This is deja vu vu vu — meaning we’ve been over this same *%(@#l% ground so many times that it’s a broken record. There are no new arguments or original insights to be made. It’s meaningful that this latest massacre happened in open-carry Texas, which means that all the good guys with guns should have been able to stop the bad guy with a gun — again.

At the time of this writing, there are five dead, twenty-one injured, including a 17 month old baby, who was shot in the face, according to News Watch 9. Y’all enjoying your guns today?

So far crickets from John Cornyn or Ted Cruz. They’re probably too busy consoling Wayne LaPierre and Oliver North. Governor Greg Abbot issued the usual statement about how heartbreaking it all is and Texans will unite, bla bla.

These stats are so clear. So unambiguous. This is not neurosurgery. This is about the Senate reconvening and passing H.R. 8 — which should have happened weeks ago. But no, McConnell fell down in his house and sprained his shoulder, so he needed to stay on vacation, Trump’s busy on the golf course, what else is new? And Americans are bleeding and dying, once again.

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Do we have to listen to more idiocy on Fox News about how schools should be made into police states with armed teachers? Bear in mind that in the recent Pennsylvania shooting, it took sixty cops to stop one bad guy with a gun — and he shot six of them, first. But put a revolver in our Miss Brooks’ hands, and she’s going to keep everybody safe? So, we’re going to have another re-run of that argument, maybe?

Or, maybe the NRA will blame cars this time. The Midland shooter was able to do so much damage because he had a car, not because he had a gun? Seriously, I’m waiting to hear that one. Maybe transportation is the real issue, and if we all go to work on roller skates, then another shooting like this won’t occur.

Every time this happens, the same question is asked: How many more dead, injured, orphaned, widowed, heart broken people do we need before the NRA-owned Republicans start doing the job they were elected to do? Same situation, same question, only the date on the calendar is different. What will it take for this time to be the time that gets results? Because if we can’t get results after this most recent atrocity, so close on the heels of Philadelphia, Dayton, El Paso and Gilford, maybe there is no more government of the people, by the people, for the people. Maybe an oligarchy of 1-percenters and special interests do in fact run the show, and this is just how we’re going to have to live. Has it come to that?

This ain’t no party. This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no foolin’ around. The Senate needs to go into emergency session and pass H.R. 8.

 

 

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1 COMMENT

  1. Midland and Odessa are in CD11 – Mike Conaway’s district. Lubbock, where the baby was medevacced, is CD19 – Jodey Arrington, and he’s a liar and so far right that he’s over the edge.

    • Like I said in the other thread, time to clean House. Maybe I’ll go look for my chart of politicians who received money from the NRA and see where those two rank.

        • Someone on MSNBC made a really good point…I think it was Maddox, but I’m really tired right now and honestly it could have been Hayes or O’Donnell.

          Anyway…the point was we can’t really focus on the direct campaign contributions, because that’s not really where the most impact from the NRA is coming from.

          While they’re giving a Congressman (think I’m safe to use masculine noun there) a couple thousand, which is nothing, at the same time they’re using the NRA as a massive network of conservative advertising, data collection and political operatives. They pour millions of dollars into issues that have nothing to do with guns…but everything to do with electing republicans.

          For example, in 2016 they gave $1 million to elected Republican campaigns. But they spent $54 million on “issue ads” pushing conservative causes. Consider that…that breaks down to like $250k per Republican House member.

          So every Republican is reaping massive benefits from the indirect advertising and advocacy the NRA pushes. Those GOPers who claim they don’t take NRA money know very well that thousand in their district have been influenced by the group to their benefit.

        • Just took a look at the Wiki article on “Cook Partisan Voting Index” and went to the “By Congressional district” section (have to expand it–you know, 435 of them and all) and maybe that gives some insight as to why that “relatively small money” is so “relatively small.”
          If Conaway’s in TX-11, the district has a Cook rating of R+32 while Arrington’s TX-19 is a paltry R+27 (they’re both among the Top 12 most Republican districts in the entire country and they rate as the 2nd and 5th most Republican in Texas). The NRA probably figures there’s little reason to contribute too heavily. Both men easily trounced their Democratic opponents in 2018 (Conaway by 80-18; Arrington by 75-25) which wasn’t any real surprise aside from the fact that neither had any Democratic opponent in 2016 (both had Libertarian opponents and Arrington had a Green Party opponent but trounced those opponents by some 10 more percentage points).
          I can’t imagine the NRA is going to put more than a mere token sum on a “sure thing” that pays $2 for every $5 bet.

  3. I’m readign stories about the Midland-IOdessa shootings, and seeing stuff like one of the mayors and the Odessa medical center director saying stuff like “all we can do is pray”. Dudes, there’s a lot you can do beyond prayers. Try voting out people who think that more guns are the answer. Try voting for people who back tighter gun controls and registration/licensing requirements. Try not supporting NRA-backed politicians, FFS.

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