F#@% Thoughts and Prayers

Hey, GOP congresspeople, Fuck your thoughts and prayers. They are meaningless and most likely, not even heartfelt. Every time there is another mass shooting, that is the only thing presented by these folks (I wanted to use a harsher word) for those effected by the shooting.

On many occasions, I’ve blogged about mass shootings and gun violence. I’ve even pointed out that the 2^nd Amendment was not designed to help gun ownership, but to help arm militias/slave patrols. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the idea that the 2^nd was all about gun ownership took shape.

Before that time, the NRA was mainly a sporting organization (not a gun lobby) and supported gun control and the courts largely believed that guns could be highly regulated.

Who can forget how quickly politicians enacted regulations when one of the scariest events (to white people) in US history happened: The Black Panthers marched around a city with guns!

Yeah, didn’t take long to take those guns away. But that was in the 60s. It began to change in the 70s when the NRA realized they could make big bucks by lobbying for gun manufacturers. Sharing that loot with politicians quickly followed and of course, legislation to control weapons became impossible. Even if the majority of Americans supported regulation.

In the past, I’ve suggested some simple things to start curbing possible mass shootings.

• Universal background checks. This should cover every single gun purchase.

• Liability insurance for gun owners. Just imagine how much influence the insurance industry would exert for gun control after they began to pay out huge insurance claims after a shooting.

These are simple examples, but there are more that could happen. Other countries require mandatory training. Some include license requirements for every gun. Japan has an extensive psychiatric interview for prospective buyers.

None of these will happen though because the GOP is so completely owned by the gun lobby.

So, I’ve included numerous memes that you can share if you decide to encounter said politicians or even your gun nut Uncle Joe when he visits you during the holidays.

I wish the best to the people of Nashville who have had to experience our latest mass shooting and I’m sorry that we as a nation cannot get a small contingent of right-wing politicians to do what is needed.

Ahh, James Thurber

 The Thurber Brigade apologizes for yet another sidestep about a mass shooting. We seem to do this quite often, and it's because mass shootings happen so often.  There have been over 100 this year already and we're only three months into the year. The Brigade can't enact legislation, congress-folk don't listen to us or anybody (but the gun lobbies), so we're left with writing about it and hope that said politicians will begin to feel the disdain we all hold for them on this and maybe, maybe they'll do something for once.

 

 

It's So Easy—To Buy a Gun

Nineteen children have been murdered in Uvalde, Texas, and although it is horrific, it's not surprising. In Texas, it's easy to buy an assault gun—that’s only function is to kill—even if you are only 18. 

An 18-year-old cannot buy a beer, but a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot buy a cigarette, but a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot get a loan for a house without an older co-signer, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot rent a car, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot receive an unrestricted driver’s license, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot work at or go into a strip club, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot ride a motorcycle without a helmet, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot gamble at a casino or buy a lottery ticket, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

As a veteran and beer drinker, it is particularly galling that an 18-year-old can enlist in the army to go die for his/her country but cannot go buy a beer. Oh, and although they cannot get a drink to drown their sorrows, they can go and buy an AR-15 and blow away kids because the person is upset.

Adults in Texas don't want their children to read books about slavery or about homosexuals, but they have no problem with teenagers buying high-capacity magazines and unlimited quantities of ammunition. 

Face it, America is awash in guns. There are 120 guns for every 100 people. More than any other country. More guns just makes it easier to kill. You get mad, you just pull your gun and take care of it. In previous blogs, I've complained how this is the habit of our police. A civilian runs away from a traffic ticket, a cop is more likely to pull a gun than chase him. This is the way the public does it too. You are pissed at a neighbor so instead of giving him the finger, you get your gun.

Okay, this may not happen every time, but you know it does happen and you also know it happens a lot. That's why you read about a gun being drawn at a football game. A gun fight at a restaurant. A husband shoots his wife. It's easy because guns are easy to come by.

Beto O'Rourke confronted Texas governor Greg Abbott at a news conference and told him this was “on him.” Although you may not like his tactics, it was appropriate as the GOP will only offer thoughts and prayers in a hollow gesture of grief for the victims, but they refuse to do anything that might stop these events from happening again and again.

In fact, here in Texas they do the opposite. They make it easier. So, a child of 18 can buy as much ammo as he wants. Can buy as many assault rifles as he needs. Can buy multiple high capacity magazines and no one bats an eye. 

It's easy.

We won't see an end of these horrible events until we make it not so easy.

Ahhh, James Thurber

A while back, I told myself I wasn’t going to do any more sidesteps about mass shootings or police murdering civilians because I had done so many before. So I took some time off from those types of sidesteps. However, seeing those young, innocent faces of the victims in Uvalde brought too many tears to my eyes—and enraged me. Like so many other people, I keep thinking “when will this end?” But it won’t end. It won’t end because we have a political party (GOP) who get so much money and support from the NRA that they will never change laws that might end these horrible events, no matter how many innocent lives are lost. So, I can’t change that decrepit party, but I can at least make fun of them and write blogs to chastise them. I hope to get back to things like how men have different attitudes about farting than women, or how women are so much better a guilt trips than men, but who knows?