One of the key things that drove the rise of the current Republican Party was the celebration of a certain model of an ideal man, patterned on the image of the American cowboy. Republicans claimed to be defending individual men who could protect their families if only the federal government would stop interfering with them. Beginning in the 1950s, those opposed to government regulation and civil rights decisions pushed the imagery of the cowboy, who ran cattle on the Great Plains from 1866 to about 1886 and who, in legend, was a white man who worked hard, fought hard against Indigenous Americans, and wanted only for the government to leave him alone.
Dollars to donuts, Abbott and team are going to twist this into a blame the school/principal/staff for the horrible mess they created in the TX legislature. Blame anyone but never admit they F’ed it up. We know how hard it is to cover up 20 kids’ death -AlexJones sure tried.
Make no mistake, allow no distractions: this was all about the damn guns and the greed of politicians and the NRA.
Abbott went to Uvalde precisely to try to control the narrative and immediately started to blame mental illness, possible criminal record of the shooter, and speculative statements about the shooter all externalizing blame away from himself and theorizing. But, as HCR points out, the narrative he tried to create isn't holding because, as you say, it's about the guns!
The cult is demented, I’m not. Rupert Continues to support and add to the cult. So does his son, they need to be deported. It was obvious why Abbott did the press conference, not the police dept. Texas government is crawling with the most vile worms.
Well said Jeri! The police were probably still hiding…but now afraid of the parents of the helpless Children they failed to protect! Every brave, honest and up standing Police Officer in America should display on his or her uniform an obvious symbol of the disgust and contempt they feel for these poor excuses of human beings. The other “poor excuses” on display were the ones crowding around Abbott and the other elected officials that have completely failed Texas and her Citizens. I wonder if any of them ever worries about some screwball armed with a weapon they allowed them to possess shooting them or worse…one of their children…wouldn’t that be ironic!
Good point, Barbara. Maybe we should start reminding those low information voters, or those apathetic voters, that the US Senate - half of it, anyway - has blood on its hands. Innocent blood. They're all about protecting fetuses, but God help those OUT of the womb. They are fair game for any honcho with an AR15.
My relatives in the midwest get all het up about the false QANON pedophile narrative and the same one who likes to post about that posted a pic of herself with a gun and how much she loves it. At one point, the males were talking about getting together with their gun toting buds and protecting the neighborhood from antifa.
Yes. I agree. And Texas Republicans who voted for these jerks ALL have blood on their hands. I would expand that to include Texans who sat at home and did not vote at all for whatever pathetic excuse they had at the moment.
Anyone who stands in the way of abolishing the filibuster is complicit. The gun legislation would pass if the filibuster were gone. Those 2 bullshitters who say that Democrats will need it when Republicans are in power are delusional or stupid or liars getting a major kickback. If the Repugs don't get a filibuster-proof majority, the will do away with it in a heartbeat. Even though it's the Republicans who are ultimately to blame, it is still possible for the next couple of months to get something meaningful done, except of those two Democrats who care more about themselves than the country.
Some evidence that the state of New Mexico is moving in to re-direct that lost International Traffic on to their roads. Columbus to Deming & on to I-10? Likely focused on freight traffic. See Judith's comment below.
BTW my husband's grandmother used to live in Columbus. Fun place to visit, and the only place the modern US has been invaded by a foreign country (this is what I was told anyway)
I repeat a response on Robert Hubbell Isiah 1:15 “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of the blood of innocents.” Right on there God, so you think they are bull Schitt too.
Robert's quote was absolutely spot on. Republicans who offer up their "prayers" and "condolences" but refuse to limit gun ownership are the worst type of hypocrites - those that hide behind their religion. I can only imagine they sit in confessional and ask for forgiveness for they know that their inaction and greed result in the death of our children. But I'm sure they don't since, despite their claim otherwise, they have no moral compass other than greed and power.
Maybe the next Radical Right is for parents to kiss there babies good by at the bus stop then keep there fingers crossed that the get lucky and not be murdered. If they are the governor will dispatch a chaplain to pray over the carnage
Unfortunately, the only time the Right may do something about gun ownership is when they lose a child to gun violence. Otherwise, it's someone else's problem.
(Jeri is correct.) Check out Isaiah 1:15 to see what God really thinks of “thoughts and prayers”. BTW, “Thoughts and prayers” is just a political throw-away line. My translation of Isaiah 1:15: “Stop feeding me your BS. Stop doing evil. Do the right thing. Then, we can fix this together.”
The great thing about atheists, is that they don't hide from their responsibility to act by saying "Gd will take care of this." The rest of us can learn from them.
I don’t know if there is a God and don’t care because if there is a God he is as ambivalent to mankind as I am to him this slaughter of innocents is a prime example.
"Prayers" are oftentimes offered when people can't, or WON'T, do anything else. Offering prayers makes THEM feel good and self-satisfied, like they're doing something. As any sound-thinking Christian knows, "prayers" are eventually going to be answered by US, by ourselves. There's no magic sky-God sitting on a fluffy white cloud who's going to wave his hand and instantly make everything right. If we want our "prayers" answered then WE have to be the instruments to accomplish answering those "prayers". It's a shame that "thoughts & prayers" has become so hackneyed and trite a phrase, because I genuinely do believe in the power of prayer/karma/meditation/whatever you-want-to-call-it. It has been trivialized to its detriment and I think that's sad. The people of this country mobilising, rising up and fighting yet another example of the minority ruling over--and jerking around--the majority is how these "prayers" can be answered and made a reality. I was brought up to believe if you want your prayers to be answered then YOU have to work toward that end. The "thoughts & prayers" offered up by Cruz, Abbott and Co. are empty and devoid of meaning, only offering lip service to something that they themselves are responsible for--and deep down inside I think they know it. They are disgusting hypocrites who have the blood of innocents on their hands. Jesus had a few things to say about people only offering prayers as a show, without any sincerity. It mocks God. Okay...sermon over.
There's some good nuggets of truth in your diatribe, particularly the ideas that prayer can be beneficial as meditation can be beneficial, and that people who visualize an end must then take actions to achieve it. If there is a divine force in the universe it does not intercede on behalf of any humans. That's quite clear from studying history and the many thousands of gods we have named.
Overall politicians think voters are rubes and easily manipulated; so those politicians say anything they want. Hence the thoughts and prayers tripe.
The first plan would be to stop voting Republican. Second plan is to bear down and not let politicians sweep this under the rug one more time. Americans' lack of interest in rising up is destroying the United States of America. When I am anywhere I see people with head bent over their phones. Anywhere and everywhere all the time. It looks like some dystopian movie where all the inhabitants of a planet only get oxygen and food through their devices.
I'm not a believer, but my husband is, and I like his "take" on God's plan. He believes that God gave us the rules and it's up to US to follow them. Prayers and thoughts may help people feel good about themselves, but as many have said "Faith without works is pointless".
It is difficult to put into words how despicable these Republicans are other than to say that they are traitors to the underlying foundation of our Society:
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" (from the Preamble - Declaration of Independence)
"Justice," "Tranquility," "common defence," "general Welfare," and "the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" (from the Preamble - Declaration of Independence)
Here is what I say, Nancy. No Gov Abbott, you charlatan. Some law enforcement officials did not do what they were supposed to do. Turns out, it was worse than horrible. Turns out, more guns could not stop one gun. Turns out, the good guys waited an hour before taking out the bad guy. Turns out, more children were shot because law enforcement did not charge in with power blazing like cowboys to take the bad guy down. Turns out, Beto called you out and the mayor, Lt Gov, and Cruz get their panties wedged and start spluttering. Turns out, it is worse because now the effort will be to cover up the cowardly lack of response and the truth that more guns do not save lives. This I can say with knowing. Those parents that showed up to get their children out but some of whom were sprayed and cuffed? Turns out it was worse because they damn well would have gotten more children out before the death toll rose. With bare hands if necessary. A gun does not necessarily mean courage.
Not if it’s really promoted and used as a mere prop. The indignity is overwhelming and disgusting, Republican Party. You wimps. Go f*ck yourselves. Turns out, women choosing abortion are not the baby killers.
Kudos to the Rays and Yanks for pushing the message against gun violence. Looks like the Senate won’t. Add coward to to the growing list of descriptors.
We Move Forward! With courage. A vote is more powerful than a gun in 2022, the most important election year in decades. Spread the word far and wide. UNITA!🗽
Women choosing abortion are NOT the Baby Killers! Shout it! Unwanted pregnancies start with men. Mass murders start with men. Why are we not demanding the issue of MEN be addressed? What does it mean to be a “Good Man”? It sure as hell doesn’t mean being dressed up like warriors and standing around tackling parents trying to stop their children from being slaughtered by a man with a legally purchased weapon of war. A “Good Man” is not someone who holds a position of power only to cower when decisions like “impeach the sob who instigated the Jan6th riot” need to be made. Being a “Good Man” doesn’t mean forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy just because they are afraid of “being replaced”. There are sooooo many good men who are way too quiet with their bros. Nothing will change until they say “ENOUGH!”
Well said, Christine. It seems that this terrible incident is becoming a watershed moment for our country, that will reckon with the truth of what really happened in Uvalde, TX, and lead to the 90% who want stronger measures in place to stand together to demand tough action on gun control NOW.
Morning, Christine. This post is beyond perfect. I might add that the Dems need to remind voters over and over and over and over that the rethuglicans are the party of death to women who self abort, and death to those massacred by guns. God help us if they gain control of the house/Senate later this year.
They are simply the party of death for anything the rest of us cherish. Vote D and we are in the process of making a list of out of state candidates for donation. In the meantime we wait while the Trumper county clerk in Clackastan still has not got the vote count done to determine, among other things, who won CD five. She get's over $112 thousand a year to be this inept.
Right on! Your best line, “Turns out, women choosing abortion are not the baby killers.” There aren’t enough words to describe the deliberate evil of Abbott, Paxton, and Cruz. The fact that so many really good people in that state keep voting for them…because Republicans and their money must be protected, is so depressing. My suggestion to Beto was get a battery-powered microphone to attend the next Abbott “rally” so the crowd and media can hear.
That’s exactly what I thought when I watched Beto at the meeting. He needed to be heard. Such cowards…they have all the rights they need to control and subdue people but let someone peacefully express a differing opinion and they so self-righteously take him away. Such children. They look like and act like little children. It’s sickening who runs things in this country.
Powerful YouTube video by Beau of the Fifth Column regarding the cops behavior on the scene. There are no words that are strong enough to describe their cowardice. https://youtu.be/DKjSLAUFWSo
What about the cowboys, Christine? Do they deserve a break or not? With the help of the Smithsonian Magazine, here is my postscript to today's Letter.
'Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West'
'Contrary to the popular imagination, bearing arms on the frontier was a heavily regulated business'
'Dodge City in 1878 Wikimedia Commons'
'It's October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, and Arizona is not yet a state. The O.K.' 'Corral is quiet, and it's had an unremarkable existence for the two years it's been standing—although it's about to become famous.'
'Marshall Virgil Earp, having deputized his brothers Wyatt and Morgan and his pal Doc Holliday, is having a gun control problem. Long-running tensions between the lawmen and a faction of cowboys – represented this morning by Billy Claiborne, the Clanton brothers, and the McLaury brothers – will come to a head over Tombstone's gun law.'
'The laws of Tombstone at the time required visitors, upon entering town to disarm, either at a hotel or a lawman's office. (Residents of many famed cattle towns, such as Dodge City, Abilene, and Deadwood, had similar restrictions.) But these cowboys had no intention of doing so as they strolled around town with Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles in plain sight. Earlier on this fateful day, Virgil had disarmed one cowboy forcefully, while Wyatt confronted another and county sheriff Johnny Behan failed to persuade two more to turn in their firearms.'
'When the Earps and Holliday met the cowboys on Fremont Street in the early afternoon, Virgil once again called on them to disarm. Nobody knows who fired first. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne, who were unarmed, ran at the start of the fight and survived. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, who stood and fought, were killed by the lawmen, all of whom walked away.'
'The “Old West” conjures up all sorts of imagery, but broadly, the term is used to evoke life among the crusty prospectors, threadbare gold panners, madams of brothels, and six-shooter-packing cowboys in small frontier towns – such as Tombstone, Deadwood, Dodge City, or Abilene, to name a few. One other thing these cities had in common: strict gun control laws.'
"Tombstone had much more restrictive laws on carrying guns in public in the 1880s than it has today,” says Adam Winkler, a professor and specialist in American constitutional law at UCLA School of Law.'
Here's the thing. They want all us taxpayers to pay for all of these hardening of targets and police weaponry so that 5% of the population can indulge their paranoid fantasies with their own personal cosplay arsenal.
"“Our deepest sympathies are with the families and victims involved in this horrific and evil crime,” the NRA said in their statement. “On behalf of our members, we salute the courage of school officials, first responders and others who offered their support and services.”
I want to SCREAM! If the majority of Texans don’t vote for Beto, then we should demand they all be put through conversion therapy. Actually, the entire Pro-Rape/Open-Carry party members must have it! I am dead serious.
In the meantime we are going to have our convention in Texas with a whole crew of loathsome MAGAS including death star donny and the Gnome from South Dakota. Talk about tone deaf. No guns allowed of course.
This video is gold, and it is step one of the due diligence research that I need to do.
Briefly, I was a SWAT team member in 1999 when Columbine happened (where the cops mustered outside waiting for SWAT to arrive). There became a training mantra: "Never Again". Training for patrol cops was created, delivered, attended, and implemented. Waiting for SWAT was no longer the procedure. The "gold" standard was a 4 man diamond: one point, one 10:00 forward, one 2:00 forward, and one behind covering the rear. Make entry, go to the "zone" and take care of business. After Sandy Hook in 2012 that was reiterated. It was more important for me, personally, because I was the sole daytime cop in a town of 5000 with a resident deputy assigned to that part of the county. He and I met, and discussed our plans for an incident at each of our three schools. We agreed that when the other was on days off or otherwise assigned, each of us would go in alone.
I am wondering.... What the hell has happened to cops?
He had time to go to a fundraiser that night. We were astounded with last night's news about how long the gunman was outside crashing his truck and shooting at people. And wow, the good guys with guns withdrew because they might get shot. This has become a real dumpster fire beyond the tragedy and gun control...or the lack of.
and they have a trained AWAY team!! WTF! Do they not understand thrir job is to protect citizens? Who was leading those cops and SWAT team?
Sadly and I hate to even think it but I imagine suicides will be next on the news from some of those that didn't act. I hope I'm wrong. What a cluster F*K
Yes, that has crossed my mind several times as well. I don't know how some of the leaders, as well as the teacher who left the door propped open, will be able to live with themselves.
Yes, Mo. double G Republicans…greed and guns. The gun is the variable. Science says eliminate the independent variable and change the dependent variable which in this case is safety. More guns do not mean safer. Clearly shown. Less guns/ More safety.
Of course, tell that to the NRA, many members of leadership with an issue about science.
Abbott & his shoulder-to-shoulder extras ... try again today to deflect. Press on site is very pissed; let's see if inquiring minds are even allowed near the 'DOS Director & questions are audible.' Not audible & the Director broke down.
Heard on NPR this morning that the FBI is putting together a timeline of what happened and when. I think a lot of local cops will be called out for cowardice. And, pray tell, if the school was "hardened," why was a door left open?
Very, very important to get an accurate chronology of events of the entire chronology starting with Shooter's 18th Birthday, weapon purchases, ammunition purchases, media postings, the shot injuring the Shooter's Grandmother, Grandmother's alerts, real-time 911 calls & their verbatim warnings Etc. including accurate and /or intentionally false cross-police agency communications and any blather from political and/or media consultant actors.
Just that shooter bullets passing through thick metal and wooden doors. If the AR had .556 mm, that’s the NATO military round. But hollow point bullets explode. AR rounds tumble. Hardened bullets of any type pierce body Armor. That all these military rounds (ammunition) can be commonly bought is abhorrent, unnessessary, foolish.
Same. As soon as I heard the first little inkling of blaming the police I thought "shame and suicides coming" That was Wednesday! I called for a pause and compassion on SM but it appears indeed it was badly botched. Does anyone else notice the irony in there being 19 officers in the hallway afraid - we assume - to confront the killer, and 19 dead children? It's tragically beginning to sound like one misstep after another. That alone may make it impossible for the community to heal. Certainly it will never be the town it was.
There’s going to be guilt and judgement and shame on those 19. 1. With common sense gun legislation maybe there wouldn’t be cuz it would have never happened. Some will succumb to their own guilt, others will not. When we compare their inaction to the action of a mother, running in. I want to blame the leader, not the troops. Maybe it’s still too early too, but there is courage and there is inaction, kids lives in the balance, so cowardice seems appropriate. The several cops I know would not stop, would not hesitate, would not wait 83 minutes for the key.
Today, Saturday 5/28, MSNBC Anchor, Melendez in Uvalde reported that the assembled police team OVERRODE the local On-site, ICD Commander & rushed the Shooter to stop the carnage. The "Active Shooter' was present for 77 minutes & discharged over 300 Rounds. Apparently the US. Border Control took over.
Jean-Pierre, a MSNBC Anchor, Alicia Menendez, just reported around 3:01 pm on Saturday, that the assembled officers inside the school "OVERRODE" the local On--site Commander, the "ISD Chief" & stormed in to take out the Shooter. Confirmed by Frank Figliuzzi former Assisstant Director of Counter Intelligence. Yes, the Feds, apparently, U.S. Border Patrol.
Agree. A very detailed chronology just like the log of the 911 calls to & from Room 111 starting at least from the Shooter's first & failed attempt to get a firearm at Age 17 through the 18th Birthday spree, the unspeakable trajedy & covering police inaction, deflection & lies. Name names.
All of that, and one thing more: shooting up a school is now a known pattern acted out by a subset of persons - usually but not always young white heterosexual males, nominally Christian. Limiting guns would not only make the physically killing more difficult; it would disrupt the scripted ritual.
I'm sorry, but I just have to say this. And I realize I'm might get some heated commentary in response, because the "gun" issue is so emotionally charged that it's hard to have rational discussion about it, on either side, at least on this kind of an anonymous public forum.
But is it just possible that we are missing the boat by fundamentally focusing on guns as the root cause of our huge problem? To be sure, easy access to guns and lack of measures to limit access to them particularly by troubled individuals and the enormous number of guns already out there are significant factors that should be addressed, but what are the deeper issues?
From what I consider a logical standpoint, to argue that it's GUNS that are at the bottom of the problem is as specious, no, trivial, as to argue that motor vehicles are responsible for the carnage on the nation's highways. Think about it. In each case we're talking about objects that are inanimate until operated by a human being. To argue "yes, but cars weren't invented to kill people while guns were invented to kill people (I wouldn't fully agree) is irrelevant. In the case of a psycho with a gun, it's the human that's the prime mover. In the case of the automobile, it's the "nut behind the wheel". No totally rational person would argue that the solution to highway fatalities is to severely restrict access to automobiles. Identifying inattentive behavior like texting while driving or drunk driving or road rage as the fundamental problems makes more sense. Nobody is clambering for getting rid of cell phones, alcohol or automobiles in general as the solution to highway fatalities, as far as I know. So why are we so laser focused on guns, and might we be better served by paying more attention to what the real (I contend) underlying issues are?
Heather focused on Gun control, the NRA, the Republican Party etc. in the last part of her piece, but she also mentioned up front the macho cowboy culture that underlies all of this. And I think she might possibly agree that WE, the white European settlers that first arrived here, were a pretty brutal bunch (ask any Native American). We were a violent culture from the onset, have been involved in wars almost non stop since then, and most recently, we've glorified violence in our movies and other media since the advent of motion pictures and TV, and significantly, have allowed an enormous "gaming" industry centered on progressively more realistic violence to spring up. Think about that last one. The shooter at Robb Elementary was an 18 year old "gamer" who liked violent video games. The kid in Buffalo just before this was a redneck, spoon fed racial hatred on White Supremacist websites. Two troubled kids raised in a fundamentally violent society recently turbocharged by violence in entertainment and unfettered internet and social media hate speech.
To me, these are the real culprits. I don't think we are paying nearly enough attention to these issues because of our fixation on "guns" as the root cause of these atrocities. Better mental health care programs, better education, cracking down on hate speech everywhere and reining in these violence-as-entertainment gaming sites is a better direction than railing about guns.
We are a nation of all kinds of mentalities and life experiences. This shooter had issues, they all do but that doesn’t make them mentally ill. Mental illness is in every country. Few sick people go out and shoot up public places. Racism is a learned idea. It is taught and yes it is a huge factor. But we are the only country in the world where guns outnumber our citizens and are so easily available.
I’m not missing the point of your view. You are simply trying to dilute mine.
In my own county today there is a gun dealer offering AR15’s for $499 and no limit on how many one person can buy. I’m sure these will make for a great Memorial Day celebration.
Ps. You are stating talking points straight out of the NRA handbook but I suspect you know this.
Guns are the root problem of deadly violence. Guns. Mental illness is not the root of firearm violence. Maybe cultural factors, but it is the access to guns that turns anguish, suffering, dispossession,, etc. deadly.
The Public is not railing about "guns" we are talking about over 20 Million assault rifles used in war not as a 18th self-Birthday present. Perhaps it is time for the Public to view photos of soldier's bodies torn to shreds in Vietnam via a FOIA to the US Military. Perhaps the Public will understand why scores of police waited for an assault team instead of taking the absolutely necessary IMMEDIATE Action to save bleeding children or unharmed children they were talking to on cell phones? BSM
Bryan, I know where you're coming from. I'm a Viet Nam vet myself. And no doubt, the advent of the semi (or fully) automatic assault rifle upped the ante significantly over the M1 Carbine. So did nukes. My point is that (as I perceive it) most of the public that are most vocal in this debate wouldn't know an AR-15 from a Mossberg .22. They just want it all (guns) to go away. It won't. We need to recognize that and move on. There are deeper issues.
Roger,.the issues are much deeper so are the wounds. If you have 'Nam experience, please educate the Community on how AR 15 ammo "tumbles" ballistically and tears up any human targeted. You can warn anyone so they don't throw up.
I'm calling you out right there on that statement, "They just want it all (guns) to go away". Untrue. That is NOT what most people in this country are asking for. Over 80% of Americans are asking just for reasonable gun control. Things like maybe if you're not old enough to legally drink alcohol you're not old enough to purchase such deadly weapons. Maybe you have to undergo a background check and waiting period. LaMoine, you should like this one since you have concerns about addressing mental health. Maybe you take a course and a test like you do for the driver's license. You should like that too, since you have concerns about distracted and drunk drivers.
I honestly would like all guns to go away but I know that is not realistic at all and would not bother asking for that. Have your hunting and target shooting rifles, even your handguns for protecting your property from invaders, whatever. However, NO civilian on the planet should have access to militaristic weapons that are designed to kill a lot of people in a very short amount of time like this killer used, like the Sandy Hook killer used, etc ad nauseum.
How much are you personally willing to pay in increased taxes to pay for the items in your last paragraph? Because I'm all about that and I ante up every damn time but I notice the Republicans in my town vote it all down.
In a political cartoon many years ago a character said, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” To which another character replies, “Yes. They use guns.” We’ve made automobile travel much, much safer in the past 50 years, both by focusing on people (drunk drivers) and the vehicles (crash safety, among many other things). We can do the same with guns. Neither of the teens in Buffalo and Uvalde should have been able to have a gun. Their guns should not have had removable magazines. Etc., etc. No one wants to concentrate only on guns, but ignoring them only means the slaughter will continue.
Jon, I'm in full agreement with most of what you said, especially the " Neither of the teens in Buffalo and Uvalde should have been able to have a gun."part. Thank you. I also feel that the tragedy in Texas was brought on in large degree by the cavalier way Abbott and the craven Republican legislature there flouts any type of sensible regulation on who can have these weapons. My point was, and remains, that guns are such an inflammatory symbol that "some" people accuse anyone suggesting that there may be other significant causes for this ongoing carnage of being an NRA apologist, thereby squelching discussion on these other important areas. I appreciate your opinion and your civility.
No one is allowed to drive without showing at least some knowledge of how to drive. Drunk drivers lose their licenses. That was not always the case. It has made a huge difference in road deaths. While it is true that guns are not the only problem here, removing AR-15s and similar semi-automatic weapons from civilians would cut way down on gun deaths. So would requiring gun owners to be licensed, to undergo training in gun safety, and to have background checks.
The death culture in which shooting up an elementary school is a script young men may act out is also a big part of the problem. I don't know how to mend that.
Couldn't agree with you more, Joan, except for the AR-15 part. Here, you're just talking about a matter of scale, right? So let's say we could wave a magic wand and eliminate all AR-15's. Sooner or later the shooters would fall back on shotguns. Then semi automatic pistols. Then revolvers. And then? .... ? Baseball bats outside of an approved sports venue? This isn't a solution, Joan. It's running from the real problem, which is the shitty human condition. We need to rein in our violent tendencies, no matter what the potential weapon.
If the shooter in the Uvalde elementary school was armed with a baseball bat, or even a revolver, or a shotgun, it would not have taken the police an hour to go in and confront him. All the children and teachers killed during that hour would be alive today. Would there still have been deaths, and tragedy, and a need to repair cultural problems? Yes. We make an effort to prevent drunk driving, even though some people still do it, because a lot fewer people die in car accidents this way.
It makes a very real and important difference if the attacker has a weapon that can fire many bullets in a very short time without a pause to reload. Other countries have a lot of the same cultural problems that we do, but they have far less people dead in mass attacks, because weapons of mass shooting are not generally available. Is removing these weapons from circulation all that needs doing? Of course not. Would be a very useful action, an excellent place to start? Absolutely.
Joan, here we go again. "if we had ham, we could have ham and eggs, if we had eggs." The fact is that the shooter had an assault rifle. That the cops didn't feel comfortable confronting him is a totally unrelated issue. From here on out, people capable of this kind of carnage will necessarily be armed with assault rifles, if they choose, whether we like it or not. If, through a stroke of magic we could limit the arsenal to slingshots, the situation would be greatly defused. Unfortunately, that's wishful thinking. My point is that there are other factors in play that we might have greater control of. If we put systems into place to identify potentially dangerous people from getting their hands on lethal weapons, great. That's incremental progress. On the other hand, if we systematically punish rapacious "entrepreneurs" for peddling these violent video games to our young people simply for financial gain, that would make a serious dent, at least in my opinion.
LeMoine, everyone here agrees with you that we need to address a lot of social issues. We are all frustrated too that when these things happen, Republicans say that is what we should do and then they won't approve budgets that pay for those things which cost a lot of money. So, how do you propose making those things happen?
And we're all sick of the old argument that getting rid of assault style and automatic weapons is impossible so why bother. Lots of impossible things have come to pass through sheer human determination and I believe we're at that point again in history.
All of the above. I'm in favor of nearly anything that will reduce gun violence. Background checks. Legal liability for gun sellers and manufacturers. Keep military-grade weapons out of the hands of civilians. Fix social media (including youtube) algorithms so they don't funnel people toward hate.
The men who perpetrate these mass murders have been using AR-15s specifically - apparently that gun is part of the script they follow. While you are quite right that I personally would be happy to magically remove all guns from existence, my magic gun dissolver is not working. We could not get a voting majority in this country for such a measure. We do have a majority of voters already for sensible gun limitations. We even have a majority of gun owners - the very people who have the knowledge to write good regulations - in favor of sensible limitations. What we don't have, is a working majority in the US Senate.
"No totally rational person would argue that the solution to highway fatalities is to severely restrict access to automobiles." Has it occured to you that automobiles have serious economic benefits that guns do not? It's a false equivalence. Also this statement makes me assume you are not aware that GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH OF CHILDREN IN THE USA. Not auto accidents.
Also, we do restrict access to automobiles. Drivers must have a license, pass tests to get one, and can lose it for several reasons. Every car must be registered and inspected. Cars and drivers must be insured. All of that costs money every year. The price is higher for at-risk categories like young drivers. If your car is in an accident, you are financially responsible for the damage. Applying those same rules to guns would be a step in the right direction.
The AR15 is the civilian version of what was the M16 which has evolved and been continually improved since I used one in VN in 1970. It was designed by a man named Stoner if my memory is correct and manufactured by Arm Lite, it was built by several gun manufacturers under license. There may well be hundreds of different versions of that gun being made today. It was designed to be an assault rifle, to be used by soldiers to assault ie. attack an enemy, as such it was relatively short compared to the rifles our soldiers used in WWII, and easy to use in confined spaces, there are much shorter variants in use today with collapsing but stocks ie. the part that you put to your shoulder, these don’t have to be used that way, you can fire them from the hip, aiming in the traditional way is slow, in truth all you have to do is look where you want to hit and your hands will automatically point the weapon there. An AR15 is an industrial machine that is designed to do one thing and that is to kill people, as such it is very good at that, for the most part they are well made and will be around for a century or more, so for the cost of an iPhone you can have a killing machine that will functionality out live all of us and is capable of killing thousands, now there are 20 million of them in American homes. Anyone can pick one up, stick in a magazine with 20, 30, up to 100 rounds, pull back the charging handle, and rock N roll. We have a major problem, and it’s not just the sanity of some people, it’s that we have 20 million of these machines that are designed to do one thing and that is to kill people. They are not lethal like a car can be, that you have to know how to drive, a child can wield one of these things, they are undoubtedly the most lethal object in America today. Again there are 20 million of these goddamn things and they are being used with great efficiency whenever one falls into the wrong hands. It’s not the gun’s fault, it’s just a mindless machine, it could be sitting on your wall for decades and it would harm no one, but put it in the wrong hands and you have what we have witnessed the last couple weeks. This is an object that has one purpose and that is to kill people, it’s not a hunting rifle, I have been a hunter most of my life and I have only needed more than one shot to kill what I was hunting one time and that was two shots, I know of no game in North America that you need a 30 round magazine to hunt, other than people. We need to get rid of these things, every last one of them, they have no place in our society other than the military for which they were designed. I know about that which I speak, in the 1960’s I was trained as a green beret light and heavy weapons specialist and I put my training to use in VN where I saved the lives of men who would have died had I not been there, that has not been without a price that I continue to pay every day.
New Zealand got rid of those weapons after the Christchurch massacre. Their legislature was unanimous except for one vote. “We are a pragmatic people,” said PM Jacinda Ardern.
And Jacinda Arden made it happen in a snap. So did the Prime Minister of Australia after they had a massacre. His buy back guns plan worked. Sacramento, CA just had gas for guns event and 60 guns were returned.
Wired magazine had article several years ago about the extensive damage a bullet from AR15’s can do and why.
Copied Here:
What an AR-15 Can Do to the Human Body
When a patient is shot by an AR-15, it "looks like a grenade went off in there."
WIRED
All guns can kill, but they do not kill equally.
Compare the damage an AR-15 and a 9mm handgun can do to the human body: “One looks like a grenade went off in there,” says Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon at the University of Arizona. “The other looks like a bad knife cut.”
The AR-15 is America’s most popular rifle. It has also been the weapon of choice in mass shootings from Sandy Hook to Aurora to San Bernardino. In Orlando, the shooter used a Sig Sauer MCX, an AR-15 style rifle originally developed for special ops, to kill 49 people in the Pulse nightclub. The carnage sparked new calls to reinstate a ban on assault rifles like the AR-15, which were designed as weapons of war.
It’s possible to argue about everything when it comes to the politics of guns---including about the definition of “assault rifle” itself---but it’s harder to argue about physics. So let's consider the physics of an AR-15.
A bullet with more energy can do more damage. Its total kinetic energy is equal to one-half the mass of the bullet times its velocity squared. The bullet from a handgun is---as absurd as it may sound---slow compared to that from an AR-15. It can be stopped by the thick bone of the upper leg. It might pass through the body, only to become lodged in skin, which is surprisingly elastic.
The bullet from an AR-15 does an entirely different kind of violence to the human body. It’s relatively small, but it leaves the muzzle at three times the speed of a handgun bullet. It has so much energy that it can disintegrate three inches of leg bone. “It would just turn it to dust,” says Donald Jenkins, a trauma surgeon at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. If it hits the liver, “the liver looks like a jello mold that’s been dropped on the floor.” And the exit wound can be a nasty, jagged hole the size of an orange.
These high-velocity bullets can damage flesh inches away from their path, either because they fragment or because they cause something called cavitation. When you trail your fingers through water, the water ripples and curls. When a high-velocity bullet pierces the body, human tissues ripples as well---but much more violently. The bullet from an AR-15 might miss the femoral artery in the leg, but cavitation may burst the artery anyway, causing death by blood loss. A swath of stretched and torn tissue around the wound may die. That’s why, says Rhee, a handgun wound might require only one surgery but an AR-15 bullet wound might require three to ten.
Then, multiply the damage from a single bullet by the ease of shooting an AR-15, which doesn’t kick. “The gun barely moves. You can sit there boom boom boom and reel off shots as fast as you can move your finger,” says Ernest Moore, a trauma surgeon at Denver Health and editor of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Surgery, which just published an issue dedicated to gun violence.
Handguns kill plenty of people too, of course, and they’re responsible for the vast majority of America’s gun deaths. But a single bullet from a handgun is not likely to be as deadly as one from an AR-15.
That's a very good description of how I understand the effects of being hit by one of these .223 bullets. I was taught that a vaccume follows right behind the bullet as it moves, that's why if someone shoots at you and misses you hear the crack of the bullet going past, it's the sound barrier being broken, a bull whip tip does the same thing, there's no noise maker on the end of a bull whip, just the tip of leather that breaks the sound barrier. As I understand it, that vacuume follows the bullet into a person and shatters everything three dimensionally, not just in the direct path of the bullet but radiating out all along the path the bullet takes until it slows down. You are right a 9mm can kill you, but because it's moving at an order of magnitude slower, it doesn't come with the trailing vacuume that follows it into someone, it's more like being hit by a baseball bat and unless it hits something vital much more survivable.
Well said. There was a comment made here the other day where a person described his first experience as (and I paraphrase because I'm not caffeinated enough to search for it) "intoxicated with the power you feel when shooting it." The power to kill people as fast as you can pull the trigger on a legal semi-automatic with however many rounds in the magazine you're able to have.
Here in NH, our Free Stater State Representative Kevin Verville refers to these weapons as "Modern Sporting Rifles". But that's okay because in November, we're finally going to vote him out.
I don't understand why these are acceptable and hand grenades aren't. They both cause the same result in about the same period of time. Maybe because we want to protect property more than people?
Additionally, our police forces need to remove these weapons from their service. There is certainly no need to use high capacity assault weapons against civilians.
Dick, You continue to teach and save lives. Your description of the AR15, its sole purpose and its absolute connection to the Republicans, the Donor Class and all those who sacrifice humanity for control of the USA, their own personal power and greed - clear, clear and clear. Thank you.
I read an article today whose author suggested that sports celebrities might be the key to turning this around. People will listen to the players and coaches more then they will listen to leaders from either side. Bravo to those coaches and leagues addressing gun violence.
Oh . . . My . . . . Goodness!! A truly impactful speech. Everyone should hear this, but as she states, the Republiqans in the Michigan state senate choose to bury their heads up their asses instead (I paraphrase). If it is true that 90% of people favor gun control there is something they can do to make it happen- VOTE BLUE!
Yes, Christine and all of us, ROAR! It was good to see Lawrence O'Donnell roaring on his show last night, including an interview of Rep. Mallory McMorrow with this clip of her speech that the Michigan legislature prevented from being delivered by shutting down early.
Offered on her Twitter is this video of how little objects "help" kids in school. Video is reportedly from @sandyhook a couple years ago:
Thanks, Ellie !Today’s task will be to contact Florida Repubs and ask…
If this is a “mental health issue”, why did Florida just stop the use of CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey in our schools??? Don’t Say Gay or Gun Use Risk ??😡
Yes whatever moves the needle is great- but what a commentary on our society that this is who may “save” us. Oh, yeah, that - and black women voting en masse for Democrats!
No. We vote out that which we despise by voting in that and whom we respect! (I’m voting for as many like-minded women as are on my ballot. And supporting campaigns of many around the country.)
And I guess “Gym” Jordan should be added to the list of former-athletes-turned-selfish-"leaders." But if current athletes, including NASCAR drivers, speak out against prolific gun ownership and the violence that flows from that, maybe they can make a difference.
Angeli Rose Gomez is a hero for our terribly troubled times, just like security guard Aaron Salter Jr. who was slain trying to stop the mass murderer in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has called for the FBI to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. “The people of Uvalde, of Texas, and of the nation deserve an accurate account of what transpired,” Castro wrote in a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray.
Will anyone be surprised if the FBI finds incompetence and cowardice among the Uvalde police and others in law enforcement?
And once again Republicans for all their manly-men blather and big-gun fetishes have shown who they really are — actors playing parts that they see as heroic but are exactly the opposite.
Michael, not a single soul will be surprised when the FBI concludes that law enforcement failed the people of Uvalde, Texas, then tried to cover it up. The first local official who needs to go is the foul mouthed, useless scum of a mayor for his lack of respect for the residents of Uvalde. After that, Abbot and every republican in office from dog catcher on up, needs to go. Vote them out.
I know you are old, but so am I--and yet even with my limited tech skills I am able to view memes. Do you know what those are? "Funny" or "Ironic" pairings of photos and words. Right now, the internet is awash with thousands upon thousands of them, all about the most recent school massacre. I am referring to the one in Texas as by the time you read this--that is, if you have an aide who reads these and has the courage to show you this email, because YOU KNOW "darn" WELL ANOTHER MASS MURDER HAPPENS NEARLY EVERY DAY. Well, all those "memes' are not so funny for the GOP, they are showing all the pro NRA/gun tweets of your elected Republicans. They are showing CHRISTMAS family photos of them posing after arming their CHILDREN with semi-automatic rifles, as apparently, nothing says Jesus and the spirit of Christmas more than killing, And by killing, I mean killing of the post-born.
Senator, there are a lot of real annoyed female voters out there. Your party's policy seems to be to force women to bear children so they can be slaughtered like feral pigs--you DID hear Rep Gosar defend owning semi-automatic weapons because we all need to defend our children against feral pigs, right?
The GOP, the party you like to claim as yours to control is sinking deeper and deeper and deeper as you and the rest of the elected officials do NOTHING. Put that HR-8 bill to the vote NOW!! We voters want to see EXACTLY who votes pro and who votes CON on it before we go to the polls in November.
It's your move, Senator. You are messing this up badly and you had better do some damage control.
Miselle, your letter is powerful. Your below sentence is the most accurate I've read regarding the republican view of women and children ever.
"Your party's policy seems to be to force women to bear children so they can be slaughtered like feral pigs--you DID hear Rep Gosar defend owning semi-automatic weapons because we all need to defend our children against feral pigs, right?
Thank you for this Miselle. It expresses my opinion perfectly and, with your permission, I will use some of it in my own letters because while I am represented, at every level, by Democrats, my well-being is in the hands of folks like McConnell. While working to Get Out The Vote, I’m also going to give these despicable bastards a clue what this suburban woman thinks of them. It won’t be pretty.
Use all you want. Just as they quickly forget about these outrageous, horrific incidents (BTW, a meme circulating with a circle of massacre-->thoughts and prayers-> no action, forget--> massacre. WE cannot forget. We should all call or email the turtle daily, till gun reform is passed or they are all voted out.
I know the bar is exceptionally low in Texas, but I still could not believe my ears when the POS mayor of Uvalde started shouting at Beto O'Rourke. The evil force is overwhelmingly strong and sickening with these people.
Yes! As outraged as we are here, many do not see it that way. Still. I'd love to think this kind of thing is going to shoo them all out of office, but it won't. We are living among people who have lost their minds. Anyone notice who won her primary with ease? Marjorie Taylor Insurrectionist Greene.
Don’t be, the northwest corner of our state is the closest to the Appalachian Mtns. And has always been the most conservative part of GA, it is also probably the least developed as well.
What do you mean by that? That Beto didn't have the right to address Abbott and his band of self congratulatory jackals or that the mayor of Uvalde, in an official capacity, should be allowed to verbally abuse a citizen of Texas? Please clarify.
I agree! They need the lawyer who got Remington to pay $75 million to the Sandy Hook families. Took 9 nine years, and it might be in an appeal, but it happened. Money paid out, or taken away may be the only thing that can turn this tide.
Let's also acknowledge the elephant in the room, regarding the tardy and too-late police response. This was a Latino majority school, as was evident from all the families interviewed. Not for a single second will I accept that that fact played no role in this shooting situation going on so long. ( And GUNS!)
I am forcing myself to do some due diligence research on this, which is going to be reading far more than I care to on this topic. Briefly, the police "response" there was so antithetical to the training/mindset that arose after the Columbine, CO shooting that I am stunned.
Stunned! You and me both...picture this occurring in an upper class suburb in Dallas or Houston. In NO way would the police have been so wary to approach the shooter. All lives matter, eh? Seemingly not in Texas.
The image of Beto standing defiantly in front of the assembled politicians of Texass was very reminiscent of the famous Norman Rockwell painting "Freedom of Speech". America lives!
Thank you for this video. Beto: Courage and doing his job. And the admins yelling at him and escorting him out. I can’t believe my eyes. Do we have to get down on our hands and knees and beg “leaders” to protect our children, pass gun laws? I can’t believe the feelings of stress and anxiety I’m feeling. We’re all feeling. And most of all, after so many years of school and mass shootings: failure.
Not get down on our hands and knees. That's demeaning. We need to ALL march on Washington and not leave the city until sensible gun legislation is passed. We need to blockade the doors of the House & Senate chambers until they do so. And continue our protest through November until the Republicans are marched right out of the chambers!
I suggested in another post for parents to do a " die-in" on every school yard across every state at the same appointed time. And do it in from of the Capitol too! The SCOTUS. Better yet do the " die- in/lay down" in front of every state legislature
What you saw was an entire stage-full of Rebops and yet all it took to set them off was a single person calling them out and upsetting their charade. Didn't it remind you of a nature film where a whole tree full of apes howls and throws twigs to frighten away something they didn't understand? "I could carve better men from a banana"
I don’t know who these “manly” men think they’re fooling. I guess only other “manly” men like themselves. Just beyond absurd. There are not enough strong words in the English language to describe my disdain for Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz.
I saw a segment on Sky News where a reporter asked Ted Cruz why these shootings only happen in the US, and is this part of American Exceptionalism. Ted Cruz responded by lashing out and accusing the reporter of not appreciating American Exceptionalism. Then Cruz told the reporter that people come to the US because it is the safest place on earth, then stomped off. He is such a silly, silly, petty embarrassment, and ridiculous man.
I’m beyond tired of these - excuse my language - fucks having such outsized control over our society.
I just got out of bed; couldn't sleep. I opened my computer hoping you had sent a letter. You did. Two minutes ago. I can feel your pain and anger. Heather, can you bring yourself to say it: we live in the United States of Death. A Modest Proposal. If the Democrats DO NOT hold the House and DO NOT pick up three new Senate seats breaking the stranglehold of Manchin and Sinema, every town in New England and anywhere else in America that holds town meeting should bring forth a petition at the next regular or special town meeting in their communities urging secession from the United States of Death. This is where democracy was born; where the Revolution began. Let's get the ball rolling. Is anyone from Concord and Lexington game to give it a try. At least, it would give us average folk some small sense of agency by making a grassroots statement we have had enough with a fanatical minority ruining our lives and our futures by its embrace of gun culture, toxic masculinity, climate denial, Covid vaccines and masking, and violence.
John Marksbury, I think you just got the ball rolling - with this letter. And yes, we need to feel some agency with this grassroots statement - I HAVE HAD ENOUGH with a fanatical minority ruining our lives and our futures by its embrace of gun culture, toxic masculinity, climate denial, Covid vaccines and masking, and violence.
Great! I live on Cape Cod and have a small email list of folks nationally I call Resisters. i am going to try to get 12 citizens in our town to join me in crafting a petition ready to go after the mid-terms.
Wow. Thank you all of you. Am I correct in assuming most of HCR's readers are women? Where are the guys? Do they care? If anger doesn't stir the base for the mid-terms then we are lost. What grievance-gripped men are doing to this country is unbelievable. Can women save us? I sure hope so.
She also does podcasts with fellow historian Joanne Freeman under the channel name 'Now&Then'. I listen to them on Spotify but you can find them on your favorite podcast app if you don't use Spotify.
Her FB chats are Tuesdays (Politics) at 4:00 pm and Thursdays (History) at 1:00 p.m. They are recorded so you can view at any time. New episodes of Now & Then are weekly.
Repugnacans didn't create this segment of our population. It's been out there festering in plain sight for years. But they have successfully managed to tap into its emotional foundation and manipulate it to serve their own agendas. Enraging and sad, but it must be addressed effectively for our nation to survive.
Ed C. it absolutely must. They are world wide, and if they see the U.S. going down the fascist or authoritarian path, they will follow suit which will lead to a world of despair for all of us.
This story line of what happened, when & how is so different from what was initially presented...that a lone police officer had rushed in and protected the children, getting shot in the process. There has to be a documentary on this done immediately. In time for Mid Terms. A good friend of mine, a free lance camera man just returned from Buffalo shooting coverage and he told me last night he was on hold to go to San Antonio for CNN. Heather, I've got a lot of projects on my plate right now, but none more important to the country than this. If we can crowd source some funding I'd help make this happen. We produced "Fracking Western Maryland?" a few years ago with some crowd funding...and I donated a lot of time because I learned how important it was to not frack Deep Creek Lake. It would have killed the 4 season outdoor tourist economy they had, not to mention the health, safety and water concerns...and made a few people very rich...including one State Representative who was absurd in his attempts to keep fracking alive. I started the project as a journalist and ended as an activist, before the final vote.We eventually won the vote and Gov. Hogan signed the bill which had a veto proof margin.
It would need funding and before that a major /production/distribution company like Netflix or Amazon to buy it. Otherwise it would be relegated to FB and local showings. I live in Spain and am no longer able to develop projects in the states. Mike could contact Netflix development and see if it is something that they would be interested being involved in.
For this to have any impact, it would need to be produced by Amazon or Netflix to reach a broad audience. Otherwise it would only be seen by those who believe in gun reform by a small circle.
I don't agree that Amazon or Netflix has to produce it. Having one of them distribute it would be helpful...but there are also several other channels of distribution...including social media & You Tube. This forum reaches a lot of people as a starting point. If Heather would agree to be a primary interview for the historical perspective, that has value.
When Michael Moore produced Roger and me, it was his first documentary. He was totally unknown...and it worked. I'm more schooled, experienced and connected than he was. I'm not even saying I need to be, or want to be the ultimate producer of this...I've got other projects cooking...I'm just saying I'm willing to put effort into getting this ball rolling. There's lots of talent on this forum. There's also enough potential funding to pay the expenses. We all put in $5 a month to be a part of this news letter experience. An additional $5 from everyone just one time would go a long way. Take a look at my page. There's examples of my work, including the fracking doc...which got results in MD. I'm about taking action...not just talking on a forum.
I’m game to donate so you can do this. Others? We have a professional offering to help here… also, start with Beto confronting the gov and being hauled away while the “officials” try to intimidate him.
We can start a Kick Starter campaign and let this group and other groups like us know about it. I did that for my fracking doc with a very modest goal of $14,000 to get production started and we raised that from about 20 people as I recall. This needs to come together and be edited by September to have an effect on the mid terms. There can be social media posts along the way to build momentum. It needs a working title. $50,000 would get this rolling with enough to hire free lance camera people in different locations, pay travel and expenses and start editing. In the mean time you troll for distribution and a buyer. If Heather would consent to be the history angle, that would have sales & marketing value. At this point I'd focus on Buffalo and Texas as the two primary mass shooting examples and Baltimore as the urban homicide example. And keep most of this current to 2022. I'm VERY booked until June 14, but can focus on this right after that. My son could help get the Kick Starter and early details underway, while I finish this 18 month project. The responses and input I hear over the next 3 days will help inform what I do next.
Frontline on PBS does such documentaries. I wonder if the Uvalde story could be part of a one-hour doc on the larger topic. Of course it wouldn’t get the widest possible audience, maybe. Doesn’t matter. It needs to be made.
To me Uvalde is a chance to disprove the Good Guy with a Gun theory. (A masterpiece of propaganda, everyone is a good guy.) Another point is that the gun used made it necessary to get expert help to identify the bodies and DNA match to the parents. Not the gun but the deranged killer at fault? This gun. It was this gun, this AR.
I just found out that CNN is doing a doc. My friend who was covering things in Buffalo was asked to come relieve some of the camera people working in Texas now. There's going to be a lot of coverage of this. My slant is how to motivate people and get them focused on what to do and how to do it...so this project may really be more of a training and motivational video. A playbook of sorts.
CNN has covered the massacre in Uvalde from numerous points of view and also has been producing special documentaries for mostly Sunday evening viewing. That seems an excellent place to start.
A complementary documentary on why and how these exquisitely painful murders, virtually all through use of AR-type weapons and high-capacity magazines could be broadcast in as many outlets as can be convinced to do so, and what we as viewers can do to change this horrendous script.
Holding onto, better yet, increasing majorities in the House & Senate this mid term is essential on so many levels. I live just outside of DC in Baltimore and could focus on this project starting in July. I just need enough financial support to pay the bills. I could put up a Kick Starter and if the support is there, follow through. I'd be willing to do it, for $90,000. $40,000 for my time, experience and equipment and the rest for additional crew, stock footage, research and travel expenses. This has to be a motivational piece to get people to vote this November.
Excellent. What I'm feeling after living with this for a few hours is what I really want to produce is more of a how to win this war. What to do...how, when and where. A motivational and educational piece on effective activism. We all know what the problem is.
Perhaps the people of Uvalde, Texas, and the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre will force us to dismantle the high threshold of terror we've been forced to endure because politicians have chosen cash over human life. Maybe Beto and the parents of Uvalde, who are standing up to the lies and failures of Abbott and law enforcement, will help flip the switch and open millions of eyes across the country to the fact that it's not going to stop until we make it stop. Something has to enrage us enough to make us stand against the never ending barrage of death we've become accustomed to. It's guns, it's disease, it's overdoses. It's politicians who have shoved their absolute disdain for everyday people who want nothing more than to live a safe and peaceful life down our throats. We are being held hostage by their greed and lust for power.
The parents in Uvalde, who are pushing back against Abbott's and law enforcement's lies, are warriors. They have lost so much, yet in their grief they are willing to stand up against the rot that killed their loved ones. We must embrace their sorrow and courage, give them strength and join them to put an end to the terror.
Thank you, Daria. you've expressed my thoughts as well. Just as the people in Ukraine are fighting for our democracy too, so the people in Uvalde fight for democracy for all of us. We must join them.
Daria, Deciding to do some late reading at a vulnerable moment of questioning whether we’re up to the task of salvaging our democracy, I came across your comment. Though, admittedly, I don’t have an answer, I am, for the moment, restored by how you stitched together the themes of sacrifice, moral awakening, and service.
Barbara, as forlorn and cynical as I can be, I also hold hope in my heart that some one thing will flip the switch. I want Uvalde to be that switch. The answer is simple, I think — one word, "ENOUGH!" coupled with aggressive campaigns to oust the monsters in power by physically showing our will in the voting booth. The complacent will be the hardest to budge but it can be done. It can be done. Sleep soundly🌷
I was shocked to my core this evening when I thought to check and saw that that false flag conspiracy theories started circulating widely within minutes of both the Uvalde and Buffalo massacres being reported. Apparently, it’s being said on the alt right now that ALL mass shooting should be assumed to be government/global elites-engineered false flag operations to “take our guns” before 2024 election. And unfortunately, these stories stick around, because they don’t have to be based on any sort of evidence at all. Because the essence of a false flag operation assertion is that there *won’t* be evidence. But those who *know the truth* will just *know* it when they see it. So the stories are essentially irrefutable.
Talk radio is full of every kind of alternative reasoning for the shooting except the real culprit....access. I can't believe what people come up with. Rush Limbaugh wannabees are out there. I heard someone blame the shooting on abortions....
"The greatest civil right you have is to stay alive. Staying alive and being free from a random attack is a more precious civil right than owning a gun." And, "Let's take a moment to honor the sacrifice of our brave school children who lay down their lives to protect our right to bear arms."
Data, data, data. We only get it in a few places, especially here. I’m still stuck on a variation of one of Mr. Hubbell’s remarks from yesterday. It had to do with the costs of these shootings being paid by murdered children. I now found myself wondering what that total cost has been so far. Where would we set the date? How many children have lost their lives since ______? What is the value of a life? Is a husband dying of a heart attack after his wife was murdered to be collateral damage? The statistical gathering of information simply does not effect the minds that prevent any action. Wonder what the cost of those minds might be? Probably much less than to total of lives lost to vicious rhetoric on extremist Right-wing propaganda sites.
A couple years back a study was done by one of the anti gun violence groups on the cost…. Survivors who were injured & had medical expenses were also included. If I remember correctly annual costs in this country were $700 Billion annually. It is more by now. We pay that.
Thank you, again, for providing the background on the current “cowboy” culture with its focus not on using rifles to put food on the table or defend livestock from predators, but, instead, to brag about your gun that is bigger and badder and can shoot more bullets faster than your neighbor’s. After bragging comes proving your claims by proving that you can use that big, bad MF to do what it’s designed to do.
The actual cowboys had NOTHING to do with the likes of John Wayne (a big wuss who was just born BIG) nor of Ronald Reagan who loved to play cowboys - and pulled that same shit as our "president." He started us on this downhill trajectory. You can count on that.
I remember my Great-Uncle, he broke his leg one year, and couldn’t help with round-up. My mother went up to the ranch to help cook for the “boys”. Emmett would sit in the living room and watch a small black and white T.V. (They only got electricity in. The mid-1950s.) He loved to watch “westerns”, and spent most of his time laughing uproariously at what the T.V. Thought cowboys were.
Attempting to make something productive from my frustration and anger.
After I read Robert Hubbell's account of McConnell appointing John Cornyn to the bipartisan talks, I posted part of it on Cornyn's FB page with added comments:
John Cornyn's post:
Instead of celebrating the last day of school, 21 families in Uvalde are making funeral arrangements.
I'm not interested in making a political statement, I'm interested in what we can do to make the tragic events that occurred less likely in the future.
I wrote:
Here's an action to start that process. Get assault weapons off the civilian market. Wheedle and buy them out of the hands and gun closets of civilians.
Chief Justice Warren Burger discussed the Second Amendment.
"The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires."
John Cornyn discussed the Second Amendment (as quoted by Hubbell):
"I think we need to be open to whatever, wherever the evidence leads us. I would say that this is not an excuse to infringe the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens that will do nothing to fix tragedies like this." John Cornyn is parroting conservative anarchists who each harbor the delusion that s/he is The Heroic Marksman who can take down a determined killer and his assault weapons. John Cornyn is willing to sacrifice our children and elders to this delusion. John Cornyn and The Heroic Marksman have forgotten the phenomenon of friendly fire, where the fog of war increases casualties, rather than reducing them.
About ten years ago, I was a paraeducator in a special needs classroom of first thru third graders at a California elementary school. Periodically we had "shooter on campus" drills. I was the one to have to open the classroom door to lock it from the outside with a key. Then close the room's window blinds, turn out the lights, and help secure 12 special needs children in a corner to stay completely quiet. We would read them a whispered story by flashlight and pray no one would make any outbursts. Mind you, this was a DRILL and no shooter was present, thankfully. But it was frightening. I still feel the fright when the principal came to jiggle the door knob to check that it was locked. All teachers, aids, and staff at schools now know what I am describing. ALL of the teachers at these school murdering sprees are so brave. My heart is shattered over this. The fact it has not stopped and 20 million assault rifles in our country guarantee it will happen again and again. These weapons need to be removed and unattainable to citizens. Especially angry loner teenage boys. The Republicans are shouting who they are. Pay attention and vote them out. Our safety is of no concern to them.
Dollars to donuts, Abbott and team are going to twist this into a blame the school/principal/staff for the horrible mess they created in the TX legislature. Blame anyone but never admit they F’ed it up. We know how hard it is to cover up 20 kids’ death -AlexJones sure tried.
Make no mistake, allow no distractions: this was all about the damn guns and the greed of politicians and the NRA.
Abbott went to Uvalde precisely to try to control the narrative and immediately started to blame mental illness, possible criminal record of the shooter, and speculative statements about the shooter all externalizing blame away from himself and theorizing. But, as HCR points out, the narrative he tried to create isn't holding because, as you say, it's about the guns!
Abbott is a liar on most things. Blockading the border a few weeks ago cost what? 4-5$billion. If Texans re-elect him they are demented.
The cult is demented, I’m not. Rupert Continues to support and add to the cult. So does his son, they need to be deported. It was obvious why Abbott did the press conference, not the police dept. Texas government is crawling with the most vile worms.
And notice that he didn’t show up without a posse of NRA funded pols. I hope Beto wears their insults with pride.
Important that Beto is from El Paso. He knows intimately what mass shooting cause at. This point.
Well said Jeri! The police were probably still hiding…but now afraid of the parents of the helpless Children they failed to protect! Every brave, honest and up standing Police Officer in America should display on his or her uniform an obvious symbol of the disgust and contempt they feel for these poor excuses of human beings. The other “poor excuses” on display were the ones crowding around Abbott and the other elected officials that have completely failed Texas and her Citizens. I wonder if any of them ever worries about some screwball armed with a weapon they allowed them to possess shooting them or worse…one of their children…wouldn’t that be ironic!
All hat no cop.
Anyone who votes Republican is complicit in the carnage in America.
Good point, Barbara. Maybe we should start reminding those low information voters, or those apathetic voters, that the US Senate - half of it, anyway - has blood on its hands. Innocent blood. They're all about protecting fetuses, but God help those OUT of the womb. They are fair game for any honcho with an AR15.
My relatives in the midwest get all het up about the false QANON pedophile narrative and the same one who likes to post about that posted a pic of herself with a gun and how much she loves it. At one point, the males were talking about getting together with their gun toting buds and protecting the neighborhood from antifa.
JFC!! Of course, the midwest species see their guns as an extension of their “livelihood”!
Yes. I agree. And Texas Republicans who voted for these jerks ALL have blood on their hands. I would expand that to include Texans who sat at home and did not vote at all for whatever pathetic excuse they had at the moment.
Anyone who stands in the way of abolishing the filibuster is complicit. The gun legislation would pass if the filibuster were gone. Those 2 bullshitters who say that Democrats will need it when Republicans are in power are delusional or stupid or liars getting a major kickback. If the Repugs don't get a filibuster-proof majority, the will do away with it in a heartbeat. Even though it's the Republicans who are ultimately to blame, it is still possible for the next couple of months to get something meaningful done, except of those two Democrats who care more about themselves than the country.
I saw a thing on a blog site that Sinema thinks she will be President in 2024.
Delusions of Grandeur
Amen.
Attempted like
Refresh your page then try again.
Not all Texans. Just the ones that the Republicans allow to vote.
Some evidence that the state of New Mexico is moving in to re-direct that lost International Traffic on to their roads. Columbus to Deming & on to I-10? Likely focused on freight traffic. See Judith's comment below.
I heard something like that, that Mexico is building a rail line to the border that was originally going to TX but will now go to NM
I've read the same and believe it's an accurate report.
Thank you; rail traffic's important.
BTW my husband's grandmother used to live in Columbus. Fun place to visit, and the only place the modern US has been invaded by a foreign country (this is what I was told anyway)
42.5%.
3.5 million Texans.
That's how many people in Texas's last gubernatorial election didn't vote for Greg Abbott.
If it wasn't for them, I'd suggest we do a reverse Putin and give Texas back to Mexico.
We could offer them asylum in the rest of the country, much like what Europe is doing for Ukrainian refugees.
It's not enough. 42.5% is hardly a mandate. That means 57.5% (over half) of Texans like Abbott, Cruz etc.
That's true - that's why I'd be happy to let the "majority" get set adrift and back to Mexico.
Of course, I was being facetious.
And fwiw, Abbott only received 55.8% of the vote, as there were other candidates, too.
You're right - 42.5% is no mandate, it's not even a plurality, but that wasn't my point.
https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/results/texas/governor
Their response is formulaic. It's become nearly identical to their response to some Act of God, like a tornado or a flood.
"Nothing can be done, but we're here to comfort those who suffer in their loss - They Have Our Thoughts and Prayers."
I repeat a response on Robert Hubbell Isiah 1:15 “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of the blood of innocents.” Right on there God, so you think they are bull Schitt too.
Robert's quote was absolutely spot on. Republicans who offer up their "prayers" and "condolences" but refuse to limit gun ownership are the worst type of hypocrites - those that hide behind their religion. I can only imagine they sit in confessional and ask for forgiveness for they know that their inaction and greed result in the death of our children. But I'm sure they don't since, despite their claim otherwise, they have no moral compass other than greed and power.
Ex-freaking-actly!
Perfect.
Maybe the next Radical Right is for parents to kiss there babies good by at the bus stop then keep there fingers crossed that the get lucky and not be murdered. If they are the governor will dispatch a chaplain to pray over the carnage
Unfortunately, the only time the Right may do something about gun ownership is when they lose a child to gun violence. Otherwise, it's someone else's problem.
I am puzzled. Every time a school shooting happens politicians throw out "thoughts and prayers" and, then, another school shooting happens.
It should be clear by now that "thoughts and prayers" are not being answered and school shootings are part of God's plan. Right?
That might mean us, we the people, have to come up with a plan, not wait around for God to stand by while a shoot em up occurs again.
(Jeri is correct.) Check out Isaiah 1:15 to see what God really thinks of “thoughts and prayers”. BTW, “Thoughts and prayers” is just a political throw-away line. My translation of Isaiah 1:15: “Stop feeding me your BS. Stop doing evil. Do the right thing. Then, we can fix this together.”
God is typically very clear.
For those who need help finding that reference:
(15) And when you lift up your hands,
I will turn My eyes away from you;
Though you pray at length,
I will not listen.
Your hands are stained with crime—
(16) Wash yourselves clean;
Put your evil doings
Away from My sight.
Cease to do evil;
(17) Learn to do good.
Devote yourselves to justice;
Aid the wronged.
Uphold the rights of the orphan;
Defend the cause of the widow.
https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.1.15-17?ven=Tanakh:_The_Holy_Scriptures,_published_by_JPS&vhe=Miqra_according_to_the_Masorah&lang=en
"God is typically very clear." I am unclear why God's followers are so confused then.
It’s a good question.
They are thinking about money and praying for re-election.
You got it!
Amen.
So much reinforcement for my being an atheist!
Those politicians are not showing religion, but religiosity—the outward form with none of the inward love or wisdom.
Loudly praying in the Temple. Hypocrites all.
The great thing about atheists, is that they don't hide from their responsibility to act by saying "Gd will take care of this." The rest of us can learn from them.
I’m an ambivalent agnostic
I don’t know if there is a God and don’t care because if there is a God he is as ambivalent to mankind as I am to him this slaughter of innocents is a prime example.
I have a bumper sticker like that somewhere:
"Militant Agnostic. I Don't Know and Neither Do You."
"Prayers" are oftentimes offered when people can't, or WON'T, do anything else. Offering prayers makes THEM feel good and self-satisfied, like they're doing something. As any sound-thinking Christian knows, "prayers" are eventually going to be answered by US, by ourselves. There's no magic sky-God sitting on a fluffy white cloud who's going to wave his hand and instantly make everything right. If we want our "prayers" answered then WE have to be the instruments to accomplish answering those "prayers". It's a shame that "thoughts & prayers" has become so hackneyed and trite a phrase, because I genuinely do believe in the power of prayer/karma/meditation/whatever you-want-to-call-it. It has been trivialized to its detriment and I think that's sad. The people of this country mobilising, rising up and fighting yet another example of the minority ruling over--and jerking around--the majority is how these "prayers" can be answered and made a reality. I was brought up to believe if you want your prayers to be answered then YOU have to work toward that end. The "thoughts & prayers" offered up by Cruz, Abbott and Co. are empty and devoid of meaning, only offering lip service to something that they themselves are responsible for--and deep down inside I think they know it. They are disgusting hypocrites who have the blood of innocents on their hands. Jesus had a few things to say about people only offering prayers as a show, without any sincerity. It mocks God. Okay...sermon over.
There's some good nuggets of truth in your diatribe, particularly the ideas that prayer can be beneficial as meditation can be beneficial, and that people who visualize an end must then take actions to achieve it. If there is a divine force in the universe it does not intercede on behalf of any humans. That's quite clear from studying history and the many thousands of gods we have named.
It's called "virtue signalling ".
Bruce, thank you! You hit the nail on the head.
Thank you for a perfect summation.
Overall politicians think voters are rubes and easily manipulated; so those politicians say anything they want. Hence the thoughts and prayers tripe.
The first plan would be to stop voting Republican. Second plan is to bear down and not let politicians sweep this under the rug one more time. Americans' lack of interest in rising up is destroying the United States of America. When I am anywhere I see people with head bent over their phones. Anywhere and everywhere all the time. It looks like some dystopian movie where all the inhabitants of a planet only get oxygen and food through their devices.
Unfortunately, Barbara, plenty of people who believe their rhetoric are rubes.
Sadly true Marlene
Makes you wonder who Republicans are praying to.
Themselves
Moloch that’s who. If memory serves, he loved child sacrifices. Seems appropriate.
🫣
I'm not a believer, but my husband is, and I like his "take" on God's plan. He believes that God gave us the rules and it's up to US to follow them. Prayers and thoughts may help people feel good about themselves, but as many have said "Faith without works is pointless".
“Sentiment without action, is the ruinment of the soul”
See Jeri Chilcutt's reference above to Robert Hubbell's citation from Isiah 1:15 or, better yet, read his newsletter at:
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/ultimate-act-of-cowardice?s=r
It is difficult to put into words how despicable these Republicans are other than to say that they are traitors to the underlying foundation of our Society:
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" (from the Preamble - Declaration of Independence)
"Justice," "Tranquility," "common defence," "general Welfare," and "the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" (from the Preamble - Declaration of Independence)
Thoughts and prayers—and nothing else.
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern addresses Harvard on gun control and democracy
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/27/jacinda-ardern-wows-harvard-with-new-zealands-lesson-on-gun-control-and-democracy
I am sure he will blame Biden somehow.
Wait, I thought it was Obama’s fault. 😉
Hillary's clearly to blame, lock her up!🤦♂️
"Gov Greg Abbott, surrounded by elected officials and law enforcement, said as “horrible as what happened [was], it could have been worse. "
Did I hear that correctly?
The Independent - 26 May 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfk-CKOwASw
Here is what I say, Nancy. No Gov Abbott, you charlatan. Some law enforcement officials did not do what they were supposed to do. Turns out, it was worse than horrible. Turns out, more guns could not stop one gun. Turns out, the good guys waited an hour before taking out the bad guy. Turns out, more children were shot because law enforcement did not charge in with power blazing like cowboys to take the bad guy down. Turns out, Beto called you out and the mayor, Lt Gov, and Cruz get their panties wedged and start spluttering. Turns out, it is worse because now the effort will be to cover up the cowardly lack of response and the truth that more guns do not save lives. This I can say with knowing. Those parents that showed up to get their children out but some of whom were sprayed and cuffed? Turns out it was worse because they damn well would have gotten more children out before the death toll rose. With bare hands if necessary. A gun does not necessarily mean courage.
Not if it’s really promoted and used as a mere prop. The indignity is overwhelming and disgusting, Republican Party. You wimps. Go f*ck yourselves. Turns out, women choosing abortion are not the baby killers.
Kudos to the Rays and Yanks for pushing the message against gun violence. Looks like the Senate won’t. Add coward to to the growing list of descriptors.
We Move Forward! With courage. A vote is more powerful than a gun in 2022, the most important election year in decades. Spread the word far and wide. UNITA!🗽
^^^^Truth. Well said. All that money spent for local law enforcement to play Rambo and in the end they were cowards.
Women choosing abortion are NOT the Baby Killers! Shout it! Unwanted pregnancies start with men. Mass murders start with men. Why are we not demanding the issue of MEN be addressed? What does it mean to be a “Good Man”? It sure as hell doesn’t mean being dressed up like warriors and standing around tackling parents trying to stop their children from being slaughtered by a man with a legally purchased weapon of war. A “Good Man” is not someone who holds a position of power only to cower when decisions like “impeach the sob who instigated the Jan6th riot” need to be made. Being a “Good Man” doesn’t mean forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy just because they are afraid of “being replaced”. There are sooooo many good men who are way too quiet with their bros. Nothing will change until they say “ENOUGH!”
Amen!
Well said, Christine. It seems that this terrible incident is becoming a watershed moment for our country, that will reckon with the truth of what really happened in Uvalde, TX, and lead to the 90% who want stronger measures in place to stand together to demand tough action on gun control NOW.
From your keyboard to God’s eyes
Morning, Christine. This post is beyond perfect. I might add that the Dems need to remind voters over and over and over and over that the rethuglicans are the party of death to women who self abort, and death to those massacred by guns. God help us if they gain control of the house/Senate later this year.
They are simply the party of death for anything the rest of us cherish. Vote D and we are in the process of making a list of out of state candidates for donation. In the meantime we wait while the Trumper county clerk in Clackastan still has not got the vote count done to determine, among other things, who won CD five. She get's over $112 thousand a year to be this inept.
There’s more of those than her soaking up $$$ from the Gov’t they hate — and we’re not talking relief money here —
Right on! Your best line, “Turns out, women choosing abortion are not the baby killers.” There aren’t enough words to describe the deliberate evil of Abbott, Paxton, and Cruz. The fact that so many really good people in that state keep voting for them…because Republicans and their money must be protected, is so depressing. My suggestion to Beto was get a battery-powered microphone to attend the next Abbott “rally” so the crowd and media can hear.
That’s exactly what I thought when I watched Beto at the meeting. He needed to be heard. Such cowards…they have all the rights they need to control and subdue people but let someone peacefully express a differing opinion and they so self-righteously take him away. Such children. They look like and act like little children. It’s sickening who runs things in this country.
Powerful YouTube video by Beau of the Fifth Column regarding the cops behavior on the scene. There are no words that are strong enough to describe their cowardice. https://youtu.be/DKjSLAUFWSo
I subscribe to his posts and always listen with a keen ear when he speaks.
I watched this video as I watch all of Beau’s. He was so outraged he could hardly finish his thoughts on the matter.
❤️ every syllable. Called it as I wish I had.
This Jeri agrees with you 💯
What about the cowboys, Christine? Do they deserve a break or not? With the help of the Smithsonian Magazine, here is my postscript to today's Letter.
'Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West'
'Contrary to the popular imagination, bearing arms on the frontier was a heavily regulated business'
'Dodge City in 1878 Wikimedia Commons'
'It's October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, and Arizona is not yet a state. The O.K.' 'Corral is quiet, and it's had an unremarkable existence for the two years it's been standing—although it's about to become famous.'
'Marshall Virgil Earp, having deputized his brothers Wyatt and Morgan and his pal Doc Holliday, is having a gun control problem. Long-running tensions between the lawmen and a faction of cowboys – represented this morning by Billy Claiborne, the Clanton brothers, and the McLaury brothers – will come to a head over Tombstone's gun law.'
'The laws of Tombstone at the time required visitors, upon entering town to disarm, either at a hotel or a lawman's office. (Residents of many famed cattle towns, such as Dodge City, Abilene, and Deadwood, had similar restrictions.) But these cowboys had no intention of doing so as they strolled around town with Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles in plain sight. Earlier on this fateful day, Virgil had disarmed one cowboy forcefully, while Wyatt confronted another and county sheriff Johnny Behan failed to persuade two more to turn in their firearms.'
'When the Earps and Holliday met the cowboys on Fremont Street in the early afternoon, Virgil once again called on them to disarm. Nobody knows who fired first. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne, who were unarmed, ran at the start of the fight and survived. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, who stood and fought, were killed by the lawmen, all of whom walked away.'
'The “Old West” conjures up all sorts of imagery, but broadly, the term is used to evoke life among the crusty prospectors, threadbare gold panners, madams of brothels, and six-shooter-packing cowboys in small frontier towns – such as Tombstone, Deadwood, Dodge City, or Abilene, to name a few. One other thing these cities had in common: strict gun control laws.'
"Tombstone had much more restrictive laws on carrying guns in public in the 1880s than it has today,” says Adam Winkler, a professor and specialist in American constitutional law at UCLA School of Law.'
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun-control-old-west-180968013/
Yes, yes, and hell, yes!
Holy Guacamole. Wonderful post.
Thank you!
You know, Christine, that should be our mantra “ We’re Not Baby Killers. You Are!”
Yes!!
Here's the thing. They want all us taxpayers to pay for all of these hardening of targets and police weaponry so that 5% of the population can indulge their paranoid fantasies with their own personal cosplay arsenal.
And the NRA response to this latest massacre.
"“Our deepest sympathies are with the families and victims involved in this horrific and evil crime,” the NRA said in their statement. “On behalf of our members, we salute the courage of school officials, first responders and others who offered their support and services.”
I want to SCREAM! If the majority of Texans don’t vote for Beto, then we should demand they all be put through conversion therapy. Actually, the entire Pro-Rape/Open-Carry party members must have it! I am dead serious.
Good luck with that —
The only thing they salute is the object of their greed. A gun.
UNITA, Barbara!
In the meantime we are going to have our convention in Texas with a whole crew of loathsome MAGAS including death star donny and the Gnome from South Dakota. Talk about tone deaf. No guns allowed of course.
❤️ May the building be surrounded by bussed-in protestors!
That’s the best laugh I’ve had today!
Pathetic useless words from a dangerous cult.
Right, NRA. Blah, blah, blah, blah.
A truth teller you are.
Right on.
Check out this video about the cops cowardice. Powerful. From Beau of the Fifth Column.
This video is gold, and it is step one of the due diligence research that I need to do.
Briefly, I was a SWAT team member in 1999 when Columbine happened (where the cops mustered outside waiting for SWAT to arrive). There became a training mantra: "Never Again". Training for patrol cops was created, delivered, attended, and implemented. Waiting for SWAT was no longer the procedure. The "gold" standard was a 4 man diamond: one point, one 10:00 forward, one 2:00 forward, and one behind covering the rear. Make entry, go to the "zone" and take care of business. After Sandy Hook in 2012 that was reiterated. It was more important for me, personally, because I was the sole daytime cop in a town of 5000 with a resident deputy assigned to that part of the county. He and I met, and discussed our plans for an incident at each of our three schools. We agreed that when the other was on days off or otherwise assigned, each of us would go in alone.
I am wondering.... What the hell has happened to cops?
Cops with a prop. Their gun is an extension of their ego, not their sworn duty to serve and protect their community.
I salute your commitment to your oath of service, Ally.
Hope this works. https://youtu.be/DKjSLAUFWSo
Great post, Christine! “A gun does not necessarily mean courage”. And “turns out, women choosing abortion are not the baby killers”. These lines!!!
Excellent. This is such a travesty as well as a tragedy. And yes, forward.
NO!!!! Seriously!!!!!
Gailee - exactly - my same thoughts
Yes, you did.
How? A law enforcement officer was shot?
He had time to go to a fundraiser that night. We were astounded with last night's news about how long the gunman was outside crashing his truck and shooting at people. And wow, the good guys with guns withdrew because they might get shot. This has become a real dumpster fire beyond the tragedy and gun control...or the lack of.
and they have a trained AWAY team!! WTF! Do they not understand thrir job is to protect citizens? Who was leading those cops and SWAT team?
Sadly and I hate to even think it but I imagine suicides will be next on the news from some of those that didn't act. I hope I'm wrong. What a cluster F*K
Yes, that has crossed my mind several times as well. I don't know how some of the leaders, as well as the teacher who left the door propped open, will be able to live with themselves.
It’s a travesty, Doreen.
The cops did NOTHING…NOTHING to stop this kid!!!
It was a great free campaign opportunity for Abbott and he continues to make it that!
Yes, Mo. double G Republicans…greed and guns. The gun is the variable. Science says eliminate the independent variable and change the dependent variable which in this case is safety. More guns do not mean safer. Clearly shown. Less guns/ More safety.
Of course, tell that to the NRA, many members of leadership with an issue about science.
United!
Agreed!
Terribly cynical to say, but if Beto runs a (much) better campaign than he did in 2020, he might be able to beat Abbott after Uvalde.
Or come close enough to scare red Texans
Abbott & his shoulder-to-shoulder extras ... try again today to deflect. Press on site is very pissed; let's see if inquiring minds are even allowed near the 'DOS Director & questions are audible.' Not audible & the Director broke down.
Heard on NPR this morning that the FBI is putting together a timeline of what happened and when. I think a lot of local cops will be called out for cowardice. And, pray tell, if the school was "hardened," why was a door left open?
Very, very important to get an accurate chronology of events of the entire chronology starting with Shooter's 18th Birthday, weapon purchases, ammunition purchases, media postings, the shot injuring the Shooter's Grandmother, Grandmother's alerts, real-time 911 calls & their verbatim warnings Etc. including accurate and /or intentionally false cross-police agency communications and any blather from political and/or media consultant actors.
Reports coming on the type of ammunition used was of military spec. Piercing thick metal doors, exploding rounds.
Do you have a link?
Just that shooter bullets passing through thick metal and wooden doors. If the AR had .556 mm, that’s the NATO military round. But hollow point bullets explode. AR rounds tumble. Hardened bullets of any type pierce body Armor. That all these military rounds (ammunition) can be commonly bought is abhorrent, unnessessary, foolish.
I see Resignations and suicides coming.
Same. As soon as I heard the first little inkling of blaming the police I thought "shame and suicides coming" That was Wednesday! I called for a pause and compassion on SM but it appears indeed it was badly botched. Does anyone else notice the irony in there being 19 officers in the hallway afraid - we assume - to confront the killer, and 19 dead children? It's tragically beginning to sound like one misstep after another. That alone may make it impossible for the community to heal. Certainly it will never be the town it was.
There’s going to be guilt and judgement and shame on those 19. 1. With common sense gun legislation maybe there wouldn’t be cuz it would have never happened. Some will succumb to their own guilt, others will not. When we compare their inaction to the action of a mother, running in. I want to blame the leader, not the troops. Maybe it’s still too early too, but there is courage and there is inaction, kids lives in the balance, so cowardice seems appropriate. The several cops I know would not stop, would not hesitate, would not wait 83 minutes for the key.
Not even 8.3 seconds; my younger brother was a LA county Sheriff Officer in mobile Communications in major incidents. Fearless.
Today, Saturday 5/28, MSNBC Anchor, Melendez in Uvalde reported that the assembled police team OVERRODE the local On-site, ICD Commander & rushed the Shooter to stop the carnage. The "Active Shooter' was present for 77 minutes & discharged over 300 Rounds. Apparently the US. Border Control took over.
Sadly, I am concerned as well Ted; the nation saw the Texas, DPS Director breakdown real time.
Given the ineptitude if not cowardice of local law enforcement, I’m glad the FBI is involved.
Jean-Pierre, a MSNBC Anchor, Alicia Menendez, just reported around 3:01 pm on Saturday, that the assembled officers inside the school "OVERRODE" the local On--site Commander, the "ISD Chief" & stormed in to take out the Shooter. Confirmed by Frank Figliuzzi former Assisstant Director of Counter Intelligence. Yes, the Feds, apparently, U.S. Border Patrol.
Agree. A very detailed chronology just like the log of the 911 calls to & from Room 111 starting at least from the Shooter's first & failed attempt to get a firearm at Age 17 through the 18th Birthday spree, the unspeakable trajedy & covering police inaction, deflection & lies. Name names.
All of that, and one thing more: shooting up a school is now a known pattern acted out by a subset of persons - usually but not always young white heterosexual males, nominally Christian. Limiting guns would not only make the physically killing more difficult; it would disrupt the scripted ritual.
Yes sir you stated that correctly
And the greed of arms manufacturers.
Mo,
I'm sorry, but I just have to say this. And I realize I'm might get some heated commentary in response, because the "gun" issue is so emotionally charged that it's hard to have rational discussion about it, on either side, at least on this kind of an anonymous public forum.
But is it just possible that we are missing the boat by fundamentally focusing on guns as the root cause of our huge problem? To be sure, easy access to guns and lack of measures to limit access to them particularly by troubled individuals and the enormous number of guns already out there are significant factors that should be addressed, but what are the deeper issues?
From what I consider a logical standpoint, to argue that it's GUNS that are at the bottom of the problem is as specious, no, trivial, as to argue that motor vehicles are responsible for the carnage on the nation's highways. Think about it. In each case we're talking about objects that are inanimate until operated by a human being. To argue "yes, but cars weren't invented to kill people while guns were invented to kill people (I wouldn't fully agree) is irrelevant. In the case of a psycho with a gun, it's the human that's the prime mover. In the case of the automobile, it's the "nut behind the wheel". No totally rational person would argue that the solution to highway fatalities is to severely restrict access to automobiles. Identifying inattentive behavior like texting while driving or drunk driving or road rage as the fundamental problems makes more sense. Nobody is clambering for getting rid of cell phones, alcohol or automobiles in general as the solution to highway fatalities, as far as I know. So why are we so laser focused on guns, and might we be better served by paying more attention to what the real (I contend) underlying issues are?
Heather focused on Gun control, the NRA, the Republican Party etc. in the last part of her piece, but she also mentioned up front the macho cowboy culture that underlies all of this. And I think she might possibly agree that WE, the white European settlers that first arrived here, were a pretty brutal bunch (ask any Native American). We were a violent culture from the onset, have been involved in wars almost non stop since then, and most recently, we've glorified violence in our movies and other media since the advent of motion pictures and TV, and significantly, have allowed an enormous "gaming" industry centered on progressively more realistic violence to spring up. Think about that last one. The shooter at Robb Elementary was an 18 year old "gamer" who liked violent video games. The kid in Buffalo just before this was a redneck, spoon fed racial hatred on White Supremacist websites. Two troubled kids raised in a fundamentally violent society recently turbocharged by violence in entertainment and unfettered internet and social media hate speech.
To me, these are the real culprits. I don't think we are paying nearly enough attention to these issues because of our fixation on "guns" as the root cause of these atrocities. Better mental health care programs, better education, cracking down on hate speech everywhere and reining in these violence-as-entertainment gaming sites is a better direction than railing about guns.
We are a nation of all kinds of mentalities and life experiences. This shooter had issues, they all do but that doesn’t make them mentally ill. Mental illness is in every country. Few sick people go out and shoot up public places. Racism is a learned idea. It is taught and yes it is a huge factor. But we are the only country in the world where guns outnumber our citizens and are so easily available.
I’m not missing the point of your view. You are simply trying to dilute mine.
In my own county today there is a gun dealer offering AR15’s for $499 and no limit on how many one person can buy. I’m sure these will make for a great Memorial Day celebration.
Ps. You are stating talking points straight out of the NRA handbook but I suspect you know this.
Goodbye.
Sorry Neal. My intent was not to offend you.
Guns are the root problem of deadly violence. Guns. Mental illness is not the root of firearm violence. Maybe cultural factors, but it is the access to guns that turns anguish, suffering, dispossession,, etc. deadly.
The Public is not railing about "guns" we are talking about over 20 Million assault rifles used in war not as a 18th self-Birthday present. Perhaps it is time for the Public to view photos of soldier's bodies torn to shreds in Vietnam via a FOIA to the US Military. Perhaps the Public will understand why scores of police waited for an assault team instead of taking the absolutely necessary IMMEDIATE Action to save bleeding children or unharmed children they were talking to on cell phones? BSM
Bryan, I know where you're coming from. I'm a Viet Nam vet myself. And no doubt, the advent of the semi (or fully) automatic assault rifle upped the ante significantly over the M1 Carbine. So did nukes. My point is that (as I perceive it) most of the public that are most vocal in this debate wouldn't know an AR-15 from a Mossberg .22. They just want it all (guns) to go away. It won't. We need to recognize that and move on. There are deeper issues.
Roger,.the issues are much deeper so are the wounds. If you have 'Nam experience, please educate the Community on how AR 15 ammo "tumbles" ballistically and tears up any human targeted. You can warn anyone so they don't throw up.
I'm calling you out right there on that statement, "They just want it all (guns) to go away". Untrue. That is NOT what most people in this country are asking for. Over 80% of Americans are asking just for reasonable gun control. Things like maybe if you're not old enough to legally drink alcohol you're not old enough to purchase such deadly weapons. Maybe you have to undergo a background check and waiting period. LaMoine, you should like this one since you have concerns about addressing mental health. Maybe you take a course and a test like you do for the driver's license. You should like that too, since you have concerns about distracted and drunk drivers.
I honestly would like all guns to go away but I know that is not realistic at all and would not bother asking for that. Have your hunting and target shooting rifles, even your handguns for protecting your property from invaders, whatever. However, NO civilian on the planet should have access to militaristic weapons that are designed to kill a lot of people in a very short amount of time like this killer used, like the Sandy Hook killer used, etc ad nauseum.
How much are you personally willing to pay in increased taxes to pay for the items in your last paragraph? Because I'm all about that and I ante up every damn time but I notice the Republicans in my town vote it all down.
In a political cartoon many years ago a character said, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” To which another character replies, “Yes. They use guns.” We’ve made automobile travel much, much safer in the past 50 years, both by focusing on people (drunk drivers) and the vehicles (crash safety, among many other things). We can do the same with guns. Neither of the teens in Buffalo and Uvalde should have been able to have a gun. Their guns should not have had removable magazines. Etc., etc. No one wants to concentrate only on guns, but ignoring them only means the slaughter will continue.
Jon, I'm in full agreement with most of what you said, especially the " Neither of the teens in Buffalo and Uvalde should have been able to have a gun."part. Thank you. I also feel that the tragedy in Texas was brought on in large degree by the cavalier way Abbott and the craven Republican legislature there flouts any type of sensible regulation on who can have these weapons. My point was, and remains, that guns are such an inflammatory symbol that "some" people accuse anyone suggesting that there may be other significant causes for this ongoing carnage of being an NRA apologist, thereby squelching discussion on these other important areas. I appreciate your opinion and your civility.
No one is allowed to drive without showing at least some knowledge of how to drive. Drunk drivers lose their licenses. That was not always the case. It has made a huge difference in road deaths. While it is true that guns are not the only problem here, removing AR-15s and similar semi-automatic weapons from civilians would cut way down on gun deaths. So would requiring gun owners to be licensed, to undergo training in gun safety, and to have background checks.
The death culture in which shooting up an elementary school is a script young men may act out is also a big part of the problem. I don't know how to mend that.
Couldn't agree with you more, Joan, except for the AR-15 part. Here, you're just talking about a matter of scale, right? So let's say we could wave a magic wand and eliminate all AR-15's. Sooner or later the shooters would fall back on shotguns. Then semi automatic pistols. Then revolvers. And then? .... ? Baseball bats outside of an approved sports venue? This isn't a solution, Joan. It's running from the real problem, which is the shitty human condition. We need to rein in our violent tendencies, no matter what the potential weapon.
If the shooter in the Uvalde elementary school was armed with a baseball bat, or even a revolver, or a shotgun, it would not have taken the police an hour to go in and confront him. All the children and teachers killed during that hour would be alive today. Would there still have been deaths, and tragedy, and a need to repair cultural problems? Yes. We make an effort to prevent drunk driving, even though some people still do it, because a lot fewer people die in car accidents this way.
It makes a very real and important difference if the attacker has a weapon that can fire many bullets in a very short time without a pause to reload. Other countries have a lot of the same cultural problems that we do, but they have far less people dead in mass attacks, because weapons of mass shooting are not generally available. Is removing these weapons from circulation all that needs doing? Of course not. Would be a very useful action, an excellent place to start? Absolutely.
Joan, here we go again. "if we had ham, we could have ham and eggs, if we had eggs." The fact is that the shooter had an assault rifle. That the cops didn't feel comfortable confronting him is a totally unrelated issue. From here on out, people capable of this kind of carnage will necessarily be armed with assault rifles, if they choose, whether we like it or not. If, through a stroke of magic we could limit the arsenal to slingshots, the situation would be greatly defused. Unfortunately, that's wishful thinking. My point is that there are other factors in play that we might have greater control of. If we put systems into place to identify potentially dangerous people from getting their hands on lethal weapons, great. That's incremental progress. On the other hand, if we systematically punish rapacious "entrepreneurs" for peddling these violent video games to our young people simply for financial gain, that would make a serious dent, at least in my opinion.
LeMoine, everyone here agrees with you that we need to address a lot of social issues. We are all frustrated too that when these things happen, Republicans say that is what we should do and then they won't approve budgets that pay for those things which cost a lot of money. So, how do you propose making those things happen?
And we're all sick of the old argument that getting rid of assault style and automatic weapons is impossible so why bother. Lots of impossible things have come to pass through sheer human determination and I believe we're at that point again in history.
All of the above. I'm in favor of nearly anything that will reduce gun violence. Background checks. Legal liability for gun sellers and manufacturers. Keep military-grade weapons out of the hands of civilians. Fix social media (including youtube) algorithms so they don't funnel people toward hate.
The men who perpetrate these mass murders have been using AR-15s specifically - apparently that gun is part of the script they follow. While you are quite right that I personally would be happy to magically remove all guns from existence, my magic gun dissolver is not working. We could not get a voting majority in this country for such a measure. We do have a majority of voters already for sensible gun limitations. We even have a majority of gun owners - the very people who have the knowledge to write good regulations - in favor of sensible limitations. What we don't have, is a working majority in the US Senate.
"No totally rational person would argue that the solution to highway fatalities is to severely restrict access to automobiles." Has it occured to you that automobiles have serious economic benefits that guns do not? It's a false equivalence. Also this statement makes me assume you are not aware that GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH OF CHILDREN IN THE USA. Not auto accidents.
Also, we do restrict access to automobiles. Drivers must have a license, pass tests to get one, and can lose it for several reasons. Every car must be registered and inspected. Cars and drivers must be insured. All of that costs money every year. The price is higher for at-risk categories like young drivers. If your car is in an accident, you are financially responsible for the damage. Applying those same rules to guns would be a step in the right direction.
Absoluement
The AR15 is the civilian version of what was the M16 which has evolved and been continually improved since I used one in VN in 1970. It was designed by a man named Stoner if my memory is correct and manufactured by Arm Lite, it was built by several gun manufacturers under license. There may well be hundreds of different versions of that gun being made today. It was designed to be an assault rifle, to be used by soldiers to assault ie. attack an enemy, as such it was relatively short compared to the rifles our soldiers used in WWII, and easy to use in confined spaces, there are much shorter variants in use today with collapsing but stocks ie. the part that you put to your shoulder, these don’t have to be used that way, you can fire them from the hip, aiming in the traditional way is slow, in truth all you have to do is look where you want to hit and your hands will automatically point the weapon there. An AR15 is an industrial machine that is designed to do one thing and that is to kill people, as such it is very good at that, for the most part they are well made and will be around for a century or more, so for the cost of an iPhone you can have a killing machine that will functionality out live all of us and is capable of killing thousands, now there are 20 million of them in American homes. Anyone can pick one up, stick in a magazine with 20, 30, up to 100 rounds, pull back the charging handle, and rock N roll. We have a major problem, and it’s not just the sanity of some people, it’s that we have 20 million of these machines that are designed to do one thing and that is to kill people. They are not lethal like a car can be, that you have to know how to drive, a child can wield one of these things, they are undoubtedly the most lethal object in America today. Again there are 20 million of these goddamn things and they are being used with great efficiency whenever one falls into the wrong hands. It’s not the gun’s fault, it’s just a mindless machine, it could be sitting on your wall for decades and it would harm no one, but put it in the wrong hands and you have what we have witnessed the last couple weeks. This is an object that has one purpose and that is to kill people, it’s not a hunting rifle, I have been a hunter most of my life and I have only needed more than one shot to kill what I was hunting one time and that was two shots, I know of no game in North America that you need a 30 round magazine to hunt, other than people. We need to get rid of these things, every last one of them, they have no place in our society other than the military for which they were designed. I know about that which I speak, in the 1960’s I was trained as a green beret light and heavy weapons specialist and I put my training to use in VN where I saved the lives of men who would have died had I not been there, that has not been without a price that I continue to pay every day.
New Zealand got rid of those weapons after the Christchurch massacre. Their legislature was unanimous except for one vote. “We are a pragmatic people,” said PM Jacinda Ardern.
And Jacinda Arden made it happen in a snap. So did the Prime Minister of Australia after they had a massacre. His buy back guns plan worked. Sacramento, CA just had gas for guns event and 60 guns were returned.
Dick. Thank you for this information and your service.
Thank you for your comments always, Dick Montagne. I stand in gratitude for your service.
Salud!
Wired magazine had article several years ago about the extensive damage a bullet from AR15’s can do and why.
Copied Here:
What an AR-15 Can Do to the Human Body
When a patient is shot by an AR-15, it "looks like a grenade went off in there."
WIRED
All guns can kill, but they do not kill equally.
Compare the damage an AR-15 and a 9mm handgun can do to the human body: “One looks like a grenade went off in there,” says Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon at the University of Arizona. “The other looks like a bad knife cut.”
The AR-15 is America’s most popular rifle. It has also been the weapon of choice in mass shootings from Sandy Hook to Aurora to San Bernardino. In Orlando, the shooter used a Sig Sauer MCX, an AR-15 style rifle originally developed for special ops, to kill 49 people in the Pulse nightclub. The carnage sparked new calls to reinstate a ban on assault rifles like the AR-15, which were designed as weapons of war.
It’s possible to argue about everything when it comes to the politics of guns---including about the definition of “assault rifle” itself---but it’s harder to argue about physics. So let's consider the physics of an AR-15.
A bullet with more energy can do more damage. Its total kinetic energy is equal to one-half the mass of the bullet times its velocity squared. The bullet from a handgun is---as absurd as it may sound---slow compared to that from an AR-15. It can be stopped by the thick bone of the upper leg. It might pass through the body, only to become lodged in skin, which is surprisingly elastic.
The bullet from an AR-15 does an entirely different kind of violence to the human body. It’s relatively small, but it leaves the muzzle at three times the speed of a handgun bullet. It has so much energy that it can disintegrate three inches of leg bone. “It would just turn it to dust,” says Donald Jenkins, a trauma surgeon at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. If it hits the liver, “the liver looks like a jello mold that’s been dropped on the floor.” And the exit wound can be a nasty, jagged hole the size of an orange.
These high-velocity bullets can damage flesh inches away from their path, either because they fragment or because they cause something called cavitation. When you trail your fingers through water, the water ripples and curls. When a high-velocity bullet pierces the body, human tissues ripples as well---but much more violently. The bullet from an AR-15 might miss the femoral artery in the leg, but cavitation may burst the artery anyway, causing death by blood loss. A swath of stretched and torn tissue around the wound may die. That’s why, says Rhee, a handgun wound might require only one surgery but an AR-15 bullet wound might require three to ten.
Then, multiply the damage from a single bullet by the ease of shooting an AR-15, which doesn’t kick. “The gun barely moves. You can sit there boom boom boom and reel off shots as fast as you can move your finger,” says Ernest Moore, a trauma surgeon at Denver Health and editor of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Surgery, which just published an issue dedicated to gun violence.
Handguns kill plenty of people too, of course, and they’re responsible for the vast majority of America’s gun deaths. But a single bullet from a handgun is not likely to be as deadly as one from an AR-15.
That's a very good description of how I understand the effects of being hit by one of these .223 bullets. I was taught that a vaccume follows right behind the bullet as it moves, that's why if someone shoots at you and misses you hear the crack of the bullet going past, it's the sound barrier being broken, a bull whip tip does the same thing, there's no noise maker on the end of a bull whip, just the tip of leather that breaks the sound barrier. As I understand it, that vacuume follows the bullet into a person and shatters everything three dimensionally, not just in the direct path of the bullet but radiating out all along the path the bullet takes until it slows down. You are right a 9mm can kill you, but because it's moving at an order of magnitude slower, it doesn't come with the trailing vacuume that follows it into someone, it's more like being hit by a baseball bat and unless it hits something vital much more survivable.
Thank you for epinephrine that information alive.
Well said. There was a comment made here the other day where a person described his first experience as (and I paraphrase because I'm not caffeinated enough to search for it) "intoxicated with the power you feel when shooting it." The power to kill people as fast as you can pull the trigger on a legal semi-automatic with however many rounds in the magazine you're able to have.
Ally House, Deputy Sheriff (ret).
Thank you. Alec Ferguson, main battery director operator, USS Barry DD933
Dick - some powerful words. I agree 100%. But dude - the genie is out of the bottle. I don't know what we can do now....
Here in NH, our Free Stater State Representative Kevin Verville refers to these weapons as "Modern Sporting Rifles". But that's okay because in November, we're finally going to vote him out.
I don't understand why these are acceptable and hand grenades aren't. They both cause the same result in about the same period of time. Maybe because we want to protect property more than people?
Additionally, our police forces need to remove these weapons from their service. There is certainly no need to use high capacity assault weapons against civilians.
Dick, You continue to teach and save lives. Your description of the AR15, its sole purpose and its absolute connection to the Republicans, the Donor Class and all those who sacrifice humanity for control of the USA, their own personal power and greed - clear, clear and clear. Thank you.
👌🏼
May I copy?
Yes
I read an article today whose author suggested that sports celebrities might be the key to turning this around. People will listen to the players and coaches more then they will listen to leaders from either side. Bravo to those coaches and leagues addressing gun violence.
Tampa Bay Rays step up in Florida "in lieu of game coverage...to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence:"
https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1529955769885548556?s=20&t=Nm0gCl9dmWeoO3Uwob_XJQ
Thank you Ellie. May we all constantly stand for our Democracy as you do. Here is tweet from Mallory McMorrow, Michigan legislator. Listen. No more empty condolence. We must imagine the pain to be aware of what to do so it never happens again. https://twitter.com/MalloryMcMorrow/status/1529923396846460930?s=20&t=4CWXxH905YRqcRnu3DKHew
VOTE. GET THE VOTE OUT. Faith WITH works. 2022 election most important in decades and decades. Roar!
UNITA, Ellie.
Oh . . . My . . . . Goodness!! A truly impactful speech. Everyone should hear this, but as she states, the Republiqans in the Michigan state senate choose to bury their heads up their asses instead (I paraphrase). If it is true that 90% of people favor gun control there is something they can do to make it happen- VOTE BLUE!
McMorrow has become my new heroine! She is exactly one of the leaders we need in this movement.
Yes, Christine and all of us, ROAR! It was good to see Lawrence O'Donnell roaring on his show last night, including an interview of Rep. Mallory McMorrow with this clip of her speech that the Michigan legislature prevented from being delivered by shutting down early.
Offered on her Twitter is this video of how little objects "help" kids in school. Video is reportedly from @sandyhook a couple years ago:
https://twitter.com/JoshCrewsReally/status/1529868479989370898?s=20&t=3e6dz3tuu2UMFf1JemHN-Q
Dang it, Ellie. I had my tears in check today. Until watching this ad. Our children are such natural, resourceful heroes and heroines.
Ohhhh…Ellie…WOW! WOW! Shedding more tears
That is powerful. It needs to be heard.
Thank you for this link.
Has DeSantis threatened them yet?
My thoughts exactly!
Thanks, Ellie !Today’s task will be to contact Florida Repubs and ask…
If this is a “mental health issue”, why did Florida just stop the use of CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey in our schools??? Don’t Say Gay or Gun Use Risk ??😡
https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2022-05-01/florida-drops-survey-on-teen-health-and-mental-health-at-worst-time-says-pediatric-expert
Wow, great find, Kathy. CDC needs a Republican Risk Behavior Survey.
Yes whatever moves the needle is great- but what a commentary on our society that this is who may “save” us. Oh, yeah, that - and black women voting en masse for Democrats!
So we should elect sports stars instead of politicians. Not a question.
Heavens no. Have you heard Herschel Walker? He's a dope.
No. We vote out that which we despise by voting in that and whom we respect! (I’m voting for as many like-minded women as are on my ballot. And supporting campaigns of many around the country.)
Salud, Irenie.
Not a bad idea. They understand about level playing fields.
They understand there is no "I" in "Team". Wait, that sounds like socialism.
❤️❤️👏
Aughghh! Next the dreaded communism ?!!
and winning and LOOSING
Musicians.
Right on, tuba brother!
ALLY, LOOK FOR HOMER AND ME TOWARD THE BACK OF THE BUS.
Sure will!!
Except look at Tommy Tubberville and Herschel Walker....
And I guess “Gym” Jordan should be added to the list of former-athletes-turned-selfish-"leaders." But if current athletes, including NASCAR drivers, speak out against prolific gun ownership and the violence that flows from that, maybe they can make a difference.
Angeli Rose Gomez is a hero for our terribly troubled times, just like security guard Aaron Salter Jr. who was slain trying to stop the mass murderer in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has called for the FBI to investigate the law enforcement response to the shooting. “The people of Uvalde, of Texas, and of the nation deserve an accurate account of what transpired,” Castro wrote in a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray.
Will anyone be surprised if the FBI finds incompetence and cowardice among the Uvalde police and others in law enforcement?
And once again Republicans for all their manly-men blather and big-gun fetishes have shown who they really are — actors playing parts that they see as heroic but are exactly the opposite.
Michael, not a single soul will be surprised when the FBI concludes that law enforcement failed the people of Uvalde, Texas, then tried to cover it up. The first local official who needs to go is the foul mouthed, useless scum of a mayor for his lack of respect for the residents of Uvalde. After that, Abbot and every republican in office from dog catcher on up, needs to go. Vote them out.
My message I sent to McConnell:
Senator,
I know you are old, but so am I--and yet even with my limited tech skills I am able to view memes. Do you know what those are? "Funny" or "Ironic" pairings of photos and words. Right now, the internet is awash with thousands upon thousands of them, all about the most recent school massacre. I am referring to the one in Texas as by the time you read this--that is, if you have an aide who reads these and has the courage to show you this email, because YOU KNOW "darn" WELL ANOTHER MASS MURDER HAPPENS NEARLY EVERY DAY. Well, all those "memes' are not so funny for the GOP, they are showing all the pro NRA/gun tweets of your elected Republicans. They are showing CHRISTMAS family photos of them posing after arming their CHILDREN with semi-automatic rifles, as apparently, nothing says Jesus and the spirit of Christmas more than killing, And by killing, I mean killing of the post-born.
Senator, there are a lot of real annoyed female voters out there. Your party's policy seems to be to force women to bear children so they can be slaughtered like feral pigs--you DID hear Rep Gosar defend owning semi-automatic weapons because we all need to defend our children against feral pigs, right?
The GOP, the party you like to claim as yours to control is sinking deeper and deeper and deeper as you and the rest of the elected officials do NOTHING. Put that HR-8 bill to the vote NOW!! We voters want to see EXACTLY who votes pro and who votes CON on it before we go to the polls in November.
It's your move, Senator. You are messing this up badly and you had better do some damage control.
Miselle, your letter is powerful. Your below sentence is the most accurate I've read regarding the republican view of women and children ever.
"Your party's policy seems to be to force women to bear children so they can be slaughtered like feral pigs--you DID hear Rep Gosar defend owning semi-automatic weapons because we all need to defend our children against feral pigs, right?
Thank you for this Miselle. It expresses my opinion perfectly and, with your permission, I will use some of it in my own letters because while I am represented, at every level, by Democrats, my well-being is in the hands of folks like McConnell. While working to Get Out The Vote, I’m also going to give these despicable bastards a clue what this suburban woman thinks of them. It won’t be pretty.
Use all you want. Just as they quickly forget about these outrageous, horrific incidents (BTW, a meme circulating with a circle of massacre-->thoughts and prayers-> no action, forget--> massacre. WE cannot forget. We should all call or email the turtle daily, till gun reform is passed or they are all voted out.
I know the bar is exceptionally low in Texas, but I still could not believe my ears when the POS mayor of Uvalde started shouting at Beto O'Rourke. The evil force is overwhelmingly strong and sickening with these people.
Yes! As outraged as we are here, many do not see it that way. Still. I'd love to think this kind of thing is going to shoo them all out of office, but it won't. We are living among people who have lost their minds. Anyone notice who won her primary with ease? Marjorie Taylor Insurrectionist Greene.
I was astonished
Don’t be, the northwest corner of our state is the closest to the Appalachian Mtns. And has always been the most conservative part of GA, it is also probably the least developed as well.
Yeah, so m much for Freedom of Speech.
What do you mean by that? That Beto didn't have the right to address Abbott and his band of self congratulatory jackals or that the mayor of Uvalde, in an official capacity, should be allowed to verbally abuse a citizen of Texas? Please clarify.
Yup, you hit the nail on the head!
Vote out that which you despise by voting in that which you respect.
UNITA, Daria! My toast at happy hour today.
What time is happy hour today? I, too, shall raise a toast. I like "UNITA" as the theme of the toast.
I’ll be toasting around 6-7 pm EST.
Unita! 🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏾🙋🏿🥂
Brilliant, we'll be there! Unita!
Well, we're going to have to do it late enough so that you're not drinking too early in the day! Unita!
I don't have a hard and fast rule against day drinking. Any time after noon PDT is fine by me!
Well, I'd say 5ish edt, I think Christine does cocktails around that time.
Gracia! Unita, Christine!
Boss Hogg lives on in Texas. I was shocked by his words.
Doing my best, and donating my paltry sums to sanity.
Any sum for sanity is abundant.
UNITA, Jeri!
I hope the parents of Uvalde sue Gov. Abbott and the Texas GOP
And the NRA, the gun manufacturer, and the store who sold the weapons.
And the police department.
I do too
I agree! They need the lawyer who got Remington to pay $75 million to the Sandy Hook families. Took 9 nine years, and it might be in an appeal, but it happened. Money paid out, or taken away may be the only thing that can turn this tide.
Let's also acknowledge the elephant in the room, regarding the tardy and too-late police response. This was a Latino majority school, as was evident from all the families interviewed. Not for a single second will I accept that that fact played no role in this shooting situation going on so long. ( And GUNS!)
I am forcing myself to do some due diligence research on this, which is going to be reading far more than I care to on this topic. Briefly, the police "response" there was so antithetical to the training/mindset that arose after the Columbine, CO shooting that I am stunned.
Stunned! You and me both...picture this occurring in an upper class suburb in Dallas or Houston. In NO way would the police have been so wary to approach the shooter. All lives matter, eh? Seemingly not in Texas.
I look forward to reading your conclusions. (Sadly)
You are absolutely right on that point.
The image of Beto standing defiantly in front of the assembled politicians of Texass was very reminiscent of the famous Norman Rockwell painting "Freedom of Speech". America lives!
See the first 10 sec of the video:
https://twitter.com/LuzMorenoLozano/status/1529520149073731586
So much for thoughts and prayers or blaming "evil". He made it plain they were bankrupt.
Thank you for this video. Beto: Courage and doing his job. And the admins yelling at him and escorting him out. I can’t believe my eyes. Do we have to get down on our hands and knees and beg “leaders” to protect our children, pass gun laws? I can’t believe the feelings of stress and anxiety I’m feeling. We’re all feeling. And most of all, after so many years of school and mass shootings: failure.
Not get down on our hands and knees. That's demeaning. We need to ALL march on Washington and not leave the city until sensible gun legislation is passed. We need to blockade the doors of the House & Senate chambers until they do so. And continue our protest through November until the Republicans are marched right out of the chambers!
I suggested in another post for parents to do a " die-in" on every school yard across every state at the same appointed time. And do it in from of the Capitol too! The SCOTUS. Better yet do the " die- in/lay down" in front of every state legislature
With no permission and no warning. Just do it.
MAD As BETO, my cry as well as my t-shirt logo
Texass. I liked that
That we are, at least the evil that has overtaken the Texas government
Wow! I got the feeling they were going to lynch him right there. Hearing about this is one thing but seeing it made me more afraid than ever.
Dont fear cowards like that!
What you saw was an entire stage-full of Rebops and yet all it took to set them off was a single person calling them out and upsetting their charade. Didn't it remind you of a nature film where a whole tree full of apes howls and throws twigs to frighten away something they didn't understand? "I could carve better men from a banana"
The Senate represents the weapons industry. The weapons industry owns the Senate. WTF
Sincerely, The Ferg
Of all the no brainer bills before the Senate, the outcome shows that the will of the people has no weight. It shows that greed is policy.
I'm still having a hard time taking all of this in. It feels like a mass hypnosis. Mass hysteria. Greed! Power! Control! It's all so blatantly wrong!
I don’t know who these “manly” men think they’re fooling. I guess only other “manly” men like themselves. Just beyond absurd. There are not enough strong words in the English language to describe my disdain for Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz.
I saw a segment on Sky News where a reporter asked Ted Cruz why these shootings only happen in the US, and is this part of American Exceptionalism. Ted Cruz responded by lashing out and accusing the reporter of not appreciating American Exceptionalism. Then Cruz told the reporter that people come to the US because it is the safest place on earth, then stomped off. He is such a silly, silly, petty embarrassment, and ridiculous man.
I’m beyond tired of these - excuse my language - fucks having such outsized control over our society.
That was an excellent interview, and what every interview should look like right now. Her it is: https://youtu.be/2BSc2dG5neY
Thank you for providing the link!
Wow...
I just got out of bed; couldn't sleep. I opened my computer hoping you had sent a letter. You did. Two minutes ago. I can feel your pain and anger. Heather, can you bring yourself to say it: we live in the United States of Death. A Modest Proposal. If the Democrats DO NOT hold the House and DO NOT pick up three new Senate seats breaking the stranglehold of Manchin and Sinema, every town in New England and anywhere else in America that holds town meeting should bring forth a petition at the next regular or special town meeting in their communities urging secession from the United States of Death. This is where democracy was born; where the Revolution began. Let's get the ball rolling. Is anyone from Concord and Lexington game to give it a try. At least, it would give us average folk some small sense of agency by making a grassroots statement we have had enough with a fanatical minority ruining our lives and our futures by its embrace of gun culture, toxic masculinity, climate denial, Covid vaccines and masking, and violence.
John Marksbury, I think you just got the ball rolling - with this letter. And yes, we need to feel some agency with this grassroots statement - I HAVE HAD ENOUGH with a fanatical minority ruining our lives and our futures by its embrace of gun culture, toxic masculinity, climate denial, Covid vaccines and masking, and violence.
Great! I live on Cape Cod and have a small email list of folks nationally I call Resisters. i am going to try to get 12 citizens in our town to join me in crafting a petition ready to go after the mid-terms.
Wow. Thank you all of you. Am I correct in assuming most of HCR's readers are women? Where are the guys? Do they care? If anger doesn't stir the base for the mid-terms then we are lost. What grievance-gripped men are doing to this country is unbelievable. Can women save us? I sure hope so.
Not alone! We can do a lot - and have. There are good men who subscribe to HCR! You do!
Heather talked about this in her history chat today.
How can I find this chat? I am new to this
Hi Mary, Heather's talks are done from her Facebook page as Facebook live videos. https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
She also does podcasts with fellow historian Joanne Freeman under the channel name 'Now&Then'. I listen to them on Spotify but you can find them on your favorite podcast app if you don't use Spotify.
Her FB chats are Tuesdays (Politics) at 4:00 pm and Thursdays (History) at 1:00 p.m. They are recorded so you can view at any time. New episodes of Now & Then are weekly.
Thank you
You can also look for them on YouTube a day or so after they are produced.
Yes, Kathy; during her entire chat echos of 2016 to 2022 were everywhere.
I totally agree and this was my first thought this morning
I agree
F*** republicans. Nothing will be done as long as people keep voting for them.
It is the people who vote them in who are the danger.
Gailee, you're absolutely right.
Repugnacans didn't create this segment of our population. It's been out there festering in plain sight for years. But they have successfully managed to tap into its emotional foundation and manipulate it to serve their own agendas. Enraging and sad, but it must be addressed effectively for our nation to survive.
Ed C. it absolutely must. They are world wide, and if they see the U.S. going down the fascist or authoritarian path, they will follow suit which will lead to a world of despair for all of us.
They cheat, have for decades, and have become masters of the art, the hill is high
If only it were that simple.
This story line of what happened, when & how is so different from what was initially presented...that a lone police officer had rushed in and protected the children, getting shot in the process. There has to be a documentary on this done immediately. In time for Mid Terms. A good friend of mine, a free lance camera man just returned from Buffalo shooting coverage and he told me last night he was on hold to go to San Antonio for CNN. Heather, I've got a lot of projects on my plate right now, but none more important to the country than this. If we can crowd source some funding I'd help make this happen. We produced "Fracking Western Maryland?" a few years ago with some crowd funding...and I donated a lot of time because I learned how important it was to not frack Deep Creek Lake. It would have killed the 4 season outdoor tourist economy they had, not to mention the health, safety and water concerns...and made a few people very rich...including one State Representative who was absurd in his attempts to keep fracking alive. I started the project as a journalist and ended as an activist, before the final vote.We eventually won the vote and Gov. Hogan signed the bill which had a veto proof margin.
Grew up in MD, glad to hear what you did for the lake. Yes, we need documentaries.
Mike and Gailee, I hope you put your heads together on an Uvalde documentary. You'll certainly get a start of support here.
It would need funding and before that a major /production/distribution company like Netflix or Amazon to buy it. Otherwise it would be relegated to FB and local showings. I live in Spain and am no longer able to develop projects in the states. Mike could contact Netflix development and see if it is something that they would be interested being involved in.
For this to have any impact, it would need to be produced by Amazon or Netflix to reach a broad audience. Otherwise it would only be seen by those who believe in gun reform by a small circle.
I don't agree that Amazon or Netflix has to produce it. Having one of them distribute it would be helpful...but there are also several other channels of distribution...including social media & You Tube. This forum reaches a lot of people as a starting point. If Heather would agree to be a primary interview for the historical perspective, that has value.
When Michael Moore produced Roger and me, it was his first documentary. He was totally unknown...and it worked. I'm more schooled, experienced and connected than he was. I'm not even saying I need to be, or want to be the ultimate producer of this...I've got other projects cooking...I'm just saying I'm willing to put effort into getting this ball rolling. There's lots of talent on this forum. There's also enough potential funding to pay the expenses. We all put in $5 a month to be a part of this news letter experience. An additional $5 from everyone just one time would go a long way. Take a look at my page. There's examples of my work, including the fracking doc...which got results in MD. I'm about taking action...not just talking on a forum.
I’m game to donate so you can do this. Others? We have a professional offering to help here… also, start with Beto confronting the gov and being hauled away while the “officials” try to intimidate him.
Agree 1000%. Can you get a “pot” together so we can start filling it? We have a lot of voices to spread word.
We can start a Kick Starter campaign and let this group and other groups like us know about it. I did that for my fracking doc with a very modest goal of $14,000 to get production started and we raised that from about 20 people as I recall. This needs to come together and be edited by September to have an effect on the mid terms. There can be social media posts along the way to build momentum. It needs a working title. $50,000 would get this rolling with enough to hire free lance camera people in different locations, pay travel and expenses and start editing. In the mean time you troll for distribution and a buyer. If Heather would consent to be the history angle, that would have sales & marketing value. At this point I'd focus on Buffalo and Texas as the two primary mass shooting examples and Baltimore as the urban homicide example. And keep most of this current to 2022. I'm VERY booked until June 14, but can focus on this right after that. My son could help get the Kick Starter and early details underway, while I finish this 18 month project. The responses and input I hear over the next 3 days will help inform what I do next.
Frontline on PBS does such documentaries. I wonder if the Uvalde story could be part of a one-hour doc on the larger topic. Of course it wouldn’t get the widest possible audience, maybe. Doesn’t matter. It needs to be made.
To me Uvalde is a chance to disprove the Good Guy with a Gun theory. (A masterpiece of propaganda, everyone is a good guy.) Another point is that the gun used made it necessary to get expert help to identify the bodies and DNA match to the parents. Not the gun but the deranged killer at fault? This gun. It was this gun, this AR.
I just found out that CNN is doing a doc. My friend who was covering things in Buffalo was asked to come relieve some of the camera people working in Texas now. There's going to be a lot of coverage of this. My slant is how to motivate people and get them focused on what to do and how to do it...so this project may really be more of a training and motivational video. A playbook of sorts.
CNN has covered the massacre in Uvalde from numerous points of view and also has been producing special documentaries for mostly Sunday evening viewing. That seems an excellent place to start.
A complementary documentary on why and how these exquisitely painful murders, virtually all through use of AR-type weapons and high-capacity magazines could be broadcast in as many outlets as can be convinced to do so, and what we as viewers can do to change this horrendous script.
Holding onto, better yet, increasing majorities in the House & Senate this mid term is essential on so many levels. I live just outside of DC in Baltimore and could focus on this project starting in July. I just need enough financial support to pay the bills. I could put up a Kick Starter and if the support is there, follow through. I'd be willing to do it, for $90,000. $40,000 for my time, experience and equipment and the rest for additional crew, stock footage, research and travel expenses. This has to be a motivational piece to get people to vote this November.
I'm in.
I'm in.
Excellent. What I'm feeling after living with this for a few hours is what I really want to produce is more of a how to win this war. What to do...how, when and where. A motivational and educational piece on effective activism. We all know what the problem is.
I'm in.
I’m in.
Perhaps the people of Uvalde, Texas, and the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre will force us to dismantle the high threshold of terror we've been forced to endure because politicians have chosen cash over human life. Maybe Beto and the parents of Uvalde, who are standing up to the lies and failures of Abbott and law enforcement, will help flip the switch and open millions of eyes across the country to the fact that it's not going to stop until we make it stop. Something has to enrage us enough to make us stand against the never ending barrage of death we've become accustomed to. It's guns, it's disease, it's overdoses. It's politicians who have shoved their absolute disdain for everyday people who want nothing more than to live a safe and peaceful life down our throats. We are being held hostage by their greed and lust for power.
The parents in Uvalde, who are pushing back against Abbott's and law enforcement's lies, are warriors. They have lost so much, yet in their grief they are willing to stand up against the rot that killed their loved ones. We must embrace their sorrow and courage, give them strength and join them to put an end to the terror.
Thank you, Daria. you've expressed my thoughts as well. Just as the people in Ukraine are fighting for our democracy too, so the people in Uvalde fight for democracy for all of us. We must join them.
Daria, Deciding to do some late reading at a vulnerable moment of questioning whether we’re up to the task of salvaging our democracy, I came across your comment. Though, admittedly, I don’t have an answer, I am, for the moment, restored by how you stitched together the themes of sacrifice, moral awakening, and service.
Barbara, as forlorn and cynical as I can be, I also hold hope in my heart that some one thing will flip the switch. I want Uvalde to be that switch. The answer is simple, I think — one word, "ENOUGH!" coupled with aggressive campaigns to oust the monsters in power by physically showing our will in the voting booth. The complacent will be the hardest to budge but it can be done. It can be done. Sleep soundly🌷
Daria, Quoting the reply I recently received from a fellow subscriber, “From your keyboard to God’s eyes.”
Yes.
I was shocked to my core this evening when I thought to check and saw that that false flag conspiracy theories started circulating widely within minutes of both the Uvalde and Buffalo massacres being reported. Apparently, it’s being said on the alt right now that ALL mass shooting should be assumed to be government/global elites-engineered false flag operations to “take our guns” before 2024 election. And unfortunately, these stories stick around, because they don’t have to be based on any sort of evidence at all. Because the essence of a false flag operation assertion is that there *won’t* be evidence. But those who *know the truth* will just *know* it when they see it. So the stories are essentially irrefutable.
Talk radio is full of every kind of alternative reasoning for the shooting except the real culprit....access. I can't believe what people come up with. Rush Limbaugh wannabees are out there. I heard someone blame the shooting on abortions....
Yes, Kathy - access. NZ banned semi-automatics & assault rifles
PM Jacinda Ardern - Harvard speech May 27, 2022
From 7:54 - standing ovation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOg7FJBBbJc
"The greatest civil right you have is to stay alive. Staying alive and being free from a random attack is a more precious civil right than owning a gun." And, "Let's take a moment to honor the sacrifice of our brave school children who lay down their lives to protect our right to bear arms."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-school-shooting-how-other-countries-changed-gun-laws-after-mass-shootings/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4f&eid=0883f646f6a26e54156a44178b8edd7e02ad8e2b
And those untruths spread like poison and wildfire.
Cult country, Rupert was only the beginning
But - that doesn't even make sense. The government is dominated by conservative, pro-gun Rethuglicans!
Can't heart. Too awful. Too shades of Sandy Hook. Just......Toooooo.
Me too
Data, data, data. We only get it in a few places, especially here. I’m still stuck on a variation of one of Mr. Hubbell’s remarks from yesterday. It had to do with the costs of these shootings being paid by murdered children. I now found myself wondering what that total cost has been so far. Where would we set the date? How many children have lost their lives since ______? What is the value of a life? Is a husband dying of a heart attack after his wife was murdered to be collateral damage? The statistical gathering of information simply does not effect the minds that prevent any action. Wonder what the cost of those minds might be? Probably much less than to total of lives lost to vicious rhetoric on extremist Right-wing propaganda sites.
A couple years back a study was done by one of the anti gun violence groups on the cost…. Survivors who were injured & had medical expenses were also included. If I remember correctly annual costs in this country were $700 Billion annually. It is more by now. We pay that.
Wow. Never mind the emotional toll on all of us, but worst on the survivors. American exceptionalism is really exceptional.
Thank you, again, for providing the background on the current “cowboy” culture with its focus not on using rifles to put food on the table or defend livestock from predators, but, instead, to brag about your gun that is bigger and badder and can shoot more bullets faster than your neighbor’s. After bragging comes proving your claims by proving that you can use that big, bad MF to do what it’s designed to do.
The actual cowboys had NOTHING to do with the likes of John Wayne (a big wuss who was just born BIG) nor of Ronald Reagan who loved to play cowboys - and pulled that same shit as our "president." He started us on this downhill trajectory. You can count on that.
I remember my Great-Uncle, he broke his leg one year, and couldn’t help with round-up. My mother went up to the ranch to help cook for the “boys”. Emmett would sit in the living room and watch a small black and white T.V. (They only got electricity in. The mid-1950s.) He loved to watch “westerns”, and spent most of his time laughing uproariously at what the T.V. Thought cowboys were.
Attempting to make something productive from my frustration and anger.
After I read Robert Hubbell's account of McConnell appointing John Cornyn to the bipartisan talks, I posted part of it on Cornyn's FB page with added comments:
John Cornyn's post:
Instead of celebrating the last day of school, 21 families in Uvalde are making funeral arrangements.
I'm not interested in making a political statement, I'm interested in what we can do to make the tragic events that occurred less likely in the future.
I wrote:
Here's an action to start that process. Get assault weapons off the civilian market. Wheedle and buy them out of the hands and gun closets of civilians.
Chief Justice Warren Burger discussed the Second Amendment.
"The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires."
John Cornyn discussed the Second Amendment (as quoted by Hubbell):
"I think we need to be open to whatever, wherever the evidence leads us. I would say that this is not an excuse to infringe the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens that will do nothing to fix tragedies like this." John Cornyn is parroting conservative anarchists who each harbor the delusion that s/he is The Heroic Marksman who can take down a determined killer and his assault weapons. John Cornyn is willing to sacrifice our children and elders to this delusion. John Cornyn and The Heroic Marksman have forgotten the phenomenon of friendly fire, where the fog of war increases casualties, rather than reducing them.
About ten years ago, I was a paraeducator in a special needs classroom of first thru third graders at a California elementary school. Periodically we had "shooter on campus" drills. I was the one to have to open the classroom door to lock it from the outside with a key. Then close the room's window blinds, turn out the lights, and help secure 12 special needs children in a corner to stay completely quiet. We would read them a whispered story by flashlight and pray no one would make any outbursts. Mind you, this was a DRILL and no shooter was present, thankfully. But it was frightening. I still feel the fright when the principal came to jiggle the door knob to check that it was locked. All teachers, aids, and staff at schools now know what I am describing. ALL of the teachers at these school murdering sprees are so brave. My heart is shattered over this. The fact it has not stopped and 20 million assault rifles in our country guarantee it will happen again and again. These weapons need to be removed and unattainable to citizens. Especially angry loner teenage boys. The Republicans are shouting who they are. Pay attention and vote them out. Our safety is of no concern to them.
Thank you for your service to our children, Just Jane.
I met with teachers and staff at the elementary school where I was the daytime deputy right after Sandy Hook. I know what you're saying here.