Do you suppose a mass shooting of fetuses might move the Senate to action on gun control? Naw, they’d just vote to station armed guards in American wombs.
Herself and I sent the usual NastyGrams® to our senators, for all the good that does. Two more mutts yapping. You don’t even hear it after a while. I’ve lived next to runways and railroad tracks, crack houses and frat houses, and if I’ve learned one thing it’s that a fella can learn to sleep through any kind of godawful racket, even me screaming at you over the phone.
If the killing of 20 children in Newtown can’t motivate “our” elected representatives, I don’t know what can. Oh, yeah, right — money. How silly of me.
The National Rifle Association spent $500,000 on Wednesday alone, for advertising critical of “Obama’s gun ban.” Of course, this is above and beyond what they’ve already invested in the best Congress money can buy.
April 17, 2013 at 9:51 pm |
I’m pretty sure you mean the worst Congress money can buy.
April 18, 2013 at 6:46 am |
The only thing about this that surprised me was that McLame voted aye on background checks. When it’s not a presditial year election, voter turnout is abysmal; if you want them to vote, make elections a smart phone app so they can vote while they drive.
April 18, 2013 at 8:09 am |
Shit, get me all excited, and I can’t spell or see the red underlining.
April 18, 2013 at 8:45 am |
It’s seems incredible how much legislation is in place to protect children but controlling the sale of fire arms is deemed unreasonable? http://momsdemandaction.org/in-the-news/choose-one-little-red-riding-hood-or-an-assault-weapon/#comments
April 18, 2013 at 11:03 am |
That’s an amazing set of photos, Ira. Thanks for the link.
April 18, 2013 at 10:34 am |
Both our Senators voted aye on background checks, even Martin Heinrich, who is an NRA member. I called and thanked them.
What bugs me about this whole ruckus, though, is that we kill a Newtown about every two weeks in Chicago, where there are about 500 plus gun murders per year, most with hand cannons (some recent compelling stories on NPR are worth finding). That never resulted in an outcry to toughen up Federal gun laws, ban assault rifles (s.l.), or make background checks more uniform. Seems that as long as you are blowing away little black and Latino kids, no one inside the Beltway gives a flying fuck. But if a nutcase blows away a classroom full of nice little white kids in CT, all hell breaks loose.
I understand the difference between big events like a plane crash and small events like a car wreck, but seems to me there is some implicit racism in this whole debate. That is what made me even more cynical than I am already, if that is possible.
April 18, 2013 at 10:43 am |
Good point, K. Another good example is Detroit. Google that bad boy up and see what’s been happening to Motor City while nobody was watching. Nobody outside Motor City, that is.
April 18, 2013 at 6:16 pm |
Good point Patrick. What is going on in Detroit is tragic and depressing. It’s an once great American city left to rot and die.
April 18, 2013 at 10:51 am |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/chicago-homicides-january_n_2581915.html
April 18, 2013 at 1:15 pm |
Exact same thing applies to missing kids. Kids go missing all the time, but no one cares until its a cute blonde little girl.
April 18, 2013 at 1:31 pm |
There’s no math or logic behind collective outrage. Collective emotions of any sort, really.
Not sure how far the bill got, but they were talking about requiring all of the hospitals to treat the Aurora theater shooting victims for free. One can argue that they did nothing wrong, so they shouldn’t be on the hook. But no one wants to apply that reasoning to every crime victim.
The 9/11 victims’ families averaged around $2M in “sorry” money from Uncle Sugar. What did the OK City Murrah Building victims get? Nada … wasn’t big enough.
FEMA pays out disproportionately to hurricane victims over tornado. A tornado wipes out a few blocks, while a hurricane hits several states. But roofless is roofless, regardless.
I hear what you’re saying about racism. And I’m not going to say it’s not a factor. But it’s one of many components. It’s the whole narrative. We might not believe in Odin or Zeus anymore, but we still like our mythology, and if you can’t wrap it up in a good guys, bad guys, struggle, conflict, resolution narrative, then we just whistle along, ignoring the noises coming from the shadows.
April 19, 2013 at 2:42 am |
But THOSE folks are usually of the wrong color – the US only gets wound up when innocent children of the well-to-do get gunned down – the future hedge-fund managers and the like. But even those folks can’t overcome the gun lobby. Just like the Repuglican Party in general, they’ve hoodwinked the average schmuck into supporting their “make the rich folks richer” (in this case the weapons makers) cause at the expense of their own well-being and safety. How? You already know what my wife says…
I’d really prefer to stay over here in Italy, where the government is non-functioning….but at least nobody is trying to pretend otherwise!
April 19, 2013 at 3:03 pm |
You, sir, have a smart lady there. Guess I need to check voter turnout in Italy to see if apathy and ignorance led to their troubles. If the oligarchs start pulling their money and selling their palaces to buy cheaper ones in Greece and Cyprus, then you will know it is time to the good old USA. Our oligarchs don’t try to hide so much. We even had one try to run for president. The folks that scare me are the politcos who aspire to be an oligarch, or at least hang with them.
April 20, 2013 at 9:38 am |
The Italian government is (currently) non functional because enough people got sick of the same old crap and instead voted for the 5-star movement. Mostly a protest vote, but it’s gummed up the works pretty well…to the point it looks like they’ll have to have another election…where the 5-star party might just get a majority instead of just 33%. The rich keep getting richer while the poor get poorer in the USA, all while under the illusion of democracy.
April 19, 2013 at 4:07 pm |
Maybe the oligarchs are thinking about moving here. Their money is better protected and bribe is written in law by the Supremes.
April 21, 2013 at 10:54 am |
In other less depressing news: always good to see folks doing something with no redeeming social value with a bike
http://m.cnet.com/news/fast-fixie-bicycle-with-giant-chainring-aims-for-100-mph/57580273
April 21, 2013 at 11:06 am |
Neat stuff.
April 21, 2013 at 5:09 pm |
Talk about mashing a big gear. One run results in knee replacement surgery. One cramp on a fixie at 100 mph means returning to the source.
April 23, 2013 at 7:24 am |
Like the old saying goes “just because you can do something does not mean you should”. Or, maybe it’s just culling the herd….
April 21, 2013 at 6:06 pm |
From the Daily Show http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/arts-and-culture/john-oliver-the-daily-show-and-john-howard-debunk-/a7d9fa83-3982-4afc-91d9-78d2796bc0c2.htm
April 24, 2013 at 8:23 pm |
I think he took the Jones test ride too seriously. Must be in Canada by now.
April 24, 2013 at 7:12 pm |
Does anybody know if Patrick was last seen at the 4/20 festival last weekend with a hand cannon?
Where o’ where is our fearless leader?!
April 24, 2013 at 8:24 pm |
I think he took the Jones test ride too seriously. Must be in Canada by now.