NRA

Pointless Failures and Horrific Success…

by MyBaconPress

The Republicans wanted to make absolutely, definitely, for positively sure that anybody and everybody knew that THEY are the party of not trusting women to make their own reproductive choices. (Some of that “Freedumb” they’re always on about.) So they put up a GREAT BIG TENT, with a great big neon sign that read ‘Suffer, bitches!,’ and set Senator Tommy Tumorville outside as the barker.
“Um…It’s Tuberville.”
“Are you sure? He sure seems like a cancer. ‘Tumorville’ is FAR more accurate.”
“Don’t be a baby. It’s Tuberville. And it’s pronounced like a bath tub. Tuberville.”
“Oh, all right.”

Tuberville used his b.s. filibuster to block over 400 military promotions. Why? Well, because he’s a self-important blowhard who believes that he, and he alone should decide how the military works AND what women do with their bodies. When the Roberts Supremely Kangaroo Court took away a woman’s right to choose – after swearing under oath such a thing was Stare Decisis, legal gobbledygook for “settled law” they would never, ever touch, oh, nosiree – the military said they would reimburse any member who had to travel to another state for an abortion or for other reproductive services.

Tommy didn’t like that, so he attacked the military by holding up hundreds of promotions in the highest ranks, interfering with operations across the land. Even Republicans pointed out that none of the officers in question had anything to do with that reimbursement decision and none of the officers in question had or would have the power to change the policy. Nothing like taking the fight right to where it isn’t. (It is the way of the moron, Grasshopper…)

This went on for a long time. Cut to the end. On Tuesday, Tuberville finally, magnanimously “relented” – since he was about to be beaten, anyway, with a legislative maneuver – and lifted his blockade of promotions and almost immediately, 425 promotions were approved by the Senate. Because he’s still a petulant asshole, Tuberville is still holding up around 10 more, for four star generals.

There was a time in this once-great nation when left and right argued about government spending and came to some compromise. Now the Republicans have devolved to a point where they want to throw women and doctors in jail over medical procedures and that’s not even the worst thing they’re proposing and swearing to do to Americans. Never vote Republican!

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I guess if Kevin McCarthy doesn’t get to be Speaker of the House, he doesn’t want to be anything. Finally, something McCarthy and I can agree on. He shouldn’t be in Congress. Thankfully, he’s leaving. Despite our reputation, California has some areas that are BRIGHT, one might say blood-red (being conservatives) and McCarthy represents one of them, the Bakersfield area. That means his replacement will almost certainly be a Republican, but not until a special election so his seat might be vacant for awhile.

What with the ostensible George Santos “quitting” Congress in a huff immediately after being fired by Congress, the nutball contingent is getting smaller and smaller. If they’re not careful, they might accidentally allow Congress to get something helpful done.

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I’d like to take a moment, here, to congratulate the NRA, the conservatives, and the murderous mass shooters out there. Your efforts have paid off handsomely. It took TWO on Sunday, December 3, to get ‘er done but you rose to the challenge and worked it out, propelling the United States to a new, world record when it comes to the number of mass shootings in which at least four people died (not including the shooter) in a single year.

From now until the 31st, any more mass shootings will just be padding the stats. You’ve already set the new bar for next year, but raising it a bit means your record might stand for awhile. Meanwhile, all you cons better get to cleaning your weapons and stockpiling ammo. You’ve got a LOT of murdering to do to catch up to your fellows next year.

Sadly, I’m sure you’re up to it…

When The Bullets Are Flying…

by MyBaconPress

I should say, here, that even if the attack at Ft. Hood HAD occurred as the result of “Muslim terrorists”, we, the people would now be hearing only that it was a disgruntled employee.  Otherwise, the government has to explain how “keeping us safer” includes allowing armed terrorists onto military installations in the middle of the United States, right?

But this essay isn’t about official “message management”, anyway.  After all, what would you expect them to say?  “Oh, terrorists are wandering the streets at will.  Have a nice day!”  Doubtful.  Having said that, though, I do think we’re looking at just a single deranged gunman.

Certainly, I noticed it didn’t take 24 hours before the Empire began trying to anoint it’s next “hero”.  They’re particularly fond of female heroes, too, so this was perfect.  What’s her name?  Lynch?  Jessica Lynch?  No, that’s wrong.  That was their LAST female “hero”.  Um…Oh, there it is, Sgt. Kimberly Munley.

Initial reports indicated that Sgt. Munley, a civilian police officer, killed one of the “Muslim terrorists” and wounded two others, getting shot twice in the process.  Further review has reduced the limelight shining on Sgt. Munley.  No “Muslim terrorists” were involved, only a single deranged gunman – an increasingly common occurrence in the US – and now questions arise as to whether she even brought down the gunman in the first place.

Still, trading bullets with a band of rampaging gunmen?  I’d go with “ballsy” for sure, if not “hero”.  Frankly, I’m glad our society has police officers who step up in times like that and if someone wants to call her a hero, that’s up to them.  But this essay isn’t about patriotism-inducing, manufactured “heroes”, either.

What I’d like to focus on is the number of people killed and wounded and HOW that number got so high.  Think about it for a second.  The last I heard, the official count was 12 dead and 31 injured.  43 people killed and wounded.

The NRA supports concealed carry permits by pretending that if everyone is armed, no one will start anything because everyone else would simply open up on them.  I think this incident shows that they are basically correct in a portion of their thinking, the “everyone opening up” part.  It also shows why it’s such a stupid, stupid idea.

I submit one could hardly expect to find a more ready-armed population than that one might find on a military installation.  That fact didn’t deter Hasan, did it?  Hell, it might have made the post more attractive for his suicide attempt.  So much for the NRA’s deterrence argument.  But the other half of their thinking – everyone would open up – seems to be exactly what happened.

The problem is, nobody knew who was an actual bad guy.  Nor could anybody be sure who was shooting at whom.  Now, I know from a legal standpoint, Hasan started it and Hasan alone is responsible for every injured and dead person as though his bullets and only his bullets tore human flesh.

But I think that what happened on November 5, 2009 is that every armed person in the area responded to the sounds of shots fired and began shooting at the armed people they saw, even the people who were only responding to the sounds of shots fired.

Remember, Sgt. Munley was originally credited with killing one of the gunmen and wounding two.  The “two” were taken into custody and later released when it was realized this was the act of a lone crazy person and not a coordinated attack…but they’d still been shot.

It would be illustrative to do a study examining exactly who’s bullets hit whom.  Yes, Hasan will (and should) burn for them regardless of who pulled the trigger.  But the next time you hear the NRA advocating an armed society as a “safer” society, remember what actually happened at Ft. Hood…