In Orlando the air hangs heavy and wet. Police lights throb a steady rhythm. Every now and then, a state trooper moves a few road cones or backs up his car so an FBI command truck or a few forensic investigators can slip inside the cordon. It will be a long, hot night.
It's the routine for mass shootings that galls the most. Every part of it: The soft target, the lonely shooter, his cold ruthlessness and his guns.
"What did he have?" An assault rifle and a pistol. Well, there's a surprise.
Cue the local mayor saying something like, "You never think this could ever happen anywhere like Orlando." Except that's what the last mayor said. And the mayor before him.
Cue the vigils. Cue President Barack Obama looking exasperated. Cue a spike in gun sales in the next few days. Cue statements from the dozens of politicians who take money from the National Rifle Association, offering "thoughts and prayers" to those affected by the shooting.
