Tag: AR-15 assault rifle

The MSU Shooting Happened 4 Years and 364 Days After the Parkland Shooting

We send our children to school to give them an education and prepare them for the future. We don’t send them to school to die.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the Parkland shooting. It is also a day after three students were killed at Michigan State University.

When will it be enough? How many of our children have to be killed before something is done? When will the lives of ordinary citizens be worth more than the gun lobby and the NRA?

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of this. I am tired of burying our kids and mourning the loss of someone who died for no reason. This is preventable. We know it is. We just need to have the balls to do what needs to be done and tell those who prioritize weapons where they can go.

As usual, may the memories of the lives that were lost be a blessing. Z”L.

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Republican Fuckery Part VIII: Ilhan Omar Removed From Committees, the AR 15 Pins, and the Texas Ice Storm

The American government is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is not supposed to be for the 1%, the lobbyists, and those who think that they can buy their way into power.

Last week, Ilhan Omar was removed from her committee assignments by the Republican leadership. Their reasoning was her previous antisemitic comments. One could argue that the argument is legitimate. However, given the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene made the comment about Jewish space lasers a few years ago, their rationale is toothless.

In light of the many (and I mean far too many) mass shootings that have occurred in this country, the right has once again shown its true colors. A number of Congresspeople have been seen wearing small pins in the shapes of AR-15 rifles. It is clear to me that they value power over the lives of ordinary Americans.

According to news reports coming out of Texas, another ice storm blanketed the state. Thousands of residents were without power as the temperature dropped to less than 30 degrees. This is not the first time that the power has gone out during a storm such as this.

Just another reason to vote for the Democrats.

P.S. It is possible to get along and get stuff done in Congress, even when those you are working with have opposing political views. On Monday, the final segment of The Brian Lehrer Show, two members of the New York delegation were interviewed about congestion pricing. One is red and one is blue. It is proof that it is possible for our government to be fuctional. But in order for that to happen, divisions need to be set aside.

We Send Our Kids to School to Learn, Not to Die

When I was younger and in school, the purpose of the experience was to receive an education. It was not to be target practice for someone who had no business having access to firearms.

On Tuesday, a young man walked into a high school in St. Louis and started shooting. Two lives were lost, a teacher and a fifteen-year-old student. The shooter was killed by police.

The family of this boy claims that they did everything when it came to his mental health problems.

The point, as I see it, has once more been proven. Did this boy have a mental illness? The evidence, as we have it so far, points to yes. However, that does not preclude the fact that this tragedy and others of its ilk are and were preventable.

I would love to know why a civilian needs access to an AR-15. This is why we need common-sense gun control laws. If this child has not been able to get his hands on that weapon, then both of his victims would still be alive.

May their memories be a blessing. Z”L.

P.S. The girl who was killed was less than a month away from her 16th birthday. For anyone who thinks that we do not need to legislate against gun violence should consider this fact before stating that there is no need for measures of this kind.

Kyle Rittenhouse is Everything That is Wrong with America

In 2020, we may believe that we have come a long way. Women and minorities are no longer second class citizens. True equality is not yet achieved, but we are on the way.

Then a kid with an AR-15 shoots into a crowd protesting against police violence. Two people were killed and one was injured.

The kid’s name is Kyle Rittenhouse. Somehow, he was able to get his hands on one of the deadliest weapons one can use. Instead of arresting him, local police defended him. Upon further research, it was discovered that his now deleted social media accounts history were chock full of white supremacy related information.

This kid is everything that is wrong with America. A white person (i.e. male) shoots into a crowd with an AR-15 who has extreme right views is given a free pass to get away with whatever he wishes to. But an innocent black man like Jacob Blake is shot in the back point blank by white police officers. According to news reports from earlier today, Mr. Blake is paralyzed.

We need to do better. We must do better. If we don’t, our children and grandchildren will continue on the same hamster wheel that we are on now.

A Moment Of Reckoning

Most, if not all of us, have a moment of reckoning, whether on a personal level or a larger cultural/societal level.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday that killed 14 teenagers and 3 staff members dead is our national moment of reckoning.

The question that we all must answer is a difficult one: do we continue the useless cycle of reaction to mass gun violence or do we actually grow a pair and do something?

The fact that the shooter, who is only 19, was easily able to get his hands on an AR-15 assault rifle, despite the warning signs and the information the FBI had is more than appalling.  It is disgusting and alarming to consider that the FBI had the information they needed to prevent the loss of 17 innocent lives and did nothing to stop it.

It is also a moment of reckoning for you know who and the voting public. It happened under his watch and if he continues to be tone-deaf about the subject (meanwhile tweeting continuously about the updates to the Russia investigation), I have a feeling that voters will not soon forget his inaction.

It is finally a moment of reckoning for the survivors and the grieving families of the victims. The kids who miraculously survived the attack are not only angry, but will be of age to vote in the next few years or have recently become of age to vote. They will be the ones who will finally stop this endless cycle of mass shootings and create gun laws that make sure another school shooting never happens again.

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