The mass murder at Club Q this past Saturday night could have been prevented, but political leaders in Colorado Springs let it happen. They made a conscious choice that the lives of unarmed victims are less important than a lunatics' right to acquire firearms. They did it because of their fucked-up far right “religion” and their fucked-up far right politics.
Full disclosure: I am a lifelong firearms owner. As to the weapons I own and the legal purposes I use them for, I'll just say that there isn't an AR or AK or semi-automatic anything in my gun safe, except 2 semi-auto pistols, neither of which has a capacity of more than 8 rounds. You may draw your own conclusions as to how this influences what I'm posting below.
The elements that led to the legal framework and social and cultural atmosphere in which this latest preventable horror occurred is indeed a Gordian Knot of fear, hatred, morality and the rights of individuals vs the rights of society. But beyond the killer's decision to kill, regardless of the motive, there is no clearer nor more direct cause for this particular crime than the conscious and deliberate decision made by known individuals in positions of power and of responsibility for public safety to not enforce a commonsense and practical law enacted specifically to help prevent such bloodshed. Perhaps in some small way this is a failure of the law itself, since enforcement apparently isn't statutory but discretionary on the part of the police. But this in no way diminishes the fact that what this really is is a reprehensible and disgusting moral failure of the highest order by those involved in making that decision and failing in their duty to protect the public with all the legal means available to them. And it should be treated as such in the court of public opinion and in the voting booth. And if a way can be found to treat that failure in the manner it deserves in a courtroom as well, all the damned better.
M. Trosino, I think your comment on the the issue of gun violence deserves attention. To quote you, ‘The elements that led to the legal framework and social and cultural atmosphere in which this latest preventable horror occurred is indeed a Gordian Knot of fear, hatred, morality and the rights of individuals vs the rights of society.’
It is not clear to me that the legal framework concerning gun laws in Colorado, Colorado Springs and El Paso County as well as in other states, primarily red states in the country, soundly represent the rights of individuals. The gun laws in Colorado Springs and elsewhere, with much is left to the discretion of law enforcement and prosecutors, expose individuals to great danger.
Politicians, gun lobbyists and others who stir the ‘fear and hatred’ as well as encourage Americans to be armed are accessories to the gun violence. It is time to call out these 'laws' and the instigators with more than words. How might there be legal remedies for their offenses?
‘States with stronger firearms legislation have fewer gun deaths, according to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun laws. Everytown identifies five “foundational” policies for reducing gun deaths: requiring background checks and permits to purchase handguns; requiring permits to carry concealed firearms in public; extreme risk laws, which allow courts to remove guns from those who pose a serious threat to themselves or others; requiring secure storage of guns and rejecting “stand your ground” laws.’
See the link below for information about Everytown’s tracking of ‘…a total of 50 policies in each state, covering areas like the gun industry and product safety, guns in public, keeping guns out of the wrong hands, policing and civil rights, and sales and permitting.’
Preaching to the choir here, Fern. Won't get any argument from me on the 'individual' aspect, either from my end as a gun owner or from a societal view. The legal and practicable framework concerning gun purchase / ownership / usage / etc is a freakin' mess. Common sense gun laws on the books that are either selectively enforced or not enforced at all. Common sense but 'non-infringing' laws that ought to be on the books but are not. Too much unprincipled, selfish, hyper-partisan politics, not enough common sense. And a definite lack of moral concern for the safety and welfare of others from far, far too many people in most any direction you look.
I am suggesting more than 'preaching' and pleading. Clearly, I mean a more aggressive approach, which includes finding legal means in addition to more bold campaigns against the their transgression on our 'life, liberty and the pursuit of a happiness'.
Can't tell for sure, but it appears my 'preaching' remark may have rubbed you the wrong way, which if the case, I apologize for. Nothing more meant than strong agreement, which is also the case here. Hence my ending remark about my hope that those A-Holes in Colorado end up not just out of office and a job but find their sorry backsides at the defense table in a courtroom as well. That would, by my lights, be a great place to press forward on the accountability aspect of this multi-faceted problem.
Oh, friend on horseback, you are both smart and respectful. When I read your first reply to me, I thought you believed that I was preaching, then I wasn't sure. You picked up my drift. It was clear to me on second or third reading that you were referring to yourself. My apology to you. If we lived closer to one another, I would want to ride out with you to see your favorite eternity
No apology needed, Fern. I know that sometimes the nature of communicating like this without the benefit of hearing the tone and timber of voice or seeing the body language included in verbally expressing a thought can occasionally lead to misunderstandings like this. I try to choose my words carefully to avoid this but am not always successful. When replying to comments, I sometimes tend to 'write' the way I 'speak' in actual conversation and fail to realize at that moment how certain common phrases might be misconstrued due to the 'sterility' of the screen.
I occasionally post a reply to a comment that may contain some critical element for one reason or another, but if I do, I always try to be respectful about it, since that's what I'd expect if the shoe were on the other foot. [As an aside, I believe our host here can confirm this through personal experience. ;-) ] Like I told someone some time ago in a similar circumstance elsewhere when he questioned whether or not I was trying to insult him in some way: not to worry... if you have to ask, I wasn't throwing any shade your way!!
BTW...I've always enjoyed a good horseback ride with a friend. But you'll understand if I'm not all that anxious to get too close a look at eternity just yet...
As a life long gun owner and safety instructor, it seems to me that every gun owner should be REQUIRED to take and pass a certified gun safety class before purchasing a firearm
Its a common sense benchmark that would slow down many instances of violence by removing a piece of the anonymous cloud from a potential perpetrator prior to his actions. For those without nefarious intent, the safe handling of guns would prevent many avoidable accidents
That's what the NRA used to be all about - gun safety - and why hunters joined it. Then it was conquered by the Gun Manufacturers Empire, and soon after that the Russian Conquering Heroes. Time for a new gun safety association and a ban of any funding beyond individual memberships and safety classes.
I was an NRA member back before LaPierre and his cronies got their grubby hands on the wheel. Used to be a worthwhile organization. The door couldn't have hit me in the ass if it tried once those guys showed up.
Well, Dave, your comment here contains the words describing the key element that's absent from current day gun laws and the politics surrounding them: common sense. What you say here would make sense to any person with a modicum of that and any concern whatsoever for the safety of their loved ones, friends and fellow citizens, whether they were a gun owner or not.
I bought my first firearm more than 50 years ago, and I've watched the common sense surrounding all things related to gun ownership, safety and use fly right out the window, the red states holding the window open the widest and working the hardest to dispose of that commodity completely.
As I write this, the talking heads on the tube are reporting 6 more Americans have been shot dead in a Walmart store in Virgina. And the requisite politician has been summoned for an interview and is literally talking at this moment of the need for "common sense" gun laws. But she might as well save her breath, since when it comes to this problem, Republican partisanship at every level of the party from DC to the smallest county organization in the country will trump common sense employed for the benefit of the common good, just as it does on any other issue that this country faces. And as we've just seen in Colorado, even when sensible gun laws are written and enacted, senseless partisanship can thwart them completely without so much as a bat of the eye.
Of course, I have no answer for this problem. About all I can do personally is continue to be responsible in my use of my firearms, vote my conscience at every opportunity and in no way offer any support or agreement to anyone, anywhere, anytime - be they a politician or just a friend or acquaintance - who ascribes to the notion that gun ownership should be absent any meaningful regulation or who espouses the ignorant and completely artificial view that the only answer to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
Sorry for the rant. Don't expect that's what you were looking for. Fair warning for future reference: I'm pissed about absolutely everything "gun" in this country at the moment, and have been for a long time, and it's a subject better not broached with me if you're not looking for an earful of anger.
Thanks for being responsible in exercising your right to be a gun owner. Stay safe.
The common idea of the Communist Domino theory of the 50-80’s exists on steroids for 2nd amendment (mythical) fundamentalists. They falsely purport that “any” regulations equates to infringement in total. They cannot be reasoned with; but if you and I, as gun owners, can speak to the issue from perspective that recognizes how the country can begin to address this insanity from a new angle
Anger is a tool that fails me, individually; I lose my measured responsiveness and have learned to detach and compartmentalize. It allows my adversary to appear unhinged while I stare at them blankly. It un-nerves them
Do I gain anything? I don’t know, but My blood pressure thanks me for it
I'm usually pretty cool, particularly under pressure. But when there's fresh blood on the ground as there is now, I need to let a few rounds cook off, lest my chamber pressure exceed its SAAMI rating.
So much devastating damage. Not least to the dead victims, but moreso to the minds and lives of the survivors. I hope that they and Richard Fierro will be able to find some way to heal together.
Thoughts & prayers, right TC? When the hell is "enough is enough"? One after another of these mass murder "events" - still battling over the one how many years ago at the school in Sandy Hook - with the idiot still allowed to spread his garbage publicly. The Las Vegas concert where how many - over 50 were slaughtered? The churches, the mosques, synogoges (sp) schools, nighclubs - and now we will have to put up with the R village idiots and more "hearings, impeachments, etc etc etc. Not doing anything to affect change or improvement in any way - oh yeah, what about all the kerfluffle over inflation, by the way? Havent heard them mention that. Guess its healed by the Rs "majority", right?
every one of these mass shooting stories is vile, but some are viler than others. since every one of them involves some shirking of responsibility, it's usually difficult to decide which one is more or less egregious than the other, but THIS bullshit?? "selective enforcement?" really???
it's kind of interesting that the solution, in this case, was NOT a "good guy with a gun" but just a good guy with actual cojones.
reading your post today produced waves of actual nausea. and I have a pretty strong stomach.
For the life of me, I fail to understand how the right of someone to obtain any weapon they choose to wreak havoc on a marginalized population is more important than the lives of those that he kills.
In a reasonable world, the right of possession of weapons capable of military effectiveness would also carry the responsibility for not just their possession, but usage. This runs the gamut from the high capacity semiauto rifles that utilize a round designed for the maximum "effectiveness" in ballistic injury to the .38 special that a child finds in Mommy's purse and shoots their sibling; every round exiting the chamber and entering a human body has GOT to have responsibility assigned to the owner or operator of that weapon at that time. We do not live in a reasonable world.
Ally, I can't bear to imagine all the "unreasonableness" you have seen in your career. I am watching a gorgeous sunset right now. Thinking hokey and hopeful "new dawn" thoughts. Surely THIS will be the slaughter that moves our government to finally act. But then I remember - the NRA still owns our government. Much work to do.
"Home base of James Dobson's Focus on the Family which preaches "beat the gay out of your kid." Site of Ted Haggard's Vineyard Church - you might remember him from 20 years ago as the preacher calling for the destruction of gays while he was a gay meth-head who hired gay prostitutes when he wasn't calling for their deaths." I didn't recall. TC you just put the pieces together for me. Damn. Two of my dearest, most giving friends belong to a Vineyard church - but condemn "homosexuals" to hell. My medical evidence that these people are geneticly made that way was countered with, "No, they are sinning." No, my friends have been brainwashed by a deadly cult.
Even without medical evidence, my response has been “With all the fear, hatred, and potential violence, who in their right mind would deliberately choose to be gay?”
that would seem to be the case, and I know it feels terrible. I remember losing some good friends to the LaRouche deal, back when he was more communist than the other communists and he was called Lynn Marcus. some got out; a few others didn't.
what always bugs me most about these cults is how they end up wasting or destroying lives that would otherwise have been put to perfectly good use.
I have changed my definition of some “best friends.” Cult adherents have no capacity to deprogram on their own. And I stopped caring. Deliberate ignorance is way worse than stupidity
I actually didn't know any of that stuff about Haggard's "peccadillos." I just knew a few musicians who got taken in by his bullshit.
and actually, if I'm not mistaken, one of them was Bob Dylan. if I'm wrong about this, I need to know. are there TWO Vineyard Churches?
and assuming that most Vineyard people know that Haggard is just another gay homophobe, why would they persist in their horseshit? isn't knowledge supposed to empower?
I moved from Colorado Springs back to Upstate NY in 1994 when my son was 5 years old. I am so relieved that we did not opt to stay and raise him there. It's been more than disappointing to see how the city has changed under the influence of right wing nutters, and I appreciate you calling them all out here, in detail.
Around the time of Dolt45's 2016 campaign, I was upset to hear of an Obama birther billboard in Colorado Springs. When I mentioned this to my husband, he noted "Don't you remember how they used to display anti-gay messages on that same billboard?" Somehow, that had not been on my radar at the time. It seems hatred has resided in that town for many years, and the religious zealots are driving hostility, prejudice and bigotry to a new level. I appreciate you enlightening me on the history of this in this unfortunate city. I am so happy I did not stick around!
I have been sharing your article and my thoughts on this and found out it was Will Perkins who owned that car dealership and anti-gay billboard who also brought right winged religious bigotry to the city of Colorado Springs. He passed this year, but his work is also entrenched in the politicians of Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Where I currently reside in Upstate NY, people would be in the streets over this. I don't understand why they are not, in a state where they elected the first openly gay man to their Governorship.
I don't know what it is about car dealers. Here in LA, the main purveyor of right wing political and religious horse shit is Bert Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Motors, the largest car dealership in LA county. Sort of exactly the same as Perkins, though he will never change LA to Colorado Springs.
Sort-of related story: in the 1990s I was driving through rural Texas and in those pre-streaming days one only had rural radio stations to listen to. In NE Texas I found a station that was about to run James Dobson's show. I listened for 20 minutes to James Dobson and his co-host talk about nothing but the amount of money raised (Mrs. Smith sent us $30.00. Praise God!). Nothing about Scripture or sermonizing, just money, money, money for 20 minutes. So after that I started calling Dobson's place "Focus On the Fundraising."
My late mother lived in Colorado Springs in the 1990s and was one of the (very) few non-Republicans there. As I recall, she loved the country, but she had a very hard time making friends. Eventually she moved to the far west of North Carolina, also a religious conservative stronghold, but at least the people were friendlier. Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park bomber, hid out there for a time.
Not surprised in the least that the so-called pro-life contingent is anything but pro-life, not just about pregnancy or birth, but life itself. It's one reason I'm seriously considering emigration.
May I quote you Jeri, as I share this raw and real account by TC to the few places and people I can reach. Maybe they will share it. Then their readers will share it...
Full disclosure: I am a lifelong firearms owner. As to the weapons I own and the legal purposes I use them for, I'll just say that there isn't an AR or AK or semi-automatic anything in my gun safe, except 2 semi-auto pistols, neither of which has a capacity of more than 8 rounds. You may draw your own conclusions as to how this influences what I'm posting below.
The elements that led to the legal framework and social and cultural atmosphere in which this latest preventable horror occurred is indeed a Gordian Knot of fear, hatred, morality and the rights of individuals vs the rights of society. But beyond the killer's decision to kill, regardless of the motive, there is no clearer nor more direct cause for this particular crime than the conscious and deliberate decision made by known individuals in positions of power and of responsibility for public safety to not enforce a commonsense and practical law enacted specifically to help prevent such bloodshed. Perhaps in some small way this is a failure of the law itself, since enforcement apparently isn't statutory but discretionary on the part of the police. But this in no way diminishes the fact that what this really is is a reprehensible and disgusting moral failure of the highest order by those involved in making that decision and failing in their duty to protect the public with all the legal means available to them. And it should be treated as such in the court of public opinion and in the voting booth. And if a way can be found to treat that failure in the manner it deserves in a courtroom as well, all the damned better.
M. Trosino, I think your comment on the the issue of gun violence deserves attention. To quote you, ‘The elements that led to the legal framework and social and cultural atmosphere in which this latest preventable horror occurred is indeed a Gordian Knot of fear, hatred, morality and the rights of individuals vs the rights of society.’
It is not clear to me that the legal framework concerning gun laws in Colorado, Colorado Springs and El Paso County as well as in other states, primarily red states in the country, soundly represent the rights of individuals. The gun laws in Colorado Springs and elsewhere, with much is left to the discretion of law enforcement and prosecutors, expose individuals to great danger.
Politicians, gun lobbyists and others who stir the ‘fear and hatred’ as well as encourage Americans to be armed are accessories to the gun violence. It is time to call out these 'laws' and the instigators with more than words. How might there be legal remedies for their offenses?
‘States with stronger firearms legislation have fewer gun deaths, according to a study by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun laws. Everytown identifies five “foundational” policies for reducing gun deaths: requiring background checks and permits to purchase handguns; requiring permits to carry concealed firearms in public; extreme risk laws, which allow courts to remove guns from those who pose a serious threat to themselves or others; requiring secure storage of guns and rejecting “stand your ground” laws.’
See the link below for information about Everytown’s tracking of ‘…a total of 50 policies in each state, covering areas like the gun industry and product safety, guns in public, keeping guns out of the wrong hands, policing and civil rights, and sales and permitting.’
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/5/24/23137931/gun-control-laws-mass-shooting-violence-2nd-amendment-semi-automatic-violent-crime-concealed-carry
Preaching to the choir here, Fern. Won't get any argument from me on the 'individual' aspect, either from my end as a gun owner or from a societal view. The legal and practicable framework concerning gun purchase / ownership / usage / etc is a freakin' mess. Common sense gun laws on the books that are either selectively enforced or not enforced at all. Common sense but 'non-infringing' laws that ought to be on the books but are not. Too much unprincipled, selfish, hyper-partisan politics, not enough common sense. And a definite lack of moral concern for the safety and welfare of others from far, far too many people in most any direction you look.
I am suggesting more than 'preaching' and pleading. Clearly, I mean a more aggressive approach, which includes finding legal means in addition to more bold campaigns against the their transgression on our 'life, liberty and the pursuit of a happiness'.
Can't tell for sure, but it appears my 'preaching' remark may have rubbed you the wrong way, which if the case, I apologize for. Nothing more meant than strong agreement, which is also the case here. Hence my ending remark about my hope that those A-Holes in Colorado end up not just out of office and a job but find their sorry backsides at the defense table in a courtroom as well. That would, by my lights, be a great place to press forward on the accountability aspect of this multi-faceted problem.
Oh, friend on horseback, you are both smart and respectful. When I read your first reply to me, I thought you believed that I was preaching, then I wasn't sure. You picked up my drift. It was clear to me on second or third reading that you were referring to yourself. My apology to you. If we lived closer to one another, I would want to ride out with you to see your favorite eternity
No apology needed, Fern. I know that sometimes the nature of communicating like this without the benefit of hearing the tone and timber of voice or seeing the body language included in verbally expressing a thought can occasionally lead to misunderstandings like this. I try to choose my words carefully to avoid this but am not always successful. When replying to comments, I sometimes tend to 'write' the way I 'speak' in actual conversation and fail to realize at that moment how certain common phrases might be misconstrued due to the 'sterility' of the screen.
I occasionally post a reply to a comment that may contain some critical element for one reason or another, but if I do, I always try to be respectful about it, since that's what I'd expect if the shoe were on the other foot. [As an aside, I believe our host here can confirm this through personal experience. ;-) ] Like I told someone some time ago in a similar circumstance elsewhere when he questioned whether or not I was trying to insult him in some way: not to worry... if you have to ask, I wasn't throwing any shade your way!!
BTW...I've always enjoyed a good horseback ride with a friend. But you'll understand if I'm not all that anxious to get too close a look at eternity just yet...
Thank You Fern. Sharing.
Agree completely. Thank you M.
BTW: I had venison for lunch. My hunter friend is expert, responsible, respectful, and law abiding.
And generous apparently
Yes!!! But he and his hunter pals get homemade pies in return!
As a life long gun owner and safety instructor, it seems to me that every gun owner should be REQUIRED to take and pass a certified gun safety class before purchasing a firearm
Its a common sense benchmark that would slow down many instances of violence by removing a piece of the anonymous cloud from a potential perpetrator prior to his actions. For those without nefarious intent, the safe handling of guns would prevent many avoidable accidents
That's what the NRA used to be all about - gun safety - and why hunters joined it. Then it was conquered by the Gun Manufacturers Empire, and soon after that the Russian Conquering Heroes. Time for a new gun safety association and a ban of any funding beyond individual memberships and safety classes.
I was an NRA member back before LaPierre and his cronies got their grubby hands on the wheel. Used to be a worthwhile organization. The door couldn't have hit me in the ass if it tried once those guys showed up.
😣
Well, Dave, your comment here contains the words describing the key element that's absent from current day gun laws and the politics surrounding them: common sense. What you say here would make sense to any person with a modicum of that and any concern whatsoever for the safety of their loved ones, friends and fellow citizens, whether they were a gun owner or not.
I bought my first firearm more than 50 years ago, and I've watched the common sense surrounding all things related to gun ownership, safety and use fly right out the window, the red states holding the window open the widest and working the hardest to dispose of that commodity completely.
As I write this, the talking heads on the tube are reporting 6 more Americans have been shot dead in a Walmart store in Virgina. And the requisite politician has been summoned for an interview and is literally talking at this moment of the need for "common sense" gun laws. But she might as well save her breath, since when it comes to this problem, Republican partisanship at every level of the party from DC to the smallest county organization in the country will trump common sense employed for the benefit of the common good, just as it does on any other issue that this country faces. And as we've just seen in Colorado, even when sensible gun laws are written and enacted, senseless partisanship can thwart them completely without so much as a bat of the eye.
Of course, I have no answer for this problem. About all I can do personally is continue to be responsible in my use of my firearms, vote my conscience at every opportunity and in no way offer any support or agreement to anyone, anywhere, anytime - be they a politician or just a friend or acquaintance - who ascribes to the notion that gun ownership should be absent any meaningful regulation or who espouses the ignorant and completely artificial view that the only answer to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
Sorry for the rant. Don't expect that's what you were looking for. Fair warning for future reference: I'm pissed about absolutely everything "gun" in this country at the moment, and have been for a long time, and it's a subject better not broached with me if you're not looking for an earful of anger.
Thanks for being responsible in exercising your right to be a gun owner. Stay safe.
I would not change a word of what you said
The common idea of the Communist Domino theory of the 50-80’s exists on steroids for 2nd amendment (mythical) fundamentalists. They falsely purport that “any” regulations equates to infringement in total. They cannot be reasoned with; but if you and I, as gun owners, can speak to the issue from perspective that recognizes how the country can begin to address this insanity from a new angle
Anger is a tool that fails me, individually; I lose my measured responsiveness and have learned to detach and compartmentalize. It allows my adversary to appear unhinged while I stare at them blankly. It un-nerves them
Do I gain anything? I don’t know, but My blood pressure thanks me for it
Fight the good fight. Stay Safe. Peace
I'm usually pretty cool, particularly under pressure. But when there's fresh blood on the ground as there is now, I need to let a few rounds cook off, lest my chamber pressure exceed its SAAMI rating.
Peace right back at you.
I knew right away when the news of this massacre broke that far-right religious extremist hate was the root cause. Also turns out a veteran without a gun took away the murderer's weapon and beat him bloody with it. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/us/colorado-springs-shooting-club-q-hero.html
I liked the drag queen who helped him “stoping him with her high heels”.
For a topic that is so sad and infuriating… this moment of levity was refreshing, thanks Ally.
So much devastating damage. Not least to the dead victims, but moreso to the minds and lives of the survivors. I hope that they and Richard Fierro will be able to find some way to heal together.
Thoughts & prayers, right TC? When the hell is "enough is enough"? One after another of these mass murder "events" - still battling over the one how many years ago at the school in Sandy Hook - with the idiot still allowed to spread his garbage publicly. The Las Vegas concert where how many - over 50 were slaughtered? The churches, the mosques, synogoges (sp) schools, nighclubs - and now we will have to put up with the R village idiots and more "hearings, impeachments, etc etc etc. Not doing anything to affect change or improvement in any way - oh yeah, what about all the kerfluffle over inflation, by the way? Havent heard them mention that. Guess its healed by the Rs "majority", right?
every one of these mass shooting stories is vile, but some are viler than others. since every one of them involves some shirking of responsibility, it's usually difficult to decide which one is more or less egregious than the other, but THIS bullshit?? "selective enforcement?" really???
it's kind of interesting that the solution, in this case, was NOT a "good guy with a gun" but just a good guy with actual cojones.
reading your post today produced waves of actual nausea. and I have a pretty strong stomach.
For the life of me, I fail to understand how the right of someone to obtain any weapon they choose to wreak havoc on a marginalized population is more important than the lives of those that he kills.
In a reasonable world, the right of possession of weapons capable of military effectiveness would also carry the responsibility for not just their possession, but usage. This runs the gamut from the high capacity semiauto rifles that utilize a round designed for the maximum "effectiveness" in ballistic injury to the .38 special that a child finds in Mommy's purse and shoots their sibling; every round exiting the chamber and entering a human body has GOT to have responsibility assigned to the owner or operator of that weapon at that time. We do not live in a reasonable world.
Ally, I can't bear to imagine all the "unreasonableness" you have seen in your career. I am watching a gorgeous sunset right now. Thinking hokey and hopeful "new dawn" thoughts. Surely THIS will be the slaughter that moves our government to finally act. But then I remember - the NRA still owns our government. Much work to do.
Gun and gas money overwhelmed the only sane voice in Texas. I hope Beto continues his fight somewhere besides hellish, cheating Texas.
Much work, indeed.
😔
Preach it, TC! I hope they get sued to sunrise. Claiming Sanctuary Counties for guns. Wonder what they'd be saying if one of their own
went on a rampage and just mowed
down anyone they felt like, including
them!?
WTH? If a law has been passed but lawmen refuse to enforce it THEY AREN’T DOING THEIR JOB!! What would be citizens recourse? FBI?
It's not a federal law, unfortunately. But I suspect Governor Polis is going to find something that can be done.
"Home base of James Dobson's Focus on the Family which preaches "beat the gay out of your kid." Site of Ted Haggard's Vineyard Church - you might remember him from 20 years ago as the preacher calling for the destruction of gays while he was a gay meth-head who hired gay prostitutes when he wasn't calling for their deaths." I didn't recall. TC you just put the pieces together for me. Damn. Two of my dearest, most giving friends belong to a Vineyard church - but condemn "homosexuals" to hell. My medical evidence that these people are geneticly made that way was countered with, "No, they are sinning." No, my friends have been brainwashed by a deadly cult.
Even without medical evidence, my response has been “With all the fear, hatred, and potential violence, who in their right mind would deliberately choose to be gay?”
that would seem to be the case, and I know it feels terrible. I remember losing some good friends to the LaRouche deal, back when he was more communist than the other communists and he was called Lynn Marcus. some got out; a few others didn't.
what always bugs me most about these cults is how they end up wasting or destroying lives that would otherwise have been put to perfectly good use.
I have changed my definition of some “best friends.” Cult adherents have no capacity to deprogram on their own. And I stopped caring. Deliberate ignorance is way worse than stupidity
I actually didn't know any of that stuff about Haggard's "peccadillos." I just knew a few musicians who got taken in by his bullshit.
and actually, if I'm not mistaken, one of them was Bob Dylan. if I'm wrong about this, I need to know. are there TWO Vineyard Churches?
and assuming that most Vineyard people know that Haggard is just another gay homophobe, why would they persist in their horseshit? isn't knowledge supposed to empower?
My bull Schitt detector seems to have been operable since I heard a John Bircher celebrate the murder of JFK, 59 years ago this afternoon.
When I looked up "Vineyard Churches" it seemed they are all (over 300 of them?) of the same cloth.
ew...so now I get to be confused...
😣
I moved from Colorado Springs back to Upstate NY in 1994 when my son was 5 years old. I am so relieved that we did not opt to stay and raise him there. It's been more than disappointing to see how the city has changed under the influence of right wing nutters, and I appreciate you calling them all out here, in detail.
Around the time of Dolt45's 2016 campaign, I was upset to hear of an Obama birther billboard in Colorado Springs. When I mentioned this to my husband, he noted "Don't you remember how they used to display anti-gay messages on that same billboard?" Somehow, that had not been on my radar at the time. It seems hatred has resided in that town for many years, and the religious zealots are driving hostility, prejudice and bigotry to a new level. I appreciate you enlightening me on the history of this in this unfortunate city. I am so happy I did not stick around!
I have been sharing your article and my thoughts on this and found out it was Will Perkins who owned that car dealership and anti-gay billboard who also brought right winged religious bigotry to the city of Colorado Springs. He passed this year, but his work is also entrenched in the politicians of Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Where I currently reside in Upstate NY, people would be in the streets over this. I don't understand why they are not, in a state where they elected the first openly gay man to their Governorship.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/conservative-christian-leader-will-perkins-known-as-a-leading-voice-for-amendment-2-dies-at/article_000b75dd-ccae-5d76-be60-77fe4957e22c.html?fbclid=IwAR1tGyg25AG_PeoVoQP0E-GLYyvwIbtq2wPYxm2yIYwfeGWtGERGkkX_VMs
I don't know what it is about car dealers. Here in LA, the main purveyor of right wing political and religious horse shit is Bert Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Motors, the largest car dealership in LA county. Sort of exactly the same as Perkins, though he will never change LA to Colorado Springs.
😣
Again, one comes to TC to learn relevant facts the legacy media won’t cover.
Sort-of related story: in the 1990s I was driving through rural Texas and in those pre-streaming days one only had rural radio stations to listen to. In NE Texas I found a station that was about to run James Dobson's show. I listened for 20 minutes to James Dobson and his co-host talk about nothing but the amount of money raised (Mrs. Smith sent us $30.00. Praise God!). Nothing about Scripture or sermonizing, just money, money, money for 20 minutes. So after that I started calling Dobson's place "Focus On the Fundraising."
My late mother lived in Colorado Springs in the 1990s and was one of the (very) few non-Republicans there. As I recall, she loved the country, but she had a very hard time making friends. Eventually she moved to the far west of North Carolina, also a religious conservative stronghold, but at least the people were friendlier. Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park bomber, hid out there for a time.
Not surprised in the least that the so-called pro-life contingent is anything but pro-life, not just about pregnancy or birth, but life itself. It's one reason I'm seriously considering emigration.
Wish I could share this far and wide, these people are vermin in my book. Jesus is an AR-15 for these “Christians”
"Jesus is an AR-15 for these “Christians”
May I quote you Jeri, as I share this raw and real account by TC to the few places and people I can reach. Maybe they will share it. Then their readers will share it...
The only hyperbole came from a short statement by Lauren Boebert, as an attempt to distance herself from this hate crime.
It’s wrapped around her like the fattest boa constrictor
give her a little time and I'm pretty sure she'll find a way to blame Joe Biden's "Radical Marxist Agenda."
I've already got one, for a start...
Read post, Tom.
I posted on Facebook, so I'll repeat here:
A famous dead comic once said, "Go back to sleep America".