Sutherland Springs

"The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end.  Beginning on January 20, 2017, safety will be restored."

~~  Candidate Donald J. Trump, July 2016



"Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People With Mental Illnesses"

~~  NBC News, Feb. 28, 2017

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NYT Reader Comments,
Sunday shooting

PaulB67
Charlotte
What nation on earth that wants to control its own destiny and protect the citizens in its borders would countenance such madness?

Only the one nation on earth whose elected officials are bought and paid for, and cowed, by the bullying tactics of the National Rifle Association.

Oh, I'm sorry.  It's premature to talk about anything other than thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers -- our mantra for criminal irresponsibility and sheer madness.



TC
Manila
Americans may find it unpalatable to consider, but there is a parallel between the stream of mass killings in the U.S. and the extrajudicial killings taking place in the Philippines under Duterte.

In both countries, the killings are enabled by the legislature:  In the Philippines, Congress allows Duterte to say and do whatever he wants; and in the U.S., Congress does the same for the gun industry.



Chris Borgia
Seattle, Washington
I don't see why this is news.  Our elected officials have already made it clear that they find these shootings acceptable....


Eddie Allen
Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Congress can't be bothered with this issue.  They are laser focused on tax cuts for the wealthy.


AnnamarieF.
Chicago
The following republican House members from Texas take money from the National Rifle Association:

Hurd, 

Culberson, 

Smith, 

Olson,

 McCaul,

Carter.  

One dem:  Cuellar.

All of these U.S. House members and their NRA benefactors should attend each and every funeral of the church members.



Eastbackbay
Bay Area
Do not do anything to control gun violence.  Don't you dare Congress!!

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Another mass shooting another mass another another another -- it is getting to be a pretty tedious refrain.

I can remember in the Sixties, 

when some Americans criticized some of the problems of the day, saying that we were becoming "a sick society."  I had not thought of that phrase, or heard that phrase for a long time.  About five or six years ago I was skimming through the second volume of Robert Dallek's Lyndon Johnson biography, reading random parts, and I came upon a reference to the "sick society."  During the escalation in Vietnam.


But I hadn't heard "a sick society" applied to us at all since the 60s, until recently, maybe starting last year, or the year before.  You don't hear it a lot, but -- that description is back, in some discussions.

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Something I think about is this topic:

the "industrial complexes" --


military industrial complex

insurance industrial complex

gun industrial complex

prison industrial complex

pharmaceutical industrial complex

sugar industrial complex

(followed of course by the) 
...diabetes industrial complex.


It's bullshit.  

The entity that wants to make A LOT of money goes to our government with their hand out, and says please rig the system so a lot of money goes to my company (or industry).  And I'll also give you some of the money.

This is not free market, this is corruption.

It is not capitalism, it is cronyism. 

The people running this preposterous charade are not "innovative, risk-taking entrepreneurs," they are leeches, takers, who are seeking governmental (the people's) money to "monetize" the populace (us).  And getting our representatives to vote for things that are good for them, and bad for us.  To say that I'm unable to muster up admiration for this would be a vast understatement.

This is not what I was taught in history and civics and citizenship classes.  

This is not what the United States of America is about.

painting by Beatriz Milhazes

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