An Unimaginable Sin In Sin City

"Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire..." What can be said about the horrific and unnecessary waste of life that occurred in Las Vegas that has not already been said. The unspeakable act that was performed in that jeweled city in the desert is hard to digest and impossible to believe much akin to the feeling of the World Trade Center and massive loss of life in another most beloved city in this country. One has to just sit in disgust and amazement at how an American, a Nevadan, can check himself into the Mandalay Bay Hotel with numerous assault style weapons and commit such a hideous act. Murdering 59 innocent souls and wounding over 500 more of his fellow countrymen. The sheer volume of this atrocity is simply staggering in it's magnitude, and nauseating in it's vileness.

The shooter's brother has stated that this man was a hunter and owned rifles for that purpose but nothing like those found in that now infamous hotel room nestled near the end of the fabled Vegas strip. It is also impossible to believe that this man was able to walk into the Mandalay Bay Hotel, check into his room, and walk past the doormen, front desk staff, security personnel with such a magnitude of weaponry. As someone who worked in, lived in, and loved the city that Bugsy Siegal gave birth to, to say I find it simply appalling that this was able to happen is an understatement of an infinite magnitude. In a place where guest satisfaction and safety is of paramount importance it is unthinkable that no one wondered "What's in that bag?"

I have been in touch with some friends who are there and they have told me that there is a memorial garden for the remembrance and prayers much like those that have accompanied such events in the past. One can go there to pay there respects, and perhaps say a prayer , and then hand paint a tile with a personal message which will eventually be installed on a permanent wall of remembrance that is planned as part of a larger memorial so that these victims will never be forgotten, and their friends and loved ones will have a place to honor and mourn the dead and wounded they have had to bid farewell far to soon. In a town known for vulgarity and hedonism, this perhaps shows the true nature of the Las Vegas resident. Having been one myself I can vouch for the character, work ethic, and largeness of heart that is possessed by those living and working in that desert oasis whose only desire is to provide each visitor with the ultimate vacation experience. One they will remember and talk about for years to come. I have met and worked with some of the finest people I have ever known during my tenure there and I can simply say that they don't deserve this stain on the city that they love. No city in this world does.

Perhaps the ultimate agony of this event is the cowardly act of the assassin in taking his own life before he could be taken into custody. This denied the world, and especially the victims families, of learning the motive behind such a horrendous display of mass execution, but more importantly, deprived the loved ones of the killed and injured the gift of closure that may provide even a modicum of solace at such an unbearable period in their lives. They say "time heals all wounds" but there cannot be enough time left in this world to heal these.

It is a certainty that Las Vegas will recover from this terribly dark day. Dice will once again be thrown, cards will once again be dealt, and slot machine handles will once again be pulled with winners squealing in delight, and losers moaning in agony. But it is also certain that those who roam the casino floors in uniform, and those who stroll through those same floors in their "cruise wear," will perhaps have even just a single thought of remembrance and solemnity in the back of their minds for those 59 dead, the over 500 wounded, and those that must carry on with their lives after losing a son, daughter, mother, or father to such a senseless act of pure evil. If they don't, shame on them. They should take their next vacation elsewhere because despite all of the debauchery Las Vegas is known for, it's under pining is one of humanity and respect.

It has often been said that "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Let's just all hope and pray that in this case this holds true. Let's hope this is the last act of such extreme evil that the world will witness and that it ends here. Let us all join in unison and shout to the heavens..."VIVA LAS VEGAS!!"