million small, thoughtless acts of spite,
malice and hate that contribute everyday to people treating each other like “things,” and which thus open ever-wider the door through which evil eventually walks. God bless him and his family.

My prayers are with Johns' family; my anger is with the apparent neo-national socialist, a black/Jew/Christian-hating bigot, James Von Brunn, who opened fire at the museum. Amazing, perhaps it was his hate that kept him alive for these 88 years? Nordette has a good post about both the hero and the murderer.

I'm also upset by the way some have chosen to ignore all facts of the matter and dishonestly use this tragedy as an opening for inciting prejudice against conservatives. Exhibit A, Daily Kos. Seriously? I guess that trumped offering up sentiments for a fallen hero in terms of focus. Sad indeed.

Five Feet of Frury's Kathy Shaidle notes that Brunn was a 9/11 truther and hated everyone from the Bushes to the founders of Google:

... he unleashed his hatred of both Presidents Bush and other "neo-conservatives" in online essays. As even some "progressives" such as the influential Adbusters magazine publicly admit, "neoconservative" is often used as a derogatory code word for "Jews". As well, even a cursory glance at "white supremacist" writings reveals a hatred of, say, big corporations that is virtually indistinguishable from that of anti-globalization activists.

He hated conservatives, big corporations ... begs the question as to whether Markos has the wrong end of the political spectrum, a question I'm not going to officially introduce because of the ridiculous inanity.

Relatedly, Shepard Smith used it to bash conservatives and freaked out on air over his troll mail (he really should comb through my overburdened inbox sometime, the lunacy is on both sides, Shep) and Atlas Shrugs takes him to task:

Was the condescending Shepard Smith scolding the leftist/Islamic alliance last week when Abdulhakim Muhammad gunned down US soldiers at the military recruiting center, justifying it by saying it was jihad? Did he talk all afternoon discussing the violent ideology of the Koran?

How relieved everyone in the media was (particularly Shep) that the shooter was not a Muslim -- now they can talk about it, now they can spend all day on it and analyze every irrelevant factoid.

Shepard Smith is scolding us for the 89 year old Nazi Von Brunn -- a nut case who served six years in federal prison in the 1980s. Von Brunn had walked into the headquarters of the Federal Reserve System with two guns, a package he said contained dynamite, and a desire to improve the nation's economy, D.C. police said. A certifiable sicko.

How amusing that Shepard feels the need to take this opportunity to scold us for doing the job the media and schmucks like him won't do. He also took the opportunity to vouch for the DHS report on right wing extremism. You know, the one that targeted vets, tea party attendees, Jewish extremists -- as the real threats to the country.

She adds:

Shep, don't preach to us about anger. This from a guy who hit a reporter with his car as she saved a parking space. He was arrested for it too.

(Atlas Shrugs also has an excellent post with in-depth information about the situation along with some of Brunn's bizarre writings. Truly frightening.)

(Here he goes off on Bush and Jews. Were it not for the events of today I'd swear it was an Onion piece. h/t.)

Sister Toldjah passionately disagrees with the folks at TPM and other sites (Ed Morrissey lists some) who have tried to analogize Brunn to everything from the tea party movement to Christianity.

... once the AP gleefully reported that the shooter was a “white supremacist,” that’s all lefties like Josh Marshall needed. Let’s forget for a second that, in addition to being a “Birther” von Brunn is also a … drumroll … Truther (via Capt. Ed), a conspiracy group right wingers strongly condemn. He hated “neo-cons,” too (via MM), another group that left wingers despise. Not only that, but, yes, Von Brunn is also a Holocaust denier, and last I checked, the left has more of a problem with Jew haters than the right does. He also wasn’t particularly fond of Christians, another issue that lends itself to being more “left wing” than “right wing.”

But - please - let’s not let the facts get in the way of a full-scale red meat rant againt the “Reich wing,” ok? Let’s just ignore the fact that this guy was an anti-Semite of the worst kind - those who use violence to “get their point across.”

David Codera examines the failure of gun control laws (remember, only law-abiding folks obey laws, hence the "criminal" title) and how the museum was a gun-free zone.

Considering the anti-semitic hate from Ahmadinajhad, the recent remarks from Jeremiah Wright (wherein he slams the president in saying "them Jews" won't let Obama talk to him) can we use this as the lesson it is: that bigotry is sick, antisemitism is sick, and that criminals will behave in a criminal fashion regardless the laws? It hurts more then helps to turn this into a partisan mud-match. There are better uses for our energy.