"Allowing a country to be flooded with weaponry of military standard, is just asking for people to be killed."
~ Reader Comment / The Independent
headlines today
Melania Trump expresses support for teen activists
|| The Washington Post
CBS News reported:
[quote] First Lady Melania Trump said Monday that she was encouraged by the young activists who are speaking out in response to the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 students dead almost two weeks ago.
"I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change," she told the spouses of the nation's governors, who are in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting. "They are our future and they deserve a voice." [end, CBS News quote]
A CBS reporter wrapped up a related report, saying the Parkland students who survived the incident felt a responsibility to "pick up the reins and take the ball forward," (if the audience can excuse a mixed metaphor, which CBS apparently assumes we can...).
(Meanwhile, in other violence...)
Heather Locklear arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence
|| USA Today
Oh - kay.
Behind a Key Anti-Labor Case, a Web of Conservative Donors
|| The New York Times
No!
Jeremy Corbyn's cosy Brexit pitch is a gamble. But he's still beating May
|| The Guardian UK - Opinion
Trump on Florida massacre: 'I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon'
|| CNBC
State leaders of both parties are worrying about the security of America's election systems against possible cyberattacks ahead of this fall's midterm elections.
|| ABC News on Twitter
Trump Vows to Take on NRA, Boasts of Willingness to Rush Shooter
|| Bloomberg.com
These Union-Seeking Coders Will Test Trump's Job-Saving Promises
|| Bloomberg Businessweek
Pennsylvania school cancels classes over nearby church ceremony featuring AR-15s
|| CBS News
-------------- NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa. - A Pennsylvania school district will cancel classes at an elementary school on Wednesday because a church down the street is hosting a ceremony featuring AR-15 rifles.
World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Newfoundland believes the AR-15 symbolizes the "rod of iron" in the biblical book of Revelation, and it is encouraging couples to bring the weapons to a commitment ceremony.
The ceremony, to be held about a half-mile from Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, is expected to draw hundreds of couples, who are invited to bring their semi-automatic rifles to "show their willingness to defend their families, communities and nation," CBS Philadelphia reports.
On Friday, the superintendent of the Wallenpaupack Area School District wrote in a letter to parents that while "there is no direct threat to our school or community," given concerns about parking, traffic and the "nature of the event," students will be bused to schools about 15 miles away.
Superintendent Michael Silsby added there will be increased security at the school all week.
"We respect your decision if you choose to keep your children home for the day," he wrote.
The church -- a breakaway faction of the Unification Church -- has said it planned Wednesday's event months ago, well before the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school. Authorities say the shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, used an AR-15 in the attack that killed 17 people.
Church officials say that weapons will be unloaded, secured with zip ties and checked at the door.
The Unification Sanctuary's leader, Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon who was a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church.
The Unification Church, which is often described as a cult, has distanced itself from Wednesday's event, saying its ceremonies and theology do not involve weapons.
"It saddens us that Reverend Moon's son has chosen to separate himself and walk in opposition to his parent's legacy building world peace," Rev. Richard Buessing, president of Family Federation, another name for the Unification Church, said in a statement.
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That last news story was weird to see today, because I'd thought a little bit this weekend, and woke up thinking this morning, how the idea (or dream? fantasy?) of More-And-More-And-Bigger-And-More-Guns-Everywhere seems like it's almost like "a religion" with some people -- maybe at the more extreme end of the thought spectrum...
Then I look at the news, and there, it's "Bring Your AR-15 With You To Church Day" in the northeastern corner of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
And then I read it and it turns out, it has something to do with "Reverend Sun Young Moon" -- oh for heaven's sake, I remember that guy from the Seventies. (Do these people never go away?)
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Not Our Grandpas' N-R-A
About five years ago, I read a couple of articles which told how the N.R.A. (National Rifle Association) started out as an organization for the members -- hunters, outdoorsmen -- with an emphasis on firearm education and safety, but starting in the 1970s, it had been helped -- then influenced -- and finally hijacked by weapons manufacturers.
Criminal Justice Professor William Vizzard says they "started out as a grassroots organization and became an industry organization."
articles which can be read Online:
"Whom Does the NRA Really Speak For?"
The Atlantic
Dec. 18, 2012
"NRA leadership should refocus its priorities"
Houston Chronicle
May 1, 2013
"Does the NRA Represent Gun Manufacturers or Gun Owners?"
The Nation
Dec. 15, 2012
"This Is How The Gun Industry Funds The NRA"
Business Insider
Jan. 16, 2013
"National Rifle Association History: How It Was Founded"
TIME.com
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