A Very Important Anniversary Today

Three years ago today, 17 students and educators were killed and 17 more were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas—the deadliest high school shooting in US History. 

In just a day, countless students, teachers, staff, and family members were burdened with unimaginable grief and trauma. No parent should lose their child to an unspeakable act of hatred. No child should fear for their safety in the place they’re meant to learn and flourish.

Today, we remember the Parkland 17. And we will continue honoring all victims and survivors with action. 

Please join us. Let's work together on this. We are, we must be, better than this.

GUN CRAZED AMERICA

Now is the Time to Discuss Gun Safety & Insist on Appropriate Gun Laws !!!

Entertainment Overnight -- Hey, What's That Sound?

March For Our Lives, Washington, DC, Kansas City, all over the nation.


Hey, what's that sound? from Paul Howard on Vimeo.

#enoughisenough

March For Our Lives Kansas City----This Saturday!!

In coordination with the national March For Our Lives in Washington, DC with the students from Parkland, Florida.

The March For Our Lives takes place Saturday in Kansas City, Mo., as well as in our nation's capital and more than 700 other locales. Beginning at noon locally, this is our chance to show that overwhelming numbers of Americans of all ages support new restrictions on gun purchases and ownership. Background checks for every gun sale in America and other common sense regulations for the sale and possession of lethal weapons -- and the gadgets that increase their killing potential -- are necessary in order to increase public safety and reduce gun violence.

Please come out to rally at Theis Park (formerly Volker Park), just south of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where a full program of speakers and performers will be dishing up plenty of food for thought along with creative artistry. When the program winds down about 3 p.m., those who wish to march will embark on a solemn memorial march to the Plaza and back, remembering the 17 lives taken last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; the 206 lives taken in school shootings since the Columbine High School tragedy in Colorado in 1999; and the 7,000 children killed by gunfire in the United States since the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

We'll have live music while participants are arriving at the rally, and a group of UMKC Conservatory dancers will perform new choreography created for this event. Mayor Sly James will speak at 2 p.m., and you will also hear from some of the determined teenagers from the metro area who have taken a huge role in creating this day of peaceful protest. There will be modern slam-poetry, traditional speeches, and songs both old and new. Local long-time activists and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence will also speak.

For a peaceful, smooth-running event causing as little environmental harm as possible, please observe these best practices.

1. Carpool to the event with friends, family or neighbors. Park in any available UMKC parking lot, then walk a few blocks north to the park. If you have the Lyft app, you can arrange for a free ride courtesy of the Lyft company from your parked car to Theis Park. Disabled or elderly people may park at the Kauffman Gardens parking lot, which will also be the dropoff location for Lyft rides.

2. Bring signs, if you like, promoting reasonable solutions to this horrible problem. Bring a peaceful, reasonable sense of comradery and a healthy respect for our right as Americans to peaceably assemble and demand redress of grievances. Certainly, as a people, we are aggieved.

3. No leaflets or flyers! Please do not pass out leaflets or other items that people would tend to lose track of or leave behind as trash. You can save money and bring a page or two of information you want to share and then ask people to snap a picture of it with their phones to have it for reference, or give your web address to follow up. Don't leave our hard-working volunteers with trash to clean up at the park.

4. Do bring food and drinks, a blanket or camp chair to sit on, a hat or sunglasses, and keep yourself comfortable. We will not be selling anything at the event. Portable toilets will be available, and trash cans will be at hand.

5. There will be sign language interpreters, some designated seating for disabled people and a couple of ADA-compliant port-a-potties.

6. Moms Demand Action volunteers will be staffing the event, wearing bright red T-shirts with their logo, so you should be able to find a staff person if you need to report an issue. Paramedics will be on hand if needed, and police officers will provide security.

7. If you choose to march at the rally's end, you must stay on the sidewalks on the route and cannot block streets or intersections. Megaphones will not be allowed during the march portion, but we can chant.

Please remember, the most powerful thing we can do as a nationwide movement right now is to show up, all across the country, to stand together on this day and to say with one voice, "Never Again!"

See you there!!

More information here:

March For Our Lives Kansas City

March For Our Lives KC Group

Idiocy and Death-Enabling Irresponsibility Out of the Florida Statehouse

Florida Senate rejects ban on assault weapons, 

votes to arm teachers

Idiots. Irresponsible, death-enabling, Right Wing, Republican idiots. On top of an extremely recent shooting death of 17 students, this is what they do.

Then there's also the thoughtlessness. And heartlessness.

Think of it.

Think of your teachers from school.

Now think of them armed. With weapons.


What part of that even SEEMS like a good idea?

Very Proud of the Star Today

Our local Kansas City Star did a fantastic thing yesterday. They printed an op/ed piece from their editorial board that is clear, simple and very true on how and why we must reduce the numbers of innocent Americans shot and killed in our nation.

America's gun violence crisis must end. Here's how

The United States faces an unprecedented crisis of gun violence, a moral and health disaster that threatens every American.

The bloodshed must be stopped. The courageous students in Florida, who just helped bury their classmates and teachers, unmistakably call us all to action.

The voices in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Bernardino, Charleston, Sutherland Springs, Ft. Hood, Columbine, Newtown and other communities bear witness to the slaughter as well.

We start with two guiding principles:

▪ The claim that any one approach “won’t work” and therefore should not be tried, is a dangerous nonstarter.

No law works in every instance. Laws deter behavior and punish aberrance, but they cannot stop every anti-social act. That doesn’t mean we give up on laws.

Airport security rules failed on Sept. 11, 2001. No one proposed ending those rules because they “didn’t work.” Instead, Americans studied the failure, learned from it and improved the rules where necessary.

A similar approach can work with gun violence.

▪ Several solutions are better than one. While it’s tempting to simply propose universal weapon confiscation — which would sharply reduce the killings — it is not practically or politically possible.

Instead, a series of reforms, linked to a common objective, has the best chance of reducing gun violence.

Background checks and gun purchases

Polls show the vast majority of Americans supports expanded background checks before any weapon is purchased. That means a federal criminal and mental health background check should be required for guns bought privately and at gun shows.

A gun buyer should be required to obtain a federal clearance document, reflecting a background check, which would then be presented before any weapons transaction. Failure to do so would result in criminal liability for the buyer and the seller.

Law enforcement officials must have the resources to make sure background check information is accurate and easily shared.

Mental health screening

Funding for mental health screening and treatment must be increased. Any police officer will tell you mental illness is his or her biggest challenge, and early intervention can prevent a lifetime of suffering.

But Americans must also link mental health screening with preventing weapons possession. It does no good to identify mental illness without tools to take weapons away from those who threaten violence.

Anyone convicted of domestic violence should not have a gun, period. Stronger protective orders preventing gun possession are an option, and those involuntarily hospitalized for mental illness should not have guns.

We must be careful because the vast majority of the mentally ill aren’t violent. Rules must be carefully drawn to prevent indiscriminate detention and confiscation of property.

Security in public spaces

Schools must be made more secure, but that is just a start. Security measures must now be re-evaluated for all public places.

It’s absurd to claim teachers or other employees in public spaces should arm themselves. They aren’t the police. And it’s beyond horrific to expect teachers or any other civilian to put themselves between a bullet and a victim.

Teachers have shown unfathomable courage in mass shooting events. But firing a weapon or becoming a human shield should not be a job requirement.

Violent media

The First Amendment protects artists who use violence in movies, books, music, video games and the like. Yet some images and words undoubtedly impact some people, including some prone to violent acts.

The industry must step forward on its own to curtail the use of such images.

Gun possession

The nation should ban the manufacture, possession or sale of certain firearms, including semi-automatic assault weapons, that are used in mass shootings. At absolute minimum, Congress must raise the age for purchasing such guns.

Bump stocks should be illegal. High taxes on magazines and bullets are another worthwhile approach. A national waiting period for gun purchases makes sense and would pass constitutional muster.

The Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but it is not absolute — most fully-automatic weapons are banned for civilians, for example. Other weapons of mass murder should be in the same category.

Gun makers should be subject to product liability lawsuits as well.

Reasonable Americans can discuss the mix of laws and regulations needed to address the gun crisis. But make no mistake: Inaction is not acceptable. Stalling for time won’t work anymore.

Voters will judge their representatives on this issue, and elected officials who fail to act will be complicit in the carnage.

On Thursday, National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre — who was paid more than $5 million in 2015, according to records — railed against unnamed “elites” for politicizing gun violence.

You’re wrong, Wayne. Ordinary moms and dads, brothers and sisters, friends and classmates are demanding change.

They’re tired of attending church, or school, or a movie or concert fearing for their lives. They’re tired of sending their kids to school wondering if they’ll come home.

They’re tired of politicians more concerned with campaign donations than doing what’s right. They’re tired of burying the dead.

They are not elites. They are everyday Americans. They want to end the slaughter. They will be heard. We join our voice with theirs.

________________________________

What's important to stress is that no one, no one is calling for an end to the Second Amendment, first, and that no one is coming after all the guns, all the weapons in the nation. The alarmists on the other side of this opinion assume and go to that nearly every time. It's untrue and wrong. These simple, intelligent, reasonable measures pointed out here above would go a long, long way to saving innocent American lives in our nation, going forward.

It's not too much to ask.

How Low Republicans--and Gun Nuts--Have Gotten Already After This Parkland Shooting

This is how low, just how very low Republicans have gotten about protecting guns and the NRA instead of protecting children, innocent children in our nation. (warning: some expletives)


It doesn't stop there, either.

Marco Rubio tells survivor of Parkland massacre he will continue to accept NRA Money

They know what pays, anyway, huh?


Not done there, stupid had to come out of the White House, too.

Sparking Swift Backlash, Trump Doubles Down on Proposal to Arm 'Highly Trained Teachers'

It hurts.

Now, it's gotten the worst it can get and still just be verbal.

One of the teen survivors of the Florida shooting says he's quitting Facebook because of death threats from 'NRA cultists'

This, above here, is why I used the term "gun nuts" in the title of this post.

We, all of us, need to put humans and human life and American lives above weapons as a priority.

You wouldn't think that would be a debatable topic.

And the Children Shall Lead Them...

I saw this post today, this morning, on Facebook. The parent of one of the children, one of the students in Parkland, Florida posted this letter.

Lenny Kaufman
February 20 at 7:54pm ·

As many of you know, my daughter Sari is a sophomore at Stoneman Douglas in Parkland. She wrote the letter below and has sent it to many government officials. She has asked me to share her message with as many people as possibe. Please feel free to re-post and share on your own timeline.

Hello, my name is Sari Kaufman and I attend Stoneman Douglas. I am a sophomore and I am a survivor of the 2/14 attack. 

The morning of the attack seemed like a normal day. The weather was very nice and I was excited to receive carnations for Valentines Day. Sadly, this all changed at the sound of a routine fire drill. 

I remember leaving my classroom at 2:22 pm. This was the second fire drill of the day so it seemed abnormal. Once I went outside I heard five consistent noises that sounded like gunshots but my mind did not let me accept the fact that it were sounds that caused 17 lives to be lost. My memory from this day is a little vague but I remember my teacher saying this is not a drill. 

We ran behind a fence and made sure we did not fall in a canal while we were running for our lives. There was so much confusion and we did not know what was going on. The only clear thing I remember which made me feel at ease was when a police officer protected us and helped us to safety. I was able to run to a nearby restaurant and watch the unthinkable news story develop in my 5th period classroom. 

Unfortunately, some of my friends are not able to share their story today. 

My city and school will be forever changed and even some of my closest friends are forever changed due to this traumatizing event that has affected them, not just physically, but also mentally/emotionally. I have had to go to funerals and watch parents bury their 14 year old sons and daughters. 

Following the attack, I wanted to talk to the news right away, but at the same time, I first wanted to understand the gun control debate a little more in-depth. Now, after a few days and after this traumatizing event is not feeling like a dream anymore and the fact that we lost 17 people including coaches, teachers, administrators, and classmates, I want to make a change. 

In November, I researched about the NICS (the gun database background check system) and about universal gun background checks for the November Public Forum debate topic. I remember finding many flaws in our system. For example, according to “The Trace” in 2015, the NICS Improvement Amendment Act was introduced in the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. The legislation gave more than a billion dollars in grants to states and territories to improve record keeping systems and reportings to NICS. This seemed like a very common sense and great way to fix a robust system. 

However, since the bill became law, Congress has given out only 11.5 percent of that money for spending. Former Congressman James Moran explains the reason behind this. He says that the NRA worked with allies in Congress to cut off funding for these grants when the committee put each year’s budget together (July 27th, 2015). 

Unfortunately, this was a very common theme and each article I read had a recurring conclusion. It is either that the proposed bill never passes Congress due to backlash from other funding parties, or in some cases, a bill passes but Congress does not put the money where it is supposed to go due to influential organizations like the NRA.

Therefore, do I think that my friends and I protesting for a change is going to change your mind? No. But maybe real facts, research, and uniting politicians together to save lives at school will lead to a change. 

I am only 15 years old but I understand that politics are extremely complicated. However, I believe that we can fix these issues in our systems so other kids do not have to go through the same trauma I have gone through. I hope that the next time that you (government leaders) make a deal or receive money which hinders your judgment, just remember kids having their blood spilled out on classroom floors.

Also, remember that your community might be next. 

Please do not wait and just be sad for a couple of days that 17 people died and please do not think American lives are disposable. Let this shooting be the last school shooting. Do not wait until it is too late, until it happens in your community, to your daughter or son, or your friends. 

Act now. 

There is so much we can accomplish in this revolution, even if it will take several small steps. For example, after Sandy Hook, Connecticut required information on mental health records available to federal and state agencies while performing background checks. According to Giffords Law Center, federal law cannot require states to make information identifying these people available to the federal or state agencies that perform background checks, and many states fail to voluntarily report the necessary records to the FBI’s NICS. So instead of just letting Connecticut be alone and do this because they were affected, let's motivate every single state to do this on a federal level. 

I want to be optimistic about these political changes but the sad fact is that in only my 15 years of existence there have been more school shootings than someone who lived from 1910 to 1980. There is a repetitive pattern that has a very similar dialogue: Another shooting, let's improve our system, let's unite and worry about the people on each side of the political aisle. 

Children's lives are more important than our political differences. 

Let’s do something about our flawed system. Following this, very little is ever accomplished. Words are very different than actions. I want to be optimistic but the truth is I am very pessimistic about new political changes. How is this generation going to have faith in our system if time and time again it fails to protect our lives? Every day in school we learn how great the United States is, yet we are one of the only countries in the world to have classmates die in the very place we learn. There could have been so much to prevent this horrible tragedy. I am just asking for a change no matter what it is. I just want our system to improve to save lives. I hope we unite across political parties to protect my friends and future generations to be safe in school.

Best,

Sari Kaufman
Age 15

March For Our Lives Kansas City!

In keeping with the national movement and marches on this day, Saturday, March 24, we'll be having our own "March For Our Lives" here in Kansas City. It will start at 1 pm at Mill Creek Park on the Country Club Plaza.

If we can't be in Washington, DC, we'll do the next best thing and still have our voices heard.

See you there!

Links:

Florida teen shooting survivors announce 'March for Our Lives 

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES

Join us on Facebook:   

March for Our LIves Kansas City
Mar 24, 1 PM · Mill Creek Park · Kansas City, MO

Gun Nuts, Overrun by Facts

The pesky Second Amendment, NRA set keep going back to the same, tired arguments, it seems, even now, on the heels of yet another slaughter of innocents here in the US. The "thoughts and prayers" crowd. The "It's too soon to talk about it" and "Don't politicize this event", ad infinitum.

What gets me about this is their complete, total denial of facts, of the facts on these matters.

Here's the first one:

In Wake of Florida Massacre, 

Gun Control Advocates Look to Connecticut

And of the entire article, I'll break it down to just this one simple fact, this paragraph, from the beginning of it:

Analyses by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence show that, with few exceptions, states with the strictest gun-control measures, including California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, have the lowest rates of gun deaths, while those with the most lax laws like Alabama, Alaska and Louisiana, have the highest.

That one alone will make them choke but there they are. Facts. All those pesky facts and statistics and hard data.

Here's another.

After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 School Shootings

And that's just the school shootings. There have been far, far more of other shootings and killings. This is only our unprotected children in our schools.

How can we do nothing?

The fact is, we can't. And with this shooting, this killing, this massacre of still more children, the following makes me think we may have, finally, finally turned a corner. 

Prominent Republican Donor Issues Ultimatum 

on Assault Weapons 

Maybe we really will do something this time.

Here's hoping. Let's do this, America. It's long, long overdue.

Link:

This Interactive Map Shows all the Mass Shooting in America 

Since1966