Category Archives: guns

Filosofa Writes A Letter … Again

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, guns, Political commentary, Social commentary, voting rights

This is the letter I will be sending to my ‘representative’ in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Warren Davidson, later today …

Dear Mr. Davidson,

I would like to take a few moments to let you know why you do not represent me.  Yes, I realize you won the election fair and square, but you still do not represent me.  Why?  Because your values and mine appear to be 180° apart, because you do not make legislative decisions that are in the best interest of the people of this nation, or even the people of your district.

Here are the things I consider to be most important for this country, that I think should be top priorities in the House of Representatives:

  • Equality.  Women should have the same rights as men to make their own medical decisions, to be treated as equals in the workplace, and not to be dominated by men.  LGBTQ people deserve the exact same rights as straight people.  Black people, Hispanics, and Asians all deserve the same rights and privileges as white people.  And atheists, Muslims, Hindus, and Jews all deserve the exact same civil and human rights as Christians.  There should be no differences.  These are the rights that need to be codified into law and the law enforced rigidly.
  • Guns.  I do not believe that guns belong in the hands of civilians, period.  It is a Pandora’s Box.  That said, I realize I’m fighting a losing battle, but I am a student of Constitutional Law and I can tell you that there is nothing in the 2nd Amendment that guarantees the right of every man, woman and child in the U.S. to own an AR-15 assault weapon.  A Congress with a conscience would be working diligently to pass a permanent and irrevocable assault weapon ban.  Do you realize that in Cincinnati there were 29 shootings in just 10 days?
  • Voting rights. Every person age 18 or older in this country should have access to the ballot.    Gerrymandering and voter restriction laws like the one recently passed in Ohio deprive people, typically poor people, minorities, and young people, of their constitutional right.  Last year, Congress had the opportunity to pass two very important voting rights laws that would have overridden any restrictive state laws, and you fell down on the job.  Reinstate those bills and this time pass them!
  • Economic.  I do not view money as the most important consideration, but that said, I realize that it is necessary for life.  Every working person deserves a livable income, and $7.25 per hour (or less in the cases of tipped employees) does not constitute a living wage!  The federal minimum wage has been stagnant since 2009, despite a significant rise in the cost of living during that time.  Why?  Because Congress is more interested in helping the wealthy 1% than the rest of us.  I see no reason whatsoever for anybody to have millions or billions of dollars sitting around in investment accounts while people are struggling, some putting their children to bed hungry at night or living in cardboard boxes on the streets.

Certainly there are other important priorities such as education, healthcare, the environment, the war in Ukraine, etc., but the ones I listed are, in my book, the highest priorities that Congress should be focusing on instead of revenge investigations and petty bickering that will accomplish nothing.  I believe that if you sat down, one-to-one, with everyone in your district and asked them to talk about these priorities, you would find that at least 85% of them would be in agreement with me.  But are you?  Based on your actions, your votes, and your weekly newsletters, I would say that you and I do not share the same set of values and concerns, and therefore I must conclude that you do not represent me or the majority of people, and you seem to have no desire to do so.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.  A response will be welcomed.

Sincerely,

Jill Dennison — citizen, voter, taxpayer

I’ll let you all know when/if I receive a response.  I usually do get one, but it’s typically a canned response written by an aide, or perhaps even by AI!

Need I Say More?

Posted on by under guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Today is June 6th.  I often don’t even think to look at the local news, so caught up am I in the national politics, global events, and happenings of the day, but every so often … a couple of times a week … I hop onto the local news site to see what’s happening near me.  Last night, just before going to bed, I decided to check in on the local news and this is what I found.  The following comprised the majority of the non-sports-related headlines for the first five days in the month of June:

  • As city leaders evaluate budget, residents air concerns over 29 shootings in 10 days (05 June)
  • CPD: Officers shot at during three separate incidents over weekend (05 June)
  • CPD: Man arrested after holding wife hostage, shooting at PD in East Price Hill (04 June)
  • PD: 14-year-old charged with multiple felonies after firing shots at officer (04 June)
  • Deputies: Man shot victim with pistol that fired shotgun shells in Sycamore Twp. (04 June)
  • Shooting anxiety rises after 25 shot in eight days in Cincinnati (04 June)
  • Coroner releases ID of East Price Hill shooting victim, suspect charged (03 June)
  • Police: 7-year-old girl shot in North Avondale (03 June)
  • CPD: 3 people shot in Spring Grove Village; all are expected to survive (03 June)
  • CPD: 1 in critical condition after shooting in East Price Hill (03 June)
  • ‘He wasn’t even writing a ticket’: Parking enforcement agent shot at (02 June)
  • CPD: 21-year-old shot while driving in Westwood (02 June)
  • Police: 2 men shot in West End (02 June)
  • Residents, city leaders react after shooting that hurt 4, including 10-year-old (01 June)

Do you see a trend here?  One city … one fairly average city in midwestern USA … 29 shootings in 10 days … an average of 3 per day.

Need I say more?

Wear Orange Day — A Day Late!

Posted on by under guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Although I initially wrote this post in 2021, this is the 2nd year in a row that I nearly forgot until reminded by our friend Larry over at Just Drive, Will You who posted yesterday, on the actual day, reminding me — and now I’m a day late!  But, better late than never, right?   Today, I think this post, this National Day, is more relevant than ever, given that gun violence, and especially mass shootings, have become the norm, not the anomaly.

I typically make fun of all the ‘national days’ … I mean, there are some thoroughly ridiculous ones like National Lima Bean Respect Day, National Rat Catcher’s Day, and National Talk In An Elevator Day.  However, there are a few of the national days that are worthy of being honoured, and today is one such day:  National Gun Violence Awareness Day, also known as Wear Orange Day.  I’ve made no secret of the fact that I hate guns and would happily see every last one of them destroyed, so it should come as no surprise that I’m writing about this day.

Until a few days ago when a dear friend emailed me about this day, I was not even aware of it … which likely means that most people are unaware.  Raising awareness is the goal of this day, and I aim to do my part to help raise that awareness.

On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student from the south side of Chicago, marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s childhood friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday. Now, it is observed nationally on the first Friday in June and the following weekend each year. In the years since, participation in Wear Orange has increased tenfold.

In 2020, #WearOrange trended nationally on Twitter with over 150,000 Americans taking part along with more than 300 corporate and nonprofit partners such as Viacom, Levi Strauss & Co., Postmates, Amalgamated Bank, the American Academy of Pediatrics, AFT, and HRC, and some of the most impactful thought and culture leaders in the country—including President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris, Julianne Moore, Laura Dern, Jason George, Pearl Jam, and 25 individual sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Bruins, and the Washington Mystics. More than 100 buildings and landmarks lit the skyline orange across 40 states + DC, including a record 11 stadiums and arenas, while grassroots volunteers hosted more than 270 virtual events in all 50 states plus DC.

According to the Everytown website:

“In 2023, the 9th National Gun Violence Awareness Day will fall on June 2, the first Friday of the month. That will kick off Wear Orange Weekend on June 3-4, which will feature virtual and in-person events across the nation. From the south side of Chicago, to community organizers in Queens, to students around the country, we will come together to wear orange and demand a change.”

Miss Goose and I were talking and we thought that neither of us owned a piece of orange clothing, but then … I remembered that we both have Hallowe’en t-shirts that are orange with jack-o-lantern pattern on the front, so if you see someone wearing a Hallowe’en shirt this weekend, don’t be surprised!

In case you don’t think that guns are a serious problem in the U.S., here are a few facts to make you stop and think …

  • The U.S. gun suicide rate is 10 times higher than that of other high-income countries.
  • The US firearm homicide rate is 24.9 times higher than in other high-income countries.
  • The US firearm suicide rate was 9.8 times higher than in other high-income countries.
  • 7% of all firearm deaths occurred in the US.
  • 7% of women and 98.1% of all children killed by firearms were in the US.
  • Firearm homicide rates in low-gun states were 13.5 times higher than other countries.
  • On average, eight youth are killed by gun violence in the U.S. every day. Another 32 are shot and injured. Mass shootings are on the rise, averaging 11 each week in 2021.

Oh yeah, my friends, this country has a serious gun problem.  Some who love their killing toys have misinterpreted what the Founding Fathers intended when they wrote the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution … NEVER did they intend for people to own weapons not even heard of back in their day that can kill hundreds of people within a minute or two.  NEVER did they intend for every person to carry a gun everywhere they go, even to the grocery store or to church.  And NEVER did the Founders intend us to use those weapons to simply randomly kill people because we did not like the colour of their skin, what they wear on their head, where they came from, or because we were having a bad day.

The United States is literally the laughingstock of the world for our gun policies, or should I say lack of gun policies.  No, wearing an orange shirt today will not change that, but it is one step in raising awareness that guns in America are one of the biggest problems we have, one of the biggest hurdles to our safety, our lives.

To the gun nuts, I say this:  NO, the Constitution does NOT give you the right to own an AR-15 or AK-47, it does NOT give you the right to own an arsenal, and it does NOT give you the right to intimidate innocent people by carrying your gun into schools, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc.  You do NOT have a right to leave that gun unsecured where your child may get it and cause heartbreak.  You do NOT have a right to be in my presence with that damn blasted piece of machinery.  Period.  My right to safety and life in this case supersedes your right to have that gun attached at the hip.

No one is immune to gun violence, as proven by the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School last month that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.   So far this year 17,965 people have lost their lives to guns, and last year a total of 44,363 people were killed by guns in the U.S.  So far, I have yet to hear of that “good guy with a gun” that the National Rifle Association claim exists, but every single day I hear of a lot of bad guys with guns … people who should never have been allowed to own a gun.

So, if you own an orange shirt, wear it this weekend to show your support for human life, to demand change in gun laws, to demand action.

Filosofa’s Snarky Snippets Are Baaaaaaack!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, guns, History, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

Now that the bill to raise the debt ceiling has passed and a potential crisis has once again been headed off in the 11th hour, it’s time to look around at what else has been happening that might have escaped our notice.

I want to start with something that impressed me, someone who has a conscience and puts life above profit.  Back in early 2021, Jon Waldman bought a gun store, Georgia Ballistics, in Duluth, Georgia.  Gun stores had been deemed “essential businesses” by the state’s lawmakers, unlike his previous business, and Mr. Waldman needed to be able to earn a living.  His store sold “high end firearms”, including such weapons as semi-automatic assault rifles like those used in numerous recent mass shootings.

This week, Jon Waldman closed his gun store forever, saying that the recent shootings at a school in Nashville and a hospital in Atlanta weighed on him so much that he could no longer keep the shop open in good faith.

Waldman decided in the spring that he would close Georgia Ballistics; 23 firearms remained in his store on Friday morning, and he plans to sell them by June 15th.

“It’s going to cost more kids their lives if I stayed open.  I don’t want to bury my own son.”

It’s not much, the closing of just one small gun store in rural Georgia, but it’s a start.  It shows that some gun people do have a conscience and can put life ahead of guns, ahead of profit.  I give a 👍 to Mr. Waldman and hope that more follow suit.

It took 105 years, but Fort Bragg in North Carolina, initially named in 1918 after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, has been renamed Fort Liberty.  About damn time, but better late than never.

The change was part of a broad Department of Defense initiative, motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests, to rename military installations that had been named after confederate soldiers.  The other eight Army bases selected to be renamed are Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia; Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Rucker in Alabama; and Fort Hood in Texas.

It was almost graduation day at Marlin High School in the small town of Marlin, Texas, population 5,543.  Until, that is, District Superintendent Darryl Henson began looking through seniors’ files two weeks ago to confirm they could receive their diplomas.  Turns out that of the 33 seniors at the school who were expecting to graduate, only five were actually eligible!  Needless to say, the graduation has been postponed while students are scurrying to try to fulfill their remaining requirements.

The requirements were simple:  students needed to have passed all of their courses and attended 90 percent of their classes throughout all eight semesters.  Since Mr. Henson made the discovery that the vast majority of students did not meet the requirements, students have been making up assignments and spending extra time in classes to become eligible.  As of yesterday, 24 students have now met the requirements, and graduation is being planned for an unspecified date sometime in June.

My question, though, is … have other schools had the same situation but not discovered it until after students had received their diplomas?  And how does this happen?  Don’t teachers and guidance counsellors coordinate to ensure that each student will meet the requirements by graduation day?  Is this, then, what education in the U.S. has come to?   Or is it just in places like Texas and Florida where school administrators and politicians are more concerned with making sure students are shielded from the realities of life than they are concerned with actually educating young minds?

And finally, listen to what Brian Tyler Cohen has to say about Kevin McCarthy and the Republican Party, their actual intent vs their stated intent …

Only. In. America.

Posted on by under education, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

I read this in The Guardian tonight with … sadness, horror, and rage …

Texas schoolchildren as young as four years old are being given Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon books, teaching them to “run, hide, fight” if a gunman enters their building.

Parents and teachers in the Dallas area have expressed alarm and concern that the Stay Safe book, produced by a law enforcement consulting firm in Houston, has been sent home in the backpacks of children in pre-kindergarten and elementary classes.

The book features the honey-loving bear created by AA Milne and illustrator EH Shepard instructing kids about how to react to a mass shooting. It is not an official production, Winnie-the-Pooh has been in the public domain since 1 January 2022.

The subtitle to the Stay Safe book is: “If there is danger, let Winnie-the-Pooh and his Crew show you what to do: Run Hide Fight.”

Only. In. America.  The land of milk and honey?  The land of opportunity?  Hardly.  The land of guns and death.

Texas has some of the most lax gun laws in the US. In 2021, after mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa which killed 30 people, the Republican governor, Greg Abbott, enacted a law allowing Texans to carry concealed handguns in public without a license. 

But it isn’t only in Texas … it is the U.S. in its entirety.  We are not safe anywhere … not in school, not at the library, not in the supermarket, not in our workplace … not even walking to the mailbox. The U.S. has a lethal, rabidly-spreading virus … it’s called “ignorance.”  Rather than elect politicians who might actually govern, who might be willing to restrict guns in the interest of saving lives, we elect politicians who fight for more guns, who fight to take our human/civil rights away from us.  Why?  Because we truly do not understand … until it happens to one of our own.  Someday it will … and someday is closer than any of us think.

You can read the full article in The Guardian here.

Questions for Americans.

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2024, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Re-blogs, Social commentary, voting rights

Have you ever wondered how people in other countries view the chaos that dominates our landscape here in the U.S.? Our friend David, from across the pond, has some questions … questions for which I can only shake my head, for I don’t know the answers, either! Thank you, David, for your wisdom and views! We could learn a thing or two from you guys!

The BUTHIDARS

I woke at an unearthly hour again this morning. Damndawnchorus o’clock. My watch read 4.15 am. The news on mny computer tells me that Ron DeSantis the Governor of Florida has declated for President at last. How can this man who spends his time banning books, deciding how women should be allowed to treat their own bodies, and worse still, enforcing a rule that no white person should be allowed to face the realities of the history of their own country. He wants to rewrite history so that no white person can be offended or shocked by what has gone before. Please someone explain to me , how can this man who is not even suitable to be a Governor declare an interest in the Presidency of the United States and have the backing of so many people, not least Elon Musk who has put the power of Twitter behind…

View original post 475 more words

One Year After …

Posted on by under education, guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Yesterday marked one year since the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children and two teachers:

  • Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, 10
  • Jacklyn Cazares, 9
  • Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
  • Jose Manuel Flores Jr., 10
  • Eliahna Garcia, 10
  • Irma Garcia, 48
  • Uziyah Garcia, 10
  • Amerie Jo Garza, 10
  • Xavier Lopez, 10
  • Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
  • Tess Mata, 10
  • Miranda Mathis, 11
  • Eva Mireles, 44
  • Alithia Ramirez, 10
  • Annabelle Rodriguez, 10
  • Maite Rodriguez, 10
  • Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio, 10
  • Layla Salazar, 11
  • Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
  • Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10
  • Rojelio Torres, 10

Since that tragic event, what has happened?  Well, aside from the numerous and completely useless ‘thoughts and prayers’ that have been sent to nobody in particular, NOTHING.

In the year since Uvalde, there have been more than 650 mass shootings in the United States, and still, Congress, state legislators, state governors, and the courts have done naught but sit on their fat arses … or in some cases, even reversed what few gun laws that were in existence.

In the immediate aftermath of the Uvalde tragedy, Congress did manage to pass one milquetoast piece of legislation that …

  • included incentives for states to pass so-called red flag laws that allow groups to petition courts to remove weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others
  • expanded an existing law that prevents people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun to include dating partners rather than just spouses and former spouses
  • expands background checks on people between the ages of 18 and 21 seeking to buy a gun

Not many teeth in that law, but worse yet,  there is a new bill on the table in the House today that would repeal the law and what little it does.  So no, my friends, NOTHING is being done to prevent another Uvalde … or Parkland … or Sandy Hook … or Columbine.  No ban on assault weapons, no new training and licensing requirements … in fact, many states have recently eliminated any requirements for permits related to carrying a concealed weapon.

Is this why Republicans and religious groups are so hellbent and determined to keep women under their thumb, force them to become baby manufacturing plants, so that we can afford to have our children shot to death and still have a hefty population?  Does that offend you?  Well, then, don’t tell me … call or write to your members of Congress and tell them how you feel!

There is something deeply flawed with a country, a people, who value their right to own a killing machine more than they value the lives of their own children.

Has a Small Nation in The Balkans Shamed The USA?

Posted on by under Global Issues, guns, History, Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary

I have long valued the opinions of our friends across the big pond … they often see us more clearly than we see ourselves, for they have the benefit of distance, they are not bombarded every day with the flaws of the “American Way.” One of those is our good friend Roger, whose post I share today. The U.S. touts itself as “the freest nation on earth,” but are we? Methinks we could learn a thing or two from the Serbian people …

The World As It Is. Not As It Should Be

Strolling

Sometimes, more often than we would like we label. It can be a political view, a social grouping, a community and even a whole nation. This is another of those which has long, long history in Humanity’s stumbling.

Back in the 1990s Yugoslavia tore itself apart in a series of wars which themselves had their own series of complex back-stories. There was a lot of anger at what was going on and the supine approach of European governments. Being the largest grouping of peoples The Serbs got the worst press. With execrable characters like Slobodan Milošević on the loose it was all too easy to ditch all sense of proportion. Eventually there was a peace of sorts, but that legacy remained. And it’s not too hard to find within the European media some news item, article or book which may still point a finger at Serbia and its peoples as…

View original post 452 more words

So Many Fools …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

I’ve got a bit of a snarky buildup this morning and I thought I’d share some of the things that are weighing on my mind … why should I keep such fun to myself, right?

Three organizations have now issued warnings about travel to the state of Florida.  Last month, Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group issued a travel advisory for LGBTQ people, on Wednesday the League of United Latin American Citizens issued an advisory for people of Hispanic descent, and on Friday, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) issued a warning that it is no longer safe for Black people to travel to or within Florida.  This, in addition to all the other crap (book bans, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws, discrimination, the Disney vs DeSantis feud, downgrading education, etc.) happening in Florida under their authoritarian governor, Ron DeSantis, has got to be a severe blow to the state whose economy relies heavily on tourism.

In part, the advisory by the NAACP reads …

“… the governor and the state of Florida have shown that African Americans are not welcome in the state of Florida.”

Ron DeSantis seems to want a straight, white state – well, it looks like he’s about to get his wish.  Only thing is that it will likely cut the state’s revenue by more than half.  Watch for unemployment numbers to go through the ceiling and the state to be unable to fund the programs to help people.  Way to go, DeSantis!  Perhaps at some point the people of Florida will look around and say, “Wha-what happened?  We thought he was gonna make Florida great again?”

The name of U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk has only crossed my radar one other time … when it was revealed that he had given an unofficial tour (tours were banned during that time because of the pandemic) of the Capitol the day before  January 6th, 2021 – a tour that included such areas as stairwells used only by members of Congress that are typically off-limits to the public.

A still from a video that shows a tour on 5 January 2021 led by Barry Loudermilk. Why is this guy taking a picture of a stairwell?  Photograph: US House of Representatives Jan/ZUMA Press Wire Service/REX/Shutterstock

Video of January 6th shows one of the men from that tour marching toward the Capitol on January 6th, saying: “There’s no escape Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler. We’re coming for you.”

But yesterday, Mr. Loudermilk came crashing back onto my radar and nearly cracked my screen!

Mr. Loudermilk is allegedly ‘investigating’ the events of January 6th, but in fact is investigating the Capitol Police and the members of the January 6th committee who did such an excellent job at folding back the layers and showing us the people involved at every level.  In March, he set up a portal for people to submit tips from “individuals with knowledge of the events of January 6th and the Select Committee” about the security of the Capitol, delay in support from the National Guard and more.

If Mr. Loudermilk wishes to know more about January 6th, all he has to do is read the 752-page final report by the January 6th committee that was published last December.  But no … he must play cloak-and-dagger games with taxpayer dollars.  Yet another Pennywise the Clown in the Republican House.

My representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, Warren Davidson, sent out his usual weekly newsletter on Monday.  One part reads …

Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed, yet it must be restored to protect our constitutional Second Amendment rights. This week, I joined my friend and colleague Lauren Boebert by cosponsoring the Shall Not Be Infringed Act of 2023. This legislation repeals gun control measures passed under Democratic control and supported by Joe Biden last year. The Second Amendment is essential to defending our freedom. Read more about our legislation as reported by Newsmax here .

So damn much to stir the angst here!  First, it speaks volumes that the ignoble Lauren Boebert is his ‘friend’ and that they are co-conspirators in anything!  But more to the point, that he would seek to repeal the small amount of gun legislation that has been passed in the last year-and-a-half is simply unspeakable!  Children are getting killed by guns in schools, people are being killed by guns in the supermarkets, malls, in their neighborhoods and on the streets!  And this bastard wants to repeal the milquetoast legislation passed last year that did damn little to solve the problems to start with???  I hope his and Lauren’s bill goes down in flames, never to be seen again.  And the third thing that infuriated me was his take on the Second Amendment … has he not even read the U.S. Constitution???  Does he not understand that there is NO blanket right for the average Joe to own a gun???  And he associates himself with Newsmax, of all things???  This ‘man’ has no intelligence, no conscience, no common sense, and he does NOT belong in Congress!

Whew!  And on that note, I think I’ve shared enough angst for one morning, don’t you?  Happy Tuesday, my friends!

Four Freedoms??? Hmmmmm … 🤔

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

On January 6th, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his State of the Union Address.  This speech would come to be known as the Four Freedoms Speech, for he talked at some length about the four freedoms he believed that people “everywhere in the world” ought to enjoy:

  • Freedom of speech
  • Freedom of worship
  • Freedom from want
  • Freedom from fear

Today, the Republican Party has its own set of ‘four freedoms’ that are not nearly so noble as were those of President Roosevelt.  New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie explains …

The Four Freedoms, According to Republicans

Jamelle Bouie

19 May 2023

On Tuesday, Republicans in North Carolina overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto to pass a strict limit on bodily autonomy in the form of a 12-week abortion ban.

In addition to this new limit on abortion, the law extends the waiting period for people seeking abortions to 72 hours and puts onerous new rules on clinics. As intended, the net effect is to limit access to abortion and other reproductive health services to everyone but those with the time and resources to seek care outside the state.

North Carolina Republicans are obviously not the only ones fighting to ban, limit or restrict the right to bodily autonomy, whether abortion or gender-affirming health care for transgender people. All across the country, Republicans have passed laws to do exactly that wherever they have the power to do so, regardless of public opinion in their states or anywhere else. The war on bodily autonomy is a critical project for nearly the entire G.O.P., pursued with dedication by Republicans from the lowliest state legislator to the party’s powerful functionaries on the Supreme Court.

You might even say that in the absence of a national leader with a coherent ideology and agenda, the actions of Republican-led states and legislatures provide the best guide to what the Republican Party wants to do and the best insight into the society it hopes to build.

I have already made note of the attack on bodily autonomy, part of a larger effort to restore traditional hierarchies of gender and sexuality. What else is on the Republican Party’s agenda, if we use those states as our guide to the party’s priorities?

There is the push to free business from the suffocating grasp of child labor laws. Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio have advanced legislation to make it easier for children as young as 14 to work more hours, work without a permit and be subjected to more dangerous working conditions. The reason to loosen child labor laws — as a group of Wisconsin Republicans explained in a memo in support of a bill that would allow minors to serve alcohol at restaurants — is to deal with a shortage of low-wage workers in those states.

There are other ways to solve this problem — you could raise wages, for one — but in addition to making life easier for the midsize-capitalist class that is the material backbone of Republican politics, freeing businesses to hire underage workers for otherwise adult jobs would undermine organized labor and public education, two bêtes noires of the conservative movement.

Elsewhere in the country, Republican-led legislatures are placing harsh limits on what teachers and other educators can say in the classroom about American history or the existence of L.G.B.T.Q. people. This week in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans discussion in general education courses at public institutions of “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political and economic inequities.” He also signed a bill that prohibits state colleges and universities from spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs beyond what is necessary to retain accreditation as educational institutions.

Nationwide, Republicans in at least 18 states have passed laws or imposed bans designed to keep discussion of racial discrimination, structural inequality and other divisive concepts out of classrooms and far away from students.

Last but certainly not least is the Republican effort to make civil society a shooting gallery. Since 2003, Republicans in 25 states have introduced and passed so-called constitutional carry laws, which allow residents to have concealed weapons in public without a permit. In most of those states, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, it is also legal to openly carry a firearm in public without a permit.

Republicans have also moved aggressively to expand the scope of “stand your ground” laws, which erode the longstanding duty to retreat in favor of a right to use deadly force in the face of perceived danger. These laws, which have been cited to defend shooters in countless cases, such as George Zimmerman in 2013, are associated with a moderate increase in firearm homicide rates, according to a 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open. Republicans, however, say they are necessary.

“If someone tries to kill you, you should have the right to return fire and preserve your life,” said Representative Matt Gaetz, who introduced a national “stand your ground” bill this month. “It’s time to reaffirm in law what exists in our Constitution and in the hearts of our fellow Americans,” he added. “We must abolish the legal duty of retreat everywhere.”

It should be said as well that some Republicans want to protect gun manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits. Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee did just that this month — after a shooting in Nashville killed six people, including three children, in March — signing a bill that gives additional protections to the gun industry.

What should we make of all this? In his 1941 State of the Union address, Franklin Roosevelt said there was “nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy” and that he, along with the nation, looked forward to “a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.” Famously, those freedoms were the “freedom of speech and expression,” the “freedom of every person to worship God in his own way,” the “freedom from want” and the “freedom from fear.” Those freedoms were the guiding lights of his New Deal, and they remained the guiding lights of his administration through the trials of World War II.

There are, I think, four freedoms we can glean from the Republican program.

There is the freedom to control — to restrict the bodily autonomy of women and repress the existence of anyone who does not conform to traditional gender roles.

There is the freedom to exploit — to allow the owners of business and capital to weaken labor and take advantage of workers as they see fit.

There is the freedom to censor — to suppress ideas that challenge and threaten the ideologies of the ruling class.

And there is the freedom to menace — to carry weapons wherever you please, to brandish them in public, to turn the right of self-defense into a right to threaten other people.

Roosevelt’s four freedoms were the building blocks of a humane society — a social democratic aspiration for egalitarians then and now. These Republican freedoms are also building blocks not of a humane society but of a rigid and hierarchical one, in which you can either dominate or be dominated.