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National Cathedral to wed same-sex couples
Same-sex couples have lined up to marry in city halls Washington National Cathedral is the site of presidential funerals Four presidents have had inaugural prayers there It is also a place of worship for the Episcopal Church (CNN) -- When laws went into effect in three states for same-sex couples to marry, many were quick to line up at their city halls to exchange vows. Now they may do so in one of the nation's most prominent churches -- the Washington National Cathedral. Most Americans know the house of God, also called the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, as a place where sacred rites are carried out on behalf of the nation. It has been host to the funerals of numerous presidents and of inaugural prayer services for four presidents, including Barack Obama. But it is also an active house of worship in the Episcopalian Church, said the Cathedral's dean, Gary Hall. The denomination has developed a blessing rite that mirrors current wedding ceremonies for heterosexual couples and allows each bishop to decide to allow same-sex marriages in their churches or not. Bishop Mariann Budde decided to allow the rite, since same-sex marriage is legal in the District of Columbia and now in neighboring Maryland as well, Hall said. .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} if (typeof cnnArticleGallery == "undefined") { var cnnArticleGallery = {}; } if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList =="undefined"){ cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList = []; } var expGallery51=new ArticleExpandableGallery(); expGallery51.setImageCount(9); //cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Same-sex marriage amendments in U.S.", 1); The U.S. Supreme Court this month will begin considering several cases involving same-sex marriage, including one testing the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which says "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Above, Frank Capley-Alfano and Joe Capley-Alfano celebrate outside of San Francisco City Hall in February after a federal appeals court blocked the law. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":1,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in U.S."} Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire celebrates after signing marriage equality legislation into law earlier this year. Voters there approved same-sex marriage on Election Day. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":2,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} In 2010, television reporter Roby Chavez, right, shares a moment with gay rights activist Frank Kameny during Chavez' and Chris Roe's wedding ceremony in the nation's capital. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":3,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Phyllis Siegel, 76, kisses her wife, Connie Kopelov, 84, after exchanging vows at the Manhattan City Clerk's office last year. (Photo by Michael Appleton-Pool/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":4,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Michael Miller, left, and Ross Zachs marry on the West Hartford Town Hall steps after same-sex marriages became legal in Connecticut in 2008. A shift in beliefs was captured in a recent Pew Center poll that found 48% of Americans now favor same-sex marriage. Just four years ago, only 39% felt that way. (Photo by Christopher Capozziello/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":5,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, center, shakes hands with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller after signing a same-sex marriage bill. The law was challenged, but voters approved marriage equality in a November referendum. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":6,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Lara Ramsey, left, and her partner of eight years, Jane Lohmann, play with their 7-month-old son, Wyatt Ramsey-Lohmann. The two wed in 2004 after Massachusetts approved same-sex marriage. (Photo by Angela Jimenez/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":7,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Beth Robinson of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force was among those who fought for marriage equality in Vermont in 2009. (Photo by Jordan Silverman/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":8,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Amy Klein-Matheny, left, and her wife Jennifer were married in 2009 in Iowa after same-sex couples were allowed to marry there. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":5,"y":1,"pos":9,"title":"Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S."} Same-sex marriage amendments in U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. Same-sex marriage amendments in the U.S. HIDE CAPTION << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 > >> Same-sex marriage amendments in U.S. Event.observe(window, 'load', function() { //report the first gallery image to ADBP if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined') { cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image, ""); } }); It was Budde's decision that led Hall to create the same-sex rite. He sees it as "another historic step toward greater equality." The states of Washington, Maine and Maryland all legalized same-sex marriages in referendums during the 2012 general election. It was already legal in the nation's capital. In March, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two appeals cases related to same-sex marriage -- California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples. The American Episcopal Church is intimately connected with the Church of England, which last week approved the advancement of male priests in same-sex committed relationships to the position of bishop. But those relationships must be celibate. City halls in Baltimore; Portland, Maine; and Seattle erupted in celebration as the first same-sex couples tied the knot in December and January. Seattle's ceremony included 133 couples, who walked outside and down rain-slickened steps afterward, where they were greeted by cheers, confetti and a brass band celebrating the first day same-sex couples could marry in Washington. To wed at the National Cathedral, one member of the couple must be baptized into the Church, and both must commit to a Christian marriage of "lifelong faithfulness, love, forbearance and mutual comfort." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
Why 'Django' stirs race debate
Gene Seymour: Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino spatting over "Django Unchained" Seymour says film, which upends slavery narrative, is classic comic-book Tarantino He says debate is over whether white artists have right to tell any part of black American story Seymour notes James Baldwin's sound advice: "If you don't like their alternative, write yours" Editor's note: Gene Seymour is a film critic who has written about music, movies and culture for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. (CNN) -- Spike Lee says he's never going to see Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" because he's certain it is "disrespectful of my ancestors." Tarantino says he doesn't need to waste time responding to Lee's accusation. That, as they say, is that. So why do we insist on staring at two egomaniacs staring down each other? Race. Again. The subject that never fails to provoke, antagonize, alienate -- and fascinate rubber-necking onlookers from sea to shining sea. Fixating on race is an absurdity that has no rational reason to exist, yet no one quite knows how to eliminate it from humankind. The only thing dumber than race is underestimating its importance. Gene Seymour "Django Unchained" is Tarantino's latest exercise in genre-bending audacity, an antic ripsnorter folding in most of what its director knows and loves about spaghetti westerns, 1970s blaxploitation thrillers and his own ribald, recklessly violent body of work. Its title character, played by Jamie Foxx, is a slave bought and freed by a drolly effective German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz), who agrees to help Django emancipate his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from a decadent plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. "Django" makes no pretense of being anything other than a phantasmagoric pseudo-western, rife with calculated vulgarity, anachronism and impropriety. Its body count rivals that of Tarantino's 2003 martial-arts epic, "Kill Bill Vol. 1" (to whose messily operatic set pieces of slaughter "Django" bears an uncanny resemblance). Marquee blog: What's the verdict on "Django Unchanied"? var currExpandable="expand17"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/18/bts-django-cast-violence-in-movies.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121218092653-bts-django-cast-violence-in-movies-00014322-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand17Store=mObj; Film violence inspires real violence? var currExpandable="expand27"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/25/iri-django-unchained-jamie-foxx-kerry-washington-uncut-raw-youtube.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121225053054-iri-django-unchained-jamie-foxx-kerry-washington-uncut-raw-youtube-00021013-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand27Store=mObj; Jamie Foxx: 'Django' controversy is good The movie has so far grossed more than $100 million since its Christmas Day nationwide release. Critics' reactions have ranged from wild-eyed enthusiasm (The Boston Globe's Wesley Morris: "Corkscrewed, inside-out, upside-down, simultaneously clear-eyed and out of its mind") to wary detachment (The Detroit News' Tom Long: "(Y)ou may leave ... wishing for both more and less") to borderline outrage (Slate's Dana Stevens: "There's something about (Tarantino's) directorial delectation in all these acts of racial violence that left me not just physically, but morally queasy.") Given advance hype for the movie as extravagant as its violence, I doubt that audience members, whatever their race or age, bought tickets with the expectation of seeing some historically faithful saga of antebellum life, and neither did I. We were buying a comic book. Many people have a grievance against the very notion of comic books, but I don't. Expect a movie or a comic book to explain everything about anything and all you earn is surplus sadness that you don't really need. Nevertheless, there are many who, unlike Lee, have seen the movie and carry the same grievances as he does. The most scathing attack came from that novelist-satirist-poet Ishmael Reed, writing in The Wall Street Journal: "To compare this movie to a spaghetti western and a blaxploitation film is an insult to both genres. It's a Tarantino home movie with all the racist licks of his other movies." He aimed this laser shot at the Oscar-nominated actor who plays the treacherous "house slave" to DiCaprio's character: "Samuel L. Jackson ... plays himself." I doubt Jackson felt the blow. He has, in fact, further provoked the movie's antagonists by running straight at an interviewer asking about the movie's prolific use of the "N-word," refusing to answer the question unless the reporter, who is white, actually says the dread epithet aloud. (He didn't.) Still, Reed's condemnation discloses what may lie at the heart of Lee's objection: the debate over whether white artists have the right to tell any part of the black American story -- which, as Reed writes, is as old as Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 abolitionist novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It is also as recent as 1967 when the white Southern novelist William Styron published, "The Confessions of Nat Turner," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel told in the first-person voice of the brilliant-but-doomed leader of an 1838 slave rebellion. The outcry from African-American novelists was so intense that a collection of essays, "William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond" was published a year later. James Baldwin, a friend of Styron's who was one of the few African-American authors speaking out on the book's behalf, put his position as succinctly as possible: "I will not tell another writer what to write. If you don't like their alternative, write yours." It's still sound advice -- and in the intervening years, black authors have taken it, from Alex Haley's 1976 blockbuster, "Roots," to Toni Morrison's haunting "Beloved" from 1987. Both were adapted for the screen, and while "Roots," the television miniseries, delivered a resounding national impact, the 1998 movie adaptation of "Beloved," even with Oprah Winfrey as producer and co-star, earned about $26 million, roughly half of its $50 million budget. I remember many of my African-American relatives and friends who told me they were not going to see "Beloved," no matter how good it was or who was in it, because they simply did not want to watch a movie about slavery's legacy. Some of these same folks, on the other hand, tell me they were psyched about seeing a movie, however "incorrect" on several levels, in which a black ex-slave secures freedom for his wife, kills every white man who stands in his way -- and gets away with it. Exasperated? If you're not, you should be. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gene Seymour.
Selasa, 08 Januari 2013
Track coach feels 'ratted out'
The coach is a giant in women's track She learned to walk again after a devastating accident The affair with the student occurred a decade ago She said she's "never stepped outside the lines" in her career (CNN) -- The University of Texas women's track coach who resigned under fire after the disclosure of an affair with a female student a decade ago doesn't understand why she was targeted for punishment and questions whether she's being treated fairly. "Is it because I have a disability? Is it because I'm black? Is it because I'm female? Is it because I'm successful? Is it now because of my sexual preference?" Coach Bev Kearney asked on CNN's "Starting Point" Tuesday. "I had to finally come to embrace not knowing why, and I had to embrace it because the more you try to figure out why, the harder it is to forgive." A head coach at Texas since 1993, Kearney is held in great esteem in the track world. She led the Longhorns to six national titles and was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. She is widely admired for her gritty resolve to walk again after she was partially paralyzed in an auto accident. But things turned sour for Kearney last year when the university learned of an affair in 2002 with a female student. The revelation came at just about the same time Kearney was discussing a pay raise and a contract extension. Told the university was going to fire her, Kearney -- the first African-American to serve as a head coach at Texas -- resigned Saturday. Lawyer: Coach was set for big raise when she was forced to quit Asked by CNN's Soledad O'Brien whether people around her and maybe even her former lover, a one-time student, now age 30, "ratted her out," Kearney said, "That's fair." The affair began in August 2002, which was not long after the university put a policy into its handbook about consensual relationships between staff members and students. Kearney said she never really thought about the relationship from a legal perspective. "You know, you get caught up in the emotional and the physical components of a relationship, and the last thing you're doing is thinking rationally," she said. The relationship dissolved after Kearney was paralyzed in an SUV accident in December 2002, and the coach spent many months in recovery. "As the accident occurred, you know, there was a transformation that went on within me that really changed my perspective on life." The policy said that employees in positions of authority must report such relations to "eliminate conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety" or be subject to discipline. In an e-mail to CNN on Sunday, Patti Ohlendorf, head of the university's legal affairs department, said: "In intercollegiate athletics and the coaching profession, it is unprofessional and unacceptable for a head coach to carry on an intimate relationship with a student-athlete that he or she is coaching. We told Coach Kearney ... that such a relationship crosses the line of trust placed in the head coach for all aspects of the athletic program and the best interests of the student-athletes in the program." Ohlendorf denied Sunday that gender played a role in the university's review and said she knows of no other "UT head coach who has entered into such a relationship with a student-athlete on his or her team." "I didn't know that there was even a rule on the book, and I think the rule had come into play maybe a year prior to the relationship, and I don't ever even remember reading such a rule, but you know, it talked about disclosure," Kearney said. "Throughout the whole process, the disclosure part was never brought to me as to why I was being terminated. I was being terminated as a result of the relationship, and at that point, I said then, 'Has everyone else been terminated as a point of reference of having had a relationship?' and the answer was... we don't view those the same as yours." Derek Howard, Kearney's attorney, said Monday that he and the coach were discussing her legal options, including a gender and race bias lawsuit. He planned to file open-records requests with the school this week, he said. He claimed that male coaches and professors at the school had similar relationships and weren't punished. "I don't see how you distinguish between the value of one student over another because of what they do, whether it's a musician, a musical student, a business student or an athlete," Kearney told CNN. "I think the one thing that I hired an attorney for is not to deny, because the moment it was brought to my attention, I openly admitted to its existence, and so it was never to deny, it was just to guarantee I was given equal treatment because I had grown to not trust the university that I served in terms of equal treatment." Kearney said she never denied she was wrong and agrees she made a mistake. She just wants fairness. "I feel like I've been a casualty within this whole process, not because I was innocent but all I've asked for was fair due process and equal treatment as opposed to how everyone else that had been under similar circumstances have had," she said. She said she's "never stepped outside the lines" in her career. "Even in this situation, I self-corrected the situation myself. I admitted to it when brought to me and even after I admitted it, they sent me through an eight-week investigation for something, for other things and ended up firing me for something that I admitted to from the beginning. Why does someone have to suffer through all of that and they even called me in on December 26, the 10th anniversary of the accident, to fire me." A CNN story in August profiled the coach, who learned to walk again after she was injured in the accident that killed two of her friends. Thrown more than 50 feet from an SUV, she suffered extensive spinal injuries that left her partially paralyzed. Kearney said she never doubted her ability to walk again and continued to lead her team from her hospital bed. "When they told me I was paralyzed, it went in one ear and out the next ... because I had to get up and coach," she said. Track practices were recorded and then played for Kearney on a VCR in her hospital room. "Because I was an intuitive coach ... whatever it is you need to do, I can describe it in a way that you internalize it and you feel it without me having to demonstrate it," she said in the August story. Now, she may face an uphill trek in court. "I don't want anybody to lose their job. I don't want to create harm to anyone but I do want to bring to light that you don't get to arbitrarily administer your rules and decide who is punished at what levels because of something that you don't like, because you never know if it's because of that particular situation or is it because of the fact that you may be harboring some type of ill will towards that individual." Kearney said "everyone should deserve an opportunity to have fair treatment based upon your policies, whether something is morally acceptable to an individual or not, our law says it's about the application of the law, and then at some point, there ought to be some form of consideration for that person's past history, they didn't find a prior relationship or a subsequent relationship." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
Giffords, husband take on gun lobby
NEW: Giffords and Kelly cite overall figure for gun deaths which includes suicides The two launched a political action committee to raise money to counter the gun lobby A Connecticut lawmaker apologized for telling Giffords to "stay out" Giffords and Kelly want background checks for private sales of firearms (CNN) -- Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have launched what they hope will mark a new era in the battle over gun rights in America. On the second anniversary of a mass shooting in Arizona that wounded Giffords and killed six others, the couple launched a political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, along with a website calling for contributions to help "encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership." In an op-ed in USA Today, the two make their goal clear: to counter the influence of the gun lobby. "Special interests purporting to represent gun owners but really advancing the interests of an ideological fringe have used big money and influence to cow Congress into submission," they write. var currExpandable="expand15"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-costello-giffords-gun-control.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108032345-exp-costello-giffords-gun-control-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand15Store=mObj; Giffords pushes for tougher gun control var currExpandable="expand25"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2012/07/21/ac-intv-mark-kelly-co-theater-shooting.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120721021958-ac-intv-mark-kelly-co-theater-shooting-00011410-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand25Store=mObj; Kelly in 2012: Takes long time to recover var currExpandable="expand35"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/09/07/exp-erin-mark-kelly-gabby-giffords-dnc.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120907121602-giffords-pledge-getty-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand35Store=mObj; Gabby Giffords rouses convention "Rather than working to find the balance between our rights and the regulation of a dangerous product, these groups have cast simple protections for our communities as existential threats to individual liberties. Rather than conducting a dialogue, they threaten those who divert from their orthodoxy with political extinction." Emphasizing that they support the Second Amendment and own two guns themselves, Giffords and Kelly call for "laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence." "Until now, the gun lobby's political contributions, advertising and lobbying have dwarfed spending from anti-gun violence groups. No longer. With Americans for Responsible Solutions engaging millions of people about ways to reduce gun violence and funding political activity nationwide, legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby." Bloomberg anti-gun ad marks anniversary of Arizona shooting Legislators will no longer have reason to fear the gun lobby.Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly "America has seen an astounding 11 mass shootings since a madman used a semiautomatic pistol with an extended ammunition clip to shoot me and kill six others," Giffords writes. "This country is known for using its determination and ingenuity to solve problems, big and small ... But when it comes to protecting our communities from gun violence, we're not even trying -- and for the worst of reasons." Giffords and Kelly have spoken out in the wake of last month's slaughter in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 27 people murdered, 26 of them at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- including 20 children. Giffords wrote on Facebook at the time, "As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws -- and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait." Giffords and Kelly visited Newtown last week. They met with local and state leaders to discuss gun control legislation, mental health identification and treatment, and "concerns for the erosion of our societal values such that we are increasingly desensitized to violence," according to Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra. Giffords told to 'stay out' Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hugs House Cloak Room attendant Ella Terry after resigning from Congress in January 2012 That visit also highlighted the intense political concerns surrounding such issues. Connecticut State Rep. DebraLee Hovey, the state's assistant Republican leader, posted a note on her Facebook page saying, "Gabby Gifford stay out of my towns!" Hovey later issued a statement apologizing, saying, "Our community has struggled greatly through this tragedy, and we are all very sensitive to the potential for this event to be exploited for political purposes. This is what I wish to avoid." The statement added that Hovey has advocated for a dialogue on mental health issues, school safety and gun control. Kelly, a former captain in the U.S. Navy and NASA astronaut, also responded publicly in the wake of the Newtown shootings. On his Facebook page, he took on the National Rifle Association -- the central pro-gun rights lobby -- after a news conference by a top NRA official about the Newtown tragedy triggered widespread anger. Kelly wrote that the NRA's response was "defiant and delayed," and that the organization "chose narrow partisan concerns over the safety of our families and communities." The NRA has argued that it is committed to keeping people protected, and that a focus on stricter gun control is misguided. "If it's crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy," NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said of the anger following his initial news conference. NRA President David Keene later told CNN the group supports schools choosing whether they want armed guards. Kelly: 'Good guys with guns' aren't the whole answer LaPierre made clear his group believes that more guns, not fewer, are necessary for security. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," he said. Mark Kelly and his wife Gabrielle Giffords are launching a PAC to battle gun lobby. Kelly said he knows from personal experience that that's not the case. The day Jared Loughner shot Giffords and 18 other people at a public event in Tucson, there was such a "good guy," Kelly argued in an interview with ABC. A man came out "of the store next door and nearly shot the man who took down Jared Loughner," Kelly said. "The one who eventually wrestled (Loughner) to the ground was almost killed himself by a good guy with a gun, so I don't really buy that argument." Giffords and Kelly want to require comprehensive background checks for private sales of firearms, ABC reported. And Kelly said he does not believe an extended magazine is needed for those who have guns for sport. Gunmen have used high-capacity weapons in numerous shootings, including one at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, where gunman Adam Lanza had four weapons. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, is pushing legislation to reinstate a ban on assault weapons. A former Marine's passionate disagreement with Feinstein has garnered attention online. There just may be a time when I need to do the unthinkable.Joshua Boston, former Marine "I own the guns I own because I acknowledge mankind's shortcomings instead of pretending like they don't exist," Joshua Boston wrote in a CNN iReport. "There are evil men in this world and there just may be a time when I need to do the unthinkable to protect me or my family." Facebook user Ellen Schmuker wrote in a CNN discussion that Giffords and Kelly's plan is "foolish" because "all gun bans are going to do is punish law abiding citizens for the actions of lunatics." But HoaiPhuong Nguyen took the opposite stance. "No one is more qualified to head this effort, go Gabby and Mark," she wrote. What do you think of Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly's new efforts to counter the gun lobby? Weigh in for a story. ow.ly/gD5M7— Josh Levs (@joshlevscnn) January 8, 2013 CNN.com users weighed in on Twitter as well, with Susan Blumberg-Kason saying she considers the idea "crucial." 'We can't be naive' In their column Tuesday, Giffords and Kelly note that that gun violence "kills more than 30,000 Americans annually." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 31,347 people died from firearm injuries. Nearly 60% were a result of suicide. Homicide comprised 37% of those deaths. Overall firearm injuries were down 2% from the year before. Giffords' remarkable recovery after being shot in the head has inspired many across the political spectrum. She told ABC she's doing physical therapy, yoga, and speech therapy, and working with a service dog. She has also been able to begin some outdoor activities. The tragedy two years ago thrust her and her husband into a new kind of spotlight. Tuesday marks a moment in which they are turning all that focus and attention -- as well as their passionate calls for stricter gun control -- into a political movement. "We can't be naive about what it will take to achieve the most common-sense solutions," they wrote in their op-ed. "We can't just hope that the last shooting tragedy will prevent the next. Achieving reforms to reduce gun violence and prevent mass shootings will mean matching gun lobbyists in their reach and resources." "We have experienced too much death and hurt to remain idle. Our response to the Newtown massacre must consist of more than regret, sorrow and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve fellow citizens and leaders who have the will to prevent gun violence in the future." What do you think? Post comments, or send an iReport. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report.
Greene: Don't allow phone use on planes
Bob Greene: FAA looks at letting passengers use gadgets on takeoff, landing He says the more texting, e-mailing and surfing are allowed, the better Cell phone calls are the opposite, though: They raise anxiety Greene: Are we that unwilling to disconnect from our gadgets for a few minutes? Editor's note: CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a bestselling author whose 25 books include "Late Edition: A Love Story"; "Chevrolet Summers, Dairy Queen Nights"; and "When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams." (CNN) -- Let's say that you're the Federal Aviation Administration. (Unlikely, granted. But, just for the purpose of this exercise, try to envision yourself as a government agency). You're about to make a decision that will affect millions of travelers. Your decision may please them or it may infuriate them. Most of them have no idea right now that you're contemplating the decision, but as soon as you make it, all of them will become aware, and they will respond, likely in a visceral manner. You're the FAA. What do you do? Bob Greene What the real FAA is pondering concerns expanding the permitted use of tablets, personal communication devices and other electronic gadgets on commercial flights. Last month, The Hill reported, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski wrote in a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta: "I write to urge the FAA to enable greater use of tablets, e-readers, and other portable electronic devices during flight, consistent with public safety ... mobile devices are increasingly interwoven in our daily lives. They empower people to stay informed and connected with friends and family, and they enable both large and small businesses to be more productive and efficient, helping drive economic growth and boost U.S. competitiveness." Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. For many years, passengers have been told that some electronic devices, including cell phones, can interfere with aircraft navigation and communication signals. But as technology advances, ways around this are being developed. Many airlines already sell in-flight Wi-Fi connections for laptop computers and tablets, so the logical next step would be to allow airborne passengers to use their cell phones to connect to the world below. A few thoughts: In terms of written communication from passengers on the plane to people down below -- e-mail, text messages sent from cell phones, social network posts -- the more the better. Anything the digital traffic will bear. If you've been on flights with Wi-Fi enabled, you may have noticed that the passengers using it seem to be contented, almost docile -- the tension level seems to have been lowered. Like it or not, we've become hooked on being constantly connected, and passengers who are able to maintain that connection while six miles in the air appear to be traveling in a state of something close to silent, electronically-sated, tunnel-vision bliss. But there should be one exception to this: Technical and connectivity issues aside, the FAA and FCC should never extend their digital-era permission slip to voice calls on cell phones. The result of allowing phone calls in the air would produce the opposite of the tranquilizing effect of permitting other forms of electronic communication. The anger level of travelers who become incensed by the yammering in the next seat would rise to the level of a public safety concern. Passengers would be demanding to be moved, would ask flight attendants to referee disputes, would probably engage in fistfights. Allowing jousting matches or bullfights in airplane aisles wouldn't be much more disruptive than allowing voice calls on planes. (But what about the idea of passengers voluntarily exercising restraint and courtesy in those close quarters, limiting the length and loudness of their calls out of respect for their fellow citizens? All right, stop laughing and rolling around on the floor -- get up. This is the United States in the 21st century. We know that voluntary phone courtesy is not going to happen). You may recall Airfone, the air-to-ground pay phone service that debuted on commercial flights in the 1980s. It required a credit card for each call, and was expensive -- $7.50 in '80s dollars for the first three minutes, when the service was introduced. It never become all that popular, and eventually it faded away. But that was before the advent of personal cell phones. Talking on the phone anywhere, at any time, is today seen not as an exotic and costly luxury but as an entitlement. The FAA is reportedly not considering voice-call permission on flights; if and when that day comes, walking across the country may feel like a more palatable option than flying. There's one decision the FAA is evaluating that probably says more about us than it does about in-flight safety: Those two brief stretches of time when all electronic devices must be turned off -- after the doors to the plane close until it is at cruising altitude, and then again on approach for landing -- are being questioned. If it can be determined that signals do not interfere with the pilots' transmissions, should passengers now be allowed to use their electronic gadgets even in those few minutes? Some contend that, in those crucial parts of a flight, passengers should not be distracted, and should be alert to instructions from the cabin crew. But reading a magazine or a book can lure a passenger's attention from the crew, and those are not prohibited. So the question would seem to be: Has the addiction to the gadgets become so powerful that we are unwilling to disconnect and look away even for that paltry handful of minutes? Has the agitation from withdrawal gotten to that level? Because if it has, then this is an issue considerably more profound and far-reaching than anything having to do with the rules of travel. Regardless of what the FAA decides, there is one option for in-flight diversion that will still be available, something ancient kings and monarchs could only dream of: Looking out the window, high above the clouds. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.
Track coach feels 'ratted out'
The coach is a giant in women's track She learned to walk again after a devastating accident The affair with the student occurred a decade ago She said she's "never stepped outside the lines" in her career (CNN) -- The University of Texas women's track coach who resigned under fire after the disclosure of an affair with a female student a decade ago doesn't understand why she was targeted for punishment and questions whether she's being treated fairly. "Is it because I have a disability? Is it because I'm black? Is it because I'm female? Is it because I'm successful? Is it now because of my sexual preference?" Coach Bev Kearney asked on CNN's "Starting Point" Tuesday. "I had to finally come to embrace not knowing why, and I had to embrace it because the more you try to figure out why, the harder it is to forgive." A head coach at Texas since 1993, Kearney is held in great esteem in the track world. She led the Longhorns to six national titles and was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. She is widely admired for her gritty resolve to walk again after she was partially paralyzed in an auto accident. But things turned sour for Kearney last year when the university learned of an affair in 2002 with a female student. The revelation came at just about the same time Kearney was discussing a pay raise and a contract extension. Told the university was going to fire her, Kearney -- the first African-American to serve as a head coach at Texas -- resigned Saturday. Lawyer: Coach was set for big raise when she was forced to quit Asked by CNN's Soledad O'Brien whether people around her and maybe even her former lover, a one-time student, now age 30, "ratted her out," Kearney said, "That's fair." The affair began in August 2002, which was not long after the university put a policy into its handbook about consensual relationships between staff members and students. Kearney said she never really thought about the relationship from a legal perspective. "You know, you get caught up in the emotional and the physical components of a relationship, and the last thing you're doing is thinking rationally," she said. The relationship dissolved after Kearney was paralyzed in an SUV accident in December 2002, and the coach spent many months in recovery. "As the accident occurred, you know, there was a transformation that went on within me that really changed my perspective on life." The policy said that employees in positions of authority must report such relations to "eliminate conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety" or be subject to discipline. In an e-mail to CNN on Sunday, Patti Ohlendorf, head of the university's legal affairs department, said: "In intercollegiate athletics and the coaching profession, it is unprofessional and unacceptable for a head coach to carry on an intimate relationship with a student-athlete that he or she is coaching. We told Coach Kearney ... that such a relationship crosses the line of trust placed in the head coach for all aspects of the athletic program and the best interests of the student-athletes in the program." Ohlendorf denied Sunday that gender played a role in the university's review and said she knows of no other "UT head coach who has entered into such a relationship with a student-athlete on his or her team." "I didn't know that there was even a rule on the book, and I think the rule had come into play maybe a year prior to the relationship, and I don't ever even remember reading such a rule, but you know, it talked about disclosure," Kearney said. "Throughout the whole process, the disclosure part was never brought to me as to why I was being terminated. I was being terminated as a result of the relationship, and at that point, I said then, 'Has everyone else been terminated as a point of reference of having had a relationship?' and the answer was... we don't view those the same as yours." Derek Howard, Kearney's attorney, said Monday that he and the coach were discussing her legal options, including a gender and race bias lawsuit. He planned to file open-records requests with the school this week, he said. He claimed that male coaches and professors at the school had similar relationships and weren't punished. "I don't see how you distinguish between the value of one student over another because of what they do, whether it's a musician, a musical student, a business student or an athlete," Kearney told CNN. "I think the one thing that I hired an attorney for is not to deny, because the moment it was brought to my attention, I openly admitted to its existence, and so it was never to deny, it was just to guarantee I was given equal treatment because I had grown to not trust the university that I served in terms of equal treatment." Kearney said she never denied she was wrong and agrees she made a mistake. She just wants fairness. "I feel like I've been a casualty within this whole process, not because I was innocent but all I've asked for was fair due process and equal treatment as opposed to how everyone else that had been under similar circumstances have had," she said. She said she's "never stepped outside the lines" in her career. "Even in this situation, I self-corrected the situation myself. I admitted to it when brought to me and even after I admitted it, they sent me through an eight-week investigation for something, for other things and ended up firing me for something that I admitted to from the beginning. Why does someone have to suffer through all of that and they even called me in on December 26, the 10th anniversary of the accident, to fire me." A CNN story in August profiled the coach, who learned to walk again after she was injured in the accident that killed two of her friends. Thrown more than 50 feet from an SUV, she suffered extensive spinal injuries that left her partially paralyzed. Kearney said she never doubted her ability to walk again and continued to lead her team from her hospital bed. "When they told me I was paralyzed, it went in one ear and out the next ... because I had to get up and coach," she said. Track practices were recorded and then played for Kearney on a VCR in her hospital room. "Because I was an intuitive coach ... whatever it is you need to do, I can describe it in a way that you internalize it and you feel it without me having to demonstrate it," she said in the August story. Now, she may face an uphill trek in court. "I don't want anybody to lose their job. I don't want to create harm to anyone but I do want to bring to light that you don't get to arbitrarily administer your rules and decide who is punished at what levels because of something that you don't like, because you never know if it's because of that particular situation or is it because of the fact that you may be harboring some type of ill will towards that individual." Kearney said "everyone should deserve an opportunity to have fair treatment based upon your policies, whether something is morally acceptable to an individual or not, our law says it's about the application of the law, and then at some point, there ought to be some form of consideration for that person's past history, they didn't find a prior relationship or a subsequent relationship." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
The date night Ticketmaster messed up
Ticketmaster was supposed to distribute tickets to the Inaugural balls and parade They mistakenly released the tickets early, and they were sold out when most of the public went looking for them Thousands were shut out, upset at the snafu The Presidential Inaugural Committee said no more tickets are available Washington (CNN) -- Sharon Ilstrup was looking forward to a very special date night with her husband, Blake -- a chance to attend one of the Inaugural balls with the president and the first lady. But a mistake by Ticketmaster -- the online sales agent tasked with managing the ticketing process -- led to the early release of all of tickets to the Inaugural balls and the Inaugural parade, derailing the plans for Ilstrup and thousands of other couples. "[We] just very excited about the possibility of going to the official Inaugural ball," said Ilstrup, 48, whose family of four is traveling across the country from Seattle to Washington for President Barack Obama's second Inauguration. "We were planning to rent a tux and gown." It started on Sunday when Ilstrup received an e-mail from Juliana Smoot, the co-chair of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee. The e-mail said that tickets with a unique link would be sent out the next day with access information to purchase the $60-a-piece tickets Inaugural ball tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. The login allowed people to purchase tickets to the parade as well. "I was all ready," Ilstrup said, "I was going to stay home [the next day]. ... I would just get on the computer and jump on it." So when she saw another e-mail come in later that day explaining that tickets were available, she didn't think much of it. But Ilstrup checked the e-mail later and realized that it contained a password and link to purchase the Inaugural ball tickets. "I tried the Ticketmaster link on Sunday and got an error message. When I finally got in, it showed that both the parade and ball were sold out. Then it showed just the ball. Then just the parade." "It was as if the [Presidential Inaugural Committee] was online scrambling to fix the issue. I tried again later and was blocked. My code and password no longer worked," she explained. var currExpandable="expand110"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2013/01/08/tsr-dnt-lothian-obama-fills-cabinet.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://situationroom.blogs.cnn.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108114247-tsr-dnt-lothian-obama-fills-cabinet-00010902-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand110Store=mObj; Obama faces Cabinet diversity pressure var currExpandable="expand210"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/07/exp-tsr-starr-obama-foreign-policy.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130107093647-hagel-white-house-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand210Store=mObj; Obama makes telling foreign policy picks var currExpandable="expand310"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/10/10/bts-joe-biden-gaffes-vault.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120315023652-biden-file-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand310Store=mObj; Best of the vice president's 'Bidenisms' Civil rights leader's widow to give invocation at Obama's inauguration A third e-mail, this time from Ticketmaster, sent out later Sunday night explained the mix-up: "Public tickets to these events were originally scheduled to go on sale tomorrow morning -- you received the e-mail tonight in error, and Ticketmaster takes responsibility for this mistake," the message said. Ilstrup wasn't the only person upset by the glitch. The Presidential Inaugural Committee Facebook page was lit up by people upset, angry and confused. Some even thought it was a conspiracy to get tickets to a select group of attendees. "Agree that [Ticketmaster] and [Presidential Inaugural Committee] certainly knew. It seems likely that such a sophomoric 'mistake' was planned by someone and those tickets will be seen on the black market soon," Kathleen Falconer-Finnegan wrote on the Presidential Inaugural Committee's Facebook page. "I think that the PIC and TM should cancel all tickets sold before the scheduled time and start over. This is the only honest thing to do and certainly possible given the event is more than 2 weeks away..." "Kimberly W" from Atlanta started a petition on the White House website to, "Add another public Inaugural Ball or have the erroneous Ticketmaster Ball ticket sales voided." The petition has received seven signatures -- just 24,993 short of the threshold needed for the White House to address the issue. Chief Justice Roberts to get another go at oath A Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesperson revealed later that the e-mail containing the access information was supposed to be a test, but was instead sent as the live e-mail. "On Sunday evening, Ticketmaster experienced a technical error that inadvertently caused an e-mail to go out ahead of schedule to people who had signed up for Inaugural ticketing information with an invitation to purchase public tickets for The Inaugural Ball and the Inaugural Parade," the spokesperson said. "The Ticketmaster website was overwhelmed, slowing the purchasing process. Ticketmaster has taken responsibility for this mistake." But the e-mail explaining the mix-up is was little solace to Ilstrup who thinks that the tickets should be null and void and the process begun again, anew. "You show up at the start time ready to go and its fair game," Ilstrup said. "Its not a fair game when some people were able to show up to the race start a day early and win." A PIC spokeswoman said that the Presidential Inaugural Committee would honor the sold-out tickets to the Inaugural parade and the ball. The website explains now that due to an overwhelming demand, no more tickets are available. And while the Ilstrups, who are Obama supporters, are disappointed that they won't get their night on the town, their visit, which is meant to be an educational experience for their children -- Alec, 14 and Anna, 11 -- won't be a complete loss. The family previously secured tickets to the Inauguration through their local Member of Congress. Still, shut out of the balls means that a special date night is now all but out of reach. "The good news is, you can now go on eBay and purchase tickets to the ball for $6,500," Ilstrup joked. Indeed, individual tickets and bundled tickets to the official Inaugural ball have been going for thousands of dollars on both eBay and Craigslist. But PIC spokeswoman Addie Whisenant told CNN that "Tickets to official Inaugural events may not be sold, resold or offered for resale in any manner unless expressly authorized by the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC). Tickets may be revoked at any time for any reason in the sole discretion of the PIC." She added that the inauguration committee is reaching out to ticket brokers and online distributors to seek the "nullification of those tickets" sold through unauthorized outlets. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
Why 'Django' stirs race debate
Gene Seymour: Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino spatting over "Django Unchained" Seymour says film, which upends slavery narrative, is classic comic-book Tarantino He says debate is over whether white artists have right to tell any part of black American story Seymour notes James Baldwin's sound advice: "If you don't like their alternative, write yours" Editor's note: Gene Seymour is a film critic who has written about music, movies and culture for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. (CNN) -- Spike Lee says he's never going to see Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" because he's certain it is "disrespectful of my ancestors." Tarantino says he doesn't need to waste time responding to Lee's accusation. That, as they say, is that. So why do we insist on staring at two egomaniacs staring down each other? Race. Again. The subject that never fails to provoke, antagonize, alienate -- and fascinate rubber-necking onlookers from sea to shining sea. Fixating on race is an absurdity that has no rational reason to exist, yet no one quite knows how to eliminate it from humankind. The only thing dumber than race is underestimating its importance. Gene Seymour "Django Unchained" is Tarantino's latest exercise in genre-bending audacity, an antic ripsnorter folding in most of what its director knows and loves about spaghetti westerns, 1970s blaxploitation thrillers and his own ribald, recklessly violent body of work. Its title character, played by Jamie Foxx, is a slave bought and freed by a drolly effective German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz), who agrees to help Django emancipate his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from a decadent plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. "Django" makes no pretense of being anything other than a phantasmagoric pseudo-western, rife with calculated vulgarity, anachronism and impropriety. Its body count rivals that of Tarantino's 2003 martial-arts epic, "Kill Bill Vol. 1" (to whose messily operatic set pieces of slaughter "Django" bears an uncanny resemblance). Marquee blog: What's the verdict on "Django Unchanied"? The movie has so far grossed more than $100 million since its Christmas Day nationwide release. Critics' reactions have ranged from wild-eyed enthusiasm (The Boston Globe's Wesley Morris: "Corkscrewed, inside-out, upside-down, simultaneously clear-eyed and out of its mind") to wary detachment (The Detroit News' Tom Long: "(Y)ou may leave ... wishing for both more and less") to borderline outrage (Slate's Dana Stevens: "There's something about (Tarantino's) directorial delectation in all these acts of racial violence that left me not just physically, but morally queasy.") Given advance hype for the movie as extravagant as its violence, I doubt that audience members, whatever their race or age, bought tickets with the expectation of seeing some historically faithful saga of antebellum life, and neither did I. We were buying a comic book. Many people have a grievance against the very notion of comic books, but I don't. Expect a movie or a comic book to explain everything about anything and all you earn is surplus sadness that you don't really need. Nevertheless, there are many who, unlike Lee, have seen the movie and carry the same grievances as he does. The most scathing attack came from that novelist-satirist-poet Ishmael Reed, writing in The Wall Street Journal: "To compare this movie to a spaghetti western and a blaxploitation film is an insult to both genres. It's a Tarantino home movie with all the racist licks of his other movies." He aimed this laser shot at the Oscar-nominated actor who plays the treacherous "house slave" to DiCaprio's character: "Samuel L. Jackson ... plays himself." var currExpandable="expand110"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/25/iri-django-unchained-quentin-tarantino-raw-uncut-youtube.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121225060450-iri-django-unchained-quentin-tarantino-raw-uncut-youtube-00041701-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand110Store=mObj; Tarantino's 'Django' balancing act var currExpandable="expand210"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/18/bts-django-cast-violence-in-movies.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121218092653-bts-django-cast-violence-in-movies-00014322-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand210Store=mObj; Film violence inspires real violence? var currExpandable="expand310"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/19/iri-django-unchained.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120607044841-django-unchained-movie-still-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand310Store=mObj; Tarantino's genre-twisting Western var currExpandable="expand410"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='showbiz/2012/12/25/iri-django-unchained-jamie-foxx-kerry-washington-uncut-raw-youtube.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121225053054-iri-django-unchained-jamie-foxx-kerry-washington-uncut-raw-youtube-00021013-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand410Store=mObj; Jamie Foxx: 'Django' controversy is good I doubt Jackson felt the blow. He has, in fact, further provoked the movie's antagonists by running straight at an interviewer asking about the movie's prolific use of the "N-word," refusing to answer the question unless the reporter, who is white, actually says the dread epithet aloud. (He didn't.) Still, Reed's condemnation discloses what may lie at the heart of Lee's objection: the debate over whether white artists have the right to tell any part of the black American story -- which, as Reed writes, is as old as Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 abolitionist novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It is also as recent as 1967 when the white Southern novelist William Styron published, "The Confessions of Nat Turner," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel told in the first-person voice of the brilliant-but-doomed leader of an 1838 slave rebellion. The outcry from African-American novelists was so intense that a collection of essays, "William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond" was published a year later. James Baldwin, a friend of Styron's who was one of the few African-American authors speaking out on the book's behalf, put his position as succinctly as possible: "I will not tell another writer what to write. If you don't like their alternative, write yours." It's still sound advice -- and in the intervening years, black authors have taken it, from Alex Haley's 1976 blockbuster, "Roots," to Toni Morrison's haunting "Beloved" from 1987. Both were adapted for the screen, and while "Roots," the television miniseries, delivered a resounding national impact, the 1998 movie adaptation of "Beloved," even with Oprah Winfrey as producer and co-star, earned about $26 million, roughly half of its $50 million budget. I remember many of my African-American relatives and friends who told me they were not going to see "Beloved," no matter how good it was or who was in it, because they simply did not want to watch a movie about slavery's legacy. Some of these same folks, on the other hand, tell me they were psyched about seeing a movie, however "incorrect" on several levels, in which a black ex-slave secures freedom for his wife, kills every white man who stands in his way -- and gets away with it. Exasperated? If you're not, you should be. Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gene Seymour.
Tearful officer describes Aurora scene
NEW: Youngest victim was shot four times, according to coroner Prosecutors say video shows Holmes in theater complex, using a ticket kiosk Suspect James Holmes kept theater door unlocked with piece of plastic, officer says Holmes's attorneys are expected to present a "diminished capacity" defense Centennial, Colorado (CNN) -- So much blood the theater floor had become slippery. Bodies with horrific injuries. The eerie sound of cell phones ringing, over and over again. This is the scene Aurora police Officer Justin Grizzle said he encountered moments after entering the theater where, according to authorities, 25-year-old James Holmes killed 12 people in a July 20 shooting rampage. Grizzle testified Monday on the opening day of the preliminary hearing for Holmes, who is charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. The 13-year veteran wiped away tears while describing his efforts to rush badly wounded victims to the hospital in his police cruiser, including shooting victim Ashley Moser and her husband, who wanted Grizzle to turn around and head back to the theater. var currExpandable="expand15"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/08/early-jackson-holmes-hearing.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130108114406-early-jackson-holmes-hearing-00004925-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand15Store=mObj; New details on Aurora shooting var currExpandable="expand25"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/04/early-watts-aurora.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130104123229-early-watts-aurora-00030206-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand25Store=mObj; Families send letter slamming Cinemark var currExpandable="expand35"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/07/exp-point-holmes-insanity-wayne.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130107011841-exp-point-holmes-insanity-wayne-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand35Store=mObj; Breaking down the insanity defense var currExpandable="expand45"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='us/2013/01/06/holmes-in-court.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://us.cnn.com/'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130106035730-holmes-in-court-00010804-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand45Store=mObj; Theater shooting as it happened "He was shot in the head somewhere. He kept asking where his ... daughter was," Grizzle said. "He opened the door and tried to jump out." Grizzle said he had to drive and hold the man by his shoulder to keep him in the car. The girl the man was seeking, 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, was shot four times and was among those killed in the shooting at a midnight showing of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises." Veronica's mother, Ashley, faces a long recovery after being paralyzed in her lower half and miscarrying after the shooting. The scene was still gruesome when Detective Matthew Ingui arrived 12 hours later with other investigators. "We saw the first victim laying on the ground," he said "There's shoes, blood, body tissue and popcorn on the floor." Blood was everywhere, he said. Ingui described how he outlined each of the victims and marked where the bodies were found. Holmes had no visible reaction during the testimony. The detective said investigators found 209 live rounds of .223 ammunition and 15 cartridges of .40-caliber rounds inside the auditorium. The preliminary hearing that began Monday is designed to show a judge that the state has enough evidence to proceed to trial. Prosecutors are calling scores of witnesses and outlining their evidence in the case. The hearing could go on for days. A gag order imposed by the judge in the case has limited the flow of information about the attack. However, a source said Holmes allegedly went out a rear exit door, propped it open and gathered his weapons. He then returned to the theater and tossed a canister inside before opening fire, the source said. .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} if (typeof cnnArticleGallery == "undefined") { var cnnArticleGallery = {}; } if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList =="undefined"){ cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList = []; } var expGallery151=new ArticleExpandableGallery(); expGallery151.setImageCount(52); //cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims", 1); Cynthia Davis, center, visits the roadside memorial set up for victims of the Colorado shooting massacre across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Monday, July 30, in Aurora, Colorado. Twelve people were killed in the theater early July 20 during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." Suspect James Holmes was taken into custody shortly after the attack. More photos: Colorado movie theater shooting cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":1,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} People visit the roadside memorial set up for victims of the massacre on Monday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":2,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Visitors pray around a cross at the memorial across the street from the theater on Saturday, July 28. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":3,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Jeremy Blocker displays a new tattoo honoring the victims. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":4,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Members of Alex Sullivan's family embrace at a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":5,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Hello Kitty-themed flowers are sent to shooting victim Micayla Medek's funeral Thursday in Denver. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":6,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Pallbearers carry Micayla Medek's coffin during her funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church on Thursday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":7,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} People visit a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26, in Aurora, Colorado. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":8,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Angella Aquilis, left, and Maria Olivas mourn together at a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater Wedesday, July 25. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":9,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Yvonne Amaro, 9, prays for those injured and killed as she visits the memorial on Wednesday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":10,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Carrie Hensley, left, and Hailee Hensley mourn together on Wednesday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":11,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Kevin Flynn, left, Aurora Police top brass division chief, and Cmdr. Jack Daluz visit the makeshift memorial. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":12,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A couple embraces as "Dark Knight Rises" star Christian Bale and his wife, Sandra Blazic, wait to place flowers at the memorial on Tuesday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":13,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Bale places flowers at the memorial while other mourners look on. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":14,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Visitors pay tribute Tuesday, July 24, at the makeshift memorial. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":15,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A cross stands at the makeshift memorial for victims across the street from the Century 16 theater on Tuesday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":16,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Greg Zanis of Aurora, Illinois, carries two of the 12 crosses he made for a makeshift memorial to the victims of last weekend's mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday, July 22. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":17,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Greg Zanis writes the names of the victims of last weekend's mass shooting on the crosses before erecting them at the memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday. Zanis, a carpenter, drove all night from Illinois to deliver the crosses. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":18,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Parishioners pray during morning Mass, remembering victims of the theater shooting, at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Sunday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":19,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Angie Terry of Alabama prays next to a white wooden cross erected for victims. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":20,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A man pauses before the crosses at the memorial near the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":21,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} President Barack Obama embraces Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as Sen. Mark Udall, left, and Sen. Michael Bennet look on during a visit to the University of Colorado Hospital on Sunday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":22,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Mourners bow their heads in prayer during the vigil for the victims of the Aurora shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":23,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A woman is overcome with emotion during the vigil. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":24,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Tiffany Garcia, right, and her 6-year-old daughter, Angelina Garcia, cry on Saturday, July 21, as they look at a memorial for the victims of Friday's shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":25,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} People pray at a cross erected at the makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 theater on Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":26,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Family, friends and former classmates of movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik gather for a memorial service at Gateway High School on Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":27,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Boik and his girlfriend were at the midnight showing of 'The Dark Knight Rises' when a gunman killed Boik and 11 other people. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":28,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik's girlfriend, Lasamoa Croft, center, embraces his mother during the memorial service. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":29,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Eman Alexander, 17, pins a ribbon on his shirt while joining family, friends and former classmates to honor shooting victim A.J. Boik. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":30,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Denise Toepel of Denver sheds tears while visiting a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday, July 21. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":31,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Handwritten signs decorate the makeshift memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":32,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Gerald Wright, 24, relights candles that have blown out at the victims' memorial across from the movie theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":33,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jajuan Mangual lowers the American flag on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to half-mast on Saturday. One U.S. Navy sailor was killed in the shooting and another injured. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":34,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Two women mourn near the theater on Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":35,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Alicia Prevette, left, and Paul Stepherson attend a vigil for the victims Friday at the Century 16 movie theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":36,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial where the victims of the massacre are mourned. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":37,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Mourners hold hands at a vigil near the theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":38,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Mourners hug as they grieve the loss of the victims. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":39,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A group of teenagers stand behind a sign that reads "Strength." cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":40,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Dara Anderson, left, and Monique Anderson cry during a candlelight vigil across the street from the crime scene. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":41,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A woman holds a lit candle at a makeshift memorial. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":42,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Marietta Perkins of Denver prays for victims and their families. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":43,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Lonnie Delgado, right, hugs Heaven Leek during a prayer. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":44,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A mourner grieves on the curb during a memorial service. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":45,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} People hug during a vigil for the victims. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":46,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Handwritten consolation letters lie beneath flowers at a makeshift memorial. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":47,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Nathan Mendoza, left, and Melissa Clark sit on the grass during a vigil. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":48,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Flags, flowers and candles make up a memorial site. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":49,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Two mourners sit on the ground at a vigil. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":50,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A sign prevents moviegoers from wearing masks or bringing in props to the AMC Arapahoe Crossing 16 movie theater in Aurora. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":51,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} A woman looks at a makeshift memorial after attending a candlelight vigil. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":1,"pos":52,"title":"Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims"} Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Colorado massacre: Mourning 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Mourning the victims Event.observe(window, 'load', function() { //report the first gallery image to ADBP if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined') { cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image, ""); } }); .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} 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cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList = []; } var expGallery152=new ArticleExpandableGallery(); expGallery152.setImageCount(51); //cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Colorado movie theater shooting", 1); The public gets its first glimpse of James Holmes, 24, the suspect in the Colorado theater shooting during his initial court appearance Monday, July 23. With his hair dyed reddish-orange, Holmes, here with public defender Tamara Brady, showed little emotion. He is accused of opening fire in a movie theater Friday, July 20, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others. More photos: Mourning the victims of the Colorado theater massacre cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":1,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Police release the official photo from Holmes' booking after the shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":2,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Holmes often had a blank stare during his court appearance Monday, appearing to be in a daze. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":3,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Victims and their relatives and journalists watch the proceedings Monday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":4,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Flags fly at half-staff Monday at the Arapahoe County Courthouse in Centennial, Colorado, where the movie theater shooting suspect had his first court appearance. The prosecutor held a press conference outside the courthouse. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":5,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers talks to reporters Monday before heading into the courthouse. Chambers said the decision on whether to pursue the death penalty is a long process that involves input from victims and their families. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":6,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Family members of the victims arrive at the courthouse Monday for the suspect's first court appearance. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":7,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} The Century Aurora 16 multiplex in Aurora becomes a place of horror after a gunman opened fire Friday in a crowded theater. At least 17 people remained hospitalized late Sunday, July 22, in the shooting rampage that shocked the nation. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":8,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Holmes is accused of opening fire during a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Holmes purchased four weapons and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition in recent months, police say. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":9,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Police investigate outside the Century 16 multiplex Saturday, July 21, a day after the mass shooting. Authorities have been tight-lipped about a possible motive in the case. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":10,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Agents search the suspect's car outside the theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":11,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Aurora police escort a sand-filled dump truck containing improvised explosive devices removed from Holmes' booby-trapped apartment Saturday. Authorities have said they believe the suspect rigged his place before leaving for the movie theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":12,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Police break a window at the suspect's apartment Friday in Aurora. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":13,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Law enforcement officers speak with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, center, outside the suspect's apartment Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":14,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Law enforcement officers prepare to disarm the booby-trapped apartment Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":15,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Officials tow cars outside Holmes' apartment Saturday. Police disassembled devices and trip wires set up in the apartment. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":16,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Officers prepare to place an explosive device inside the apartment. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":17,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Debris flies out a window, right, after law enforcement officers detonate an explosive device inside the apartment Saturday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":18,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} People mourn the victims during a vigil behind the theater where a gunman opened fire on moviegoers in Aurora. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":19,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A woman grieves during a vigil for victims behind the theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":20,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A distraught woman receives counseling from Pastor Quincy Shannon, left, in front of Gateway High School in Aurora, where the families of the missing met following the shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":21,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Lin Gan of Aurora holds back tears as she speaks to reporters about her experience in the Century 16 theater Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":22,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} People embrace before a vigil for victims behind the theater where a gunman opened fire on moviegoers. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":23,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Investigators work on evidence near the apartment of James Holmes on Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":24,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Members of the Aurora Police Department SWAT unit walk near the apartment of James Holmes. Police have Holmes, 24, of North Aurora, in custody. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":25,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Television news crews gather in front of the home of Robert and Arlene Holmes, parents of 24-year-old mass shooting suspect James Holmes, in San Diego, California, on Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":26,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A popcorn box lies on the ground outside the Century 16 movie theatre. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":27,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} An NYPD officer keeps watch inside an AMC move theater where the film "The Dark Knight Rises" is playing in Times Square on Friday. NYPD is maintaining security around city movie theaters following the deadly rampage in Aurora, Colorado. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":28,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Adariah Legarreta, 4, is comforted by her grandmother Rita Abeyta near the Century 16 Theater in Aurora. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":29,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A cyclist and pedestrians pass a theater showing the latest Batman movie in Hollywood, California, on Friday. Warner Brothers said it was "deeply saddened" by Friday's massacre at a Colorado screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":30,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Obama supporters observe a moment of silence for the victims at a campaign event at Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":31,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sportscaster, was one of the victims. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":32,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A woman waits for news outside Gateway High School, a few blocks from the scene of the shooting at the Century Aurora 16. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":33,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Aurora police chief Daniel J. Oates speaks at a press conference near the Century 16 Theater on Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":34,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Agents search the trash container outside the suspect's apartment in Aurora. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":35,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A Federal ATF officer carries protective gear onsite at the home of alleged shooting suspect James Holmes. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":36,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Obama speaks on the shootings at the event in Fort Myers. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":37,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Moviegoers are interviewed at the Century Aurora 16. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":38,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Officers gathered at the theater Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":39,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Investigators were a common sight at the theater Friday. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":40,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Authorities gather at the shooting suspect's apartment building in Aurora. Police broke a second-floor window to look for explosives that the suspect claimed were in the apartment. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":41,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Screaming, panicked moviegoers scrambled to escape from the black-clad gunman, who wore a gas mask and randomly shot as he walked up the theater's steps, witnesses said. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":42,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said that all of the wounded had injuries from gunshot wounds, ranging from minor to critical. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":43,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Onlookers gather outside the Century Aurora 16 theater. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":44,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} A woman sits on top of her car near the crime scene. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":45,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Police block access to the Town Center mall after the shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":46,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Cell phone video taken by someone at the theater showed scores of people screaming and fleeing the building. Some, like this man, had blood on their clothes. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":47,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Witnesses told KUSA that the gunman kicked in an emergency exit door and threw a smoke bomb into the darkened theater before opening fire. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":48,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} What is believed to be the suspect's car is examined after the shooting. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":49,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Police Chief Dan Oates said there was no evidence of a second gunman, and FBI spokesman Jason Pack said it did not appear the incident was related to terrorism. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":50,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivers remarks regarding the shooting in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater on Friday at a campaign event in Bow, New Hampshire. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":15,"y":2,"pos":51,"title":"Colorado movie theater shooting"} Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting Colorado movie theater shooting HIDE CAPTION << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 > >> Colorado movie theater massacre Event.observe(window, 'load', function() { //report the first gallery image to ADBP if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined') { cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image, ""); } }); Screaming moviegoers scrambled to escape from the gunman, who shot at random as he walked up the theater's steps, according to witnesses. It was a scene "straight out of a horror film," said Chris Ramos, who was inside the theater. While none of the four law enforcement witnesses who testified Monday offered insight into a possible motive for the shooting, some new details emerged. Prosecutors showed surveillance camera video taken inside the theater complex that they said shows Holmes -- dressed in dark trousers, a light-colored shirt with a T-shirt underneath and a ski cap covering his hair -- using a cell phone at a ticket kiosk. Holmes printed out a ticket that had been purchased July 8, they said. The cameras also captured the aftermath of the shooting as waves of people ran out of doors with theater staff behind counters. One employee even leaped over a counter. There was no video from inside the auditorium where the shootings occurred. Police Sgt. Gerald Jonsgaard said Holmes stopped the theater door from locking by using a small piece of plastic commonly used to hold tablecloths onto a picnic table. Jonsgaard also said he spotted a shotgun and a large drum magazine that appeared to be jammed on the floor of the theater. Holmes' attorneys are expected to argue that their client has "diminished capacity," a term that, according to the Colorado Bar Association, relates to a person's ability or inability "to make adequately considered decisions" regarding his or her legal representation because of "mental impairment or for some other reason." Several times, on cross-examination, they have asked witnesses about Holmes' demeanor and what he looked like when police found him. The day's testimony concluded with a detective who interviewed people wounded in the attack and the two coroners who conducted the 12 autopsies. After the hearing, Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester will determine whether there is enough evidence for Holmes to stand trial. Security was tight at the hearing. Spectators had to pass through a metal detector and then were searched again before entering the courtroom. At least nine armed officers stood guard inside, some of them scanning the audience packed with reporters and victims' family members. Holmes did not speak during the hearing. His bushy hair and long beard contrasted with the bright red hair and close-cropped looks he sported during previous appearances. During portions of the hearing, family members of victims held one another, sobbing. Earlier in Monday's hearing, police Officer Jason Oviatt -- the first officer to encounter Holmes after the rampage ended -- testified that Holmes seemed "very, very relaxed." Holmes, his pupils dilated, sweating and smelly, didn't struggle or even tense his muscles as he was dragged away to be searched. "He seemed very detached from it all," Oviatt testified, describing Holmes as unnaturally calm amid the chaos and carnage. Oviatt testified Monday that within minutes of the first calls, he responded to the theater and found Holmes standing outside in a helmet and gas mask, his hands atop a white coupe that turned out to belong to him. At first, Oviatt said, he thought Holmes was a police officer, but as he drew within 20 feet, he realized something was terribly wrong. "He was just standing there. All the other officers were running around, trying to get into the theater," Oviatt said. A trail of blood led from the theater. The rifle that authorities believe Holmes used in the attack lay on the ground near the building. Holmes calmly complied with all Oviatt's orders, the officer testified. Another officer, Aaron Blue, testified later that Holmes matter-of-factly told him, without prompting, about the complex web of explosives that authorities would later find in his Aurora apartment. He told Blue that the devices "wouldn't go off unless we set them off." Holmes was a doctoral student in the neuroscience program at the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado, Denver, in Aurora, until he withdrew a month before being arrested outside the bullet-riddled movie theater. He had been a patient of a University of Colorado psychiatrist, according to a court document filed by his lawyers. His only brush with the law in Colorado appears to have been a 2011 summons for speeding from Aurora police. If Holmes is ruled incompetent to stand trial, the hearing could provide the best opportunity for victims and the public to understand what happened and why. To at least one victim, it doesn't matter if Holmes stands trial. "I obviously don't want him to walk, but as long as he doesn't see the light of day again, it doesn't really much concern me beyond that," said Stephen Barton, who suffered wounds on his face, neck and upper torso in the shooting that night. "To me, I see the trial as being an opportunity to learn more about what happened that night beyond just my own personal recollection." University releases e-mails related to Holmes if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Casey Wian and Jim Spellman reported from Colorado; Michael Pearson wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Michael Cary and Greg Botelho also contributed to this report.
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