Let's be crystal clear about Nikki Haley: When she was the governor of SC, her state, year in and year out, had the highest rate of domestic violence homicides in the country. Five years in a row. She called violence against women a "special interest issue" and wouldn't address it until SC got lots of negative press. Now she's running for president, and this one of her campaign photographs? I'm not at all surprised.
In July of 2002, Alan Gates went to the home of his ESTRANGED wife, Janet (she'd done the "right thing" and filed an order of protection against him) and waited for her to return home. His daughter Valerie and her friend Cordae stopped by with Cordae's 2-year old son. They were on their way to take him to a movie.
Gates herded them into the back bedroom and executed them one by one with his beloved .357. He then went into the bedroom, laid down, and went to sleep.
When Janet returned home, she saw his vehicle and called the sheriffs department. They sent deputies to her home to escort her inside. When they got in there, they found Gates and placed him under arrest for the restraining order violation. Janet walked into the back bedroom and found her daughter, Cordae and little Kendall, murdered in cold blood by Alan Gates. Obscene brutality.
At the sentencing hearing (Gates got 3 life sentences). the judge asked him if he had anything to say. He said, "You never can tell what one woman can drive a man to do."
A year later, one of Kendall's grandmothers, Fran Bumgarner, asked me to go with her to the DAs office to look at the crime scene photographs. She wanted to make sure Kendall was with his mom when he died.
I looked at them first. Fran wanted me to determine what photos she saw. She didn't see many of them. A two-year old doesn't stand a chance against a madman with a gun, but hey, according to the NRA/Republicans, I guess Kendall should have been packing heat on his way to the children's movie. I wonder what kind of gun they would recommend for a 2-year old?
We are way off the cliff. The bodies of people victimized by gun violence pile up day in and day out. Maniacs who have nothing to rely on intellectually, but who are told by the pro-gun freaks to just let their guns do the talking for them, are slaughtering people across the country every day.
The Republicans don't give two shits about the carnage, the suffering, and the heartache. They fetishize--in the extreme--guns and refuse to hear FACTS. Gun violence is much worse in red states. It's not even close.
The issue I've devoted my life to--addressing and trying to stop violence against women and children--is very overrepresented in the gun violence nightmare. In fact, domestic violence is the core issue in the majority of mass shootings/murders, but that connection is often not made.
Ask any "pro-life" politician which means more to them: the 2nd Amendment or keeping women and children safe. They'll ALWAYS wax rhapsodic about guns, and dismiss the threat of domestic violence as (like Nikki Haley did) a "special interest issue."
I think the pro-gun crowd should be forced to look at the bloodshed they've worked so hard to guarantee. They should see what it looks like when someone shoots a child with a weapon of mass destruction. I'd be willing to bet they don't have the balls to do it.
The Texas shooter landed in the right country. It matters not one fig whether or not he (or the victims) were "legal" residents. What matters is that he wanted to use his AR to make a statement. Texas was happy to supply him with his deadly megaphone.
I couldn’t agree more, except let’s have the bloodshed for all to see, not just the perp. How about putting the grizzly photos as the back drop during the GOP conventions?
Block out the faces but yeah by all means show the damage that guns cause. If u never shot anything but a target u have no clue. Go shoot a deer with an AR15 and see how much edible meat u have left! Go shoot a duck with shotgun loaded with buck shot! No duck left!
No, don't block out the faces. Show it all. Change the association of "second amendment" from freedm and liberty and hairy-chested standing ground ... to mutilated corpses and dead children. And keep hitting it and hitting it, don't cede to whines about how shocking it is.
I know you’re correct in having murderers forced to look at the carnage they inflicted on their victims with military grade weapons. As should every local, state and federal legislators, members of the judiciary and especially every member of the NRA. They should be sent photos of victims on a monthly basis.
I saw the photo of Haley snuggled up with death yesterday.
It’s a revolting reminder that the filthy quagmire these humans “leaders” immerse their deranged, psychotic minds in has infiltrated our country in a manner that is becoming increasingly apparent it’s the f*cking guns!
The willingness to turn blind eyes at human slaughter is bought and paid for by Republicans and the gun industry. I remember after Columbine, a commentator, I don’t remember who, said this is just the beginning. I retired from education 7 years ago. I had to participate in active shooter drills at 42 years old. It was surreal. I hate we live like this.
The bullies and the gun freaks expect us to just live with their aggressive and violent behavior. I am sick to death of it. I hope, between the anti-abortion nightmare and the pro-gun/pro-death nightmare (along with many other issues), we can vote the bastards out in 2024.
Thank you Jeff. We have our own”War on Ukraine” happening in our own backyard. For the same reason. A puppeteer is pulling the strings of death, for their own profit. They don’t care who dies, who’s lives are ruined. There is profit, covered in “nobody’s going to stop me” . It all takes fucked up to a whole new level. You nailed this. Again, thank you.
How big of a prick do you have to be to posthumously demean a slaughtered family by labelling them "illegals"? As they say, everything's bigger in Texas.
And if it was just about anyone else, this clip would be in horrible taste. But since we're talking about Greg Abbott, it's become mandatory for me. Take it away, Tommy Udo! https://youtu.be/3oesSyvh76g
So once again Death by Dumbf*cks is front and center. And the Repuklican mascot is still the AR-assault weapon. Woohoo way to go for fundamentally mentally challenged dipshits.. they DO NOT care who gets killed because it’s usually people THEY want to eliminate anyway. Seriously.. an average non white citizen who has firearm will be arrested immediately and be put in jail in a hot nanosecond without batting an eyelash and that they’re a threat to society but if you’re a white ass Caucasian-you’re good to go. Hey it’s your right. It’s in the Constitution. Anyone other than white.. you’re screwed and they will shoot you first and then make some serious bullshit up to condemn you and make themselves look like heroes that were protecting their Lily white society. WTAF has happened to this country .. oh yeah we have a huge base of Dumb MFKR’s who think their individual rights of being white makes them right. And anyone other are the ones to be subjugated as less than.. mentally unfit financially insecure and in need of policing.. well folks they can police my middle finger 🖕🏽 and my dog agrees 🐶
I’ve been saying this since the murders at Sandy Hook: If the slaughter of little kids didn’t change anything, nothing will ever change. Some of those little faces are seared into my memory. Little kids. Sweet little kids. But Billy Bob needs to carry an AR-15 to buy donuts so little kids be damned.
Segue - Backpfeifengesicht of the day: Chris Christie, aka Fat Fuck. He closed two lanes of a bridge approach to NYC, causing hours of backed up traffic, delays of ambulances and potentially costing lives. Why did he do it? Because the mayor of the town wouldn’t endorse him. So fuck you, that’s why.
Then when a budget issue caused him to close the beaches and nobody could use them, he was photographed sunning his fat ass on a chaise. Why? Because fuck you, that’s why.
Now he’s going to run for president on the *I’m a bigger fuckhead than Trump* ticket. Because what this country needs is another vengeful bully in the White House, scarfing down cheeseburgers and punishing his enemies. His is a face that demands punching.
As a resident of NJ, Christie was one of the worst things to ever happen to our state. Thank God we now have a blue governor who takes care of his constituents.
So he took over 24 hours before he even acknowledged the mass shooting and when he did - he said "illegal immigrants"... Again - I will never, ever believe that Beto really did not win that election. I don't know how "they" did it - but I believed then and will continue to believe - something was done behind the scenes to get Abbott in. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. But that election? I would never have conceded if I had been him.
Your column brought tears to my eyes and anger to my heart. Some days I feel that we should build a wall and a moat around both Texas and Florida.(which already has the moat). I believe itin the concept of a united state, but my God ...give me a break 💔
It IS the fucking guns! Red states have a significantly higher rate of gun deaths than blue states. Open carry without any restraint is the stupidest thing anyone ever came up with. It’s an invitation to mass murder.
It's what we all feel, thanks for the perfect rant. My town newspaper featured an article on the new gun range that just opened, complete with coffee shop. Unfucking believable!!!
Perfect description of where we are on ARs and assigning blame anywhere and everywhere except for the AR. And I have to ask why EVERY SINGLE REPORT I heard it read on this Texas murder of an entire family was obligated to add the victims were from Honduras. Was that supposed to make it all right? Really? Since trump and his republican ogres came on the scene, I feel more and more like we live in Russia.
Thanks, man. I’m too angry to add anything more. Too sad.
Same, Neal.
Let's be crystal clear about Nikki Haley: When she was the governor of SC, her state, year in and year out, had the highest rate of domestic violence homicides in the country. Five years in a row. She called violence against women a "special interest issue" and wouldn't address it until SC got lots of negative press. Now she's running for president, and this one of her campaign photographs? I'm not at all surprised.
In July of 2002, Alan Gates went to the home of his ESTRANGED wife, Janet (she'd done the "right thing" and filed an order of protection against him) and waited for her to return home. His daughter Valerie and her friend Cordae stopped by with Cordae's 2-year old son. They were on their way to take him to a movie.
Gates herded them into the back bedroom and executed them one by one with his beloved .357. He then went into the bedroom, laid down, and went to sleep.
When Janet returned home, she saw his vehicle and called the sheriffs department. They sent deputies to her home to escort her inside. When they got in there, they found Gates and placed him under arrest for the restraining order violation. Janet walked into the back bedroom and found her daughter, Cordae and little Kendall, murdered in cold blood by Alan Gates. Obscene brutality.
At the sentencing hearing (Gates got 3 life sentences). the judge asked him if he had anything to say. He said, "You never can tell what one woman can drive a man to do."
A year later, one of Kendall's grandmothers, Fran Bumgarner, asked me to go with her to the DAs office to look at the crime scene photographs. She wanted to make sure Kendall was with his mom when he died.
I looked at them first. Fran wanted me to determine what photos she saw. She didn't see many of them. A two-year old doesn't stand a chance against a madman with a gun, but hey, according to the NRA/Republicans, I guess Kendall should have been packing heat on his way to the children's movie. I wonder what kind of gun they would recommend for a 2-year old?
We are way off the cliff. The bodies of people victimized by gun violence pile up day in and day out. Maniacs who have nothing to rely on intellectually, but who are told by the pro-gun freaks to just let their guns do the talking for them, are slaughtering people across the country every day.
The Republicans don't give two shits about the carnage, the suffering, and the heartache. They fetishize--in the extreme--guns and refuse to hear FACTS. Gun violence is much worse in red states. It's not even close.
The issue I've devoted my life to--addressing and trying to stop violence against women and children--is very overrepresented in the gun violence nightmare. In fact, domestic violence is the core issue in the majority of mass shootings/murders, but that connection is often not made.
Ask any "pro-life" politician which means more to them: the 2nd Amendment or keeping women and children safe. They'll ALWAYS wax rhapsodic about guns, and dismiss the threat of domestic violence as (like Nikki Haley did) a "special interest issue."
I think the pro-gun crowd should be forced to look at the bloodshed they've worked so hard to guarantee. They should see what it looks like when someone shoots a child with a weapon of mass destruction. I'd be willing to bet they don't have the balls to do it.
The Texas shooter landed in the right country. It matters not one fig whether or not he (or the victims) were "legal" residents. What matters is that he wanted to use his AR to make a statement. Texas was happy to supply him with his deadly megaphone.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/04/28/red-states-have-higher-gun-death-rates-than-blue-states-heres-why/?sh=561ca3ad1f81
https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1089792/
"I think the pro-gun crowd should be forced to look at the bloodshed they've worked so hard to guarantee. "
Whenever we have a mass shooting the press carries pictures of how the dead looked while they were still alive.
They need to show the corpses. Children shot in half, exit wounds, pools of blood, head shots. Every time. Again and again.
I couldn’t agree more, except let’s have the bloodshed for all to see, not just the perp. How about putting the grizzly photos as the back drop during the GOP conventions?
“Grisly”
I completely agree.
Block out the faces but yeah by all means show the damage that guns cause. If u never shot anything but a target u have no clue. Go shoot a deer with an AR15 and see how much edible meat u have left! Go shoot a duck with shotgun loaded with buck shot! No duck left!
No, don't block out the faces. Show it all. Change the association of "second amendment" from freedm and liberty and hairy-chested standing ground ... to mutilated corpses and dead children. And keep hitting it and hitting it, don't cede to whines about how shocking it is.
Oh Kit! My heart is breaking!
I know you’re correct in having murderers forced to look at the carnage they inflicted on their victims with military grade weapons. As should every local, state and federal legislators, members of the judiciary and especially every member of the NRA. They should be sent photos of victims on a monthly basis.
I saw the photo of Haley snuggled up with death yesterday.
It’s a revolting reminder that the filthy quagmire these humans “leaders” immerse their deranged, psychotic minds in has infiltrated our country in a manner that is becoming increasingly apparent it’s the f*cking guns!
The willingness to turn blind eyes at human slaughter is bought and paid for by Republicans and the gun industry. I remember after Columbine, a commentator, I don’t remember who, said this is just the beginning. I retired from education 7 years ago. I had to participate in active shooter drills at 42 years old. It was surreal. I hate we live like this.
The bullies and the gun freaks expect us to just live with their aggressive and violent behavior. I am sick to death of it. I hope, between the anti-abortion nightmare and the pro-gun/pro-death nightmare (along with many other issues), we can vote the bastards out in 2024.
I’m counting on it!!
Serious question: Why the fuck didn’t we let Texas secede in 1861?
trigger discipline.
I've got $5 for the paperwork if they'll do it now.
I guess we could try asking for a do-over.
Perfect. You’re the best, Jeff.
Thank you Jeff. We have our own”War on Ukraine” happening in our own backyard. For the same reason. A puppeteer is pulling the strings of death, for their own profit. They don’t care who dies, who’s lives are ruined. There is profit, covered in “nobody’s going to stop me” . It all takes fucked up to a whole new level. You nailed this. Again, thank you.
How big of a prick do you have to be to posthumously demean a slaughtered family by labelling them "illegals"? As they say, everything's bigger in Texas.
And if it was just about anyone else, this clip would be in horrible taste. But since we're talking about Greg Abbott, it's become mandatory for me. Take it away, Tommy Udo! https://youtu.be/3oesSyvh76g
Beat me to the Udo clip. I post it frequently.
Likewise. As I said, it would ordinarily be out of line. But Abbott deserves it.
No question.
Chef's Kiss.
So once again Death by Dumbf*cks is front and center. And the Repuklican mascot is still the AR-assault weapon. Woohoo way to go for fundamentally mentally challenged dipshits.. they DO NOT care who gets killed because it’s usually people THEY want to eliminate anyway. Seriously.. an average non white citizen who has firearm will be arrested immediately and be put in jail in a hot nanosecond without batting an eyelash and that they’re a threat to society but if you’re a white ass Caucasian-you’re good to go. Hey it’s your right. It’s in the Constitution. Anyone other than white.. you’re screwed and they will shoot you first and then make some serious bullshit up to condemn you and make themselves look like heroes that were protecting their Lily white society. WTAF has happened to this country .. oh yeah we have a huge base of Dumb MFKR’s who think their individual rights of being white makes them right. And anyone other are the ones to be subjugated as less than.. mentally unfit financially insecure and in need of policing.. well folks they can police my middle finger 🖕🏽 and my dog agrees 🐶
I’ve been saying this since the murders at Sandy Hook: If the slaughter of little kids didn’t change anything, nothing will ever change. Some of those little faces are seared into my memory. Little kids. Sweet little kids. But Billy Bob needs to carry an AR-15 to buy donuts so little kids be damned.
Segue - Backpfeifengesicht of the day: Chris Christie, aka Fat Fuck. He closed two lanes of a bridge approach to NYC, causing hours of backed up traffic, delays of ambulances and potentially costing lives. Why did he do it? Because the mayor of the town wouldn’t endorse him. So fuck you, that’s why.
Then when a budget issue caused him to close the beaches and nobody could use them, he was photographed sunning his fat ass on a chaise. Why? Because fuck you, that’s why.
Now he’s going to run for president on the *I’m a bigger fuckhead than Trump* ticket. Because what this country needs is another vengeful bully in the White House, scarfing down cheeseburgers and punishing his enemies. His is a face that demands punching.
"If the slaughter of little kids didn’t change anything, nothing will ever change."
this, 100% and forever
As a resident of NJ, Christie was one of the worst things to ever happen to our state. Thank God we now have a blue governor who takes care of his constituents.
So he took over 24 hours before he even acknowledged the mass shooting and when he did - he said "illegal immigrants"... Again - I will never, ever believe that Beto really did not win that election. I don't know how "they" did it - but I believed then and will continue to believe - something was done behind the scenes to get Abbott in. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. But that election? I would never have conceded if I had been him.
Thank you.
Thank you Thank you Thank you.
A fuckzillion of THANK YOUs FOR UNEQUIVOCALLY SAYING WHAT MUST BE SAID:
IT'S. THE. FUCKING. GUNS!!!!!!!!!
Easy access to military-grade weapons, racism, xenophobia, and utter stupidity. Welcome to America, the Senseless Death Capital of the world.
Every day. EVERY FUCKING DAY
Your column brought tears to my eyes and anger to my heart. Some days I feel that we should build a wall and a moat around both Texas and Florida.(which already has the moat). I believe itin the concept of a united state, but my God ...give me a break 💔
It IS the fucking guns! Red states have a significantly higher rate of gun deaths than blue states. Open carry without any restraint is the stupidest thing anyone ever came up with. It’s an invitation to mass murder.
It's what we all feel, thanks for the perfect rant. My town newspaper featured an article on the new gun range that just opened, complete with coffee shop. Unfucking believable!!!
Sadly, completely believable. Keep em terrified and thinking that guns are the only answer.
Perfect description of where we are on ARs and assigning blame anywhere and everywhere except for the AR. And I have to ask why EVERY SINGLE REPORT I heard it read on this Texas murder of an entire family was obligated to add the victims were from Honduras. Was that supposed to make it all right? Really? Since trump and his republican ogres came on the scene, I feel more and more like we live in Russia.