Fan convention attacked by domestic terrorism.

I’m sure that many of you by now have heard about the attack on French cartoonists earlier this month that claimed the lives of 17 people. However, something like this happened roughly a month before in the United States, against people whose only crime was just using their freedom of their lives as they see fit at no one else’s expense. During the early hours of December 7, 2014 at Midwest Furfest, there was a chemical attack involving chlorine gas. Yes, an attack with the intent of murdering everyone in the convention during the same date as the Pearl harbor attack in 1941, another event that will live in infamy.

But don’t take my word for it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZnfAJ…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD5VhC…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_lmRh…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB09yE…

Police found a backpack with crushed glass bottles on the ninth floor of the stairwell. The crushed glass bottles contained powders that would release the gas. The whole building had to be evacuated with 19 people being sent to the hospital. Thankfully not a single person died from this cowardly attack. Afterward Dr. Samuel Conway made a brave decision to continue the convention with all the events on schedule.

So why would anyone do this? Please bear in mind when I use the words furry haters, I’m not talking about people who or just disinterested in furries in general. I understand fully well that if you have the right to enjoy something you also have the right not to. If that’s good enough for me it ought to be good enough for you. However, as you can see there are people out there don’t consider this good enough for them, and use this as an excuse to justify everything. In the minds of the ones who think like this terrorist no measure is too extreme, in fact the more extreme the better.

And to the furries reading this, your moves must be equally brave. Don’t pause before going about your usual activities worrying if you will place yourself at risk. That’s how they get inside your head. Instead carry on your activities with more momentum than ever. Think of it as sending this message to the cowards(s?) responsible.

As for everyone else who wonders what this has to do with them, just imagine how you would feel if ComicCon was attacked by poisonous gas and the media anchors were more freaked out about the fact that the convention goers were cosplaying rather than the fact that people could have died? How would you feel if society kept creating this culture of misinformation and hate towards science fiction fans? What if the mainstream media portrayed science fiction not as a genre, but as a sexual fetish filled with people too horny to control themselves to the point where they can’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality? How would you feel if science fiction was constantly scorned for doing all the same things everyone else takes for granted? And finally how feel about being constantly harassed, stalked, impersonated, have your personal information revealed, have your social networking accounts stolen, and threatened by these self-appointed thought-police vigilantes  who are clearly delusional, just for attempting to clear away all the bullshit? You would never accept this if it happened to you. So why is it okay if it happens to us?

And on top of that, how are all the claims of this culture of paranoia against furries any different from the time when people freaked out when they learned that Dumbeldore was gay, or claimed that rock music contained secret messages from the devil, or that video games make people violent, or that films make people have sex more often, or any other of that panic mongering crap? I thought we were done with all of that and that my generation would be a fresh start, but sadly it looks like it will be just as stupid as all the rest. I guess we may never learn our lesson, but keep making the same mistakes over and over again, but just making new excuses every time.

Now I understand that people may have different opinions about things, but nothing justifies these insane, reckless, and evil acts. I can’t stand Justin Beiber, but does that give me the right to line all his fangilrs against the wall and machine-gun them all to death? I can’t stand Nickelback but does that give me the right to plant pipe bombs under the stage where they are performing? I can’t stand how SEGA and other related parties are dragging Sonic the Hedgehog through the mud instead of maintaining him as a grand mythology but does that give me the right to mail them white mysterious powdered substances? NO! So why the hell is it acceptable to gas fan conventions, or shoot cartoonists?

So the next time someone tries to warn you about the furry “problem”, claiming that we all “ant to have sex with animals”, or are “internet predators that ruin childhoods”, or are some other “menace to society”, ask yourself one important question, what is the real agenda behind these claims? Are these people really trying to warn me of real danger? Or are they just diversionists trying to make me a sucker of hate and fear? Are they trying to brainwash me? Are they trying to create some sort of scapegoat to project all their insecurities onto because they need some sort of enemy to survive? Or are they manipulative people who really need help?

Finally all you need to know are three things.

“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

“All that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”

“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

And you know what also pisses me off? When NBC news reported this, one of the anchors ran off stage laughing upon learning about the furry fandom. Yes, we have grown adults, charged with the responsibility of giving the citizens of the nation information vital to maintaining democracy, laughing like high school students at the fact that people could have been killed, just because they are a little different or somewhat misunderstood. Grow the fuck up.