;)
May 29, 2022
Kevin Liptak of CNN: President "Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to visit Uvalde, Texas, [Sunday].... The White House said they would meet community and religious leaders along with family members of the young victims."
Tim Craig, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Uvalde massacre was "prolonged and worsened by the failure of security measures and a catastrophically slow response from authorities.... Heartbreak bubbled into rage as Texas officials waxed on about police bravery, glossing over law enforcement missteps that took days to acknowledge. Only now, a more reliable chronology is emerging through official statements, 911 logs, social media posts, and interviews with survivors and witnesses. The revelations tell a story of institutional failure at the expense of unprotected children." The story is an account of what happened when.
Stefanie Dazio of the AP: "The actions -- or more notably, the inaction -- of a school district police chief and other law enforcement officers have become the center of the investigation into this week's shocking school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The delay in confronting the shooter -- who was inside the school for more than an hour -- could lead to discipline, lawsuits and even criminal charges against police.... The chief's decision [not to confront the shooter] -- and the officers' apparent willingness to follow his directives against established active-shooter protocols -- prompted questions about whether more lives were lost because officers did not act faster to stop the gunman, and who should be held responsible.... One of the officials said audio recordings from the scene capture officers from other agencies telling the school police chief that the shooter was still active and that the priority was to stop him." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Just looking at CNN's timeline, though it's necessarily vague, it appears the gunman did shoot children after there was a substantial assemblage of police in the corridor. Also, it would seem, from other reporting, that there was at least one child who was mortally wounded but still alive for some time who might have been saved by early medical care. Experts seem to agree (link is to a CNN story).
"Delay, Obstruct, Prevent." Ashley Parker & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "... over ... three decades, [Mitch McConnell has] consistently working to delay, obstruct or prevent most major gun-control legislation from passing Congress.... During his seven terms in Congress, [he would offer] vague promises of action, often without any specifics, only to be followed by no action or incremental measures that avoided new gun regulations. As a Republican leader, he also helped dissuade his conference -- as after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. -- from supporting gun legislation and, as majority leader, refused to bring up significant gun-control measures for a vote.... Many Democrats and anti-gun advocates ... [predict] that McConnell and his fellow Republicans are poised to obstruct any consequential gun-violence-prevention bills yet again." The reporters relate some of Mitch's obstructionist moves.
Stephen Gandel of the New York Times: "... a new law in Texas ... bars state agencies from working with a firm that 'discriminates' against companies or individuals in the gun industry. One provision of the law requires banks and other professional-services firms to submit written affirmations that they comply with the law." Giant banks like JPMorgan & Citigroup have filed letters with the Texas attorney general declaring they do business with firearms companies. "If a bank states that it is in compliance with the law and is found to be otherwise, it could face criminal prosecution. It could also be shut out of the state's giant municipal bond market. Texas is one of the biggest bond issuers in the country, and Wall Street has long made lucrative -- and relatively risk-free -- fees underwriting municipal bonds.... The Texas law is the first of its kind in the country. Similar ones -- described by gun industry lobbyists as FIND laws, or firearm industry nondiscriminatory legislation -- are working their way through at least 10 statehouses...." MB: Mind-boggling, but not surprising because ~~~
~~~ Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "Texas representatives in the 117th Congress took more money from gun rights groups than lawmakers in any other state, a new OpenSecrets analysis found. Senators and House members representing Texas have received more than $14 million in contributions from gun rights interests over the course of their careers, with much of that coming from the National Rifle Association. Texas also ranks second among the 19 states tracked by OpenSecrets for state-level lobbying by gun rights groups with more than $3 million in spending from 2015 through 2021. During that period, the NRA spent more on state-level lobbying in Texas than any other state in the 19 states tracked by OpenSecrets with over $2.5 million in spending. The influence gun rights groups exert in Texas is also evident in grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts spearheaded by the NRA." ~~~
~~~ Marie: There's a chain of cause and effect that leads back to the way we finance political campaigns in this country. If legislators and other elected officials were not so dependent upon gun-lobby financing, there's a good chance the assault-weapons ban would have been extended and other crazy pro-gun laws never would have been enacted.
Guess what happened where the red line is. Anyone? pic.twitter.com/vkahBGCkbj
— Mike Jason (@mikejason73) May 27, 2022
~~~ That red line indicates when the U.S. assault weapons ban ended. Thanks to RAS for the link.
Frederic Frommer in the Washington Post: "Four years ago, when -- as now -- the nation was reeling from the horror of a mass school shooting, a retired Supreme Court justice suggested a radical solution: getting rid of the Second Amendment.John Paul Stevens issued the call after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018. The attack prompted hundreds of thousands to demand action the next month to end gun violence at the March for Our Lives. In a March 27, 2018, New York Times op-ed, Stevens praised the protesters and their call for stricter gun control laws. 'But the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform,' he wrote, about a year before his death at 99. 'They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment.' Stevens said the amendment was adopted out of concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the states. 'Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century,' he wrote.... But Stevens didn't acknowledge the herculean challenge that his proposal entailed, as there was (and remains) zero chance that gun control advocates would get anywhere close to the two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states needed for repeal."
Silvia Foster-Frau, et al., of the Washington Post: "... girls who spoke with The Post lived around the world but met [the Uvalde gunman] on Yubo, an app that mixes live-streaming and social networking and has become known as a 'Tinder for teens.'... He could be cryptic, demeaning and scary, sending angry messages and photos of guns. If they didn't respond how he wanted, he sometimes threatened to rape or kidnap them -- then laughed it off as some big joke. But the girls and young women who talked with [him] online in the months before he allegedly killed 19 children in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, rarely reported him. His threats seemed too vague, several said in interviews with The Washington Post. One teen who reported Ramos on the social app Yubo said nothing happened as a result. Some also suspected this was just how teen boys talked on the Internet these days -- a blend of rage and misogyny so predictable they could barely tell each one apart." ~~~
~~~ Marie: We already know social media are doing entirely too little to ensure that their apps aren't used for nefarious purposes. But are schools teaching students how to interact safely online? Are parents & teachers explaining boundaries? Social media apps & the devices that run them have to be the most disruptive & destructive systems afflicting teenagers (and some "adults") in the history of Earth. For all of the open sexism that was the status quo in the 1960s, no one ever threatened to rape and kill me. Had anyone done so, I certainly would not have brushed it off as "just talk."
Caitlin O'Kane of CBS News: "The Uvalde mass shooting suspect bought more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition before opening fire and killing 22 people at Robb Elementary School, a law enforcement official said during a news conference on Friday. A U.S. soldier would take 210 rounds into combat.... [Three hundred fifteen] rounds were found inside the school, said Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. A law enforcement source told CBS News that the amount of ammunition that the suspect brought with him is more than what an average U.S. soldier would go into basic combat with, apparently planning on a massive gun battle." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Just after he turned 18 a few weeks ago, that kid bought two automatic rifles, reportedly costing about $2,000 each, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammo. He worked in a fast-food place. Did he really make enough money assembling burgers to buy these tools of war?
María Méndez & Jolie McCullough of the Texas Tribune: Daniel Patrick, "Texas' lieutenant governor, has echoed the idea of locking all but one door of a school. And [Ted] Cruz and ... Donald Trump repeated the call for single-entry schools at the National Rifle Association convention in Houston on Friday.... But limiting schools to one access point is not a proposal grounded in reality, according to several school and safety experts." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The underlying message in all of these half-assed proposals is, "Look, we are going to continue to enact laws that make it easier for bad actors to kill you and your family. It's up to you to spend a lot of money futilely trying to save yourselves & your loved ones from us. Good luck, suckers."
Timothy Bella & Adela Suliman of the Washington Post: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) was heckled at a Houston restaurant on Friday night, following his speech at the National Rifle Association's convention, in which he broadly rejected proposals for gun control, days after the Uvalde school shooting. A video shared on social media shows Cruz standing stoically at Uptown Sushi in Houston as a man challenges him to support expanding background checks on gun sales, which the senator and many of his Republican colleagues have rejected. 'Why did you come here to the convention?' the man, later identified as Benjamin Hernandez, asked Cruz. 'Why? When 19 children died!' As Hernandez was pulled away by security officials, he said to Cruz: 'That's on your hands! That's on your hands, Ted Cruz! That's on your hands!'" The Huffington Post's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course I'm with Hernandez, but I find it amusing that Ted Cruz, he-man gunslinger, was dining at a place called Uptown Sushi. Is Uptown Sushi where he-man gunslingers go to rustle up some grub?
Minyvonne Burke of NBC News: "Congressman Chris Jacobs (R-NY), who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in 2020, said he would support a ban on assault weapons following two horrific mass shootings at a grocery store in New York and an elementary school in Texas. Jacobs made the remarks -- a contradiction to the Republican party's staunch stance on gun laws -- during a news conference on Friday.... Jacobs ... also said he is in favor of raising the age for some gun purchases to 21."
Joanna Walters & Gloria Olpadipo of the Guardian: "The last funeral for victims of a gunman's racist attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, two weeks ago took place on Saturday afternoon, as the oldest person to die in the mass shooting was laid to rest. Ruth Whitfield, 86, was shot and killed along with nine other people, all of them Black, when a white supremacist and self-declared 'eco-fascist' extremist allegedly traveled far from his home to wreak violence and tragedy. The vice-president, Kamala Harris, and second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, attended and the civil rights activist Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy at the service at Mount Olive Baptist church in Buffalo."
Ellen Nakashima & Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "The federal government has found no evidence that flaws in Dominion voting machines have ever been exploited, including in the 2020 election, according to the executive director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, has notified election officials in more than a dozen states that use the machines of several vulnerabilities and mitigation measures that would aid in detection or prevention of an attempt to exploit those vulnerabilities. The move marks the first time CISA has run voting machine flaws through its vulnerability disclosure program, which since 2019 has examined and disclosed hundreds of vulnerabilities in commercial and industrial systems that have been identified by researchers around the world." CNN's report is here.
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A prominent Republican-appointed federal judge on Thursday joined calls for Supreme Court justices to be subject to an ethics code, saying a failure by judges to police their own misconduct lessens Americans' respect for the judiciary. Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of D.C. told attendees of a conference in Chicago focused on threats to the independence of the courts that it was 'unimaginable that we have a segment of our federal judiciary that's not subject to an ethics code,' Reuters reported."
Vimal Patel of the New York Times: "A California woman who repeatedly punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant last year, bloodying her face and chipping three of her teeth, was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in federal prison, prosecutors said. The woman, Vyvianna M. Quinonez, 29, of Sacramento, will also have to pay nearly $26,000 in restitution and a $7,500 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. A video of the attack, which occurred in May 2021, was widely viewed on social media. Judge Todd W. Robinson of United States District Court also ordered Ms. Quinonez to be on supervised release for three years after completing her sentence, during which she will be barred from flying on any commercial aircraft."
Fenit Nirappil, et al., of the Washington Post: "For the third year, Americans are greeting the unofficial start of summer shadowed by the specter of the coronavirus amid rising covid-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country. The United States is recording more than 100,000 infections a day -- at least five times higher than this point last year -- as it confronts the most transmissible versions of the virus yet. Immunity built up as a result of the record winter outbreak appears to provide little protection against the latest variants, new research shows. And public health authorities are bracing for Memorial Day gatherings to fuel another bump in cases, potentially seeding a summer surge.... A year ago..., coronavirus seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat as cases plummeted to their lowest levels since spring 2020 and vaccines became widely available for adults."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Ukraine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Ukraine, newly armed with Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles from Denmark, is making a last push to hold on to its eastern Donbas region, where Russian forces are close to occupying the entirety of Luhansk, a province now at the heart of the conflict. In a war that is increasingly becoming an arms race, Russia has been deploying thermobaric warheads, fearsome explosives that send potentially lethal shock waves into bunkers or trenches. Russia's defense ministry also claimed to have successfully test-fired a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile from the Barents Sea at a target more than 620 miles away. Ukraine, for its part, has stepped up its calls for Western nations to provide it with better weaponry. The Biden administration has approved sending long-range multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine, a significant transfer that could hugely aid the country's defense.... Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said in a statement from the Kremlin that he was 'open to renewing dialogue with Kyiv,' but Zelensky has not addressed the offer." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine should put an end to the maxim, "To the victor go the spoils." There should not be a reward for invading and trying to destroy a sovereign country on groundless or even flimsy excuses. Any treaty should come down hard on Russia. ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Sunday are here.
Elena Becatoros & Ricardo Mazalan of the AP: "Russian and Ukrainian troops engaged in close-quarter combat in an eastern Ukraine city Sunday as Moscow's soldiers, supported by intense shelling, attempted to gain strategic footholds in the region while facing fierce Ukrainian resistance. Ukrainian regional officials reported that Russian forces were 'storming' the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, where the fighting has knocked out power and cellphone services and terrorized civilians who haven't fled. Sievierodonetsk, a manufacturing center, has emerged as an epicenter of Russia's quest to conquer Ukraine's industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up its efforts to take nearby Lysychansk, where Ukrainian officials reported constant shelling."
U.K. Danica Kirka of the AP: Britain "will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne this week with four days of pomp and pageantry in central London. But behind the brass bands, street parties and a planned appearance by the aging queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace lies a drive to show that the royal family still remains relevant after seven decades of change." ~~~}
~~~ Brexit, by the Ounce. Nadeem Badshah of the Guardian/Observer: "Boris Johnson will reportedly announce the return of imperial measurements to mark the Queen's platinum jubilee, in an apparent attempt to garner support among Brexiter voters in battleground seats that the Conservatives are in danger of losing. Britain currently uses a mix of imperial and metric measurements, with speed limits in miles per hour and milk and beer bought in pints. The prime minister, under increasing pressure after further damaging revelations in the Partygate scandal, is expected to announce next week that British shops will be allowed to sell products in pounds and ounces to coincide with celebrations for the monarch's 70 years on the throne.... Since 1995, goods sold in Europe have had to display metric weights and measurements.... While it is still legal to price goods in pounds and ounces, these have to be displayed alongside the price in grams and kilograms."
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Reader Comments (13)
The term "assault rifle" says it all. It's not a defense rifle, or a
hunting rifle, or a target rifle.
It's an assault rifle. It's used to ASSAULT humans.
You don't assault targets, or animals. You assault people, or
more accurately, assault children it seems.
According to my dictionary, an assault is a violent attack, either
physically or verbally.
I should ask Ted Cruz why it's called an assault rifle and why
assaulting people shouldn't be unlawful and banned.
@Forrest Morris: from the Ted Cruz Campaign Binder's Glossary of Terms: "Assault rifle: synonym: campaign contribution."
@Marie: Yeah, I forgot about the money angle.
We just binge-watched The West Wing from 1999. Nothing has
changed in 23 years since. It could have been written last month and
it would still be timely, same problems, no solutions.
I didn't get to watch evening TV back then. I was being reprimanded
for being a union organizer at the corporation. They put me on the
night shift, 6:00 PM 'til 3:00 AM. It was great. Only about ten of us
who didn't have to deal with 300 others any more. When the powers
that be found out I really liked nights, than came the "7 days a week"
program. That was great because of the money.
Sometimes employers don't really understand employees. They could
just have asked why we wanted a union, but no.
Not all sorry to see the boys in blue (and brown) take some heat for their dereliction of duty. Even more so, as I said yesterday, because of the cartoonish (but I think earned) vision of tough-guy Texas law enforcement I see when I think Texas cop.
But...all this discussion of how they screwed up, why, who is to blame and whose heads will roll kinda misses the point, doesn't it?
The kids and teachers are still dead. A town is devastated. A nation indulges in hand-wringing for its ritual four or five days, and nothing changes. We've just found another way to avoid the real issue.
Instead of obsessing over exactly how "mentally ill" the murderer was, we're indulging in some satisfying finger-pointing at the police (who have themselves proven to be a little too eager to snuff out lives "in the line of duty"), for not doing their jobs.
If they had, they might have saved some lives. Or maybe not.
In either case, it doesn't really matter. What does is that mass murders are occurring more often, more easily and with more advanced weaponry.
And while how nuts the perpetrator might be or how quickly and effectively law enforcement responds might be of interest, those questions deflect from the real issue of too much advanced armament in too many wrong hands that the nation is too chickenshit to confront.
SUNDAY TID BITS:
Paul Ryan (whom I mentioned yesterday as being one of "The Young Guns") of yesteryear has emerged and says :
"Building an entertainment brand" in Congress is bad for biparistanship and forging policy-––it divides us."
NO KIDDING!
Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) was endorsed by Fatty and the NRA––now says he'll back an assault weapon's ban.
Yipppeeee!
Our Fat-Chance bast-turd took it upon himself to chant–-with gongs before each name–-the Uvalde victims at the NRA love fest on Friday.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-incantation-nra-uvalde-victims-gongs-dystopia_n_62916051e4b0edd2d023e909
sickening!
Following a Sunday Spew, a Sunday Sermon:
When I was ten or eleven, I didn’t understand adults. To my pre-teen mind, the code of why and how physical things worked was much easier to crack.
I once put together a crystal radio on which I listened to Seattle Rainier baseball games late at night. My “The Real Book of Electronics” explained that the crystal in the set was able to convert the radio waves that surrounded us in a way that made them audible through an earpiece. That radio didn’t even need a battery. It was amazing.
Looking again at “The Real Book or Electronics,” with its detailed explanation of vacuum tubes but bare mention of transistors, it’s clear that as marvelous as the old technology was, it didn’t begin to hint at the astonishing electronic world to come.
Revisiting that outdated book and the memories it evokes makes me think about how much other things have radically changed since then.
One is how differently the two main political parties have come to view the proper role of government. A recent House vote on the infant formula crisis tells part of that disturbing story.
The infant formula shortage has multiple causes: familiar Covid supply chain interruptions, the monopolization of the infant formula market which heightened the effect of one plant’s closure due to bacterial contamination, and a long history of inadequate inspection and regulation of the industry (apnews.com and politico.com).
After blaming the Biden administration for yet another problem it didn’t cause, nearly 200 Republicans, who insist that all fetuses be carried to term, voted against providing $28 million to shore up the FDA’s ability to inspect infant formula manufacturing facilities (vice.com).
Primitive as they are, crystal radios still work. Whether our democracy does or not is open to question.
And I still don’t understand some adults.
Thanks to Judge Walton for saying the quiet part out loud. And a Republican appointee no less.
Finally, in my seventh decade, watched From Here to Eternity last night. Was stunning in its boldness. In 1953 to show military hypocrisy and ineptitude -- not to mention the beach scene-- was nothing short of groundbreaking. Apparently Deborah + Burt had some extracurricular activities that mirrored the on screen. Yowza!
@P.D. Pepe: I fortified myself and watched those tweeted videos you linked. As you write, "sickening." Then I see there's a sidebar with a link to a story about Junior saying the killer could have killed the children with a bat. The Trumps are psychopaths.
Ken: What an interesting kid you must have been–––and I do have to say, as a grown-up you continue to be and aren't we lucky to gain from it. And your "I still don't understand some adults" brings me back to my "childhood is destiny" screed. Perhaps so many of these "adults" who cry 'freedom' every chance they get rarely got a chance as kids to have choices ––had few occasions where their voices were taken seriously. and it's interesting that so many of these grown-ups still cling to religions where Papa knows best and at the same time resist any government intervention if it doesn't suit.
NJC: "Apparently Deborah + Burt had some extracurricular activities that mirrored the on screen. Yowza!" and the famous line I'll always remember––"I always knew it could be like this"≠≠≠you betcha!
Marie: The Trumps take the cake for psychopathology and it will forever amaze me that they keep getting away with it –– we no longer are shocked because the slow art of the law keeps them operating like psychopaths.
How did the Uvalde kid afford about $4K of lethality?
I don't know how he financed all the ammo, but the company that sells one of his weapons (the 2nd he acquired), Daniel Defense, sells direct to buyers using licensed dealers as delivery points. DD offers on-line financing as part of the ordering process. If you assume that you'll be dead from your amok slaughter before the first payment is due, it's like getting a free weapon.
I'll be willing to bet that the first weapon he bought, and the ammo, was partially financed by a bankcard from one of those lenders who specialize in "pre-approved" cards for high school seniors, even though the killer was not on the graduate list. He probably got the card around the same time Gillette sent him his free razor pack.
What passes for coming of age in America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/business/daniel-defense-rifle-texas-shooting-gun.html
Ken, I think some of the finger pointing at law enforcement is because many believe that is the only place in this terrible event they feel they may be able to make a difference. The murderer is dead and nothing more can be done to him. The gun laws are unlikely to change any time soon. Protecting Uvalde by getting rid of the incompetence and lies of those in law enforcement who are granted extraordinary powers over their fellow citizens may be the only change that is still a possibility. But you are right that it is an easy distraction from the gun debates. If you bang your head against the wall for long enough the wall may eventually crumble. And that headache would be worth it in the end.
Maybe Chris Rock had the answer. If we can't control the guns, then control the bullets. Just charge (tax?) them at $5000 a piece.
@Patrick: Thank you. What you're saying is that we have a well-coordinated system in place to facilitate mass murders. First, it's legal for 18-year-olds to purchase assault weapons and more ammo that a combat soldier carries into battle. But the weapons & related gear are too expensive for most teens to buy, so the banking industry provides the financing. And, in Texas (and apparently coming to a state near you), even if banks didn't want to lend money for guns, they must do so because Texas has a law that disallows "discrimination" against the gun industry.
Only in America.