What to do About Guns in America?

What do we do about weapons in the United States? 3 things, at minimum---all common sense and not complicated. These won't solve all our problems, no, certainly not but they'll go a long way to curing some of our nation's ills and keeping people from getting shot and/or killed.

1) Require background checks, coast to coast, for ALL weapons purchases, for mental stability and criminal history, 2) Put into law a waiting period for receiving a gun after purchase and 3) Ban assault weapons. Again. Period.

On Guns -- and Shootings and Killings -- In America

There aren't two sides to this issue of guns in America.

There's sensible people who know we need solutions and then there are the weapons supporters, putting guns and gun ownership over human life. That's it. That's all there is.

Quote of the Day -- On Guns In America

"Today it's a tragedy in Boulder, Colorado. This past weekend it was a house party in Philadelphia. And last week it was an armed attack on Asian American women in the Atlanta area.

It doesn't have to be this way. It’s beyond time for our leaders to take action." --Gabrielle Giffords @GabbyGiffords

Republican Party Policies

38,000 gun deaths a year in US: who needs gun control?

2 cases of voter fraud in 2020: let’s pass 253 new voter suppression laws --Ari Berman @AriBerman

The Kansas Legislature is Broken

What you don't and won't hear from more mainstream media in the area like the Kansas City Star, KCUR, KCPT or certainly not from the local TV news stations. This is from Davis Hammet @Davis_Hammet of the organization Loud Light today including the headline above:

--Legislators are hiding who actually wrote bills. --Public hearings are being scheduled with less than 24 hrs notice or entirely skipped. --The day waiting period between debate and the final vote is constantly being suspended. #ksleg

Republicans Reached a New Low Yesterday

On the same day 7 women and 1 man were gunned down by a 21 year old madman in Atlanta, Georgia after purchasing a 9mm handgun EARLIER THAT DAY at a local gun shop, 172 Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. The very same day. Unconscionable.

Republicans are NOT for Americans or America. They are for themselves and their own political party and money and power, period. That's it. Know this, America. Then let's vote them out.

Excellent Article Out Now Far Too Many Americans Won't Get

 There is an excellent article out from last July at The Atlantic that, as I said above, far too many Americans won't even understand, let alone accept.

Do Americans Understand How Badly They’re Doing?

In France, where I live, the virus is under control. I can hardly believe the news coming out of the United States.

This is a great question and I'm certain the answer is no, Americans no way know how badly they're, we're doing. It mostly covers here how awful our situation is regarding this President, our/his "leadership" and this pandemic but there's so much more we are doing and do so very badly, so poorly. Here are some of the worst.

• This President and election alone have put us in "banana republic" territory with his trying to deny our vote, our votes and election
• There there is our only-nation-with-it, for-profit health care system and our bankruptcies from it all and then our really obscene and grossly immoral wealth inequality
• Because of our health care system, Americans go bankrupt from those costs and expenses. So much so that it's the number one reason and source of bankruptcies in the nation
• And don't get me started on our insane number of guns and weapons and shootings and killings for no reason whatever
• Additionally, there's this idiot, self-possessed, self-absorbed, greedy, ignorant, reckless, literally dangerous President we've had ostensibly leading us these last 4 years
• Then we far outspend what we should on what we call "defense", bankrupting us in other ways so we can't and don't take care of our infrastructure. More insanity.
• We have horrible wealth inequality
• We nearly literally shovel yet more money, and great quantities, at that, to the already-wealthy and corporations

No. No way Americans have any idea we have it bad, badly and so wrong. So stupidly wrong. So unnecessarily wrong.

Links:

U.S. becomes first nation to cross 10M COVID-19 cases as third wave of infections surge

Things I'll never get used to in the USA

America's problems

As we just did in the farm bill by cutting 40 million dollars to the poor, in food stamp funding.

But "Big Oil"?

They still get theirs, you bet.

Link: From Quotable Liberals on Facebook.

On Capitalism, life and living today

What on Earth happened to Christianity?

I have no idea what's going on in Europe or any other nation in the world but I have to ask, truly, what on Earth happened to Christianity in this country?

It's gone crazy. It's gone looney.  It's fully, unquestionably out of control.

Jesus said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."

You wouldn't know it today, judging by the people I see in real life, both on the streets and on television and what they say and do.

One of the absolute worst examples of what I'm saying can be witnessed daily--no, wait, hourly, minute by minute--on one of their television stations called Daystar Television .

The wackos come out to play constantly on this thing.

This one woman comes on her program apparently daily, an elderly woman with VERY blonde hair, and she riffs on current, national news. It would be funny if she weren't a) sad and b) horribly uninformed or misinformed. She knows truly nothing of national or international politics or geopolitics but merely sneers, repeatedly, at anything that isn't against President Obama and/or for the good old US of A.

Be clear on that point, too.  They REALLY don't like (if not hate) President Barack Hussein Obama and they make sure, at different times, we all know it.

The one that really gets me, however, and that I think is truly, singularly dangerous--and actually,  I think the entire station is that, dangerous, for the country--is the man and his program John Hagee Today with Dr. John Hagee.

This guy just rails against anything and everything that isn't the way he thinks it should be. He seems like a very clearly angry, judgmental, judging, hateful, bitter old man. From the pictures of him I saw on a Google images search, when it's a portrait, he smiles but when he's preaching, he's got his angry face on.

And he has that angry face on A LOT.

The one thing he said one time, as I was channel surfing past (really, I swear I was), was how bad Socialism is.

Seriously.  He was dissing Socialism.

And he yells.  A lot.

However patriotic I'm sure he'd insist he is, he apparently knows nothing, to this day, even in his advanced old age of keeping church and state separate, let alone why it's good for nations and their people.

One thing I saw on this station, however, that just purely tickles me silly is the show they call Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Kirt Schneider.

It's a real hoot.

You're got this seemingly 100% Jewish man, standing there in his yarmulke and shawl, looking very much the committed, Jewish rabbi, menorah in the background, of course, yet he's talking about Jesus this and Jesus that.  I'm telling you, you can't want for amusement if you catch that show. It is alone in humor on this station.

Fortunately, there is one other redeeming quality to them all, too, and their TV station and that is that occasionally, but only occasionally, as nearly as I have seen so far, they put on a token black person, just to show how magnanimous and "inclusive" they are. Most of the time, you won't find anything on their station that isn't 100% bleached white and a great deal of them Southern, too, naturally. It's pretty blatant and stunning though I'm sure they'd deny any racism or white domination.

Haven't heard enough?  Check out their advertisement for this program:



If that doesn't make you want to tune in, nothing will.

Right?

She is Dr. Freda Crews, just to let you know.

That's another thing, too.  Being all Biblical, virtually all the programs are given by men, again, naturally.  (Or rather, unnaturally, but that's another matter).  They let a few women have theirown shows but we're not going to have any female domination here, so sirree, Bob. Let those women have some control and next thing you know, they'll expect equality or something.

So very few black Americans and very few women.  Some, sure, okay, BUT JUST NOT TOO MANY, lest things get all out of control and all...

If you can and/or do go to the station, be prepared to see a LOT of men who look like charlatans.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

The thing is, I thought Jesus was supposed to be about love.

Wasn't he?

And leaving what is Caesar's, to Caesar?

And running the money-changers out of the Temple?

From the looks of virtually every minute of this TV station, they ARE the money changers.

And a lot of them are still darned angry.

If you can't or don't get the station--and I couldn't and didn't until this past week--consider yourself extremely fortunate.

Side note:  Lest you think this post today is just too dark or negative or ugly, even though I did try to throw in SOME humor, you can go here and possibly have a chuckle:

Daystar tv founder Marcus Lamb – my affair was with a woman ...

Links:  Daystar (TV network) - Wikipedia

8 Most Un-Christian Things the Christian Right Has Done Recently

Quote of the day

A sad state of affairs, I think.

What have we become?

Let's change it.

For the better.

Starting today.

Quote of the day

“The rich man is always sold to the institution which makes him rich. Absolutely speaking, the more money, the less virtue.”
--Henry David Thoreau, American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862

Quote of the day

Click on picture for larger, better viewing.

Want to help change America for the better?

Stop complaining and push for true, stringent, accountable, tough, prosecutable campaign finance reform and help get the big, ugly money out of our election system and so, our government.

Corporations and the wealthy buy their legislators--our legislators--with their "campaign contributions." Then, they get their legislation so they also end up getting our laws and so, finally, our government.

Until we get the big, ugly, corrupting influence of money out of our election system and so, our government, nothing will change.

I think virtually all of us agree on this one thing.

Be part of the change. Push for campaign finance reform. Help end these "campaign contributions", completely.

It really is that simple.

Link:  We need to make campaign finance a civil rights issue

An insigtful 12 minutes

Quote of the day

"Money is like manure — it does no good unless you spread it around." --Anonymous (old country saying). Link: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/757519/rising_egalitarianism_is_changing_american_politics_--_for_the_better/

In pursuit of humanity

Good Samaritan finds money during the holidays...

How cool is that? Craig Colbert is one honest guy. Good on you, Mr. Colbert. Link: http://www.kctv5.com/story/16309474/good-samaritan-turns-in-money

Truisms

Truism number 1: There is no "final frontier". Truism number 2: There is no such thing as "extra money." Truism number 3: You really can be "too thin" and you really can be "too rich." Have a great weekend, y'all.

How cool is that?

Family stumbles on small fortune in attic

A Utah homeowner "freaked out" at the first box of cash — and then found seven more.