Another mass murder of little children. More families robbed of their beloved child. More tears. More grief. More empty expressions of sympathy from politicians who send “thoughts and prayers.”
There is no point in trying to understand the young man who carried out this atrocity. His “reasons” or motive don’t matter. What matters is that he murdered innocent children and teachers.
President Biden sees this horrific tragedy as proof that gun control is necessary to protect the innocent from the evil, the insane, the impulsive killers. I agree.
But it’s perfectly obvious that Republicans will actively fight any effort to curb the means of mass murder. There could be a mass murder every day of the week for the rest of the year, and Republicans would still fight any attempt to screen or limit who has access to murder weapons.
As the tragic events in Uvalde, Buffalo, and hundreds of other places show, Republican Party today believes in the right to life for the unborn, but doesn’t care at all about the lives of the born.
None of us is safe. No place is safe. The U.S. has 400 million guns. No matter how many innocent children or adults die at the hands of a killer, the right to own a gun is more precious to the Republican Party than the right to life.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Don’t weep. Organize
Sad happening…And same indignation and, after so many previous deadly shooting, absolutely NOTHING happens…other than another mass shooting. A violence-addicted country where purchasing weapons is just as easy as going to your corner 7-11.
“There could be a mass murder every day of the week for the rest of the year”
There probably will be.
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting
Shocking chart, FLERP!
Thanks for the link, Flerp. Hard to understand how any politician could read those statistics and not understand the necessity for gun control. It is harder to get a driver’s license than to obtain a gun license. How come the rest of us have to give up our right to walk down the street without wondering if it will be the last time? Read a comment from a mother dropping kids off at school this morning. There were far more parents. Not only that, they were getting out of their cars and hugging their kids and then watching them walk into school.
Diane and speduktr I am in complete disbelief: Governor Abbott JUST BLAMED the state of mental health of those who shoot for what happened in Texas, and NOT the easy access to guns.
EVEN IF that were the complete case, the gun lobby’s and Abbott’s recognition of it makes them completely unable to change with the history of the situation.
SELL GUNS REGARDLESS! And be sure you give GRANDMOTHERS access to armor and AK47’s so they can defend themselves from their grandchildren BEFORE they get shot in the face. CBK
Gov Abbott believes in unlimited access to guns. Surprised he doesn’t drop the age limit of 18.
. . . SOOOO, Abbott thinks they don’t have enough mental health facilities in Texas districts, or perhaps that there are too many entrances to school facilities.
If I read him right, in EITHER case of lacking mental health services OR the absence of reasonable gun control legislation: HE is de facto A FAILURE, along with his buddy Ted Cruz. CBK
Here’s a reminder of the GOP senators taking the most NRA money to turn a blind eye to dead children
Jon As we speak, they are laying the groundwork for defraying the focus on THEIR OWN responsibility for the situation as it stands. GAG. CBK
Your Well-Regulated Militia At Work —
Every GOP-Damned Day !!!
“An UNregulated NRA, being necessary to the security of a bought and paid for Senate, the right of NRA lobbyists and gun manufacturers to make unlimited campaign contributions shall not be infringed.” — original intent, as interpreted by The United States Supreme Court
Oh, that’s just perfect, SomeDAM.
exactly
This is a tragic, unnecessary loss that will continue after a barrage of “thought and prayers.” Maybe politicians will put a few more dollars into mental health. Then carnage marches on. We’ve seen this movie before.
Matthew McConaughey’s twitter note to his hometown
Mate To Ted Cruz, Greg Abbot, and all who blocked gun legislation and who take money from corporations and become their policy puppets:
“It’s The People, Stupid.” CBK
Hmmm, I wonder if this is at all related: https://consortiumnews.com/2022/05/24/chris-hedges-no-way-out-but-war/
Diane (in response to d77) Kissinger thinks Zelensky should negotiate. Z probably would IF he didn’t understand Putin so well. Z is a quick learner, however. He now knows that Putin “doesn’t think like us.” Putin is NOT a reasonable man. There is no win-win to be had.
If Putin were bombing the state of Maine in the United States, and could very well win, then I guess under Kissinger’s view, WE should negotiate and give away part of Maine . . . and all would be peachy keen and no other aggression would occur? Kissinger is living in political na-na land. Putin loves people who sport such views.
There IS such a thing as win-win in reasonable negotiations among reasonable people. But that’s not the case here. ANY gain of land on Putin’s side is a WIN-LOSE situation and Putin has ALREADY SHOWN that he will continue his aggression until he is stopped. In his view, negotiation just gives him more time to build up his forces.
The West’s problem is that we naively project reasonableness out onto people like Putin. It’s our common folly. I would advise against it. CBK
I agree, CBK. Ukraine wants to maintain its territorial integrity. Feeding the bear once never satisfies it.
Hmmm, Hedges’ article could have been written by Charles Lindbergh in the late 1930s.
It starts with a LIE. “Liberals are cheerleading the war in Ukraine.”
Actually, it was our resident Putin-defender who was cheering it when she claimed her beloved Putin was just massacring Ukraine families to root out Nazis. Hedges was the cheerleader saying Putin was justified.
Liberals and others are trying to stop the war by empowering Ukraine to defend itself. Like FDR did against Hitler before the US got involved. You know, that program that the pro-Hitler folks like Lindbergh hated.
I really do wonder when white people try to NORMALIZE Marjorie Taylor Greene as some anti-war icon. I guess Hedges really does take his marching orders from Putin these days, whether it is witting or just him knowing exactly where his very expensive bread is buttered.
All I can say is can anyone cite Hedges being critical of Putin?
Or does he pull punches because the lives of a bunch of Ukraine families doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in Hedges’ world of privilege.
Hedges sounds like Lindbergh blaming FDR for Hitler’s aggression. It’s ugly, nasty, and those who believe it have very similar biases.
Hedges had a TV show on the American RT (Russian television). He interviewed me. I was embarrassed to be on RT and hoped no one saw me.
I think Hedges commits the most deadly of the seven sins on a daily basis.
Chris Hedges takes every opportunity to defend Trump, make excuses for Putin, express his conviction to leave Ukraine alone in the war, and to show his undying anger towards all that’s happening in the World. Very much similar to Tucker Carlson, as far as I can tell.
It starts to appear to me that the political left and right reside on a circle, and the far left and far right accumulate angrily at the starting and endpoint.
Some idiot on 4chan posted pictures of a young trans person and claimed that these were of the shooter. So, of course, Republican Paul Gosar tweeted that “It’s a transsexual leftist illegal alien named Salvatore Ramos.”
It’s not an America awash in military-style weapons available to troubled teenagers. No, couldn’t be that. Must be leftists. And transsexuals. And undocumented immigrants.
The Repugnican Party of today. They love life as long as it is not yet born.
My parents made a conscious decision to raise us boys in a household without guns Perhaps this is why I grew up without becoming a mass murderer, but I bet it had more to do with being raised on the idea that all people I meet are worthy of respect, love, and mercy.
But modern society is without mercy.
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
The #1 problem with our country is its love affair with everything death and destruction of which the US Military is THE main purveyor (second being the media). Until the Pentagon is brought under control the propaganda will continue to indoctrinate Americans with “America’s armed forces are indomitable and of course “peace loving”. Ours is a far sicker society than most can comprehend.
I agree 100% with this, which is why I continue to scratch my head on your position on guns. One can use all the sophistry about being a “responsible gun owner” or a hunter whose right to shoot outweighs every other constitutional right, mostly because its history has been distorted, to justify why guns should be available to all. But it just doesn’t fly. Not when we are the only country in the world with constant gun-fueled mass murders and woundings. Instead, we just get this bullshit: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-republicans-armed-teachers_n_628dc1d9e4b0933e736c4979
To be honest, this issue doesn’t register for me anymore. I just hope my loved ones and friends do lose the lottery every day because I know there’s not a damn thing I can do about it or that it will ever be done. I’m resigned to that and just kind get numb to the daily stories about shootings. There will be another soon. Rinse, wash, repeat. This is not a civilized nation.
…don’t lose the lottery. Big difference.
There is no “sophistry about being a ‘responsible gun owner’ or a hunter. . . ” (I use the term ethical but both work and should probably be combined). Yes, there is ethical and responsible gun ownership and usage.
You may not believe it and choose not to own/use firearms. Hey, fine and dandy. But to insist that no one should be able to own/use a firearm is folly.
What most seem to miss in this debate is the underlying factors, especially the one I mention above, the vast majority of Americans who accept and glorify the world’s largest death and destruction machine the US Military.
There have been gun slaughters in other countries BUT nothing compared to what is happening in the USA on a regular sickening basis, over and over and over and over again without interruption. We have a wealthy organization (the NRA) and a political party (GOP) that will shoot down even the mildest proposed laws that might reduce the carnage. And let’s be honest, we have untold numbers of Americans who love their guns more than life itself. It’s too sick for words and it appears, from the most recent comments by Ted Cruz, nothing meaningful will be done to reduce these massacres. Biden said the right things, I hope he acts on his words even though he will be stymied by the GOP.
From NJ Spotlight News: Sen. Ed Durr [GOP vomit] recently introduced a package of bills that would lessen some gun restrictions in New Jersey, including a measure that would eliminate the 30-day waiting period for handgun purchases; another would remove capacity limits for magazines. Durr (R-Gloucester), who said current laws end up punishing law-abiding citizens and not criminals, said he knows his bills have no chance of advancing in a Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Meanwhile, some legislators are working with Gov. Phil Murphy to enact tougher control measures, including requiring gun owners to lock up their firearms and raising the minimum age to purchase shotguns and rifles. end quote
I inserted the [GOP vomit] part. Thank goodness this jackarse Ed Durr is in the minority.
So you are all upset with the Democratic Party support for Henry Cuellar who is both anti-choice and pro-NRA over Squad-ally Jessica Cisneros, right?
I certainly am, Dienne.
& Joe Machine (Freudian slip of my typing finger) as well, who is no better.
Yesterday, Indivisible sent a link to names of senators who received most 💰💰💰 from gun lobby. Mitt Romney at top.
Vote ALL these people out–definitely Cuellar, dim Dem.
And did you notice that Cuellar is the ONLY Democrat among 100% of the Republican party.
Given that this person just linked to an idol of hers who praised Marjorie Taylor Greene, I suggest people in glass houses who embrace racists should not throw stones.
If Jessica Cisneros wins the primary, the Democratic party will just not support her in the general election, but will support her in the next primary.
People who defend those who simply murder their political opponents should not throw stones.
How about a national strike? Teachers and kids walk out of schools, teacher educators and other allies help out including with educational and other support for kids, and massive on-going civil disobedience at the Senate?
Dirck Roosevelt on a massive strike . . . First thought: if kept peaceful, what a civics lesson for the children. CBK
AS I WRITE: Ted Cruz standing behind Governor Abbot oh-so sympathetic being yelled at by Betta O’Rourke in the audience. Ted Cruz is a walking joke of a human being. And Abbot needs to read his own speech to himself. CBK
If there was a mass murder of children every day of the week for the rest of the year, Republicans would find a way to blame Biden, Democrats, liberals, Antifa, and every woman that ever had or might want to have the freedom of choice when it comes to an abortion.
Then that would trigger Traitor Trump’s hateful MAGA mob zombies, and the death threats would start, targeting anyone a MAGA considered to be liberal.
“As right-wing violence spreads, Republicans duck responsibility” and find someone else to blame while never placing the blame where it belongs with the GOP.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2022-05-20/republicans-failure-to-confront-right-wing-violence-essential-politics
“Radical leftwing groups generally consist of persons who are single, separated, or divorced. Many are involved in a subconscious conflict with their parents, and terrorist group membership provides them with an expression for this rebellion.
“On the other hand, radical rightwing groups frequently include entire families and are somewhat like cults.
“Leftist groups engage in protracted sessions of self-criticism, while rightist groups spend their time reinforcing their self-image as genuine and dedicated. The three personality types seen with some degree of regularity in both left and right domestic terrorist groups are the leader, the activist-operator, and the idealist.
“Members of leftwing groups tend to be better educated than members of rightwing groups. Those on the right tend to be more compulsive, while those on the left are more meticulous planners.
“Rightwing groups tend to be more violent, although leftwing groups more frequently target law enforcement as the willing tool of the oppressive regime. Both left and right groups try to achieve some level of solidarity with similarly oriented political organizations. Leftist groups are concentrated in the eastern part of the United States and in urban areas, while rightist groups are more commonly found in rural areas. Leftwing groups tend to be atheistic or agnostic, and rightwing terrorists are usually radical fundamentalists who seek to justify their actions with quotes from the scriptures.” 16 references.
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/radical-right-vs-radical-left-terrorist-theory-and-threat
Diane I’ve been watching these arguments for days and keep thinking about what’s missing in the argument: “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” (I just heard this again on a news program covering the NRA convention).
And they seem to be pushing the argument that it’s ALL OR NONE, and so ANY regulation is equivalent to having NO guns. We either have to accept the potential of ongoing teen terror from within . . . OR . . . get rid of all guns.
What’s missing in the NRA’s argument is INTELLIGENT ACCESS. And that’s a policy issue that has gone totally missing.
Right now, via their army of NRA lobbyists, and as they continue to fear monger and take advantage of American gun mythology, what we see is a pristine example of rampant and predatory capitalism ignoring a high level of moral hazard for money. The NRA is making fools of everyone involved, but especially the American people, who seem confused about the issue, and our politicians who are just plain corrupt.
I want to scream at them: FREEDOM DOES NOT MEAN STUPID. CBK
CBK: So well put.
All or nothing.
Background check=total ban on all guns.
Requirement to keep guns in a locked cabinet=total ban
Etc.
Not so different from the abortion issue.
The zealots want a total ban, no exceptions for rape, incest, life of mother.
Cars Don’t Kill People
Bad Drivers Kill People
We License People To Drive
The argument lacks logic, hence cannot be the basis of any argument. People with guns shoot other people. People with fist cannot shoot other people.
What we do with guns is shoot; killing might just be the result of shooting. The real issue is shooting since it results in greater damage than other means of attacking people. Mass slapping in schools is rare and the damage rarely is newsworthy.
Also, guns are necessary for shooting while people are not.
So yeah, the primary issue is guns.
Don’t forget that the Democratic Party is no better in this regard. If you don’t believe me then look at how they vote and not what they say they will or won’t do. Voting records are what matters, nothing else. If you look further I believe you will see that both parties are virtually the same. The only solution I see are new political parties. I recommend watching the Jimmy Dore show.