Chris Anderson Owes Chattanooga An Apology - And Response (2)

I've been waiting for someone to call out Chattanooga City Councilman Chris Anderson in the Chattanoogan, but it hasn't happened.  It's time that we addressed this elephant in Chattanooga politics. 

Shame on Chattanooga City Councilman Chris Anderson for taking a national tragedy and immediately turning it into a partisan and political agenda-driven publicity stunt, accusing totally innocent people and parties for the horrific and heart-breaking events that took place in Orlando. 

Unfortunately, that is what Democrats have typically done during such past tragic events. They immediately direct their hate and blame where it does not belong, only to end up with mud on their faces when the facts of these incidents become public and the perpetrators often turn out to be one of their own. One would think they would have learned by now to withhold judgment until they know the story-behind-the-story.  

Despite Chris Anderson's offensive and totally unfounded accusations on Day One, we have now discovered that the massacre in Orlando was the work of Omar Mateen, a disturbed, closeted gay Muslim turned radical Islamist. We have also learned that Mateen was a registered Democrat who routinely frequented the same LGBTQ bar where he was known by many and where he decided to exorcise his personal demons. According to authorities, his phone contained a gay dating application and at least one man has reported that he was approached romantically by Mateen in the past.  

Chris Anderson needs to acknowledge that all of his politicized accusations were wrong. The perpetrator, Omar Mateen, was not Christian, he was Muslim. He was a closeted member of the LGBTQ community, not heterosexual.  He was not a Tea Party member or a conservative/Republican, he was a registered Democrat.  And for the record, there is nothing to date that shows that Mateen was ever a member of the NRA, either, but was employed by a well-known federal contractor associated with Homeland Security who was subsequently cleared and licensed to carry concealed and other firearms. (As an aside, he also did not use an "AR-15," which does not stand for "assault rifle" but for the name of the company that created the original military rifle in 1959, which is unlike the civilian version. Instead, he carried a licensed Sig Sauer MCX rifle and one pistol.) 

Consequently, Chris Anderson struck out on all counts with his offensive and unfounded accusations. He needs to humble himself, step up to the plate, and issue an immediate apology to this city, its citizens, this state, and to our party representatives for the totally reprehensible and inexcusable accusations that he made before knowing any facts whatsoever.  

And he should henceforth hold his tongue and agenda until he gets the "rest of the story," which is the responsible thing for any public representative to do. 

Mya Lane

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I would have to agree with the comment that Chris Anderson owes the city of Chattanooga an apology for his rogue tweets concerning the Orlando tragedy - but that's the least of what he needs to apologize for.

Alex McGee

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