Thursday, December 10, 2015
Over 80 Percent Of Guns Used In Mass Shooting Obtained Legally
Bernie Sanders Devastates Republicans With Common Sense On Guns
Sanders said:
I was just at a press conference the other day talking about the need for increased gun control. I don’t think anybody believes that it’s a magic formula. Clearly, though, there is an obvious common sense consensus, though, John, in this country that guns should not be falling into the hands of people who should not be having them.
I believe we must improve and expand instant background checks. I believe we’ve got to do away with this gun show loophole. About forty percent of the guns in this country are sold outside of the purview of the instant background check process. I think we need. I agree with The New York Times. I think it does not make sense to me that we have guns designed for military purposes that can kill enormous numbers of people in a very short period of time being sold and distributed in the United States, and I support a ban on assault weapons.
I think we need to do away with the strawman provision so that people can legally buy guns and then give them to criminals. And I think we need a revolution in mental health. And that revolution is about making sure that the many thousands of people who are walking the streets of America today who are suicidal or homicidal get the help they need, and they get it now, not two months from now.
Not all, but many of the deaths from mass shootings are preventable by doing exactly what Sen. Sanders suggested. It is common sense. Guns should not be easily legally available to those individuals who have violent records and mental issues. Military grade weapons that are capable of killing dozens to hundreds of innocent people in a few minutes should not be easily available to all who want them.
A background check system is worthless if nearly half gun sales transactions are happening outside of the system. Suspected terrorists should not be able to legally buy guns.
No one is talking about destroying the Second Amendment or taking away everyone’s guns. Sen. Sanders also defended his one vote against a gun control bill, but by this point in the campaign, it should be clear to everyone that Bernie Sanders is not a friend of the NRA.
The best way to change the mass shooting enabling environment in this country is to use a some common sense. The Republican arguments against the steps that Sen. Sanders discussed make no sense.
Bernie Sanders showed that the path to defeating the gun industry runs through logic and common sense.
Sanders Just Gave The Best Response When Asked About Terrorism And Gun Control
Hillary Clinton Sends Cruz Back To The Kiddie Table By Calling Out His Idiocy
Transcript via ABC’s This Week:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Some of your potential rivals on the Republican side say we have to do more overseas as well. Cruz says we have to carpet bomb ISIS.
An example of what Clinton was referring can found in Cruz’s latest campaign ad that is running in Iowa.
In the ad, Cruz promised to rebuild the military, kill the terrorists, and never apologize for America.
What the ad doesn’t say is what Clinton pointed out. How is Cruz going to know who the terrorists are? Is he planning on killing everyone?
Cruz has taken the Trump model of empty tough talk and put it on steroids.
Republicans are trying to turn their opponent’s biggest strength into a weakness by making the presidential election about foreign policy. By following this path, they are playing into Hillary Clinton’s biggest strength. The Republican candidates have never worked in the White House. Cruz has no idea how to tell a “good guy” from a “bad guy.”
If times are really as dangerous as Republicans suggest, wouldn’t it be wise to have a president who has foreign policy experience? Clinton subtly contrasted her knowledge and experience with Cruz’s rhetoric to paint a picture of a candidate who has no idea what he is talking about.
Hillary Clinton made Cruz look clueless, and showed why the Republican presidential pretenders aren’t ready for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
California Governor BLASTS Lack Of Gun Control In Arizona, Nevada
Erickson Typifies Wingnut Insanity On Gun Control
Shooting up a NY Times op-ed that decries assault weapons is a typical response from delusional wingnut lunatics.
Apparently if You Don’t Call Them by Name, You Can Make Assault Weapons Go Away
A wingnut radio hack got Fox News' Chris Wallace to agree to be
misleading and vague by not using a term the gun industry first applied…
“[I]t agitates people … like me and my listeners, who are gun owners” that the media uses the term “assault weapon.” He added that “people who are gun owners never call — that’s not any official name of any weapon out there — an ‘assault weapon.'”
According to wingnuts who approve of lots of innocent people being gunned down on a regular basis by assault weapons, the term “assault weapon” is misleading. Yet according to Phillip Peterson Gun Digest Buyer’s Guide to Assault Weapons (2008),
The popularly held idea that the term ‘assault weapon’ originated with anti-gun activists is wrong. The term was first adopted by manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and dealers in the American firearms industry to stimulate sales of certain firearms that did not have an appearance that was familiar to many firearms owners. The manufacturers and gun writers of the day needed a catchy name to identify this new type of gun.And Media Matters pointed out that,
Wingnuts in media have adopted the false National Rifle Association claim that the term “assault weapon” was invented by proponents of assault weapons bans in order to arbitrarily single out certain firearms for further regulation. However, before the gun industry trade association attempted to rebrand assault weapons as “modern sporting rifles” in 2009 — a change in terminology also adopted by the NRA — the gun industry and firearm publications routinely used the term assault weapon to describe the very military-style semi-automatic rifles that would be covered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban.But Chris Wallace replied like the docile little Fox News 'personality' that he is:
[…]
The truth is that military-style semi-automatic rifles were called assault weapons because that is what gun manufacturers and gun enthusiasts called them. The term has played a key role in the ongoing effort of the gun industry to rebrand and market military-style weaponry to civilians. Now, as legislation supported by a majority of Americans has been proposed to ban these weapons, the NRA and its gun industry and media allies are using semantics and terminology arguments to downplay the dangers of a class of weapons often associated with horrific mass shootings and law enforcement killings.
“[I]f that’s something that ticks people off because it’s so imprecise, and such a kind of cover word that means nothing, I don’t want to do that.” He then pledged, “You will not hear the word assault weapon out of my mouth on Sunday. I may fall back into it later, but on Sunday I will be more precise”
Take a listen courtesy of Media Matters for America:
WALLACE: Thank you for the information, because if that’s something that ticks people off because it’s so imprecise, and such a kind of cover word that means nothing, I don’t want to do that.Maybe we can just call them “spoons” from now on. It’s much less threatening. The problem is, these are a class of weapons. They are not shotguns. They are not hunting rifles of the traditional variety. They are semi-automatic, can take flash suppressors or muzzle breaks, they use detachable, high capacity magazines, and have folding or collapsible stocks.
ALLMAN: Yeah it’s almost like it’s an — and again, I’m not accusing you of this. It’s almost like an editorial description of a gun. And that’s all I’m saying is that it drives a lot of us crazy when we hear assault weapon because —
WALLACE: I don’t want you to be driven crazy.
ALLMAN: No, I’m just saying if I can have an impact on a premier journalist like yourself, then I think I’ve made some headway.
WALLACE: Well, OK, no, listen.
ALLMAN: And we all fall into that.
WALLACE: You will not hear the word assault weapon out of my mouth on Sunday. I may fall back into it later, but on Sunday I will be more precise.
ALLMAN: That’s good, OK.
We have to call them something, don’t we? It is not those who use the term “assault weapon” who are trying to be misleading.
And after all, as pointed out, we leftists didn’t invent the term; the industry did. The military M-16 is an assault rifle. The AR-15 so popular these days, and used in the San Bernadino shootings, was a precursor to the M-16 and was itself originally developed for the military. Why not call a spade a spade?
And if these things are favored by sportsmen and for home defense, they are also favored by home-grown domestic terrorists.
As CBS News pointed out Friday,
An AR-15 was used to kill nine people at Umpqua Community College in Oregon in October.Controversial the term may be, but many terms are controversial and others that are not, ought to be (pro-life comes glaringly to mind as part of this discussion), and we cannot make assault weapons go away by calling them something else. All we can do is sanitize the term in order to downplay the dangerous nature of these weapons.
It was also the weapon used in the murders of 12 people at a Colorado movie theater in 2012.
And an AR-15 was used in the 2012 murders of 20 first graders and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut.
Sure, any gun can kill somebody, but see how far you get taking an old bolt-action rifle into a theater. Even terrifying as a sawed off shotgun is, you won’t get many shots off before you’re overpowered. The assault weapon does what the assault weapons is supposed to do. It’s just that we should not be allowing it to do that against civilians in our own schools, businesses, and theaters.
Funding Ban Prevents Research on Gun Violence
A little-known law bans federal research on gun violence.
Kasich Reveals His Stupid: Let Terrorists Buy Guns So They Don’t Know They’re Being Watched
It seems the Republican cabal is so scared of the NRA that they’re even willing to defend the rights of terrorists to buy guns.Rubio Whines ‘Everyday Americans’ On Terror List Need Guns
Rubio is whining about “everyday Americans” on the terrorism watch list not being able to buy guns.
Paranoia-Rama: San Bernardino Truthers, Attack Of The Witches and Palin's Prophetic Warning
While Trump’s friends
at Fox News are defending his false statements about Muslim-Americans,
the wingnut front-runner’s new friends at InfoWars are floating conspiracy
theories of their own about the San Bernardino shooting. MORE
Alabama Republicans clearly worried about voter ID suit
Their go-to defenses of the law and its implementation are patently false.
Supreme Court slaps down maker of Planned Parenthood videos
David Daleiden, the anti-choice hack behind
the videos, asked Justice Anthony Kennedy to block an order from a
district judge to hand over the names of his organization’s supporters
and donors. Kennedy denied the request.
Florida teabagger splits with delusion over solar power
Dooley is taking on Big Energy and its
big-spending wingnut backers in an intriguing fight that puts her
toe-to-toe with her onetime political allies.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Daily Drift
Welcome to Today's Edition of The Truth Be Told.
The Truth Be Told is read in 205 countries around the world.
Republicans are completely corrupt - It is time to end them ... !
Don't forget to visit our sister blog Carolina Naturally
Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Brazil - Canada - Dominican Republic - Nicaragua - Puerto Rico - United States
Europe
Albania
- Austria - Bulgaria - Denmark - England - Finland - France - Germany -
Hungary - Ireland Italy - Luxembourg - Netherlands - Norway - Poland -
Portugal - Romania - Russia - Scotland
Serbia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Ukraine - Wales
Asia
Burma
- Hong Kong - India - Indonesia - Israel - Japan - Korea - Malaysia -
Mauritius - Pakistan Saudi Arabia - Singapore - Thailand - United Arab
Emirates - Vietnam
Africa
Angola - Morocco - Tunisia
The Pacific
Australia - New Zealand
Editorial Comment
Again this week we find that the volume of offal, flotsam, jetsam and things otherwise foul being spewed by the wingnuts to be extremely high - so much so, that we have decided to expand to our weekend format two days earlier in the week to try and report as much of it as we can.
Thanks for stopping by.
Have Fun, Be Happy
President Obama Shows Republicans How It’s Done Via True Leadership In Dark Moments
President
Barack Obama convenes a meeting in the Situation Room to discuss the
latest on the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 .
The Press Secretary informs us that the President will also address the broader threat of terrorism, and a belief “that the United States must draw upon our values – our unwavering commitment to justice, equality and freedom – to prevail over terrorist groups that use violence to advance a destructive ideology.”
Earlier Saturday, the President got an update from FBI Director Comey, Attorney General Lynch, Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson, and his intelligence community leadership on the ongoing investigation into the horrific shootings in San Bernardino, California.
According to a Readout of the President’s Update provided by the White House, at the time of the update the team had “pieces of information that point to the perpetrators being radicalized to violence to commit these heinous attacks.” However, there is no proof yet that the San Bernardino murderers were part of a “broader” terrorist cell, “The President’s team also affirmed that they had as of yet uncovered no indication the killers were part of an organized group or formed part of a broader terrorist cell.”
Read here:
The President this morning received an update from FBI Director Comey, Attorney General Lynch, Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson, and his intelligence community leadership on the ongoing investigation into the horrific shootings in San Bernardino, California. The President was briefed on the latest details of the investigation. The President’s team highlighted several pieces of information that point to the perpetrators being radicalized to violence to commit these heinous attacks. The President’s team also affirmed that they had as of yet uncovered no indication the killers were part of an organized group or formed part of a broader terrorist cell. The FBI added that, in coordination with local authorities, they are utilizing all necessary resources to pursue any and all leads in their terrorism investigation. The President directed his team to take all measures necessary to continue to protect the American people, which remains his highest priority.President Obama is on the job and using his trademark caution and due diligence before making pronouncements. At the same time, he’s doing what a good president needs to do when the nation has been shaken to its core by the kind of unthinkable violence demonstrated in the San Bernardino attacks — he’s out front, calming nerves, and leading.
Wingnut Cover-up? Memos Reveal Reagan And the shrub's Daddy Warned Of Climate Change Threat
Recently released confidential internal memos of the Reagan and elder shrub White Houses reveal they knew about global warming and warned that
climate change posed a national security threat.The documents portray senior officials in the two Republican juntas pressing for an aggressive response to international environmental issues of the day – including, during the shrub’s term, climate change. The memos reflect the moderate stance on climate change adopted by Republican leaders both in the White House and in Congress throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Here’s an example from a State Department memo in Feb. 1989 in a newly inaugurated the elder shrub's junta:
The same memo goes on to suggest an administration climate action plan, including a call for ‘an international climate convention’ – not unlike the COP21 Paris Climate Conference presently underway (to the chagrin of current Republicans!):
In another memo sent to then-Secretary of State James A. Baker III in Feb. 1989, acting assistant secretary Richard J. Smith presented climate change as an opportunity for U.S. leadership:
I turns out that as the world’s leaders were addressing climate change in Paris this week – just as the Reagan and elder shrub juntas called for – today’s Republican’s were moving to stifle any discussion and to tie the president’s hands on climate leadership, voting just days ago to kill his Clean Power Plan in congress.
When it comes to acknowledging that climate change is real and a ‘national security threat,’ and pushing for strong US leadership on the issue, Republicans have very short memories.
Here are the Embarrassing Poll Numbers You Definitely Won’t Hear Trump Bragging About
We all know by now that Donald Trump absolutely loves to brag about how
“great” he is – especially when it comes to his poll numbers. Then
again, as an egotistical narcissist, it’s obvious he tries to validate
himself and his ignorance with these numbers. It’s comical and actually
fairly pathetic; he’s even gone so far as to brag that the San
Bernardino massacre will cause his numbers to rise.Well, an embarrassing poll result you won’t see Trump brag about is that
these same polls also show a good chunk of his support comes from
people who aren’t highly educated. In fact, in both the latest CNN/ORC
and Quinnipiac polls you can make a sound scientific correlation that
the less educated someone is, the more likely it is that they’re a Trump
supporter. In the CNN/ORC poll, only 18 percent of those supporting
Trump said they had a college degree.
To be fair, Carson (19 percent), Cruz (22 percent) and Rubio (19 percent) didn’t fare much better. I guess it’s safe to assume that the more educated someone is, the less likely they are to vote Republican – though that’s something liberals have known for quite a long time.
To be fair, Carson (19 percent), Cruz (22 percent) and Rubio (19 percent) didn’t fare much better. I guess it’s safe to assume that the more educated someone is, the less likely they are to vote Republican – though that’s something liberals have known for quite a long time.
Trump Mocked Disabled People, So Disabled People Mock Trump
After Trump mocked a disabled reporter, these disabled people made a video mocking Trump. And it’s great. Mainstream Media Embarrasses America By Destroying San Bernardino Shooting Crime Scene
MSNBC, CNN, the BBC, ITV and CBS News all aired reports live from inside the apartment where the shooters lived after they claimed that the owner of the property invited the media in and gave them access to a crime scene.
CNN crime analyst Harry Houck explained how the media destroyed a crime scene.
Houck said:
I’m having chills down my spine what I’m seeing here. This apartment clearly is full of evidence. I don’t see any fingerprint dust on the walls where they went in there and checked for fingerprints of other people who might have been connected with these two. You’ve got documents laying all over the place. You’ve got shredded documents that need to be taken out of there and put together to see what was shredded. You’ve got passports. You’ve got drivers licenses. Now you have thousands of fingerprints all over inside this crime scene. There should have been some crime scene tape up there. Usually in an instance like this, crime scene goes in, does the work, and comes out. You still keep that scene locked up, and with a sign on board saying you can’t come in until the police release it. The fact is maybe they did not do that here.
If the police are watching this right now they better be on their way down there to stop this from happening. This is. I am shaking over it. That’s how irresponsible this is by law enforcement for letting this happen.
Some journalists like CNN’s Anderson Cooper and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell commented on how strange and bizarre the scene of journalists acting like a pack of wild animals while trashing a crime scene was, but it was also completely irresponsible behavior from an American mainstream media that values sensationalism over all else.
The media destroyed evidence of a potential act of terror, and here is what they found:
A screwdriver (the Tweet says popsicle, but it is really a screwdriver)
baby toys
MSNBC got into the apartment first and was deemed the most reckless by showing close-ups of family photos and IDs:MSNBC outed the identities and personal information of possibly innocent people on national television.
The whole scene was appalling and represented the very worst in mainstream journalism.
The media claimed that the owner of the apartment allowed them to come in, but the landlord claims that he opened the door, and the media rushed in behind him.
CNN claimed that law enforcement showed up and escorted the landlord away.
In a mainstream press that has become nothing but an endless series of lowlights, the fiasco is the lowest of the low.
A Fed Up Obama Calls Republicans Insane For Supporting Selling Guns To Terrorists
The President said:
This weekend, our hearts are with the people of San Bernardino—another American community shattered by unspeakable violence. We salute the first responders—the police, the SWAT teams, the EMTs—who responded so quickly, with such courage, and saved lives. We pray for the injured as they fight to recover from their wounds.
Most of all, we stand with 14 families whose hearts are broken. We’re learning more about their loved ones—the men and women, the beautiful lives, that were lost. They were doing what so many of us do this time of year—enjoying the holidays. Celebrating with each other. Rejoicing in the bonds of friendship and community that bind us together, as Americans. Their deaths are an absolute tragedy, not just for San Bernardino, but for our country.
It is entirely possible that these two attackers were radicalized to commit this act of terror. And if so, it would underscore a threat we’ve been focused on for years—the danger of people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies. We know that ISIL and other terrorist groups are actively encouraging people—around the world and in our country—to commit terrible acts of violence, often times as lone wolf actors. And even as we work to prevent attacks, all of us—government, law enforcement, communities, faith leaders—need to work together to prevent people from falling victim to these hateful ideologies.
More broadly, this tragedy reminds us of our obligation to do everything in our power, together, to keep our communities safe. We know that the killers in San Bernardino used military-style assault weapons—weapons of war—to kill as many people as they could. It’s another tragic reminder that here in America it’s way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun.
For example, right now, people on the No-Fly list can walk into a store and buy a gun. That is insane. If you’re too dangerous to board a plane, you’re too dangerous, by definition, to buy a gun. And so I’m calling on Congress to close this loophole, now. We may not be able to prevent every tragedy, but—at a bare minimum—we shouldn’t be making it so easy for potential terrorists or criminals to get their hands on a gun that they could use against Americans.
Today in San Bernardino, investigators are searching for answers. Across our country, our law enforcement professionals are tireless. They’re working around the clock—as always—to protect our communities. As President, my highest priority is the security and safety of the American people. This is work that should unite us all—as Americans—so that we’re doing everything in our power to defend our country. That’s how we can honor the lives we lost in San Bernardino. That’s how we can send a message to all those who would try to hurt us. We are Americans. We will uphold our values—a free and open society. We are strong. And we are resilient. And we will not be terrorized.
Republicans have abandoned all common sense. Opposition to any limitation on gun ownership for anyone has moved from a policy position to a firm conviction of belief.
President Obama has been dealing with Republican ideologues who inflexibly govern by belief for most of his presidency, but mass shootings are a matter of life and death. Republicans have demonstrated since the San Bernardino shootings that they are unwilling to take action for the good of the country even when innocent Americans are being massacred on a regular basis.
What was proposed wasn’t radical. The amendment would have closed a loophole that allowed suspected terrorists to buy guns legally in the United States, and Republicans said no.
One of the main reasons why the Republican cabal is poised to continue their presidential election losing streak is that that they have become slaves to their own ideology. Like the radical extremists that they claim to despise, Republicans view their way as the only way.
President Obama has had enough, and one gets the sense that the Republican refusal to use common sense is pushing him towards more executive actions.
Obama White House Rips Republicans For Voting To Legally Sell Guns To Terrorists
The Hill reported:
White House press secretary Josh Earnest lashed out at Republicans who “stood up once again with the NRA [National Rifle Association] and in the face of common sense” to block measures to expand background checks and bar individuals on terrorist watch lists from purchasing firearms.
“Why on Earth do we think it’s a good idea for somebody that the government thinks is too dangerous to board a plane to be able to buy a gun?” Earnest asked. “But, once again Republicans blocked that legislation that would make that illegal. So we’ve got some work to do.”
The legislation that Republicans blocked is common sense. If a person is on the terror watch list, they should not be allowed to legally buy weapons.
However, Republicans claim that they are worried about “due process” for individuals who are on the terror watch list. The reality is that Republicans are opposed to every piece of legislation that would harm the industry because potential terrorist dollars are just as important to the gun lobby as cash from the gun collector or hunter who lives down the street.
Mass shootings will continue to happen in the United States because it is too easy for terrorists and killers to get military grade weapons. The San Bernardino shooters had high power guns, body armor, and armor piercing bullets.
Senate Republicans deserved to be ripped to shreds, because when they were given the choice between the terrorist enabling gun lobby or saving innocent American lives, they sided with enabling terrorists.
Democrats Hammer Republicans For Allowing 2,000 Terror Suspects To Legally Buy Guns
As House Republicans continue to protect terrorists' legal ability to
purchase deadly weapons, the facts are staggering: according to the
GAO, over the last 11 years, more than…
The press release shows just how tragic this Congress of NRA stooges really is, because it’s not just a partisan issue and it’s not just that the public supports this and it’s not just that it’s only sane to check for known terrorists before selling a gun to someone, but it’s come to Republicans blocking a Republican bill on an issue supported by the public, terrorism experts, and even NRA members themselves (not to be confused with the NRA’s actual purpose, which is currently as a lobbying organization for gun manufacturers).
Here’s the memo. First, they note the three votes this week alone to block King’s (R-NY) bill that would close the loophole that lets known terrorists buy guns legally:
House Republicans voted three times this week to block debate on Republican Congressman Peter King’s Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, which would close the outrageous loophole that allows suspects on the FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist to buy guns.The Dem Leader’s office then cited none other than the shrub junta and various Republicans:
As House Republicans continue to protect terrorists’ legal ability to purchase deadly weapons, the facts are staggering: according to the GAO, over the last 11 years, more than 2,000 suspects on the FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist bought weapons in the United States. More than 90 percent of all suspected terrorists who tried to buy guns in America walked away with the weapon they wanted over the time period.
REPUBLICANS, COUNTER-TERRORISM & LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERTS, NRA MEMBERS SAY: STOP PROTECTING TERRORISTS’ ABILITY TO PURCHASE GUNSThey cited former FBI Director Robert Muller and Counter-Terrorism expert from the shrub junta Richard Clarke:
The shrub junta:
“The [shrub] Justice Department proposed legislation…that would give the attorney general discretion to bar terrorism suspects from buying firearms, seeking to close a gap in federal gun laws.” [4/07]
Republican Former NJ Governor Tom Kean:
“Congress has also failed to close a gap in federal law that prevents the FBI from blocking a sale to an individual under investigation for terrorist activity…The Bush administration asked Congress to authorize the FBI to block gun sales to terrorist suspects, to no avail… If lawmakers fail to close gaps in the background check system…the next terrorist shooting on American soil will be shocking, but it will not be surprising.” [11/09]
Republican Congressman Peter King:
“[It is] more important than ever that we have the toughest laws in place to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists…any type of weapons they could use against Americans…This is clearly a terrorist loophole, where terrorists – even if a person’s name is on the terrorist watch list, they can go out and purchase a weapon. This should be a bipartisan issue. The Bush Administration supported my legislation, and now the Obama Administration is supporting it as well. This should clearly be a bipartisan issue. We should not allow people on the terrorist watch list to purchase a weapon.” [5/10]
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller:They cited gun owners and NRA members (again, don’t confuse the actual people who belong to the NRA with the NRA’s real purpose of selling as many guns as they can, which suggests that having people terrified of terrorists is actually good business for the NRA):
“FBI Director Robert Mueller suggested Tuesday that Congress consider barring terrorism suspects from legally buying guns after an audit found that 47 people on a terrorism watch list were approved for purchases last year… ‘We ought to look at what can be done to perhaps modify the law,’ Mueller told members of a House Appropriations subcommittee.” [3/05]
Richard Clarke, Counter-Terrorism Expert in the shrub junta
Imagining a hypothetical terrorist attack at the Mall of America: “It had not been hard for the terrorists to buy all their guns legally, in six different states across the Midwest.” [1/05]
Gun owners and NRA Members:And gee, law enforcement is also on board:
According to a 2012 poll, 71 percent of current or former NRA members and 80 percent of the other gun owners support preventing people on a terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. [7/12]
Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly:What we have here is a failure to justify outrageous and deadly and disgusting behavior.
“All of our collective efforts would benefit from the passage of this bill, which would exclude anyone who is on the terror watch list from being able to legally purchase a gun, obtain a permit to buy explosives, or a license to sell them,” [5/10]
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP):
“The IACP has long advocated for laws that prevent individuals who pose a danger to society or themselves from purchasing firearms. As you know, under current law an individual wishing to purchase a firearm must undergo a background check, having their name run through the National Instant Background Check System. Certain individuals—such as those convicted of a felony or those listed on the FBI’s Violent Gang List—cannot legally purchase firearms. S.1237 would properly classify those who are on the terror watch list prohibited purchases.” [3/08]
Republicans have no excuse for being such cowardly stooges of the NRA that they will not even take action to prevent terrorists from purchasing guns legally, even in a year when we have had more mass shootings than days. How can logical people conclude anything other than this is the plan. The plan is to make money for the NRA by encouraging people’s worst fears by promoting domestic terrorist attacks with easy access to weapons.
Republicans in the Senate and the House have spent this week, days after the Planned Parenthood terrorist attack and the San Bernardino terrorist attack, refusing to even try to prevent terrorists from easy access to weapons.
‘TREASON’: Father of reporter shot on live TV calls out politicians who refuse to act on gun control
Republicans Wrong Again As Majority See Attack on Planned Parenthood as Terrorism
Republicans are on the wrong side again, as 52% see the attack on
Planned Parenthood as terrorism and half of Americans think that
anti-abortion groups encourage violence. These are not good numbers for a party that is hanging on by a cultural divide thread.
According to research from a YouGov/HuffPost poll published Friday, 52% of Americans polled view the attack in which Robert Dear killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last week as an act of terrorism.
The news gets worse for Republicans, because although there is a partisan divide noted in the analysis of the poll, with two-thirds of Democrats saying it was terrorism and a full half of Republicans say that it was not a terrorist attack, Independents side with calling it a terrorist attack 50% to 32%.
If you don’t live under a rock, you’ve seen the conservative claims that killing people who are performing or supporting or getting an abortion is a legitimate form of protest. While those people are most likely outliers for the anti-abortion crowd, the violent, bloody rhetoric and lies perpetrated by elected officials about Planned Parenthood can’t be denied. It is mainstream and it has a big old “R” branded on its forehead.
That’s not a great position to be in when a party is clinging to alleged moral superiority as a lifeboat.
Republicans might have left things as they were, with public opinion shifting gradually toward various ways of limiting choice (even while supporting choice as an overall value) according to polls over the last decade. But instead they chose to try to double down and use anti-abortion beliefs as a get-out-the-vote tactic, not only encouraging but elevating crack pot conspiracy artists calling themselves journalists, as they violated laws and ethics in an attempt to smear abortion providers.
While these tactics worked for a while and they certainly aren’t helping the general perception of abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, there’s another, more politically dangerous side to this story.
The poll showed that 49% of Americans believe that the actions of anti-abortion groups encourage violence. Only 27% say they don’t think this is so. The analysis pointed out that there is divide on this even among Republicans, “37% of Republicans believe that the actions of anti-abortion groups encourage violence while just under half (47%) say that their actions do not encourage violence.”
Following the Republican cabal’s televised false attacks on Planned Parenthood, which included deceptively edited videos and false graphs, a Planned Parenthood in Thousand Oaks, California burned in what authorities investigated as an arson attack. The same clinic had been attacked weeks earlier. This is but one example of the ongoing violence aimed at abortion providers and doctors.
Republicans have hung their hats on playing off of the resentments of the fading white male dominance. Abortion is just one piece of that puzzle, as it represents women’s freedom to choose their own destiny and have full agency over their bodies and full personhood rights. Abortion was the one area where Republicans were making headway, but once again, playing to extremists by pushing known lies and jacked up rhetoric meant to incite blind rage has backfired politically.
Innocent people have been murdered due in part to this inflammatory rhetoric and lies the U.S. Congress continues to elevate. These facts are proof that the alleged “pro-life” movement is not about protecting actual life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)