So many Republican officials in Tennessee have embraced the AR-15 and the NRA that their useless thoughts and prayers seem particularly odious today. Sweet Jesus, how shattered must we be before decency prevails? There is no answer. Only a deafening silence.
I have come to the opinion that the argument for safety must change. Rather than "Gun Control" why not say that ALL weapons must be treated like owning an automobile? After all, cars don't kill people but people do so:
1. All weapons manufacturers must carry massive amounts of liability insurance . This like automobiles would be passed through to the customer.
2. All weapons with magazines with more than 3 shots or of a certain length and a certain caliber must be sold with trigger locks. Every one of them.
3. All owners must purchase a license for each and every weapon in their possession. Each weapon would be required to be registered with the State where the weapon is kept under lock and key. Each weapon would have to be insured for liability like all automobiles. A million dollar policy per weapon in the event someone steals said weapon. No exceptions!
4. If a weapon is then somehow taken out of locked storage, then used in a illegal manner and the person using the weapon and found guilty of such an illegal manner, the owner of the weapon would be subject to fines and automatic imprisonment of not less than five years
without parole or pardon.
In this manner we are not banning gun ownership but just like automobiles we are taking measures to make said guns less deadly to humans.
I agree with you. It is simply trying to change the narrative from banning guns to simply making them so very expensive that only a few would have them and they would keep them under lock and key or pay a dear price.
I groaned audibly when I learned the shooter was trans. I knew the goons would pounce and nod. All lone wolf white males are breathing sighs of relief.
I saw the Mayor of Nashville last night on a news program, weakly asking for "thoughts and prayers" Look, those are one thing, but AFTER you do that, pick up the phone or open your email and CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON! When is enough enough? I think they will only move toward changing the laws when enough of us stand up Who has to die for them to stop kowtowing to the gun lobby?
The gun lovers were in a tizz over the fact that during COVID our kids couldn't go to school. This, according to them, was going to cause irreparable harm. As long as they've got "thoughts and prayers", shootings will forever be part of America's school experience. Republicans love the almighty dollar and their guns more than they'll EVER care about our children.
Great piece. Republicans can’t pretend to give one shit for children being killed by ARs. Totally unable to think beyond their hatred and political bias. It’s almost like they’re in reverse evolution.
Remember the photo on social media in December: The Congressman, Andy Ogles, posing with his family - most of them holding AR-15’s. The photo is making the rounds again. That Congressman represents Nashville.
I’m not sure. I’m finding it really hard to keep up with all this news. There was a maga congressman who lied about his military record when he was never in the military. And - there’s sickening Santos.
You need to let us post pictures. The Republican Rep Andy Ogles who represents Nashville had an Ammosexual Family Christmas card is having a Telephone Town Meeting tonight. I'm sure he'd just love to hear from you.
Eileen, there's a few of them who have taken a shine to the gunslinger Christmas card greeting. Bobert and Tate Reeves, along with the idiot you've mentioned. I wonder how they would feel if they viewed the corpse of their dead child who was ripped apart by an AR or AK in a mass slaughter.
We all know that it IS the guns. It doesn’t matter who the shooter is, they should not have had access to weapons of war. The GOP has made itself a terrorist organization by its love for NRA money.
Finally, if we trace the psychology of why someone, anyone was treated with such hate in their lives, that they would even dare to let the idea of shooting another human being, especially kids, and teachers, for effect,for retribution, to make their life’s point, we have found someone who’s background is so clearly riddled with hate from others that it is not hard to see how a psychotic event could happen. It is not hard to see that in todays society, the effort is to enshrine that hate into law, those doing so convinced of the evil from which a dysphoria of oneself, on any level, came. Those convinced that “others” are that. They are hate-able, and the non-others have the right to hate them out-loud.
What then is this catastrophic event answered with? Well what else, Hate. More Hate. “I told you so” hate. “I was right all along” hate.
The guns that were manufactured by an irresponsible company, who’s shareholders literally are part of our governing, go unnoticed. The seller of the guns. Unnoticed. It’s so easy to come by guns, what’s the actual use of asking? They weren’t left over from any war, for which they were intended to be used, when some maniacal inventor of guns decided they wanted to shoot out a round of bullets in a seconds time, that is for sure. And we don’t ask because there is profit involved. Americans are always but always encouraged to make a profit.
No. We’re going to ride our hate over to the stock broker, and buy some more stock in weapons of hate. We’re going to say a “prayer” for those who died, and our office will be ready if any one needs anything.
How many more AR-15’s were sold yesterday? How much hate shoveled out to dislodge someone to the point of psychosis?
The people who created the hate that dislodged the young woman enough to lose her shit, are the same who take the money from the gun lobbyist, and the same “praying” for our dead children.
Finally the three align. An entire political party is cemented with hate. The hate is real, and it seeps into every aspect of our lives, down to the killing of our children.
Make no mistake. When someone wants to produce fire-arms for citizens, to have at their disposal, it is hate. They hate your children. They hate your teachers. They hate you and me and They hate others. They may pray for them, in some sick, privileged, and tone deaf way, but first and foremost, it is hate. That is their banner. That is their cause. Finally they align.
Oh I think it is worse than hate. It is indifference. And surely the CEOs of gun makers are psychopaths; low/ no empathy and the ability to mimic true emotions as a performance. Remind you of someone? Yeah, him too and quite a few in Congress.
These people have no interest in changing a thing.
I was not evaluating the emotions of hate vs indifference in a relative way nut I understand your point.
The reason for giving the emotional context of indifference was more about the psychology of psychopaths or sociopaths that represent us in Congress and the past president Trump who most
certainly is a narcissistic sociopath. I don't think he is capable of love maybe therefore hate.
Anger yes. E.pathy most certainly not. I believe Trump and certainly others in Congress do a good job of acting out what they think is needed at any given time. So if you are truly incapable of deep human emotion what replaces it? Indifference qualitatively. They are facsimiles of true feeling. I would say further evidence would be you can't shame these people and they never take responsibility so of course would never show or feel guilt. Or empathy.
If you think no, can't be just look at them/ him publicly performing emotions they don't feel. Once you see it you can't unsee it.
Truly hate is a harmful emotion option
especially when it gives rise to action and violence
At least there is hope for people that can still feel.
Unlikely for those that want power and are willing to direct the hate & fear and bias of others to get and maintain it.
I cannot square the difference between indifference and hate, in my mind. I saw Lindsey Graham’s response yesterday when he was asked if he thought there was anyway legislation would be brought about gun control.
His answer was absolutely indifferent. Like he was talking about some spoiled fruit that didn’t make the “fresh” cut in a grocery store. He added that he thought there should have been officers on site when the perpetrator chose to enter and “shoot up the place.” Indifferent? Absolutely. To the point of being removed.
The indifference is a cover for the hate he supports. It removes him from responsibility, so it is a lie. Had he said, no, there will be no legislation and children will continue to be massacred because the guns have priority, he would have been truthful, and responsible for the hate he supports.
I get the absence of emotion. But if the absence of action creates a hateful act, then isn’t the inaction a hateful act?
Graham doesn’t care if children are sacrificed for his guns (his wallet). That’s indifference. His inaction is hate. Maybe indifference is personal, hate communal?
You can’t love the children of this country and do nothing about protecting them.
So the Repuklican Barf Bubble is in fine form this morning.. a Trans person killed 3 kids.. obviously this person was NOT mentally stable but because they were trans this just turned into a shitshow of epic horror. Killing kids.. well this will light a five alarm fire with a target on every single trans person in this country.. just like the HATE towards anyone not white and Christian.(yeah I’m not white) JFC this person whether male or female committed an unthinkable act of point blank murder. AR-15’s and an automatic multimag hand gun. And now the finger pointing will begin.. THOSE PEOPLE DID THIS.. so let’s just not go there. This should not have happened.. Gun laws.. well the NRA does not want oversight and they sure as hell don’t want psych evals before purchasing a fire arm. We have a 2 nd amendment right to bear arms.. so it becomes a carte blanche anyone can buy and own a firearm. Even people not mentally fit to handle one. Now before anyone gets their panties in a wad.. I am a gun owner and I keep them in a gun safe. We have rifles and shotguns for hunting and I have my Dad’s WWII side arm. We’ve taken our adult kids out for target practice on our private property with no one around and our eldest has her own hand gun and she took classes of safe handling and proper loading and unloading and keeping ammo separate from the hand gun in storage ( just in case). We felt it was better to teach them properly about handling firearms with us and then we put them in an actual class that taught them more and it wasn’t Mommy and Daddy telling them what to do and not do. Do we go out shooting all the time.. No I haven’t gone target shooting or anything in a years.. it’s just not something I do. Dad goes hunting every year with his cousin. We all as adults try and do our best and some days are better than others. But we can all acknowledge that a firearm in the hands of someone unstable is a deadly unpredictable and dangerous combination. This could’ve been avoided. This didn’t have be to happen. Gun laws.. yes I support them. Waiting times background checks and psych evals.. when I said psych evals someone said to me well that’s not fair I’m normal.. are you?? No one is normal.. We all have baggage.. there is no right answer there are only options to mitigate as much as possible for the safest outcome to keep our rights (cause there’s no way you’re going to take away firearms from R’s) and to keep people as safe as possible. I will probably get trolled on this subject but I’m hoping that level heads will prevail. I will never own an AR15.. my fathers side arm I rarely take out of it’s case cause it’s from WWII and a beautiful historical piece. It comes down to humans. And HUMAN-ING ain’t easy.. if it was we would all be laughing being Happy and taking helium hits laughing our asses off. So I’m choosing Helium… yup I’m going to sound like a squeaky toy.. and say a prayer for those young lives that were lost. Stay safe and be kind. Hugs to all of you.
Thanks Jeff....I needed to hear this. We all needed to read this. I was so upset when I saw what the MAGA caucus was tweeting out. It is hard enough to endure their daily ignorance on any topic they decide to deride that day but this was so disgustingly low. They take to the social media and spew up vile ugly hate. I want them to have to take a mop and bucket and clean up the blood of the victims instead of just sending out a tweet of thoughts and prayer. Then we can talk.
And I understand your Muslim friend completely. There were many of us who also waited for some news after any violent event if it was a Muslim because we just knew they were going to be made the scape goat. I feared for them all the time. Still do. Not because I am a religious person (non believer to the max) but because I have seen the cruelty a subset of our citizens inflict on others who are not white Christians. And as I ranted yesterday these are not only the unwashed masses as a tweet yesterday showed a hillbilly outside his shack with beer cans all over the yard. Note sure those folks even bother to vote. The cruelty is coming from people who are my neighbors in middle class lives of plenty. They are the foot solders of the demagogues who use them to gain power. Look at how many of the J6 were military, police, business owners, employed, educated. And these people will not give up their guns to save even one life.
Another tragedy. Another day of republicans offering thoughts and prayers. Another day of the rest of humanity feeling the sorrow for the victims’ families (and, yes, I include the family of the shooter). Of the rest of humanity knowing a ban on assault weapons may not stop all mass murders, but it would certainly help. Even if it stopped one horrific event. One event that wouldn’t result in parents not tucking a child in at night with a kiss on the forehead. One event that wouldn’t result in a child going to bed without that parent or grandparent kissing them on the forehead. Our forefathers are rolling over in their graves.
Dear God, don't read Empty G's latest tweet on Antifa holding a Trans Visability for Trans Genocode rally in front of the Supreme Court on April 1st. Nowhere it says Antifa. The word Visability was changed to Vengeance on her poster. She wants the DOJ to step in.
I've been around for a long time. I've witnessed the actions of many politicians, but none as horrific, uneducated and unhinged as the leader of McCarthy's posse, Empty G!
According to the news out of Nashville today, the shooter was a woman. She used male pronouns on social media. She planned this as a suicide according the friend she told.
So many Republican officials in Tennessee have embraced the AR-15 and the NRA that their useless thoughts and prayers seem particularly odious today. Sweet Jesus, how shattered must we be before decency prevails? There is no answer. Only a deafening silence.
I have come to the opinion that the argument for safety must change. Rather than "Gun Control" why not say that ALL weapons must be treated like owning an automobile? After all, cars don't kill people but people do so:
1. All weapons manufacturers must carry massive amounts of liability insurance . This like automobiles would be passed through to the customer.
2. All weapons with magazines with more than 3 shots or of a certain length and a certain caliber must be sold with trigger locks. Every one of them.
3. All owners must purchase a license for each and every weapon in their possession. Each weapon would be required to be registered with the State where the weapon is kept under lock and key. Each weapon would have to be insured for liability like all automobiles. A million dollar policy per weapon in the event someone steals said weapon. No exceptions!
4. If a weapon is then somehow taken out of locked storage, then used in a illegal manner and the person using the weapon and found guilty of such an illegal manner, the owner of the weapon would be subject to fines and automatic imprisonment of not less than five years
without parole or pardon.
In this manner we are not banning gun ownership but just like automobiles we are taking measures to make said guns less deadly to humans.
This would be excellent. And the insurance industry which thrives on making big profits should be happy to buy into this.
I agree with you. It is simply trying to change the narrative from banning guns to simply making them so very expensive that only a few would have them and they would keep them under lock and key or pay a dear price.
Just make the manufacture of bullets a capital offense. You can have all guns you want. But you can’t have bullets.
Absolutely. Anything to make ownership safer and safer!!!!
I groaned audibly when I learned the shooter was trans. I knew the goons would pounce and nod. All lone wolf white males are breathing sighs of relief.
Don't worry, there's only a 0.1% chance the shooter was actually dysphoric.
I saw the Mayor of Nashville last night on a news program, weakly asking for "thoughts and prayers" Look, those are one thing, but AFTER you do that, pick up the phone or open your email and CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON! When is enough enough? I think they will only move toward changing the laws when enough of us stand up Who has to die for them to stop kowtowing to the gun lobby?
The gun lovers were in a tizz over the fact that during COVID our kids couldn't go to school. This, according to them, was going to cause irreparable harm. As long as they've got "thoughts and prayers", shootings will forever be part of America's school experience. Republicans love the almighty dollar and their guns more than they'll EVER care about our children.
Great piece. Republicans can’t pretend to give one shit for children being killed by ARs. Totally unable to think beyond their hatred and political bias. It’s almost like they’re in reverse evolution.
Remember the photo on social media in December: The Congressman, Andy Ogles, posing with his family - most of them holding AR-15’s. The photo is making the rounds again. That Congressman represents Nashville.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/27/nashville-shooting-congressman-andy-ogles-posed-guns-photo/11552258002/
Linda, if I'm not mistaken, isn't he another GOPer who lied about almost everything on his resume of life?
I’m not sure. I’m finding it really hard to keep up with all this news. There was a maga congressman who lied about his military record when he was never in the military. And - there’s sickening Santos.
You need to let us post pictures. The Republican Rep Andy Ogles who represents Nashville had an Ammosexual Family Christmas card is having a Telephone Town Meeting tonight. I'm sure he'd just love to hear from you.
no photos in comments is beyond my control. the substack software doesn't allow for it
It's better that way. If only they would get rid of emoji too.
Eileen, there's a few of them who have taken a shine to the gunslinger Christmas card greeting. Bobert and Tate Reeves, along with the idiot you've mentioned. I wonder how they would feel if they viewed the corpse of their dead child who was ripped apart by an AR or AK in a mass slaughter.
I could see the Substack owners having a change of heart in the future in this. It would only make joining a subscription more appealing.
We all know that it IS the guns. It doesn’t matter who the shooter is, they should not have had access to weapons of war. The GOP has made itself a terrorist organization by its love for NRA money.
Finally, if we trace the psychology of why someone, anyone was treated with such hate in their lives, that they would even dare to let the idea of shooting another human being, especially kids, and teachers, for effect,for retribution, to make their life’s point, we have found someone who’s background is so clearly riddled with hate from others that it is not hard to see how a psychotic event could happen. It is not hard to see that in todays society, the effort is to enshrine that hate into law, those doing so convinced of the evil from which a dysphoria of oneself, on any level, came. Those convinced that “others” are that. They are hate-able, and the non-others have the right to hate them out-loud.
What then is this catastrophic event answered with? Well what else, Hate. More Hate. “I told you so” hate. “I was right all along” hate.
The guns that were manufactured by an irresponsible company, who’s shareholders literally are part of our governing, go unnoticed. The seller of the guns. Unnoticed. It’s so easy to come by guns, what’s the actual use of asking? They weren’t left over from any war, for which they were intended to be used, when some maniacal inventor of guns decided they wanted to shoot out a round of bullets in a seconds time, that is for sure. And we don’t ask because there is profit involved. Americans are always but always encouraged to make a profit.
No. We’re going to ride our hate over to the stock broker, and buy some more stock in weapons of hate. We’re going to say a “prayer” for those who died, and our office will be ready if any one needs anything.
How many more AR-15’s were sold yesterday? How much hate shoveled out to dislodge someone to the point of psychosis?
The people who created the hate that dislodged the young woman enough to lose her shit, are the same who take the money from the gun lobbyist, and the same “praying” for our dead children.
Finally the three align. An entire political party is cemented with hate. The hate is real, and it seeps into every aspect of our lives, down to the killing of our children.
Make no mistake. When someone wants to produce fire-arms for citizens, to have at their disposal, it is hate. They hate your children. They hate your teachers. They hate you and me and They hate others. They may pray for them, in some sick, privileged, and tone deaf way, but first and foremost, it is hate. That is their banner. That is their cause. Finally they align.
Oh I think it is worse than hate. It is indifference. And surely the CEOs of gun makers are psychopaths; low/ no empathy and the ability to mimic true emotions as a performance. Remind you of someone? Yeah, him too and quite a few in Congress.
These people have no interest in changing a thing.
Nothing is worse than hate. Hate is a verb. “Indifference” is a cover for not acting out the verb hate. It is a lie.”Not caring” is hate.
I was not evaluating the emotions of hate vs indifference in a relative way nut I understand your point.
The reason for giving the emotional context of indifference was more about the psychology of psychopaths or sociopaths that represent us in Congress and the past president Trump who most
certainly is a narcissistic sociopath. I don't think he is capable of love maybe therefore hate.
Anger yes. E.pathy most certainly not. I believe Trump and certainly others in Congress do a good job of acting out what they think is needed at any given time. So if you are truly incapable of deep human emotion what replaces it? Indifference qualitatively. They are facsimiles of true feeling. I would say further evidence would be you can't shame these people and they never take responsibility so of course would never show or feel guilt. Or empathy.
If you think no, can't be just look at them/ him publicly performing emotions they don't feel. Once you see it you can't unsee it.
Truly hate is a harmful emotion option
especially when it gives rise to action and violence
At least there is hope for people that can still feel.
Unlikely for those that want power and are willing to direct the hate & fear and bias of others to get and maintain it.
I cannot square the difference between indifference and hate, in my mind. I saw Lindsey Graham’s response yesterday when he was asked if he thought there was anyway legislation would be brought about gun control.
His answer was absolutely indifferent. Like he was talking about some spoiled fruit that didn’t make the “fresh” cut in a grocery store. He added that he thought there should have been officers on site when the perpetrator chose to enter and “shoot up the place.” Indifferent? Absolutely. To the point of being removed.
The indifference is a cover for the hate he supports. It removes him from responsibility, so it is a lie. Had he said, no, there will be no legislation and children will continue to be massacred because the guns have priority, he would have been truthful, and responsible for the hate he supports.
I get the absence of emotion. But if the absence of action creates a hateful act, then isn’t the inaction a hateful act?
Graham doesn’t care if children are sacrificed for his guns (his wallet). That’s indifference. His inaction is hate. Maybe indifference is personal, hate communal?
You can’t love the children of this country and do nothing about protecting them.
So the Repuklican Barf Bubble is in fine form this morning.. a Trans person killed 3 kids.. obviously this person was NOT mentally stable but because they were trans this just turned into a shitshow of epic horror. Killing kids.. well this will light a five alarm fire with a target on every single trans person in this country.. just like the HATE towards anyone not white and Christian.(yeah I’m not white) JFC this person whether male or female committed an unthinkable act of point blank murder. AR-15’s and an automatic multimag hand gun. And now the finger pointing will begin.. THOSE PEOPLE DID THIS.. so let’s just not go there. This should not have happened.. Gun laws.. well the NRA does not want oversight and they sure as hell don’t want psych evals before purchasing a fire arm. We have a 2 nd amendment right to bear arms.. so it becomes a carte blanche anyone can buy and own a firearm. Even people not mentally fit to handle one. Now before anyone gets their panties in a wad.. I am a gun owner and I keep them in a gun safe. We have rifles and shotguns for hunting and I have my Dad’s WWII side arm. We’ve taken our adult kids out for target practice on our private property with no one around and our eldest has her own hand gun and she took classes of safe handling and proper loading and unloading and keeping ammo separate from the hand gun in storage ( just in case). We felt it was better to teach them properly about handling firearms with us and then we put them in an actual class that taught them more and it wasn’t Mommy and Daddy telling them what to do and not do. Do we go out shooting all the time.. No I haven’t gone target shooting or anything in a years.. it’s just not something I do. Dad goes hunting every year with his cousin. We all as adults try and do our best and some days are better than others. But we can all acknowledge that a firearm in the hands of someone unstable is a deadly unpredictable and dangerous combination. This could’ve been avoided. This didn’t have be to happen. Gun laws.. yes I support them. Waiting times background checks and psych evals.. when I said psych evals someone said to me well that’s not fair I’m normal.. are you?? No one is normal.. We all have baggage.. there is no right answer there are only options to mitigate as much as possible for the safest outcome to keep our rights (cause there’s no way you’re going to take away firearms from R’s) and to keep people as safe as possible. I will probably get trolled on this subject but I’m hoping that level heads will prevail. I will never own an AR15.. my fathers side arm I rarely take out of it’s case cause it’s from WWII and a beautiful historical piece. It comes down to humans. And HUMAN-ING ain’t easy.. if it was we would all be laughing being Happy and taking helium hits laughing our asses off. So I’m choosing Helium… yup I’m going to sound like a squeaky toy.. and say a prayer for those young lives that were lost. Stay safe and be kind. Hugs to all of you.
Thanks Jeff....I needed to hear this. We all needed to read this. I was so upset when I saw what the MAGA caucus was tweeting out. It is hard enough to endure their daily ignorance on any topic they decide to deride that day but this was so disgustingly low. They take to the social media and spew up vile ugly hate. I want them to have to take a mop and bucket and clean up the blood of the victims instead of just sending out a tweet of thoughts and prayer. Then we can talk.
And I understand your Muslim friend completely. There were many of us who also waited for some news after any violent event if it was a Muslim because we just knew they were going to be made the scape goat. I feared for them all the time. Still do. Not because I am a religious person (non believer to the max) but because I have seen the cruelty a subset of our citizens inflict on others who are not white Christians. And as I ranted yesterday these are not only the unwashed masses as a tweet yesterday showed a hillbilly outside his shack with beer cans all over the yard. Note sure those folks even bother to vote. The cruelty is coming from people who are my neighbors in middle class lives of plenty. They are the foot solders of the demagogues who use them to gain power. Look at how many of the J6 were military, police, business owners, employed, educated. And these people will not give up their guns to save even one life.
Another tragedy. Another day of republicans offering thoughts and prayers. Another day of the rest of humanity feeling the sorrow for the victims’ families (and, yes, I include the family of the shooter). Of the rest of humanity knowing a ban on assault weapons may not stop all mass murders, but it would certainly help. Even if it stopped one horrific event. One event that wouldn’t result in parents not tucking a child in at night with a kiss on the forehead. One event that wouldn’t result in a child going to bed without that parent or grandparent kissing them on the forehead. Our forefathers are rolling over in their graves.
The shooter's family, her father, is trash.
Dear God, don't read Empty G's latest tweet on Antifa holding a Trans Visability for Trans Genocode rally in front of the Supreme Court on April 1st. Nowhere it says Antifa. The word Visability was changed to Vengeance on her poster. She wants the DOJ to step in.
I've been around for a long time. I've witnessed the actions of many politicians, but none as horrific, uneducated and unhinged as the leader of McCarthy's posse, Empty G!
According to the news out of Nashville today, the shooter was a woman. She used male pronouns on social media. She planned this as a suicide according the friend she told.
I'm sick with worry about my two trans Grandkids. Milwaukee had 3 trans murders this year. Now it will get even worse.