Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Posted on by under education, Election 2022, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

On May 24th, 19 children and two teachers were murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.  Since then, I have heard some of the most ignorant things come out of people’s mouths!  Those of us with brains still in our heads know that the major solution to school and other mass shootings is to get the guns out of the hands of would-be killers, even if it means maybe stepping on the toes of other gun owners.  Sorry, but the rights of these children to live and thrive, my right to feel safe checking out the green peppers in my local Kroger, supersede the 2nd Amendment.  But then, on the other side you have those who sold their brains early on and they have come up with some of the most off-the-wall blame for the latest round of mass shootings that I’ve ever heard!  If we weren’t convinced before that these people sold their brains early on, we must surely be convinced now.

Take, for example, Billy Long, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri and a candidate to replace Roy Blunt in the U.S. Senate next year.  Now, ol’ Billy, a former auctioneer, when asked his views on gun legislation, replied …

“Unfortunately, they’re trying to blame inanimate objects for all of these tragedies. When I was growing up in Springfield, you had one or two murders a year. Now we have two, three, four a week in Springfield, Missouri, so something has happened to our society and I go back to abortion. When we decided it was okay to murder kids in their mother’s wombs, life has no value to a lot of these folks.”

Now, ol’ Billy Boy has quite a rèsumè of qualifications to make such a statement.  A college drop-out, he then attended a nine-day training program at the Missouri Auction School in Kansas City where he received his Certified Auctioneer designation via the National Auctioneers Association.  He owned an auction house, was a radio talk-show host, and is a member of numerous organizations including … wait for it … the National Rifle Association.  Surprised, aren’t you?

Why am I not surprised that ol’ Billy blames the gun craziness on women’s rights … naturally it is all women’s fault!  Isn’t everything?  Never mind that almost all gun violence is committed by men.  But sure … blame women … or Black people, as Blake Masters, yet another candidate for the U.S. Senate in November, claims.  Blake Masters, an unapologetic white nationalist running for a senate seat from Arizona, is a real piece of work.  He is the President of the Thiel Foundation, owned by one of the crookedest billionaires in the nation, Peter Thiel.  Masters had this to say when asked why we have so much gun violence …

“We do have a gun violence problem in this country, and it’s gang violence.  It’s people in Chicago, St. Louis shooting each other. Very often, you know, Black people, frankly. And the Democrats don’t want to do anything about that.”

So, Mr. Tighty-Whitey Blake … ‘splain to us why the shooters in both Buffalo and Uvalde were white?  And, to the best of my knowledge, most of the mass shooters of late have been white males.  There goes your theory out the door, but … you didn’t really believe it anyway, did you?

The bottom line here, folks, is that there are certain congressional Republicans who have been told in no uncertain terms by their handlers in the gun industry that NO gun legislation is to be passed, or at least none that would slow down gun sales or reduce the number of guns in the hands of civilians.  And so, they are left scrambling for two things:  1) a scapegoat, someone to blame besides blaming guns, and 2) a non-starter disguised as a solution to the problem without restricting guns in any way.  To that end, they have talked about arming teachers, putting armed guards in every school, having only one entry/exit to each school (better hope there is no fire!), and other nonsense.  And what about the shootings that happen in places other than schools, say supermarkets, churches, synagogues, shopping malls, concert venues, and … streets.  We the People would be paying twice the taxes we currently pay just to arm all those guards and … there would still be mass shootings, same as there are now.

The Republicans in Congress and state governments are not interested in ending mass shootings, they are not interested in our safety, our lives.  They believe they have a right to protect their mega-donors in order to keep the dollars rolling in, and if it costs a few thousand lives here, then … oh well.  And these are the same people who go all goody-goody-two-shoes when the talk turns to women’s rights and abortion.  Oh, gotta protect the right to life … at least until it’s born, and then it doesn’t matter anymore.  Killed in school?  Oh well … tragic, but at least he/she wasn’t aborted before even becoming a human.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Such a double standard, and they don’t even seem to care that we can see right through them and their sorry excuses!  And it’s not just our lawmakers … some 44% of Republicans said that mass shootings are something we have to accept as part of a free society.  Say WHAT???  Nearly half of Republican voters would sacrifice their child’s life to have the freedom to own an AR-15???  🙄

I say it once again.  There is no place for assault-style weapons in the hands of civilians.  None.  Never.  And no gun belongs in the hands of a teenager.  Period.  Full Stop.

If a man needs this … to feel like a man, then what he is, in fact, is a coward.

59 thoughts on “Excuses, Excuses, Excuses”

  1. Thank you for sharing!!.. the Billy Long’s and the NRA are supported by people who have a fetish about guns for many reasons, so once again it is about the people… to have any changes one needs to convince the people to change…. 🙂

    Hope all is well and until we meet again..
    May you always be blessed
    with walls for the wind,
    a roof for the rain,
    a warm cup of tea by the fire,
    laughter to cheer you,
    those you love near you,
    and all that your heart might desire.
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 1 person

    • That’s a hard sell when the politicos are telling them that they are not safe without a gun strapped to their hip. And why? Because there is so much money to be made that they can turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of lives lost in this country to gun violence every year. Sigh. You’re right, it’s up to We the People, but I fear many are too brainwashed to see the truth.

      Thank you so much for the Irish Saying that has put a smile on my face!

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      • The politicians, NRA, gun makers, etc are taking advantage of the peoples mindset and are telling the people what the people wish to hear..change is taking place… 🙂

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  2. I can’t make up my mind whether the right-wing crew are just loud mouth liars sounding off to their own or delusional hysterics.
    Several times I have said along the lines ‘The stark thing is about Boris Johnson, he is nothing in comparison with what they have in the USA,’

    Liked by 1 person

    • I think they are a combination of both of those, as well as ignorant, lazy people who cannot be bothered to seek facts and truth, who cannot waste their precious time thinking about whether what they are told makes sense or not.

      And you’re right about BoJo … he’s a sleaze, a Trump-clone, but he cannot hold a candle to some of ours.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m not too sure about the clone analogy. Johnson was part of a privileged set always orbiting the political scene and taking advantage of his connections slithered his way it. He will do anything, play any card to stay where he’s got, but constantly has to look over his shoulder. (Both Labour and Conservatives always keep their knives sharp to ‘Julius Ceasar’ any leader not up to scratch).
        Fraudster and Media Star Trump simply volunteered for the then nascent MAGA and does as he is told by the mob. Not an ounce of slither or guile in him. (That seems to be quite lacking these days in the Republicans, you have to have some of it, grease the wheels of Democracy)
        Oddly enough Johnson carries around an ‘It could always be worse’ air about him…..which says a lot about the state of UK politics

        Liked by 1 person

        • Tis true that there are many differences, and another difference is that Boris is more intelligent than Trump, though sometimes he hides it well. But, at the end of the day, they are both spoiled rich brats who will stop at nothing to have their way, even if it means trampling on the rest of us. And you are SPOT ON about Boris’ “It could always be worse” air of resignation!

          Liked by 1 person

  4. Yes, Jill, the bizarro logic on display when most Republicans speak about gun control is pretty damn stunning, stupid, and silly. Start with their ideas about why they ‘need’ these weapons. Like, oh, how they love their myth that a ‘good guy with a gun’ will stop shooters. That’s not what an extensive FBI study said. Its results indicated that a ‘good guy with a gun’ only stops a bad guy with a gun 3% of the time when someone stopped a shooter.

    Let’s go on and address the GOP’s efforts to turn the conversation and blame everything but the gun or themselves. It’s the Democrats! It’s not people with guns killing people, it’s mental health problems (so they then cut mental health help). It’s abortions which causes people to give license to people with guns to kill, once more ignoring that if they didn’t have those guns, they’d have a greater problem with acting out urges to kill.

    No, it’s the video games! They’re so violent. Not ever war, of course. I mean, how many wars has the U.S. now endured? And it’s not the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine recruiting commercials glorifying and glamorizing the weapons of war. Nor the NRA and Republican politicians celebrating gun culture. No, it’s not the police and their willingness to whip out a gun and kill any black man with a phone, it’s the black gangs!

    No, it’s everything but the guns. Yet, the rest of the world disagrees. They have fair fewer guns and far fewer gun deaths. But America is special, because it’s blessed with a peculiar brand of ignorance that’s fed a daily diet of bullshit by the NRA and politicians in their thrall.

    Hugs and cheers, my friend. M

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yes, when I hear they need them to “defend my family” I just have to laugh … you need a damned AR-15 military weapon if a burglar tries to break into your home? Hell, you’ll damage your home and likely kill your wife before you can hit the burglar, and at least a few of your bullets will penetrate the neighbor’s house, killing their sleeping infant! Idiots all!

      Yes, people have mental health issues, but it’s the GUN that enables them to go on a killing spree. And one person said something about people with knives … oh please, let me face someone with a knife any day of the week rather than someone with a gun! The dude with the knife has to get within a foot or two of me, whereas the dude with the AR-15 can be nearly a mile away and still kill me. And, I can probably survive a stabbing far better than a gunshot wound. I’m so damn sick of all their excuses. Good thing I don’t go out in public anymore, for I’d spit in the face of someone who tried to make these stupid arguments with me! Sigh.

      Hugs and cheers, dear friend!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Fyi Jill, my comment might have gone into your Spam or Moderate folder since it had a 30-second short video (link) embedded regarding the point of my content. You’re welcome to delete this comment if that’s the case. Thnx! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Jill,

    I’m unsure if I’ve ever shared this short video with you; I have a few times with others, especially those who rant and rave about their 2nd Amendment rights and owning an average of 6-10 various modern weapons.

    These radical fanatics bent on violence—whether onto animals or human beings, doesn’t matter—the sheer fact remains that when the 2nd Amendment was drafted and ratified c. 1791… when muskets and (inaccurate musket-balls) were the common weapon and ammunition of the time. A well-trained militia-man and soldier could only RELOAD these flint-lock rifles/muskets in 2-3 minutes, AT BEST!!! How is an 18th-century written Amendment about flint-lock rifles, musket-balls, and ramming rod anything like a modern AR-15 high-capacity magazine(s), semi-automatic rifle!? HOW!!!? You have to be effin out of your pea-brained mind to think they are the same and AR-15’s were thought about (prophesied?) by Madison, Monroe, and Adams (the primary engineers) of the Bill of Rights, Constitution, and early Amendments.

    This highly controversial debate should’ve NEVER become a debate at all when machine-guns were invented and used by armies in 1862, i.e. the Gatling Gun! DUH!!!

    Liked by 4 people

      • Apparently it is now age-restricted, i.e. 21 and up? It might also be restricted outside of the U.S., I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. Even a promotional advert like it (that is NOT graphic in the least) demonstrates the sheer insanity of our pro-gun, NRA, pro-Second Amendment fanatics.

        Maybe if you tried this link with Vox you might bypass the silly restrictions on this advert:

        https://www.vox.com/2015/10/15/9540747/video-second-amendment-musket

        Liked by 1 person

        • Very good. It proves exactly what a 1791 drafted and ratified Amendment was referencing: flint-lock rifles with one inaccurate musket-ball fired no more than 2–3 mins per round after ramming rod correctly used. That is late 18th-century engineering, thinking, drafting, writing, and ratifying based upon present weapons. Not 21st-century weapons of mass-killing, mass-carnage on unprecedented scales, in unprecedented seconds/minutes, upon UNARMED 2nd thru 12th-graders, young college students, young adults, mid-adults, and elderly innocent people!!!!

          Oh! And btw, not every single citizen, teacher, church/mosque goer, or child in this country can be trained armed Special Forces instantly ready to deal with random, psychotic active-shooters, 24/7 365, who are armed with assault-rifles and high-capacity magazines and have planned, premeditated their slaughter! Duh.

          Liked by 1 person

          • I’m in full agreement, and have long stated that the Founding Fathers had NO WAY of anticipating or even imagining the weapons of the 21st century. And people ignore that “well-regulated Militia” part of the Amendment. They cherry pick what works for them, what concurs with their own greedy illusions. Meanwhile … our children are being murdered and we are not safe even in the grocery store.

            No, we cannot arm every man, woman, and child in the nation, though I’m sure Remington, Smith & Wesson and others would love that concept. Far cheaper AND far more effective to eliminate most guns. Simple, right?

            Liked by 1 person

            • Spot-on Jill, as usual. Yep, the GOP wants every single American from 17.5 yrs of age up to 95-yrs of age to all be Armed Security and Quasi-Navy Seals packing two or three weapons and all velcro’d up! Absurdity.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Thanks, Prof! This is one of my pet peeves, having had a gun pointed at me on two separate occasions in my life. Were it up to me, I’d throw every last gun into the Pacific Ocean and let the salt water deteriorate them. Or, send them into space with Elon Musk and hope they don’t find their way home! (Yes, I’m capable of a cruel streak some days)

                Liked by 1 person

                • Completely empathize with you and totally understand where you’re coming from on one quick, smart solution. The horribly flawed logic of Pro-gunners here in rural Texas that I’m/we are bombarded by now (no pun intended 💣💣🧨🧨💥) 🙄 in the wake of Uvalde is deafening and certainly an old WORN path of de-evolution since at least 1966 and Charles Whitman at the UT Tower! It’s maddening to say the least Jill. 😠

                  Liked by 1 person

                  • It is, my friend. Some days it seems as if we are going backward in so many areas that it makes my head spin. It’s maddening, but also frightening for the future of not only the U.S., but the greater world, the planet. Sigh.

                    Liked by 1 person

  8. The real problem with Blake Masters’ stupid statement was the final bit, “And the Democrats don’t want to do anything about that.” The Democrats do want to do something about it, but the Repuglycans will not let the. The guy is an ass!
    No, Jill, and, all your Ametican readers, come on up to Canada. Leave the racists, bigots, evangelicals, etc behind. Let them kill each other off, because they will. If they have no one else to shoot at, they will soon find reason to shoot each other. It is the nature of their beast.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Well, for me, the first problem with his statement was blaming Black people, when the mass shootings are almost exclusively done by white males. But you’re right, that Democrats are trying their damnedest to put into place viable gun laws, but it’s the Republicans who want to point the finger everywhere except guns. I’ll happily move to Canada, or Switzerland, or Spain … anywhere but this hellhole 3rd world country!

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  9. Say what you will about the quality of our politicians in the US, yes, they are among the stultifyingly dumbest people that ever graced the planet however there are even dumber people: the ones that vote for them. America is filled with haters, racists, and more than even those, some of the dumbest people on Earth.

    Liked by 5 people

    • You make a good point … it is those of us who put them in office who are to blame. Sadly, I don’t see anything changing for the better anytime soon, for people are basically self-focused and easily swayed. I think I’d stop short, though, of saying the nation is filled with haters, racists, and the dumbest people on Earth … there are many intelligent, caring people here and that statement is a slap in the face to those of us who are trying to make this a better nation.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yes, there are intelligent, caring, etc., I totally agree. And yes, “we” are trying to make this country better, but look at the people that are confounding those efforts closely. I’m sure they’re not people we’re hoping we’ll see across the dining room table anytime soon!

        Keep in mind also that the signal largest voting block in the US is STILL the non-voter. People that won’t get oof their asses to vote but are glued to the couch every week night watching “Dancing with the Stars” or some other mind-numbing nonsense.

        Liked by 1 person

        • No, they damn sure won’t be sitting at my dining table! I have ‘lost’ many who I considered friends until Trump’s election in 2016, but they have since decided that their loyalty to a liar and a wanna-be dictator is more valuable than the friendship of decades. And I fully agree with you about the non-voters … they MUST step up to the plate, wake up and realize that it’s now or never for the foundation of this nation to survive the storm.

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    • Exactly, Michael. They speak what the public wants to hear, and the public is largely self-focused, so if, for example, they say that one thing or another will bring down fuel prices, then the public will believe them and call for that measure, whether or not it will actually do as promised. The whole gun issue … sigh … I can imagine the framers of the Constitution sitting on their cloud somewhere rolling their eyes and screaming, “NO NO NO … this is NOT what we said or meant!!!” Sigh. xx

      Liked by 1 person

        • This has all been “sold” to America as a founding tenet; the right to BEAR arms means that EVERYONE can BUY arms. Obviously our Founding Fathers had no idea whatsoever of the kinds of weaponry that was coming in the future however the basic idea was about “the security of a free state”, no a right to carry a gun for any reason at all. Does anyone believe our FF thought it would be OK to allow ANYONE AT ALL to purchase an assault rifle? I hardly think so. Your elected officials are being PAID NOT to even consider touching the gun laws, by the gun manufacturers, the lobbyists, the gun dealers, the NRA, etc. Remember when the NRA was a GUN SAFETY organization? Not anymore. Now they are the lobbying organization for the gun manufacturers.

          Liked by 1 person

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  14. the availability of these weapons are what makes the world that much dangerous than it needs to be, and, despite how many shootings had happened in the U.S. so far, there’s still NO laws set against gun control, because most of the U.S. population held firm to their second amendment rights, that they have the rights to OWN the arms, but nobody has the right to go out, and open fire on the crowd, and seeing how people lacked self-control, the availabilities of these weapons, that’s what makes this world, that much, more dangerous than it already is!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Exactly! Any fool can buy a gun in most states, and in some states without a background check or licensing requirement. Congress is working on a bill, but nothing will come of it, for even if it passes, it doesn’t contain the steps necessary to limit the number of guns in this country, and until we do that, we will continue seeing the same or higher level of gun violence. Were it in my power, NO civilian would own ANY sort of firearm. But alas, I’m considered a radical for my views.

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