It might be the only up-side to the pandemic. For awhile, there were no mass shootings. Of course, as soon as humans with access to guns gather together it can quickly go sideways…and it has.
Not only do a lot of Americans have a lot of guns, but we seem to be particularly unable to handle conflict. Something more than limiting access to guns needs to happen to fix this, but that’s where it needs to start.
While Democrats are trying to tighten up access to weapons, some Texas Republicans want to allow guns to be carried without a license. It’s hard to pick the most ridiculous thing to come out of Austin on a daily basis, but this one takes the entire week.
How do we address the stressors that lead to these horror shows? At what point do anger or feeling disconnected require a mental health intervention?
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User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
gun nuts and anti-faxers may be the darwinian answer to over population
the hill:
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/20/texas-transgender-health-care-restrictions/
In Texas, politicians ignore mass shootings to focus on what’s really important; blocking trans rights.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/19/texas-constitutional-carry-senate/
In Texas, politicians ignore mass shootings to see if they can make the probability of gun violence worse.
“I plan to meet with law enforcement who oppose permitless carry and with the [National Rifle Association] and [Gun Owners of America] who support it to see if we can find a path that a majority of senators will vote to pass,” Patrick said.
herd mentality
Maybe, just maybe we should begin to focus on the mental health of the elected. Republicans seem to be filled with hatred of “other” (phobia) and to be living in an alternate world (delusional).
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/us/indianapolis-shooting-fedex-tuesday/index.html
“Despite the temporary mental health hold in March, Hole was able to legally purchase assault rifles in July and September 2020, Indianapolis police said.”
“Mears said the state didn’t have access “to anything to indicate that (Hole) had had a history or documented diagnosis of mental illness.”
“We have 14 days under the statute and because we have 14 days our ability to have access to meaningful medical history, meaningful mental health records, is severely limited.” Indiana law allows a person 30 days to respond to a subpoena, Mears said. The sad reality is that during the pendency of these matters there’s nothing prohibiting someone from purchasing a firearm…”
“maybe we should focus on the mental health of the elected”
BiD, better to focus on treating the mental ill health of those who elected them (or allowed them to be elected by not voting).
noteworthy observation by wapo editorial board yesterday
Opinion | NASA’s Ingenuity on Mars shows how much robots can do – The Washington Post
When we think about the space program, we usually think big. Ingenuity and the scientists who came up with its boundary-breaking design remind us that one small step for a robot can be a giant leap for mankind.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics/donald-trump-jr-adviser/index.html
Crazy like (on) Fox
Fear-mongering should be a hate crime.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/16/politics/mass-shootings-america-guns/index.html
This map was from last week. We’ve had five mass shootings since then.
Musings on a nice spring day. Mondale. Humphrey. Carter. Dukakis. Biden. Nice people. Johnson. Clinton. Special people. Obama, staid person. Nice people are not on the winner list. Carter won at a very special point in history, but not the second time.
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/black-churches-are-preaching-mental-health-care/
“Across the country, mental health needs are soaring. And Black Americans are experiencing significant strain: A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer found 15 percent of non-Hispanic Black adults had seriously considered suicide in the past 30 days and 18 percent had started or increased their use of substances to cope with pandemic-related stress.”
Non-denominational (white, evangelical) churches seem to be doing just the opposite. They preach fear from the pulpit.
Fixing white folks would be a starting point to good national, mental health. The scam used to be “limited resources” to get votes. Now, it’s the notion of being “replaced.”
How do you solve a problem like MTG?
Craig – Any nice memories of Fritz?
Woke up this morning to the announcement of this attack on true education by one of the great Black universities. This time there needs to be a campaign to reverse the decision.
Howard University’s Removal of Classics is A Spiritual Catastrophe
I’ll need to delve into the details on this one, but how do you cancel the classics and still not recognize things such as the retelling of Homer by one of the greatest of black poets in Omeros?
Jamie – Howard dissolved the classics department and spread the profs to other departments. A massive dilution. Like what happened to the old liberal arts departments. The push to make colleges and universities trade training sites is difficult to fend off. I have a serious issue with the All STEM, All The Time. There is a huge need for those who are interested in other areas of human development.
craig, yeah what BiD asked you – any fond/fun stories of fritz during your time at the WH?
back in ’78 THE MONDALES: MAKING THE MOST OF BEING NUMBER 2 – The New York Times (nytimes.com) He wields more power than any other Vice President in recent history. She—avoiding the despair of a politician’s wife—has carved an independent role with more power than any Second Lady. […] Less driven than the Carters, the Mondales seem more comfortable with people, less threatened and less threatening. They live with humor, and without pretense. The Vice President displays an intellect as stunning as the President’s, but more compassionate. But while Jimmy Carter is tempered steel, forged in the heat of battle, Fritz Mondale has carefully cultivated a far less bruising talent : allying himself with those in power who first appointed him to every office he has ever held, except the Vice Presidency, and in a sense Carter appointed him to that. He has always given his mentors full value, but there has always been a recurrent question of softness at the core. Some have been harsh enough to suggest that Fritz Mondale is a professional protege. Others argue that it would have been hard, for example, to be truly independent of Hubert Humphrey, …. Fritz Mandate’s public career poses fundamental question: Does a basically decent man who is not possessed by inner demons have the stamina and drive to make it to the White House and become an effective President? [continues] what NYT says about that old article in case you wondered about the proofread problems throughout it: This… Read more »
2010
Walter and Joan Mondale — an enduring love story
Former Vice President Walter Mondale smiles with his wife Joan during the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston, Monday, July 26, 2004.AP Photo/Amy Sancetta
Blue Bronc
I’m such an old fogey at times that I think a central piece of the Infrastructure budget should be a recreation of the New Deal Arts programs of the great depression. The music, literature, plays, and art that came out of those programs are ones we still draw upon today.
Certainly trade education and STEM programs are necessary for survival and for many fields great pleasure, but the life of the mind is what produces advancement and cooperation within a society.
My High Schools in the late 50s still taught Latin. To this day, I can often figure out the definition of words by their roots even without checking with Google.
BTW Google today is great with a musical salute to Luther Vandross.
Jamie, yep, Latin in the late 60s in HS. I hated it but cave canis (1st Latin phrase I learned) is my 2nd job now. As a liberal arts product, I bemoan Howard’s decision to dissolve the Classics Department. We had a Modern Languages and Classics Department at Bama when I went there, and I partook of two years of French (and precious little of what little I “mastered” – Où se trouvent les toilettes? – or as I learned it from my Belgian French professor Ou est la salle de bain? – remains). When we were in France in 2019 I couldn’t understand more than about 6 words watching the news.
After watching a bit of the summations in the Chauvin trial, I think second degree manslaughter is a slam dunk, third degree murder is a distinct likelihood and second degree murder is a stretch, so I’ll go with third degree murder as my choice.
Pogo
I’m with you on the verdicts. I think the jury will split the difference and go for the middle charge with its possible 25 year sentence.
On the classics front, I must confess to a rather extreme bias since my only request for HS graduation was a Hope Chest and The Great Books of the Western World. That little 17 year old brain had some idea of being Mrs. somebody circulating in intellectual circles. HA!
Oh well, I still have the books.
Most of my Mondale encounters were in his 1984 presidential campaign when I was Georgia field director. One time we arranged for Carter to meet him at the airport and go to an event. Mondale was notoriously late for events, which always irritated Jimmy. In my briefing about the logistics, Carter agreed to go to the airport first but said, “Alright but I’m only waiting 15 minutes”. When I told Mondale he heartily laughed. “Let’s make it 20, he said”
Another Mondale encounter I’m not proud to recall. Also in the 1984 campaign, I got into a fight with Bella Abzug and NOW president Eleanor Smeal over their plan to spend $50k of our limited Georgia budget for a feminist bus tour of rural counties. I stupidly told them in a meeting we weren’t paying for a “Revenge of the Hairy Legged Women” tour. They complained to Mondale, wanting me fired. Instead he took me to the woodshed for a reprimand, and approved the tour, which probably lost us more votes than it gained. (He laughed as he reprimanded me btw).
Craig – Book, please. From whenever to Webb, there had to be some big changes.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics/kevin-mccarthy-maxine-waters-censure-resolution/index.html
“Waters, a California Democrat, on Saturday night had called for protesters to “stay on the street” and “get more confrontational” if Chauvin is acquitted.”
That was a wrong-headed thing to say. How would folks react if you-know-who said it?
He won’t be acquitted. No way.
Just remembered another Mondale moment, at San Francisco convention, me and a friend wore paper bags over our heads at a meeting on southern strategy. The unknown comic was a thing at the time. Our point was his promise to raise taxes meant we couldn’t show our faces in the South. He laughed, his senior staff not so much.
Jamie, I don’t think that the 2nd degree murder (aka felony murder) count will fly since the felony that would underlie it is the assault on George Floyd, but I could be wrong. The classic 2nd degree murder scenario is perp intending to rob a store, clerk pulls a gun and perp shoots and kills the clerk. The intended felony was robbery. In Chauvin’s case, his intent was to arrest George, the force he used, though excessive, was under color of law, so it’s hard to make that the underlying felony for a 2nd degree murder charge.
Well, the East Bumfuck PD is busy today. Road construction has the Rte 50 I-79 overpass backed up a mile or so and the locals pull through the “Authorized Vehicles Only” breaks in the Rte 50 median to avoid the 10 minute delay to get to Chick-Fil-A and the EBPD shift into high gear in their revenue gathering role and chase the offending drivers down and give them tickets for pulling through the median. Life here is never dull.
From my White House memories. My only Mondale encounter in those days was when he sometimes substituted for Carter in a briefing with “outside” media in the Cabinet room, mostly local columnists from around the country. My job was to collect information about the participants. Carter always wanted to review a memo on their writings, which he memorized in a matter of minutes, as I’m pretty sure he has a photographic memory or something close to it. He would then proceed to stun them with direct quotes from their own columns. Mondale was very different. He wanted to know about their families, children, backgrounds. Which he would recite in equally perfect detail. I actually think his approach was more effective.
The possible verdicts as they have been given to the jury are second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
I’m pretty sure of second-degree manslaughter and hope they will get to the third-degree murder, but just can’t see that this jury will go for the severest in second-degree murder even if unintentional.
WaPo discussion
canem
ne recuruo ursus
Those are interesting stories. Glad they are at least written down here, Craig.
I’m nervous about the verdict. I hope the short deliberation means they agreed to convict.
Relax- they got it on tape and the defense was ridiculous
guilty on all three charges
dang guilty on all charges
Got it done
BREAKING: Jury finds former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. https://t.co/WevhLzUmXX
Whoa! All 3 counts. Be interesting to see if all 3 hold up on appeal.
So, what did you do with 3 acres of peanuts, after harvest, anyway, Sturge?
What’s the PSI the judge was talking about?
There is so much to fix in this country. When a murder is recorded and it’s a big deal that there was a conviction, we’ve got a long way to go. Glad for the verdict.
So, I am remembering Shelby Foote’s twinkling eyes in Burn’s “The Civil War” . Where in he quotes a witness to the signing of the constitution , and how they overcame the question of slavery , by punting it into the future.
A rough quote ……………..
“When the signers assigned their their names , the snake of slavery was still curled around the foot of the table.”
The fetal sanctuary city prop here has a push back , I’ve gotten 2 of their giant postcards vs one from the proponents .
Their counter arguments ………….
A city ordinance cannot supercede state law .
City will spend millions defending it. And lose because of point #1.
I got my supermarket circular today , and saw something that blew my mind.
Avocado / Bacon / Guacamole.
One of those real , “Why didn’t I see that ?” moments.
I’m not sure about those peanuts……all I remember is planting, and then walking along by the old Gravely pulling them out of the ground, shaking off the dirt, throwing them into the trailer, and then picking the peanuts off the plants under the shade of the old oak tree. I was just a kid and I thoroughly hated everything having to do with peanuts.
And I remember eating lots of roasted and boiled peanuts. Pop probably gave them away to friends and such. Probably also gave a bunch to Annabelle to sell at her corner store.
Bob, the only thing bacon doesn’t improve the taste of is bacon. Gonna have to Google that recipe and take it out for a drive.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/psychedelic-drug-worked-depression-well-common-antidepressant-small-trial-finds-n1264093
I took this twice , this drug turns the world into “Candyland”.
I highly recommend it. The problem is a “baggie” of dried shrooms looks like dried, chopped newspapers.
oh yeah, Silly Simon…..really cool way to spend many an afternoon, can make a guitar sound like the organ at St Patrick’s……..
The new force in American politics , are black women ,
Val Demings bitch slaps Jim Jordan.
Val Demings rebukes Jim Jordan in fiery exchange over law enforcement: ‘Did I strike a nerve?’
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics/val-demings-jim-jordan-police/index.html
Jodan is having a very bad week.
The CNN platform sucks it always has. Their video play back still sucks putty balls.
Val is 23 year police vet , ran the Orlando Dept. for 3 years.
Jordan on the other hand is a wing nut weenie, who doesn’t own any a coat . And never served his country in anyway .
cbob, that deserves a replay
https://youtu.be/kUqgIvIamh4
the hill:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/weather/western-drought-colorado-river-cutbacks-study/index.html
Trump, 400 years of krama, and the virus have buried the led story.
Climate change does not pay attention to us , and raking our forests to scoop up pine needles. Won’t stop this drought. Or the fires.
Vegas, LA, and Phoenix have a real problem on their hands. Empty water pipes.
Thanks, Mr. S- i wanted to plant some peanuts but the garden is full already, trying corn🤷♂️
It’s actually a pretty cool plant….just yank it up out of the ground and boom— buncha green peanuts.
Mimi nailed it on Mars , she has been at NASA for over 30 years.
America means this above all.
In America, one does lay down and give up.
There is no rest going forward .
We are truly in the same boat , a popcorn ball floating into a sea of the unknown.
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