Wednesday's murder at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum serves as a bleak, if not sobering reminder of an astringent ideology fostered by hatred.
After security guard Steven Johns was shot to death by 88-year-old James von Brunn, his colleagues subdued the suspect with gunfire, leaving von Brunn critically wounded. The attack took place just before 1 p.m. - a time at which the museum was nearing capacity with 2,000 visitors on the premises. Thanks to the fast response by two security officers in remedying the situation, no one else was injured.
According to a CNN.com article, von Brunn has been identified as an individual known to have strong anti-Semitic ties.
In addition to running a white supremacist Web site, von Brunn subscribes to the school of thought questioning whether Barack Obama is truly an American citizen and therefore should not be president. Clearly what we are dealing with is a man from a vastly different generation, struggling to stay relevant with a cowardly deed just two days prior to what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday.
While there is no underscoring the magnitude of even one person dying in vain, an even greater tragedy may have ensued if not for the wherewithal demonstrated by the two security guards at the scene.
Thoughtless actions like the one committed by von Brunn only serve to lessen whatever logically flawed arguments members of hate groups attempt to make.
