Friday, December 14, 2012

Some school systems around the country are reassuring parents they are increasing police presence. That is probably a good idea.

Evil did not visit the community today.

A gunman with very powerful weapons went into an American elementary school and shot 28 people of which 20 were very young children.

There are no background checks that work, 40% of the guns sold in the USA are in the hands of people without background checks.

There is no 'crazy person' statute which prevents the killing of innocent people. 

An increasing number of gunmen with very powerful weapons have never been involved in a crime.

This is pure unadulterated violence that is a cultural component of the USA.

What was that about it being impossible to have a peaceful neighborhood without gun violence?

The culturally elite haven't made it into the USA yet. I suppose Mexico's drug cartel would be starved for weapons if Japan was their northern neighbor.

Explain to those parents why the NRA is more important than safe neighborhoods. Explain to them how the culture of violence of the USA can no longer be tolerated. Explain to those parents how much everyone, every legislator in this country is concerned for their happiness. Go, ahead, explain that to them now.

In part by forbidding almost all forms of firearm ownership, Japan has as few as two gun-related homicides a year.

JUL 23 2012, 1:45 PM ET

...But what about the country (click here) at the other end of the spectrum? What is the role of guns in Japan, the developed world's least firearm-filled nation and perhaps its strictest controller? In 2008, the U.S. had over 12 thousand firearm-related homicides. All of Japan experienced only 11, fewer than were killed at the Aurora shooting alone. And that was a big year: 2006 saw an astounding two, and when that number jumped to 22 in 2007, it became a national scandal. By comparison, also in 2008, 587 Americans were killed just by guns that had discharged accidentally. 

Almost no one in Japan owns a gun. Most kinds are illegal, with onerous restrictions on buying and maintaining the few that are allowed. Even the country's infamous, mafia-like Yakuza tend to forgoguns; the few exceptions tend to become big national news stories....

It is a good start, Mr. Speaker, but, only a start.

It is a good start to saving lives of children, school children, teachers, holiday shoppers, temple worshipers and movie goers in the USA.

But, only a start!

So far there is only one bill in the US Senate about children. What is taking so long to pass this bill?

S.645 - Child Protection Improvements Act of 2012 (click here)

A bill to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to establish a permanent background check system.

What is holding this up, some kind of lousy filibuster? This bill doesn't even begin to address the tragedy our young people are facing in a culture of violence.

Communities traumatized by gun violence don't adequately recover. They are not soldiers, they are not suppose to be on a battlefield. Their homes are suppose to be places of security, peace and happiness. It is time for the United States federal government to look into the lasting effect of gun violence on communities and how best to stop it. These are the children and citizens that are the future of this country, there is no room for this level of violence within our borders.

More gun violence? 20 dead? 26 dead. 20 babies are dead. An entire classroom. Six adults couldn't stop it. Two hand guns and an assault rifle. Dressed in black. The Dark Knight Returns, huh?

Multiple people, including children, (click here) have been killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The number of dead is unclear, but there are at least 20 shooting victims. Many of the shootings took place in a kindergarten classroom, sources said....
Don't over react? Really? Huh? Leading with our heads over our hearts is exactly the problem here. We allow too much tolerance for guns on our streets.

Don't tell me for one minute this is not cultural. It is a culture of violence in the USA. Young people are killed everyday in the USA. This just happens to be 20 at a time.

December 12, 2012 7:29 PM


...Police said Komperda (click here) was not the intended target, but the gunman might have been targeting a family member.
The shooter allegedly approached Thompson for help and he agreed because “he wanted to be popular and have status in the neighborhood and with the shooter,” according to court records.
Thompson had no criminal background....

This might be a mimic to what happened in the mall, too. One mass attack gives permission of another and so on and so forth. We don't need heroes, we need safe people. I don't doubt there are people who are heroes in all these circumstances, that is not the point.

Little children are dead and the US House of Representatives are enjoying a long weekend having only worked three days this week. The USA Senate resumes their schedule on Monday, December 17, 2012 at 2 PM.

I am looking for legislation about the violence within our social culture, but, so far the only one I found was this.

HR 2
An act to repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
S. 192 
Mr. DeMint A bill to repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. 

There are many bills to reinstate provisions of the Patriot Act. Tell me something, how is it the Patriot Act doesn't stop the flow of guns into the population of the USA? Wouldn't those promoting the Patriot Act seek to undermine the availability of guns to terrorists? Hm. I guess not, considering there is all that export by pick-up truck load to Mexico.


S. 1050 Senator Paul - A bill to modify the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and to require judicial review of National Security Letters and Suspicious Activity Reports to prevent unreasonable searches and for other purposes.


S.J. Res. 13 Mr. Paul - Joint resolution declaring that a state of war exists between the Government of Libya and the Government and the people of 
the United States, and making provision to prosecute the same.

Senator Whitehouse is trying to limit some military counterfeit goods. Don't know what that is all about. It would be nice if assault weapons were banned, too. Assault weapons are military, counterfeit or not doesn't really matter, does it?


S. 1228 Mr. Whitehouse and others - A bill to prohibit trafficking in 
counterfeit military goods or services.

This one has merit. It all depends what the definition of corruption is.


S. 401 Mr. Leahy and others - A bill to help Federal prosecutors and investigators combat public corruption by strengthening and clarifying the law. 


When legislators are this stupid and defy federal law, the country knows there are some states just not trustworthy.

This isn't surprising, North Carolina doesn't even value human life and have exonerated any Emergency Room Physicians from liability with deaths of human beings that occur there. It is corruption through and through in that state.

Why should they be trusted with States Rights when they do nothing but use them for unworthy purposes. Those that seek to threaten habitat of endangered species need to be prosecuted and imprisoned.

When hunting is allowed within protected habitat of an endangered species it is illegal. It needs to stay illegal and no state law should ever be tolerated when it loosens those prohibitions.

...Since 1987, (click here) 66 have died as the result of gunshots, with more than half the deaths occurring in the past six years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That number does not include suspected gunshot deaths, including the three most recent ones.
Today, biologists estimate that between 115 and 130 red wolves exist in the wild - all of them in a five-county area on the Albemarle Peninsula of North Carolina.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees a red-wolf recovery program, is investigating the latest deaths. Anyone convicted of killing a red wolf - protected under the federal Endangered Species Act - faces up to a year in prison and $100,000 in fines....

This is there natural habitat, but, last time I looked into the number of US Fish and Wildlife Agents there were THREE. Only three agents in the entire state. Basically, this is poaching. If North Carolina can't be trusted to stop this degradation of the number of an endangered species then US Fish and Wildlife should beef up their personnel and/or seek a safer haven for them until their numbers increase. 

Maybe a protected preserve further west along the same latitude. Some place without drought. Start two populations, but, genetic test the transplants to insure they won't be deeply inbred.

Most states have their own threatened and endangered lists as well as the federal lists. The only protected species in North Carolina are the ones important to hunting. If a species can't be hunted for food or profit they don't belong alive on any state threatened or endangered list. No lie. There are absolutely no state lists for threatened and endangered plants. None. And there are plenty that should be protected. There are some conservatories in the state that do protect plants, but, there numbers are few.

There is extremely little moral content to the state of North Carolina. The only morality any elected official recognizes is 'church affiliated morality.' What ever it might be. Maybe the churches need to take up the future of all creatures great and small if their children are to value life at all; Lord knows even children's lives are valued in emergency rooms there.

I am quite confident the entire Souuuuth has the same dynamic. They hate the federal government. Sometimes the way they want to war all the time, they actually hate life.

The emergency room physician law is a human rights violation. There are plenty in North Carolina. Plenty. The way people are treated by employers and their susceptibility to homelessness and poverty. Human Rights violators. Why would the federal government ever, ever expect them to respect federal law in relation to Red Wolf habitat?

Rove was counting on purchasing the elections so the IRS rules could be changed to allow his non-profit status.


I am sure in his demented thinking the idea his political activities is somehow a public service. If the GOP could purchase elections with enough monies, they could change the federal rules to suit them. No surprise here. Rove can proceed as a non-profit as long as his application is pending. However, I thought there was a sundown provision of six months to a year for that, too.
by Kim Barker 
ProPublica
Dec. 14, 2012, 10:19 a.m.
In a confidential 2010 filing, Crossroads GPS (click here)-- the dark money group that spent more than $70 million from anonymous donors on the 2012 election -- told the Internal Revenue Service that its efforts would focus on public education, research and shaping legislation and policy.
The group's application for recognition as a social welfare nonprofit acknowledged that it would spend money to influence elections, but said "any such activity will be limited in amount, and will not constitute the organization's primary purpose."
Political insiders and campaign-finance watchdogs have long questioned how Crossroads, the brainchild of GOP strategist Karl Rove, had characterized its intentions to the IRS.
Now, for the first time, ProPublica has obtained the group's application for recognition of tax-exempt status, filed in September 2010. The IRS has not yet recognized Crossroads GPS as exempt, causing some tax experts to speculate that the agency is giving the application extra scrutiny. If Crossroads GPS is ultimately not recognized, it could be forced to reveal the identities of its donors....

This is going above and beyond. I suppose they want their classrooms rebuilt and they'll do it themselves.



 
Mike Hall
In The States

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, (click here) the New York City Teachers Retirement System today pledged $1 billion in new investments for infrastructure projects, including improvements to transportation, power, water, communications and housing in New York City and throughout the state that was hit hard by the massive November storm....

Clinton. 

There is going to be other funds to match that from the private sector, too. I was wondering why the unions had to shoulder the burden themselves. Very nice. As it should be.


...As part of the commitment, (click here) the AFL-CIO will work with business and government to promote infrastructure investment with a goal of at least $10 billion in new funding over the next five years.
Union movement-affiliated funds also will invest at least $20 million in the next year in energy-efficient retrofits of commercial, industrial and public buildings. Taking a first step, the AFL-CIO is immediately soliciting bids to conduct an energy-efficient retrofit of its headquarters in Washington, D.C....

The Walmart Twinkie? From China with love?

It will survive the trip across the Pacific Ocean and through the Panama Canal, but, I will never buy it. It will never be Hostess ever again. No, thanks.

I've never had the observation that President Obama used people/personnel as political pawns.

When a President takes possession of a nominee for political purposes it is a form of depersonalization. Yes? It alters the trajectory of a career. It brands a person's career which might limit their ability to actually serve the country in the future.

I find President Obama far more complex a person than a political pawn himself.

President Barack Obama (click here) was prepared to battle for Susan Rice, but her withdrawal from consideration to be the next secretary of state means he won’t get a fight — over this.
Rice’s decision pre-empts what was expected to be an intense confirmation battle that could have swallowed key first months of the president’s second term – and perhaps big-ticket agenda items along with it....
The current director of the NSC, Gayle Smith, has extremely versatile credentials including the World Bank. So, the President's new administration may be more than interesting after many members have been exposed to work in the Executive Branch for four years.