[Macros]

http://youtu.be/O66dbUnFGS0

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Gwynn ap Nudd, on 29 May 2022 - 03:23 AM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 29 May 2022 - 03:06 AM, said:

Can imagine Republican politicians being willing to 'compromise' by increasing the information provided to law enforcement and expanding their powers of surveillance, especially for regulating social media and schools.

Republicans might also be willing to actually do something for mental health---including psychopathy. The shooter probably should have been diagnosed, treated (to the extent his likely unwillingness would allow), and monitored.

Yes, they might "compromise" by offering to increase police powers that nobody else wants to see increased. Given the absolute failure of the police on the ground, they might hold off on that thought this time though.

Actually doing something about mental health issues would require expanding government provided health services. This costs money, and would likely require raising taxes. Every single Republican in office has taken an oath to never raise taxes, so that's not going to happen, and Republicans are not going to vote in favour of increasing the deficit to expand the social safety net (edit: they only vote to increase the deficit if it means tax cuts for corporations and the rich). They will make some comments and noise about mental health, but only until this shooting fades from the news cycle.

If Democrats oppose it they'll want to do it even more. (Or say they want to, at least....)
School therapists are paid relatively little, so it would probably be less costly than a massive infrastructure plan to redesign the nation's 97,568 (2021) public schools. (Unless that redesign is just 'boarding up all doors except the front doors'... and putting bars on the windows? Bulletproofing the doors? Bombproofing them? Though it's really a ridiculous idea, for obvious reasons (most students exiting at once, harder to escape once the shooter is in the building, outdoor activities, etc. But it's more likely Republicans want to drive parents towards private schools and home schooling.)

Simply diagnosing psychopathy and reporting it to local authorities to be included in background checks might help significantly.

Tempted to say one good thing about Trumpism is that it's changed Republican attitudes about goverment spending---but we see similar gigantic expenditures (titanically ballooning deficits) under W. Bush and Reagan....

Influential Republican senator (and possible presidential candidate) Rick Scott recently proposed raising taxes on poor people. Even under Democratic presidents Republicans always seem willing to increase spending on certain things (the military, etc.).


From 2020:

'Republicans, Not Biden, Are About to Raise Your Taxes

Trump built in tax increases beginning in 2021, for nearly everyone but those at the very top.

Trump and his congressional allies hoodwinked us. The law they passed initially lowered taxes for most Americans, but it built in automatic, stepped tax increases every two years that begin in 2021 and that by 2027 would affect nearly everyone but people at the top of the economic hierarchy. All taxpayer income groups with incomes of $75,000 and under — that's about 65 percent of taxpayers — will face a higher tax rate in 2027 than in 2019.

For most, in fact, it's a delayed tax increase dressed up as a tax cut. How many times have you heard Trump and his allies mention that? They surmised — correctly, so far — that if they waited to add the tax increases until after the 2020 election, few of the people most affected were likely to remember who was responsible.'

Opinion | Republicans, Not Biden, Are About to Raise Your Taxes - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Macros, on 29 May 2022 - 07:53 AM, said:

http://youtu.be/O66dbUnFGS0

Of course it's not true that Canada has 'just as many guns as the US'. Per capita it's about 28.8%---but that's still a lot of guns. Surprised to be reminded that Canada apparently only banned assault rifles in 2020.

Canada could demonstrate a middle way---sensible gun regulation while still allowing large numbers of people to keep their guns. But paranoid US gun advocates are vehemently opposed to obvious reforms like a national gun registry.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'"Progress is possible" on gun legislation after Uvalde shooting

[...] "[...] I am at the table in a more significant way right now with Republicans and Democrats than ever before — certainly with many more Republicans willing to talk right now than were willing to talk after Sandy Hook," [...]

Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) deputized Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) to negotiate with Democrats on gun legislation. Those bipartisan conversations — which have continued throughout the holiday weekend, even though the Senate is in recess — have been "encouraging," [senator] Murphy said.

[...] "We're talking about red-flag laws. We're talking about strengthening and expanding the background check system, if not universal background checks. We're talking about safe storage."

[...] On "Fox News Sunday," Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who is running for Senate [...] saying "un-infringed Second Amendment rights" were required in case citizenry needed to "take our government back."

[...] NRA-endorsed Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) broke with the GOP last week and said he now would support an assault weapons ban, magazine capacity limits, raising the age to be able to purchase guns from 18 to 21, and other gun restrictions.

[...] "These are serious negotiations"'

'Progress is possible' on gun legislation after Uvalde shooting - The Washington Post

'Trump reciting the names of the victims (to gong sounds) and calling for more armed teachers. Immediately after his remarks ended, Trump broke out his signature wooden dance moves on-stage to tune of a 1966 soul classic written by Hayes. "The estate and family of Isaac Hayes DID NOT approve and would NEVER approve the use of 'Hold on I'm coming' by [...] Trump at this weekends @NRA convention,"'

Isaac Hayes Family Slams Trump Using His Song for NRA Speech (thedailybeast.com)

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 29 May 2022 - 06:42 PM

[Tsundoku]

Azath Vitr (D, on 29 May 2022 - 06:42 PM, said:

'"Progress is possible" on gun legislation after Uvalde shooting

[...] "[...] I am at the table in a more significant way right now with Republicans and Democrats than ever before — certainly with many more Republicans willing to talk right now than were willing to talk after Sandy Hook," [...]

Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) deputized Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) to negotiate with Democrats on gun legislation. Those bipartisan conversations — which have continued throughout the holiday weekend, even though the Senate is in recess — have been "encouraging," [senator] Murphy said.

Horseshit. They just found a different way to stall until it's out of the news cycle.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Tsundoku, on 29 May 2022 - 08:08 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 29 May 2022 - 06:42 PM, said:

'"Progress is possible" on gun legislation after Uvalde shooting

[...] "[...] I am at the table in a more significant way right now with Republicans and Democrats than ever before — certainly with many more Republicans willing to talk right now than were willing to talk after Sandy Hook," [...]

Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) deputized Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) to negotiate with Democrats on gun legislation. Those bipartisan conversations — which have continued throughout the holiday weekend, even though the Senate is in recess — have been "encouraging," [senator] Murphy said.

Horseshit. They just found a different way to stall until it's out of the news cycle.

Perhaps. Though I've seen at least three (new) mass shootings in the news this weekend; there have been nine in the last three days. But they've become such a perpetual feature of the news cycle they're almost like rain showers---actually more common than rain this year.

Of course, the reaction to school shootings is much---'better'? Whereas the Republican reaction to the Buffalo mass shooting (racist right-wing extremist)---or relative lack of reaction---was 'worse'....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 29 May 2022 - 08:24 PM

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

The Republican "tax hike" noted above was no such thing. As part of their corporate tax cut bill, they included temporary tax cuts for the middle class which then expired. This was not raising taxes, it was temporarily lowering them. Republicans will not vote for a bill that results in a net increase in taxes.

School psychologists' average salary is about $80,000 ( https://money.usnews...hologist/salary ). They do generally cover more than one school, but adding for every second school is roughly 36 billion in annual salary alone. With payroll taxes, health care, overhead etc. you can probably double that. And that only covers people currently attending schools. Actually doing something about mental health for the entire populace would be much more expensive.

In terms of the number of guns in Canada, you will likely find that the types are also much more heavily weighted towards long guns and more concentrated in rural areas. There are only an estimated 900,000 handguns in Canada ( https://www.publicsa...vlnt-crm-en.pdf ), which is 2.4 per capita. Including prohibited guns (because some of those are small handguns), it's 1,000,000 or 2.6 per capita.

From the WaPo article, all they are talking about getting through is a red flag law and maybe strengthening background checks (but not likely making them universal). Basically the watered down red flag and background check stuff I suggested above. Barely moving the needle. But, since the decision in Heller, there's not much that can be done without changing the Supreme Court. If you can't restrict handgun ownership, you can't do much about gun violence.

"While Democrats frequently suggest banning assault rifles as a solution to gun violence, those weapons account for only a tiny fraction of homicides. According to the FBI, of the more than 10,000 gun murders committed in 2019, only 364 were committed with a rifle of any kind (the FBI does not break down those murders by type of rifle). So an assault rifle ban would have only a marginal impact on gun violence within the US."

https://www.vox.com/...achers-violence

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Gwynn ap Nudd, on 30 May 2022 - 03:19 AM, said:

The Republican "tax hike" noted above was no such thing. As part of their corporate tax cut bill, they included temporary tax cuts for the middle class which then expired. This was not raising taxes, it was temporarily lowering them. Republicans will not vote for a bill that results in a net increase in taxes.

School psychologists' average salary is about $80,000 ( https://money.usnews...hologist/salary ). They do generally cover more than one school, but adding for every second school is roughly 36 billion in annual salary alone. With payroll taxes, health care, overhead etc. you can probably double that. And that only covers people currently attending schools. Actually doing something about mental health for the entire populace would be much more expensive.

In terms of the number of guns in Canada, you will likely find that the types are also much more heavily weighted towards long guns and more concentrated in rural areas. There are only an estimated 900,000 handguns in Canada ( https://www.publicsa...vlnt-crm-en.pdf ), which is 2.4 per capita. Including prohibited guns (because some of those are small handguns), it's 1,000,000 or 2.6 per capita.

From the WaPo article, all they are talking about getting through is a red flag law and maybe strengthening background checks (but not likely making them universal). Basically the watered down red flag and background check stuff I suggested above. Barely moving the needle. But, since the decision in Heller, there's not much that can be done without changing the Supreme Court. If you can't restrict handgun ownership, you can't do much about gun violence.

"While Democrats frequently suggest banning assault rifles as a solution to gun violence, those weapons account for only a tiny fraction of homicides. According to the FBI, of the more than 10,000 gun murders committed in 2019, only 364 were committed with a rifle of any kind (the FBI does not break down those murders by type of rifle). So an assault rifle ban would have only a marginal impact on gun violence within the US."

https://www.vox.com/...achers-violence

It was a long-term tax hike disguised as a short-term tax cut. Overall it was in fact a tax hike (see the link I posted before). Which conveniently triggered once Democrats were back 'in control'....


In the meantime---for things they actually want to do---they're fine with massive deficit spending.

About 12% of US schools currently don't have school psychologists:


'While most schools do have school psychologists and counselors, some do not have any.

More than 5.4 million public school students (12%) attend districts with no psychologists.

Almost half a million students (1%) attend districts with no school counselors.'

Data: Does Your State Have Enough School Psychologists and Counselors? (edweek.org)

Median school psychologist salary in the US is in fact higher than I expected---$74,000 overall, $63,000 in the Southeast (including Texas):

Workforce & Salary Information (nasponline.org)

The quote from Uvalde was: "Sure, we have some therapists here locally but they aren't really qualified to handle something like this guy," [...] "This school never has enough money to really do all of the things they need to do. [...]"'

Uvalde Shooting: Classmate of Salvador Ramos, Jamie Arellano Says 'We Saw Him Beating a Little Dog" (thedailybeast.com)

Cursory search didn't turn whether Robb Elementary or Uvalde school district had school psychologists.

A change in policy might be more important than a change in personnel. Students who show clear signs of psychopathy could have virtual sessions with psychologists or psychiatrists from other areas. Health care plans could help pay for it. Also, animal cruelty laws should be altered to mandate psychological assessments, particularly in cases of physical harm to animals for sadistic pleasure (in cases where it's not a cultural tradition, but a sign of possible psychopathy) and monitoring or perhaps institutionalization.

'Trump also criticized authorities for not acting on multiple warnings about the Parkland shooter in the months leading up to the massacre.

"They should have known," Trump asserted. "They did know. They didn't do anything about it."

[...] "We're going to have to start talking about mental institutions," Trump said. "You used to be able to bring him into an mental institution, and hopefully he gets help or whatever, but he's off the streets."'

Trump Renews Call For NRA-Backed Plan To Arm Teachers : NPR

'[Texas shooter] reportedly sought fame similar to the true-crime docuseries "Don't F–k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer."

[...] told her he "wanted his name out there" like [not going to repeat the name]

[...] had initially attracted attention for the [internet] videos, which showed himself torturing and killing two kittens. But as the online manhunt [intensified ... he] was arrested [for] the 2012 killing and dismembering of Chinese student Jun Lin.'

Salvador Ramos sought 'Don't F–k with Cats' fame before shooting: report (theworldnews.net)

It's true that an assault weapons ban wouldn't make much of a dent in US gun murders overall (only about 3% use rifles of any kind).

Gun deaths in the U.S.: 10 key questions answered | Pew Research Center

One could even argue that it could be detrimental to the long-term gun control movement, since mass shootings involving assault weapons are deemed more newsworthy (and shootings in shocking locations, like the NYC subway, lead judges like Alito to claim (as he did, without any statistical evidence) that there are already lots of criminals carrying concealed guns there, so it should be legal in order for upstanding citizens to defend themselves). But it's a start, and it would make mass shootings less deadly.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'Memorial Day weekend [...] has seen at least 11 mass shootings, defined by the Gun Violence Archive as incidents in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter. [...] Guns are now the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S., and the number continues to steadily climb'

The U.S. Has Seen At Least 11 Mass Shootings This Memorial Day Weekend (thedailybeast.com)




(not yet updated for the long weekend)

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Guess we'll get to see if that 'trying to forcibly seize people's guns will lead to massacres' theory holds up in Canada:

'Canada Aims to Force Owners of "Military-Style Assault Weapons" to Turn Them In

[...] also immediately imposed new regulations banning the sale, purchase, importation or transfer of handguns.'

But not ownership of handguns? Odd. Maybe saving money by not doing a handgun buyback?


'Handguns account for close to 60 percent of firearms-related crimes in Canada[...]

While the police have long held that most illegal firearms, particularly handguns, are smuggled in from the United States, not much is known about the origins of guns used in crimes.

The shooter in Nova Scotia used two weapons that are now banned; both were smuggled in from the United States.

Other measures [...] include [...] giving police power to seize guns from people whom a judge has determined to be at risk of hurting themselves or others.'

Canada Plans to Ban Handgun Sales and Possession of Assault Weapons - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Possibly worth noting that Mexico has relatively strict gun laws ('Mexico has extremely restrictive laws regarding gun possession. There are only two stores in the entire country [...] takes months of paperwork to have a chance at purchasing one legally [...] most types and calibers are reserved to military and law enforcement'), but about four times more per capita gun homicides than the US. Of course the gangs are mostly to blame there....

Firearms regulation in Mexico - Wikipedia

List of countries by firearm-related death rate - Wikipedia

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 31 May 2022 - 01:04 AM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'An undercover comedian crashed the [NRA] convention

[...] stood up to speak when NRA members were allowed to address the group's chief executive since 1991, Wayne LaPierre'




Comedian infiltrates NRA event to mock Wayne LaPierre




'Red line is the expiration of the assault style weapon ban'

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 31 May 2022 - 04:39 PM

[QuickTidal]

Azath Vitr (D, on 31 May 2022 - 04:39 PM, said:

'An undercover comedian crashed the [NRA] convention

[...] stood up to speak when NRA members were allowed to address the group's chief executive since 1991, Wayne LaPierre'




Comedian infiltrates NRA event to mock Wayne LaPierre




'Red line is the expiration of the assault style weapon ban'

People clapping not realizing he was taking the piss....shows you the level of education on display.

[Gorefest]

Thoughts and prayers are like masturbation. They feel good to you but they do bugger all for the person you are thinking about.

[Malankazooie]

Was wondering how an 18 yr old has the money to buy two AR-15 rifles. Got the answer - "Buy Now, Pay Later" is a great way to buy guns when you are pretty sure that when you are done with doing what you bought the guns for, you really won't have to worry much about "later."

https://ca.finance.y...-105051653.html

"Call of Duty" inspired ads to boot, for that personal touch to bring in the young'uns.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'This Rapper With Millions of Fans Loved Guns. Then He Was Shot Dead.

The world's biggest democracy has one of the highest number of deaths by gun violence.

[...] killing in broad daylight has put an Indian state on edge.

[...] Ten unidentified gunmen reportedly shot him at least 24 times while he was driving his car.

[...] [India] has the second-highest number of firearms, the majority of which are illegal. Guns are [...] linked to Indian culture, where even revellers like to pull the trigger for a celebratory shot in the air.

[...] Moosewala has been labelled a "poster child" of glorifying gun culture through his music. Moosewala's love for guns was clear in his music. His 2021 song Me and My Girlfriend is about him and his "girlfriend" from Russia: the AK-47 he is holding throughout the video.

He is among several musicians in the region who faced crackdowns, including arrests, for displaying guns in music. Moosewala himself faced a series of police cases for publicly using guns in 2020, but was never convicted. Later, he released a song where he referred to the police complaints as badges of honour. '

[...] "Use of guns and violence, be it in songs or real life, shows toxic masculinity and patriarchy in the society, where such behaviour is celebrated," [...]

[...] guns are seen as a caste and class status in India, along with power and privilege. Moosewala often referred to his own dominant caste in his music too.

[...] an Indian producer and Moosewala's friend[: ...] the criticism stems from a "western understanding" of how guns are used, like in the U.S.

[...] "His reference to weapons is often steeped in rebellion and a challenge to oppression, rather than senseless gang culture or violence."

[...] Official data shows that Punjab's [...] population have at least four times more weapons than even the Punjab police. India also has a history of anti-Sikh riots, which[...] contributes to why Punjab has high gun ownership. [...] "Weapons as a form of defence have a deep history in Punjabi and Sikh culture and customs."

[...] Moosewala's last song, The Last Ride [...] a tribute to Tupac [...] similarly shot dead in his car'

This Rapper With Millions of Fans Loved Guns. Then He Was Shot Dead.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 31 May 2022 - 10:40 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'Florida's red flag law, championed by Republicans, is taking guns from thousands of people

[...] Passed in the wake of the horrific 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland high school, the state law provides police a path to ask a judge to temporarily bar dangerous individuals from possessing or purchasing a firearm. [...]

[...] those looking to change the country's gun laws see in Florida a blueprint to move forward[...] because it emerged out of a Republican stronghold unofficially known as the "Gunshine State."

[...] gun reform package [...] included $400 million in new spending for priorities like school security and mental health resources [...] Republican lawmakers also agreed to raise the age to own a gun to 21 and implemented a three-day waiting period to purchase most rifles.

"I knew the time for thoughts and prayers, although necessary, was not enough," said Bill Galvano, a Republican and the former state senator who sponsored the legislation.

Research suggests red flags have made a difference where they've been implemented. [...]

[...] "Not one Republican who voted for that bill in Florida has paid a political price for protecting kids and doing the right thing. [...]

As a candidate in 2018, DeSantis [now governor] said he opposed the gun restrictions [...] telling one Florida newspaper he would have vetoed it. [...] He recently promised Florida would join other states that no longer require training or a permit to carry a firearm in public'

Florida's red flag law, championed by Republicans, is taking guns from thousands of people - CNNPolitics

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'GOP lawmaker bizarrely blames abortion for mass shootings

[...] Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) [...] "When I was growing up in Springfield, you had one or two murders a year," said Long who is currently running for the Senate. "Now we have two, three, four a week in Springfield, Missouri.

"So something has happened to our society," he continued. "I go back to abortion, when we decided it was OK to murder kids in their mothers' wombs. Life has no value to a lot of these folks."

[...] grave inaccuracies in Long's claim. In 1970, three years before the passing of Roe v. Wade, [...] "499 murders were reported in Missouri. [...] in 2019, 568 murders were reported in the state." [Granted, that doesn't necessarily disprove his claim about Springfield... but 2*56-2 = 110, so unless the murder rate in the rest of Missouri went down, his numbers don't add up.]

[...]

"If there was something that would work that would prevent some of these things, any reasonable person is going to look at anything like that," Long said."But to this day and time, no one has been able to come up with any kind of a suggestion that would have helped in any of these situations."'

Watch: GOP lawmaker bizarrely blames abortion for mass shootings


'California Has America's Toughest Gun Laws, and They Work

As in the "Swiss cheese model" of Covid prevention, a lot of small measures add up.

[...] California has significantly lowered gun deaths [...]

[...] the "Swiss cheese model" [...] The idea is to prevent the holes in the policies from lining up.

[...] broadened the criteria for keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others due to mental illness. If you're convicted of a violent misdemeanor in California, you can't have a gun for the next 10 years[...]

We require background checks, and not just from licensed retailers; in most states, purchases from private parties require no background checks or record keeping of any kind. [...]

And we enforce these policies, unlike a lot of other states.'

California Has Toughest Gun Laws in United States and Fewer Deaths - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 02 June 2022 - 04:16 PM

[Tsundoku]

Fuck me, you guys really don't get it do you? I swear there should be a test before people are allowed to breed or vote. And most especially, buy firearms.

https://www.news.com...68ce58a7fcdf8c8

New rule from Texas Governor sparks outrage as US reels from mass shootings
As the US continues to reel from the devastating Uvalde massacre, one announcement has revealed just how lost the nation has become.

Doors. Fucking doors.

"In a letter sent to the Texas Education Authority (TEA), the Republican leader directed the organisation to “provide strategies to make Texas public schools safer” in the wake of the attack.

Among the new measures were an order to instruct school districts to identify actions at the start of the school year to make campuses more secure, develop strategies to boost the numbers of trained law enforcement officers on campuses – and to conduct “weekly inspections of exterior doors” to prevent intruders.

“In the wake of this devastating crime, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that our schools provide a safe and secure environment for the children of Texas,” Mr Abbott’s letter reads.

“You should immediately prepare additional rules to ensure that existing school facilities are also held to heightened safety standards.

“We must do everything possible to protect children and safeguard our schools.”

Everything possible? Not even remotely, you disgusting, lying, corrupt, hypocritical sack of shit. Fuck you. Do us all a favour and just die. Hopefully in a very compromising position so another GOP turd doesn't get in.

What is it going to take - McConnell's, LaPierre's and Abbott's grandkids all mown down? I most certainly hope not, but it would be interesting to see how fervent their resolve to defend their perverted view of the 2nd Amdt would be.

https://www.theshove...r-buying-doors/

America introduces strict new background checks for buying doors

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 03 June 2022 - 08:51 AM

[QuickTidal]

Turning Schools into locked down prisons to prevent shootings VS *checks notes* Gun Regulations...is peak fucking America. Holy shit.

[Gorefest]

Turning schools into prisons also means you can then put the kids to work far below minimum wage to fund more security guards and guns for teachers. Ideally, you'd work to a situation where the kids don't leave school at all anymore until they are 18 and parents and other visitors have strict curfews and are separared from the priso....classroom spaces. You know it will work, it makes total sense. US kids will be safe and securely locked away. Who has ever heard of a mass shooting inside a prison? It is a genius idea.