Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
I don't know - these politicians we have back in the U.S. Congress are absolute tools and obstructionists. The NRA is in their pockets. I'll be shocked if anything gets through as much as I want it to occur.
Even after a tragedy of this magnitude, I doubt if any serious gun legislation will be passed. The gun cultured is just too deeply entrenched into the American psyche. Citizens who are in favor of regulating gun ownership constantly have their voices drowned out by those who call them un-American by not upholding the 2nd. Amendment. The terrible loss of lives by firearms is dismissed by gun advocates as being of little consequence because, they insist, more deaths are attributed to car accidents. We all know the arguments they put forth in order to justify the right to bear arms, to bear arms without restriction.Sadly, there will be more of these mass slaughters and the usual gun fatalities, year after year, and very little will be done to stop the madness.
I agree with both of you though my heart still hopes.
Congressmen should be forced to look at the autopsy photos of all those children .. before voting on gun laws..
I think EVERYONE should have to look at them. Maybe if everyone got an idea of the carnage left behind there would be no problem passing new laws.
3-year-old fatally shoots deputy’s wife with his gun at Tennessee cookoutA cookout in Tennessee ended in tragedy over the weekend when a 3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed the wife of a Wilson County sheriff’s deputy. According to WSMV, the toddler found the pistol and discharged it during a gathering at Deputy Daniel Fanning’s residence on Saturday. Deputies said that 48-year-old Josephine G. Fanning was dead by the time they arrived on the scene. The 3-year-old child was reportedly related to the Fannings. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) determined that the pistol belonged to Deputy Fanning. The Tennessean reported that the deputy had been in a bedroom of the home with another relative looking at guns. The child later gained access to the firearm on top of the bed when entering the bedroom with Josephine Fanning. Josephine Fanning was killed by a single gunshot, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said. Helm also said that alcohol was being consumed at the cookout. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/3-year-old-fatally-shoots-deputys-wife-with-his-gun-at-tennessee-cookout/
NRA tactics lead gun owners to think universal background checks are already lawA recent poll reveals that most Americans who say no new gun laws are needed have very little clue as to what the nation’s gun laws actually are, much to the dismay of liberals pushing for sweeping reforms in the wake of the Newtown massacre. The survey, summarized in Sunday’s New York Times by President Barack Obama’s top pollster, found that a majority of the roughly 50 percent of Americans who say no new gun laws are needed also support universal background checks and limiting magazine size — two measures that are not currently on the books. The results additionally found that most who voiced opposition to new gun laws were also unaware that people on the nation’s terrorist watch list can still purchase firearms legally. All respondents put together, the poll found an overwhelming majority of Americans — 90 percent — favor requiring background checks for every single gun purchased, either from a private individual or a licensed dealer. A further 59 percent favor banning assault rifles, and 50 percent said they support banning semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines. “This helps explain the idea behind the ubiquitous GOP talking point that we should ‘enforce existing laws before creating new ones,’” The Washington Post‘s liberal columnist Greg Sargent explained Monday. “It’s based on a gamble that many people can’t imagine that something as uncontroversial and sensible as universal background checks wouldn’t already be required.” He added that whether reforms are passed by Congress or not depends upon Democrats being able to punish Republicans for opposing “something that literally has almost universal support.” Obama proposed a series of gun control measures in January that include limiting magazine capacity to just 10 rounds, forcing all gun buyers to undergo background checks, expanding mental health programs for youths and banning dozens of models of assault rifles that were illegal from 1994-2004 before Republicans allowed the ban to expire.http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/nra-tactics-lead-gun-owners-to-think-universal-background-checks-are-already-law/
Does tougher gun control have a future?In principle, at least, most Americans want tougher gun control laws. But as the recent episodes of gun violence recede in time if not memory, the likelihood of that happening seems to be fading as well. When gun control comes up in the US Senate this week or next, 13 Republican senators promise to filibuster any strengthening of gun safety laws. “We will oppose the motion to proceed on any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions,” they wrote to Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Leading the filibuster effort is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. He has been joined by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Jim Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Dan Coats of Indiana. Meanwhile, a top White House aide acknowledges that some of what President Obama had pushed for in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre – a ban on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity gun magazines – is unlikely to make it into any legislation at the federal level. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, Dan Pfeiffer said the focus now is on “a strong, bipartisan bill that has enforceable background checks.” But he also recognizes the difficulty here because of the threatened Republican filibuster in the Senate. “If you remember, during the State of the Union, with the families of Newtown in the audience, every member of Congress stood up and applauded when the president called for an up-or-down vote on these measures,” Mr. Pfeiffer said. “Now that the cameras are off and they are not forced to look the Newtown families in the face, now they want to make it harder…. If we have a simple up-or-down vote, we can get this done.” Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates. Were such a measure put to an up-or-down vote among the American public, it likely would pass, according to a new Marist poll out last week. Sixty percent of those surveyed agreed that laws covering the sale of firearms should be more strict; 59 percent favor a ban on the sale of assault rifles; 87 percent support legislation that would require background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows. Another recent survey – this one by Quinnipiac University – finds voters supporting universal gun background checks by an even greater margin: 91 to 8 percent, including 88 percent among Republicans. But a potentially major problem for gun control advocates – and political ammunition for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other opponents – is public concern that background checks could lead to gun confiscation. By a 48 to 38 percent plurality, “American voters say that the government could use the information from universal background checks to confiscate legally-owned guns,” notes the Quinnipiac poll. Among Republicans, that concern rises to 61 percent. As Colorado and Connecticut have shown recently, passing tougher gun laws may more likely happen at the state level. Oregon, which saw a mall shooting last December, is now considering such laws as well. The bills Oregon lawmakers began considering...http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/does-tougher-gun-control-have-a-future/
Heads Up: President Obama speaks on gun violencehttp://theobamadiary.com/2013/04/08/heads-up-president-obama-speaks-on-gun-violence-2/
In the last post, Gryphen posted Sarah's simple minded opposition to Melissa Harris Perry's program which focused on the concept of "It takes a village." Melissa said that we don't have sole ownership of our children. They are part of the community. Sarah didn't understand the rich, deep concepts behind the remark, that we all are our brothers' keepers, we are all part of the same connected community-- and if we're not, we had better be.Watching 60 minutes, you felt that these people were bound together in their collective loss. They supported each other and consoled each other. And, their purpose in lobbying for gun control legislation is their concern for all of the other children who might face the same awful fate. Even though they lost loved ones, their purpose is to care for the all of the children and everyone else. They also recalled the selfless, brave people who either tried to save or did save their children. If Palin wants sole ownership of her children, then she had better hold them close because no one else will be there to rescue them or educate them or help them in any way. The relatives and families of Newtown teach Melissa's lesson of community, one that Sarah Palin, as a self-centered, selfish individual cannot possible understand.
Support the NRASupport Rand Paul and the filibusterSupport Sarah and SarahPAC
You are a traitor to the country.
I support your right to keep your head shoved up your ass.Do you support pimp Todd also?
Support little children's "right" to get their heads blown off during Circle Time?
Gryphen, I seriously hope I am wrong, but I think you are giving too much credit to our idiots in Congress!Certainly, the families of the children can get all kinds of INTERVIEWS, but I still believe that those under the control of the NRA don't give a DAMN about those same families - only the MONEY the NRA puts in the elected officials' pockets! I believe we may have to wait until the Republicans lose control in the House AND lose enough seats to give the Democrats at least 61 votes in the Senate. I believe THAT is what it is going to take: The absolute slaughter of the choke hold the Repubes have in D.C.This one issue is something I think is going to give us that situation because when Congress (or rather, those who CONTROL Congress) refuses to listen to 90% of the population, it simply proves they don't listen to what their constituents want them to do. THIS is proof.While I am usually extremely frightened of one party having total control in D.C., in this ONE case, I think it will be required to get anything serious done.And if you think I am a very strong pessimist, YOU'RE RIGHT!I am hoping the families of the Newtown children will still be willing to make their push when the 2014 elections begin.
One of the saddest and most frustrating news pieces I've ever seen. The worse was the one legislator who walked right past them the morning of the vote. God, what a heartless bitch she must be.
The NRA is a lobbying group for the gun industry. They are just like the people from the tobacco industry who told us that smoking was safe and not addictive. They are the same people who don't believe that seat belts, air bags and sped limits save lives. These are very selfish people who only care about their own self interest, and not the good of the country.
Megyn Kelly’s Powerful, Tear-Filled Fox Interview With Pro-Gun Rights Newtown ParentLast night, CBS’ 60 Minutes dedicated the majority of its show to Scott Pelley‘s interview with the grieving family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims who have come together to push for stronger gun control laws both in Connecticut and nationally. Today, Megyn Kelly invited another Newtown parent who lost a child last December on her Fox News show to explain why he opposes stricter gun control measures. http://www.mediaite.com/tv/megyn-kellys-powerful-tear-filled-fox-interview-with-pro-gun-rights-newtown-parent/
How does that NRA talking point go? Guns don't kill people, toddlers kill people?www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/3-year-old-fatally-shoots-deputys-wife-with-his-gun-at-tennessee-cookout/
If the 'Universal Background Checks' bill were simply about background checks, it would have a better chance of passing.
This is what the media should be talking about - but instead they are writing eulogies about someone who took from the poor and gave to the rich. Sandy Hook and Gabby Giffords should be front page news all day every day - until congress does its job - and gets rid of the guns.
I can't imagine how those parents are able to be so composed. I can't imagine their grief. Some of their children were dismembered and riddled with bullets. The least we can do is get universal background checks passed to start. The one father was right. Those voting against gun control should take a long look in the mirror and try to look themselves in the eye. They owe us an up or down vote, so we know exactly where they stand. They're supposed to represent the people, not the NRA and Gun Lobby.
I want to thank you for posting this. It is pretty long and it is late at night when I opened it and I did not think I would watch it all the way through. But I couldn't turn it off. And there was one place in the first segment where a dad reminded us that it is our responsibility as a community to pay attention and do something about the troubled people in our midst ... I am not saying this exactly right ... but this made me decide to make an appointment with a local school principal about a student who everyone knows is extremely troubled and is presenting a danger to others around him, and to talk to that principal and tell him that I believe the school administration is sweeping the student and his problems under the rug, and that something has to be done both for the safety of the other children and staff, and to help the child. I am going to make that call tomorrow. This program that you have shared has made a huge impact on me. Thanks again.
I made the call and have an appointment. I am keeping that father's face and voice in front of me so I don't back out.
Don't feed the trolls! It just goes directly to their thighs.
I don't know - these politicians we have back in the U.S. Congress are absolute tools and obstructionists. The NRA is in their pockets. I'll be shocked if anything gets through as much as I want it to occur.
ReplyDeleteEven after a tragedy of this magnitude, I doubt if any serious gun legislation will be passed. The gun cultured is just too deeply entrenched into the American psyche. Citizens who are in favor of regulating gun ownership constantly have their voices drowned out by those who call them un-American by not upholding the 2nd. Amendment. The terrible loss of lives by firearms is dismissed by gun advocates as being of little consequence because, they insist, more deaths are attributed to car accidents. We all know the arguments they put forth in order to justify the right to bear arms, to bear arms without restriction.
DeleteSadly, there will be more of these mass slaughters and the usual gun fatalities, year after year, and very little will be done to stop the madness.
I agree with both of you though my heart still hopes.
DeleteCongressmen should be forced to look at the autopsy photos of all those children .. before voting on gun laws..
ReplyDeleteI think EVERYONE should have to look at them. Maybe if everyone got an idea of the carnage left behind there would be no problem passing new laws.
Delete3-year-old fatally shoots deputy’s wife with his gun at Tennessee cookout
ReplyDeleteA cookout in Tennessee ended in tragedy over the weekend when a 3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed the wife of a Wilson County sheriff’s deputy.
According to WSMV, the toddler found the pistol and discharged it during a gathering at Deputy Daniel Fanning’s residence on Saturday.
Deputies said that 48-year-old Josephine G. Fanning was dead by the time they arrived on the scene. The 3-year-old child was reportedly related to the Fannings.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) determined that the pistol belonged to Deputy Fanning.
The Tennessean reported that the deputy had been in a bedroom of the home with another relative looking at guns. The child later gained access to the firearm on top of the bed when entering the bedroom with Josephine Fanning.
Josephine Fanning was killed by a single gunshot, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said.
Helm also said that alcohol was being consumed at the cookout.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/3-year-old-fatally-shoots-deputys-wife-with-his-gun-at-tennessee-cookout/
NRA tactics lead gun owners to think universal background checks are already law
ReplyDeleteA recent poll reveals that most Americans who say no new gun laws are needed have very little clue as to what the nation’s gun laws actually are, much to the dismay of liberals pushing for sweeping reforms in the wake of the Newtown massacre.
The survey, summarized in Sunday’s New York Times by President Barack Obama’s top pollster, found that a majority of the roughly 50 percent of Americans who say no new gun laws are needed also support universal background checks and limiting magazine size — two measures that are not currently on the books.
The results additionally found that most who voiced opposition to new gun laws were also unaware that people on the nation’s terrorist watch list can still purchase firearms legally.
All respondents put together, the poll found an overwhelming majority of Americans — 90 percent — favor requiring background checks for every single gun purchased, either from a private individual or a licensed dealer. A further 59 percent favor banning assault rifles, and 50 percent said they support banning semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines.
“This helps explain the idea behind the ubiquitous GOP talking point that we should ‘enforce existing laws before creating new ones,’” The Washington Post‘s liberal columnist Greg Sargent explained Monday. “It’s based on a gamble that many people can’t imagine that something as uncontroversial and sensible as universal background checks wouldn’t already be required.”
He added that whether reforms are passed by Congress or not depends upon Democrats being able to punish Republicans for opposing “something that literally has almost universal support.”
Obama proposed a series of gun control measures in January that include limiting magazine capacity to just 10 rounds, forcing all gun buyers to undergo background checks, expanding mental health programs for youths and banning dozens of models of assault rifles that were illegal from 1994-2004 before Republicans allowed the ban to expire.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/nra-tactics-lead-gun-owners-to-think-universal-background-checks-are-already-law/
Does tougher gun control have a future?
ReplyDeleteIn principle, at least, most Americans want tougher gun control laws. But as the recent episodes of gun violence recede in time if not memory, the likelihood of that happening seems to be fading as well.
When gun control comes up in the US Senate this week or next, 13 Republican senators promise to filibuster any strengthening of gun safety laws.
“We will oppose the motion to proceed on any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions,” they wrote to Senate majority leader Harry Reid.
Leading the filibuster effort is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. He has been joined by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Jim Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Dan Coats of Indiana.
Meanwhile, a top White House aide acknowledges that some of what President Obama had pushed for in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre – a ban on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity gun magazines – is unlikely to make it into any legislation at the federal level.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, Dan Pfeiffer said the focus now is on “a strong, bipartisan bill that has enforceable background checks.” But he also recognizes the difficulty here because of the threatened Republican filibuster in the Senate.
“If you remember, during the State of the Union, with the families of Newtown in the audience, every member of Congress stood up and applauded when the president called for an up-or-down vote on these measures,” Mr. Pfeiffer said. “Now that the cameras are off and they are not forced to look the Newtown families in the face, now they want to make it harder…. If we have a simple up-or-down vote, we can get this done.”
Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.
Were such a measure put to an up-or-down vote among the American public, it likely would pass, according to a new Marist poll out last week.
Sixty percent of those surveyed agreed that laws covering the sale of firearms should be more strict; 59 percent favor a ban on the sale of assault rifles; 87 percent support legislation that would require background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows.
Another recent survey – this one by Quinnipiac University – finds voters supporting universal gun background checks by an even greater margin: 91 to 8 percent, including 88 percent among Republicans.
But a potentially major problem for gun control advocates – and political ammunition for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other opponents – is public concern that background checks could lead to gun confiscation.
By a 48 to 38 percent plurality, “American voters say that the government could use the information from universal background checks to confiscate legally-owned guns,” notes the Quinnipiac poll. Among Republicans, that concern rises to 61 percent.
As Colorado and Connecticut have shown recently, passing tougher gun laws may more likely happen at the state level. Oregon, which saw a mall shooting last December, is now considering such laws as well.
The bills Oregon lawmakers began considering...
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/does-tougher-gun-control-have-a-future/
Heads Up: President Obama speaks on gun violence
ReplyDeletehttp://theobamadiary.com/2013/04/08/heads-up-president-obama-speaks-on-gun-violence-2/
In the last post, Gryphen posted Sarah's simple minded opposition to Melissa Harris Perry's program which focused on the concept of "It takes a village." Melissa said that we don't have sole ownership of our children. They are part of the community. Sarah didn't understand the rich, deep concepts behind the remark, that we all are our brothers' keepers, we are all part of the same connected community-- and if we're not, we had better be.
ReplyDeleteWatching 60 minutes, you felt that these people were bound together in their collective loss. They supported each other and consoled each other. And, their purpose in lobbying for gun control legislation is their concern for all of the other children who might face the same awful fate. Even though they lost loved ones, their purpose is to care for the all of the children and everyone else. They also recalled the selfless, brave people who either tried to save or did save their children.
If Palin wants sole ownership of her children, then she had better hold them close because no one else will be there to rescue them or educate them or help them in any way. The relatives and families of Newtown teach Melissa's lesson of community, one that Sarah Palin, as a self-centered, selfish individual cannot possible understand.
Support the NRA
ReplyDeleteSupport Rand Paul and the filibuster
Support Sarah and SarahPAC
You are a traitor to the country.
DeleteI support your right to keep your head shoved up your ass.
DeleteDo you support pimp Todd also?
Support little children's "right" to get their heads blown off during Circle Time?
DeleteGryphen, I seriously hope I am wrong, but I think you are giving too much credit to our idiots in Congress!
ReplyDeleteCertainly, the families of the children can get all kinds of INTERVIEWS, but I still believe that those under the control of the NRA don't give a DAMN about those same families - only the MONEY the NRA puts in the elected officials' pockets!
I believe we may have to wait until the Republicans lose control in the House AND lose enough seats to give the Democrats at least 61 votes in the Senate. I believe THAT is what it is going to take: The absolute slaughter of the choke hold the Repubes have in D.C.
This one issue is something I think is going to give us that situation because when Congress (or rather, those who CONTROL Congress) refuses to listen to 90% of the population, it simply proves they don't listen to what their constituents want them to do. THIS is proof.
While I am usually extremely frightened of one party having total control in D.C., in this ONE case, I think it will be required to get anything serious done.
And if you think I am a very strong pessimist, YOU'RE RIGHT!
I am hoping the families of the Newtown children will still be willing to make their push when the 2014 elections begin.
One of the saddest and most frustrating news pieces I've ever seen. The worse was the one legislator who walked right past them the morning of the vote. God, what a heartless bitch she must be.
ReplyDeleteThe NRA is a lobbying group for the gun industry. They are just like the people from the tobacco industry who told us that smoking was safe and not addictive. They are the same people who don't believe that seat belts, air bags and sped limits save lives. These are very selfish people who only care about their own self interest, and not the good of the country.
ReplyDeleteMegyn Kelly’s Powerful, Tear-Filled Fox Interview With Pro-Gun Rights Newtown Parent
ReplyDeleteLast night, CBS’ 60 Minutes dedicated the majority of its show to Scott Pelley‘s interview with the grieving family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims who have come together to push for stronger gun control laws both in Connecticut and nationally. Today, Megyn Kelly invited another Newtown parent who lost a child last December on her Fox News show to explain why he opposes stricter gun control measures.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/megyn-kellys-powerful-tear-filled-fox-interview-with-pro-gun-rights-newtown-parent/
How does that NRA talking point go? Guns don't kill people, toddlers kill people?
ReplyDeletewww.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/3-year-old-fatally-shoots-deputys-wife-with-his-gun-at-tennessee-cookout/
If the 'Universal Background Checks' bill were simply about background checks, it would have a better chance of passing.
ReplyDeleteThis is what the media should be talking about - but instead they are writing eulogies about someone who took from the poor and gave to the rich.
ReplyDeleteSandy Hook and Gabby Giffords should be front page news all day every day - until congress does its job - and gets rid of the guns.
I can't imagine how those parents are able to be so composed. I can't imagine their grief. Some of their children were dismembered and riddled with bullets.
ReplyDeleteThe least we can do is get universal background checks passed to start. The one father was right. Those voting against gun control should take a long look in the mirror and try to look themselves in the eye.
They owe us an up or down vote, so we know exactly where they stand. They're supposed to represent the people, not the NRA and Gun Lobby.
I want to thank you for posting this. It is pretty long and it is late at night when I opened it and I did not think I would watch it all the way through. But I couldn't turn it off. And there was one place in the first segment where a dad reminded us that it is our responsibility as a community to pay attention and do something about the troubled people in our midst ... I am not saying this exactly right ... but this made me decide to make an appointment with a local school principal about a student who everyone knows is extremely troubled and is presenting a danger to others around him, and to talk to that principal and tell him that I believe the school administration is sweeping the student and his problems under the rug, and that something has to be done both for the safety of the other children and staff, and to help the child. I am going to make that call tomorrow. This program that you have shared has made a huge impact on me. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI made the call and have an appointment. I am keeping that father's face and voice in front of me so I don't back out.
Delete