Earlier this morning, I arrived at the local cineplex to catch the latest and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga.  I was worried about two things: staying awake and not getting asked to leave due to alcohol-fueled tomfoolery.  It never occurred to me that going to see this film could be the last thing I ever did on this Earth.  I’m sure it never occurred to anyone in Aurora, CO either.

I’m sure you’ve heard the story by now.  A masked and heavily armed gunman opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd last night during the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises.  12 people are dead.  Dozens more were wounded.  A lunatic, who may have dyed his hair to resemble the Joker’s from the previous film and did booby-trap his apartment, is in police custody.  And a nation is left to ask the same question we always ask in this situation: why?

As of yet, there are no answers as to why.  Is there an answer that would satisfy us?  Can there be an explanation that would explain why a doctoral student who had no previous run-ins with the law decided to execute people for going to see a movie?  Sadly, I think we all know the answer is no.  We will never get a logical explanation for an act that was so illogical.