by WorldTribune Staff, October 28, 2018
The man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Oct. 27 “is not a man by any definition,” U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.
Robert Bowers is accused of killing 11 people and wounding six others when he fired upon them as they gathered for a bris at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
“This individual – I won’t even call him a man – he’s the poorest excuse for a man you could ever come up with. Who would use a weapon in a house of worship, on unarmed innocent people and even shoot four policemen, then surrender himself,” Mattis told reporters on Oct. 28.
The shooting is tough “on all of us who believe in freedom of religion as one of our most fundamental rights that our country was founded on,” Mattis said. “This is a coward. He is not a man by any definition that we use in the Department of Defense.”
Mattis has in the past addressed troops about the loss of civility in America, and the military’s role in defending the nation during such divisive times.
“The U.S. military – what I expect from our troops and what I see of them – is men and women working respectfully alongside each other, people who look at other people’s religion as a private matter to be respected,” Matis said.
“The U.S. military, I believe, represents what it’s all about in America where you work together to solve things. But also in the U.S. military, our job is to protect this democracy. We’re devoted, focused like a laser beam, on that.”
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