Tuesday, May 8, 2012

J. T. Ready had support of top Arizona politician

J.T. Ready with assault rifle
It is reasonably agreed at this point that well-known Arizona racist and neo-Nazi J.T. Ready killed four people including a 15-month-old toddler in Gilbert, Arizona on May 2, and then took his own life.  He was outfitted with body armor, which in itself raises questions since he shouldn’t have expected much opposition from his gun attack from family members, certainly not the child.  In my post yesterday I described the specifics of the massacre, including Ready’s NRA membership.

J.T. Ready was an avowed white supremacist who had been followed by the Anti-Defamation League, according to its director of investigative research, Marc Pitcavage.  Ready is described on their website as an “anti-immigrant extremist dating back to 2004.  His biography even stated that he believed in “lawful deadly force” to protect the Mexican border, as well as restoring America to a “White, European homeland.” 

Ready’s national attention may very well have contributed to the force behind a recent study by Pew Research that confirmed that only 29 percent of Hispanics think it is more important to protect gun control, compared with 57 percent of whites.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights organization in Alabama that keeps track of hate and extremist groups, documents Ready’s background on its website.  He actually started his political career in the 2000s at Mesa, AZ Community College.  It says that he received a bad-conduct discharge from the Marines having been court-martialed twice, once for larceny and going AWOL, once for conspiracy and assault.  There was also a criminal conviction is 1992.

The hacker group LulzSec posted secret FBI documents online with suspicions neo-Nazi groups were planting “fairly complex” explosives along smuggling routes, according to the Christian Science Monitor.  J.T. Ready was once quoted as saying, “I firmly believe in having a minefield across the border.”  He was also known for wanting to militarize the border and had patrolled there repeatedly with his own militia group, U.S. Border Guard.

But the following must be one of Ready’s most bizarre statements: “Arizona Statues allow the fielding of most weapons short of nuclear weapons and certain chemical weapons.  Therefore we are already in contact with brokers concerning a .50 cal semi-automatic rifle and a MBT– Main Battle Tank.”


Russell Pearce paling with J.T. Ready

Some friends said the man was “cruel and controlling” and one of his victims, his girlfriend Lisa Lynn Mederos, may not have known of his troubled past with women.  In 2009, a Scottsdale woman filed an order of protection against him; in 2003 a woman in Ready's apartment complex accused him of stalking, spying, frequently calling and trying to kiss her.  Some family members hated him and Ready called the toddler, Lilly, he killed “50 % ugly” because she was half-Latino.
    

J.T. Ready was sponsored as an elder in the Mormon Church by former Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce, who was dumped from his job recently by voters, but not until he had authored the state’s anti-immigration bill, SB-1070.  And when it comes to the relationship between Russell Pearce and Ready I must defer to Phoenix New Times writer Stephen Lemons, who publishes the blog, the Feathered Bastard, and his dogged coverage of the two.

In a May 2 article, Lemons said, “Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Ready was his relationship with ex-Senator Pearce, who helped him join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and groomed him, according to Ready, for a possible run for the legislature.”  Their affiliation later soured when Pearce distanced himself from Ready and actually renounced him in 2008.

Best Buds J.T. Ready with Russell Pearce
In Lemons article on May 3, he accuses Russell Pearce of lying “again,” with documentation that is a must read.  The two were so close, he said, that Pearce ordained Ready as an elder in the Mormon Church’s Melchizedek priesthood for adult men in the church.  But Pearce continues to deny the closeness of their relationship. 

Krysten Sinema, former Arizona state senator, sponsored a 2007 event in the legislature on extremism in the immigration movement.

Lemons asked Sinema if it was possible that Pearce could not be aware of that seminar.  She answered, "I find that very hard to believe,” she told me in 2008. "The entire Legislature was invited to the event. The whole thing was videotaped, and you can watch it on our archive. And I reported it on the floor [of the state House]."  Pearce has been charged regularly by Democrats, the media, even fellow Republicans of misstating facts to make his points.

Video of Russell Pearce endorsing J.T. Ready

There’s more.  The Arizona regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, Bill Straus, says that he informed Pearce of Ready’s extremist activities as far back as 2006.  Once again, Pearce blatantly disputes the fact that the two had close ties.  He even told Lemons in 2007 at a roast of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he really didn’t think J.T. was a “Bad guy.”  When lemons questioned their on-going friendship, Pearce replied he didn’t hang out with Ready.

The “Bird” as the author refers to himself, quickly reminded the ex-senator that he observed him working side-by-side, arm-in-arm at a rally and had the photos to prove it.  Pearce replied, “I don’t push people away.”  This was in December of 2007 after being warned by Straus, also following Ready’s public outing as a white supremacist.  I urge you to read Stephen Lemons full account of the issue of Pearce’s lies in the above May 3 link.

So it is clear that defrocked Senator Russell Pearce was buddies with J.T. Ready until the extremist no longer served his needs, at which time he dumped him and tried to cover up the past with lies that have been confirmed as just that over and over.  It is ludicrous that Russell Pearce still has the unquestioned support of many of his fellow Republicans and has the arrogance to run for the Arizona Senate in the same general area that has already thrown him out of office.

Only in Arizona.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Arizona neo-Nazi murderer J. T. Ready was NRA member


J.T. Ready and pal Russell Pearce

Jason Todd ‘J.T.’ Ready was well known in Arizona as a confirmed racist and neo-Nazi who never missed the chance to demonize the Hispanic community, sometimes along with his pal, Russell Pearce.  See a list of my blog posts on Ready and Pearce here.  It was this past Wed., May 2, when Ready decided to end his career of terrorizing Latinos and shot five people including himself.  I have covered this man for the last three years and this was totally unexpected. 

There was Ready’s girlfriend, Lisa Lynn Mederos, 47, her daughter, Amber, 23, Jim Hiott, Amber’s fiancĂ©, 24, and Amber’s daughter, 15 months.  There is total tragedy in the whole incident, which someone other than Ready should have seen coming, but the killing of a toddler makes it even more horrendous.  Another of Lisa Lynn’s daughters, Brittany Hazel Menderos, 19, was in a bedroom and heard the shootings and was first to discover the bodies. 

The Young Turks on Ready massacre:

For years J.T. Ready has conducted armed civilian patrols at the U.S. border with Mexico with the group he founded, U.S. Border Guard, and although saddened over the loss of their leader and his victims, say they will continue Ready’s work.  In the past, Ready has stated, “I firmly believe in having a minefield across the border.”  He added, “This is 100% effective.”  As a part of the Arizona militia scene he was known to take matters into his own hands.

Ready was a former Marine who started his militia activities after his bad conduct discharge from the service in 1996, preceded by two courts martial.  At one point he belonged to the National Socialist Movement which supports white supremacy.  In 2007 he marched in Omaha, Nebraska with a swastika banner with brown-shirted NSM members.  He was also a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. serving in their border project. 

In 2008, Ready became a Republican precinct captain in Mesa, AZ, further promoting his political career.  Republicans tried their best to get him removed from the position due to his extremist views but apparently Ready had deep support in the Arizona GOP that was able to help him survive.  There is probably another story in just who this was.  And he was currently a prospective candidate for Pinal County Sheriff, running as a Democrat.


J.T. Ready (2nd from right)
as neo-Nazi

Harry Hughes, regional director of the National Socialist Movement said Ready had left the organization two years ago but it is obvious that he left his imprint on the group from the following:  Ready said that only non-Jewish, white hetrosexuals should be American citizens.  Also, that all non-white people should leave the U.S.  Ready entered the news early when firing on a Hispanic man in 2006 with a BB gun while running for the Mesa, AZ City Council.

When police searched the house after the massacre, they found six 40 mm projectile grenades, which an Army surplus store manager said was not available in any store.  They had to be acquired on the black market.  Also found were two 55-gallon drums that the bomb squad said was no immediate danger.  And finally, authorities recovered 2 handguns and a shotgun.  It isn’t clear yet just what gun or guns Ready used on the victims and himself.


J.T. Ready protesting

And now to my headline signifying that J.T. Ready was a member of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), which is true.  Back in 2010 I was doing several blog posts on Ready and Russell Pearce, the defrocked Arizona senator.  The comments, as usual, were vitriolic of me but in support of Pearce, even Ready, in his quest to rid Arizona of undocumented immigrants.  There is no compassion in that state for illegals, a stigma that remains until this day.

I have never minced words about J.T., and one of his supporters took me to task in a comment for berating him for his tactics.  It was posted on Facebook, where I had shared the post.  That same day, Ready posted another comment in reply to his supporter saying not to worry, it {me} was just sophomoric writing.  I couldn’t resist and headed over to Ready’s Facebook page and left him a message.  Ignoring his comment, I asked him point blank if he was a NRA member.

His exact reply was: “I am not current on my dues.  I hold numerous NRA instructor certificates.  You may see wahtwe(sic) do at:” and he directs you to this site.  Warning.  Page 13 has a gruesome picture.  But you can see from the pictures and captions, J.T. Ready was firmly against animal abuse.  Read more on the issue here, here, here and here.

It is not clear just how close Ready’s ties with the NRA were.  His statement above is proof of membership, but apparently he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay his dues.  Over the years I have covered Ready, I cannot remember the National Rifle Assn. ever even questioning his activities.  So far I have seen no statement from the NRA on the issue.  Read more about this on Common Gunsense. 

Since Ready is or was a member of the NRA, and because he operated in a state (Arizona) where the organization has been successful in forcing the loosest gun laws in the country through a clueless Governor and state legislature, I think we are due the consideration of a statement on how this man was armored up to the hilt and allowed to wreak havoc that killed 4 innocent people including a toddler.

More on J.T. Ready tomorrow including his close association with former Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce who was booted from office.

Friday, May 4, 2012

66 dead from 69 shootings in April in the U.S. - A 37.5 % increase over March


Yes, guns do kill

This is the second in our new report on shootings that occur throughout the U.S. by month.  Last month was the first, and already April is showing an increase in deaths of 37.5 percent over March; it will be interesting to watch this trend over the coming year.  My figures are taken from reports on nationwide shootings by the national media and there is the possibility I could have missed some.  Please feel free to correct me if I have missed one in your area.

There were shooting incidents in 24 states with deaths resulting in 18 of those states.  Naturally, Arizona was first in both those categories with 18 shooting incidents resulting in 17 deaths.  Texas was second with 8 and 8.  It was interesting that New York with its tough gun laws had only one shooting incident with no deaths, at least as far as I could determine.  Calif., however, also with tight gun laws, had 5 incidents resulting in 12 deaths, one the Oakland spree.

I want to make it clear that these figures are not yet perfect and may never be since they are based on national media.  This is due to the fact that a shooting incident and death may not be reported in such a way that my search parameters find it.  I am working on perfecting this but still need your assistance in identifying any circumstances that I may have missed. 

As you can see, it is clear that Nasty Jack will continue this feature into the future until gun control law receives the attention it needs from the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and the voting public.

Now, on to this month’s gory facts:

  • April 1, Dallas, TX, man in car was shot when another car approached and someone demanded money, then shot victim in stomach and hand.
  • April 1, Phoenix, AZ, 3 shootings on this Sun. evening resulting in 3 dead.  2 others were wounded.
  • April 2, Hattiesburg, MS, 5 people wounded in a Mexican restaurant by a gunman. 
  • April 2, Phoenix, AZ, 1 dead and 1 wounded by unknown assailant. 
  • April 2, New York, NY, man with 9mm semiautomatic handgun shot 4 police officers.  He also had an assault rifle.  4 officers will recover.
  • April 2, Dallas, TX, teenager shot and killed in apparent sleepover where the two others were arrested.  Shooting either accident or result of bullying.
  • April 2, Oakland, CA, Korean nursing student went on shooting spree at his college and killed 7 people also wounding 3 others.
  • April 2, Inman, SC, 1 dead and 1 injured from shooting in quiet neighborhood.
  • April 3, Akron, OH, 2 hurt in 2 separate shootings.
  • April 3, Lexington, KY, man was wounded at celebration of Kentucky beating Kansas in the NCAA tournament.  The man’s leg had to be amputated.
  • April 3, Des Moines, 3rd case, at least, of gunfire in 2 days that almost hit a person in their home.  No reason given for why shootings were directed at specific homes.
  • April 4, Laveen, AZ, man shot and killed at Taco Bell drive-through when he allegedly threatened man in line with a pipe.  Shooter was not arrested.
  • April 5, Albany, GA, 2 people shot with 2 others being questioned over what happened at a mobile park.
  • April 6, Carlsbad, NM, woman fatally shot in Denny’s restaurant and indication is that it is random act of violence.  Shooter then shot himself.
  • April 6, Yuma, AZ, drive-by shooting earlier in this week which apparently was a street gang incident.
  • April 6, Tulsa, OK, 3 dead and 2 injured in alleged hate crime shootings.  All the victims were black, shooter was white.
  • April 6, Austin, TX, police officer killed responding to call at a Walmart store.  He struggled with shooter and when knocked to the floor the shooter pulled a semi-automatic pistol and shot officer.
  • April 7, Miami, FL, 15-year-old girl shot while sleeping in her bed. 
  • April 7, Phoenix, AZ, Walmart manager killed during a robbery of the store.
  • April 8, Jackson, MS, gunfire was exchanged at nightspot that was closed      between security guard and unidentified shooter, which was apparently beginning of a robbery attempt.  The guard was wounded.
  • April 8, Houston, TX, 1 person killed and 3 injured at beach party where there were thousands of participants. 
  • April 9, Brooklyn Park, MN, 3 dead at day care center when woman picked up her unhurt child, the only one there at the time.  No arrests yet.
  • April 9, Winston-Salem, NC, 4 people were injured in 2 overnight shootings from man firing a high-powered rifle into a crowd.
  • April 9, Tempe, AZ, 1 killed in shooting at apartment complex that occurred near pool area.  Witnesses say could have been fight.
  • April 9, South Dallas, TX, teen fatally shot after breaking into home with two others, who fled but were arrested.
  • April 9, Eloy, AZ, 2 men in pickup carrying illegals were killed.  Pinal County Sheriff says the 2 were ambushed by people dressed in camouflage and armed with rifles.
  • April 9, Akron, OH, 2 men wounded in 2 separate incidents, one in the head.
  • April 9, Phoenix, AZ, man who allegedly threatened YMCA staff member with a gun was shot by a police officer after the man tried to pull the gun on him.
  • April 10, Bullhead City, AZ, murder suicide of a man and woman, both with gunshots to their heads. 
  • April 11, Los Angeles, CA, 2 shot dead at the U. of So. California which is in an urban setting.  At the time the campus was swarmed with high school students looking to enroll.  The incident occurred in a neighborhood area where security has had to be increased.
  • April 12, Modesto, CA, sheriff’s deputy shot and killed trying to serve papers on a residence.  SWAT teams were called to where suspect was thought to be barricaded.
  • April 12, Anchorage, AK, 2 members of the U.S. Coast Guard were shot and killed at a communications station on Kodiak Island.  FBI and Coast Guard not sure if it was a double homicide or murder suicide.
  • April 12, Burnside, KY, man shoots woman and then kills himself.
  • April 12, Chicago, IL, mother and her baby girl were shot while sleeping in their family’s home.  Shots were fired into the home in the early AM wounding one in the head, the other in the leg.
  • April 13, Greenland, NH, Police Chief killed and 4 officers wounded in a drug bust when a man opened fire.  The Chief was just days from retirement.      
  • April 13, Colorado Springs, CO, bicyclist, riding with a friend at 1:30 AM, wounded and four others had a scare when bullets flew into an apartment complex in a separate incident.
  • April 13, Tulsa, OK, 2 injured when man with a semi-automatic weapon opens fire.  Police think shootings are random.
  • April 13, Fort Wayne, IN, man shoots a marshal and then is shot and killed by Fort Wayne police officer.
  • April 13, Brooklyn, OH, man kills 2 and wounds 1 in restaurant, then is killed by police.
  • April 13, Tucson, AZ, man kills a woman in house and then shot dead in a standoff by SWAT team. 
  • April 13, Chicopee, MA, 3 hour gun battle by a man in a third-story window of home firing a rifle during rush hour and with children going to school.  Police had no idea of why he did it.  The suspect was killed and one officer wounded in the hand and leg.
  • April 13, Columbia, SC, man and woman shot dead, the woman’s husband not hurt and was talking to authorities.  No charges were filed in a case that is apparently still in a state of confusion with the husband telling 2 stories to police.
  • April 14, Chicago, IL, 3 killed and 7 wounded in overnight shootings. 
  • April 15, Flint, MI, in multiple shootings over the weekend producing the third homicide of the month.  The other 2 were on Easter Sunday (not recorded above on Apr. 8, but included in killings).
  • April 16, Glendale, AZ, late night shooting at Luke Air Force Base in the housing area.  All authorities would say is that it isn’t terror-related.
  • April 16, Phoenix, AZ, in a drive-by shooting, a woman was shot in the stomach while walking from a pickup that drove up behind her. 
  • April 16, Glendale AZ, 1 dead 1 wounded by assailants wearing black clothes and bulletproof vests who stormed their apartment.
  • April 18, Spring, TX, mother shot repeatedly and newborn was abducted outside suburban pediatric center.  The 3-day-old boy was found later.
  • April 19, Edcouch, TX, cockfight at a ranch resulted in 3 shot dead and 8 others wounded.  It was a “massacre” according to the county JP.
  • April 20, Pinellas County, FL, 2 incidents resulting in 2 people shot.  One happened as a club was closing.
  • April 20, Cedar Rapids, IA, 3 shot on Friday in 2 incidents with all 3 in critical condition.
  • April 20, Fresno, CA, 1 man dead from shooting and another wounded in a separate incident.  One of the shootings suspected to be gang-related.
  • April 22, Aurora, CO, pastor’s mother shot and killed outside church.  An off-duty officer in the congregation shot a suspect who also died.
  • April 22, Phoenix, AZ, man shot and killed with his child in the car after an altercation with 3 men.
  • April 23, Tampa Bay, FL, shooter in a nightshirt opened fire on a speed-enforcement van in the middle of the night.  The van’s video camera recorded the entire episode.
  • April 24, North Bend, WA, man looked for in the shooting deaths of his wife and daughter and who hasn’t been seen since the bodies were discovered.  He is considered a “person of interest.”    
  • April 24, Scottsdale, AZ, janitor is dead from a shooting at a medical center where he was working at the time. 
  • April 24, Phoenix, AZ, 2 men were shot dead in a stalking incident.  A police officer shot one of the victims after he shot another man during a scuffle on the street.
  • April 24, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1 dead in an incident here at a strip club.
  • April 24, Roanoke, VA, a man and his wife are recovering after he accidentally shot himself and his wife at a firearms safety class.
  • April 25, Phoenix, AZ, woman shot by boyfriend on school campus when she tried to run away from him.  She is in serious condition.
  • April 25, Houston, TX, Walmart guard quit after killing shoplifter earlier.  There have been at least 16 shootings on Walmart properties in a 6 month period. 
  • April 26, Savannah, GA, 1 person injured in drive-by shooting. 
  • April 27, Des Moines, IA, at least 2 drive-by shootings with those arrested known gang members.
  • April 27, Buckeye, AZ, and we appropriately end in the loose gun laws state where 5 people were arrested for shooting out more than 50 car windows. 

An interesting observation exists in this documentation of shootings and killings.  It is the fact that there are large clusters by certain dates.  April 2, April 6, April 9, April 13, and April 24.  I plan to analyze these events for anything that makes the collection of episodes significant and report on them later.  In the meantime, May has already started with a bang.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The real downside of the Supreme Court and Arizona’s anti-immigration law

Are we sure why many of us disagree with Arizona’s case on illegal immigration in the Supreme Court?  After 40 years that brought 12 million Mexican immigrants into the U.S., more than half illegally, many have decided to shut their own door to the border and stay in Mexico.  A report by the Pew Hispanic Center says more illegals returned South of the Border in 2010 and 2011 than entered the U.S.  But Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer and Russell Pearce want them all out.


Russell Pearce with Jan Brewer

Russell Pearce is the author of Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB-1070 and the former state Senator who was removed from office because of his radical views on immigration.  Yet he, along with Brewer, was in Washington last week pushing the Supremes.  It might have done some good, along with the fact that many of the Justices, including the liberal ones, don’t completely agree with the feds’ case.  It’s the old “States Rights” issue raising its head again.

The case is not a test of the legality of racial profiling in Arizona but rather a challenge to the federal government which says SB-1070 is unconstitutional because it preempts federal law.  In a Salon article there is a list of the four provisions for preemptive concern as outlined by Lyle Denniston of the SCOTUS blog.  They are:

  1. individual’s legal right to be in the U.S., if the officer has a “reasonable suspicion” of illegality.  If arrested, the individual cannot be released until his legal status is verified by the federal government.  That is the law’s Section 2(B).

  1. A provision making it a crime under state law for an individual to intentionally fail to obtain and carry legal immigrant papers with him while in Arizona (Section 3). 

  1. A provision making it a misdemeanor for an undocumented immigrant to apply for a job, publicly solicit a job, or actually work in AZ (Section 5[C]). 

  1. And, a provision that allows police to arrest without a warrant any person for whom the officer has “probable cause to believe” that the individual has committed any crime, anywhere, that would make that individual subject to being deported (Section 6). 


Hispanic Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Sotomayor

An editorial in the Phoenix Arizona Republic said, “This case is not about civil rights. It's about state vs. federal power. Chief Justice John Roberts made that clear as arguments began. Civil-rights questions are the subject of other lawsuits. ‘So this is not a case about ethnic profiling,’ Roberts said.”  That was followed by the following from the paper:

“Yet those are the deeply troubling aspects of SB 1070. The law put a shadow of suspicion over all Latinos, created painful divisions in our state and gave Arizona an ugly reputation.”

The implication is that many of us progressives disagree with the law, as well as those copy-cats in other states, due to their violation of civil rights.  It is a known fact that law enforcement in Arizona was stopping individuals simply based on the color of their skin, for minor violations, arresting many, some legal residents.  The feds have initiated a program of rounding up illegals but they are only interested in the ones with criminal records, turning minor offenders loose.

Fareed Zacaria of CNN wonders if Mexicans are “giving up on U.S?  He cites the delicate economy here and how NAFTA has made Mexico more competitive.  Some of their exports are even cheaper than China’s.  Zacaria thinks we are losing our “allure.”  He refers to our demographic advantage that is shrinking due to an older median age, which produces less needed young workers.  That had been satisfied to some degree by legal and illegal immigrants entering the U.S.

Illegals are scared to death in states with stringent immigration laws, afraid to leave home without the proper papers.  The issue has also caused a drop in citizens from Latino communities reporting crime, a reaction which has become a major problem for law enforcement.  But, again, this case is not about civil rights.  But it is for those who believe in human rights, so the question is what to do.  The Democrats plan to force a vote in Congress to invalidate Arizona’s SB-1070.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has announced his intention of bringing up his “fallback legislation” in the Senate if SCOTUS upholds the law  which probably has little chance of passing there or in the GOP House.  But it would certainly make points with the Hispanic community and act as the prelude to what the Dems might accomplish in November with Obama winning re-election and an increase in numbers in both the House and Senate.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Have you considered suicide? If so, you were probably drunk, possibly armed

Unfortunately the statistics don’t lie and they tell us that the person is likely to be drinking and may use a firearm to take his or her life.  Guns and booze obviously don’t mix so why is the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) lobbying so hard for its members to be allowed to carry guns into bars across the country?  Just one more of those ideas that common sense tells you is stupid but Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, apparently suffers that distinguishing characteristic.


55% by firearms

From 2003 to 2009, around 20 percent of U.S. citizens committing suicide had blood levels that satisfied the standard definition of intoxication, according to family Practice News.  Shocking?  Not really when you consider 72 percent of those age 35-54 drink; same for 18-34; 59 percent for 55+, and the fact that there are 270 million guns in the hands of U.S. civilians.  That’s 88.8 firearms per 100 people, close to one per person.

Suicide and alcohol
The U.S. is number 41 in the world in the number of suicides with 11.8 per year per 100,000 population.  In a 2011 study of suicides by city, Business Insider listed the top 15 with Las Vegas, NV as number one.  Interestingly, Arizona with the loosest gun laws in the country was the only state to have three cities listed: Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa.  According to the American foundation for suicide Prevention, someone commits suicide in the U.S. every 14.2 minutes.

Interesting video on suicide prevention:

Mitchell Zoler of Family Practice breaks it down by gender with 24 percent among men and 17 percent for women.  But the possibility increases among young adults where suicide is more impulsive.  As Zoler puts it, Alcohol serves as the “disinhibitor.”  And alcohol is also the number one instigator for abuse because it is so readily available.  Drinking reduces inhibition and increases aggression which is present in both domestic abuse and suicide.

Here are some more startling statistics from the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education:

  • Recent data puts yearly medical costs for suicide at nearly $100 million (2005).

  • Men are nearly 4 times more likely to die by suicide than women. Women attempt suicide 3 times as often as men.

  • Suicide rates are highest for people between the ages of 40 and 59.

  • There are twice as many deaths due to suicide than HIV/AIDS.

  • Suicide rates in the United States are highest in the spring.

  • Over half of all suicides are completed with a firearm.

  • Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or widowed.

  • The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression.

  • 80% of people that seek treatment for depression are treated successfully.

  • There are an estimated 8 to 25 attempted suicides to 1 completion.

  • 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year.

  • Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.

  • An average of one person dies by suicide every 16.2 minutes.

These are raw, startling facts re. how suicides occur in the U.S. and some of the avenues taken to achieve the act.  What is really alarming is the fact that over half of suicides are accomplished using a firearm.  What is equally alarming is how many guns are available in this country (270,000,000) that gives the person the means to do harm to themselves.  At some point the gun public must realize just how much the 2nd Amendment infringes on the right to live of non-owners.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Loose guns…an Arizona staple

The typical Arizona
machine gun adventure
Arizonans love their guns and adore their Republican lawmakers who make it possible for anyone to own a gun and take it anywhere with little or no training.  The GOP legislature is proud of this, as well as the gun worshipping public that sport their firearms around the state like a bunch of sophomoric Wyatt Earps.  Some companies even hold their conventions in the capital city of Phoenix just so they can participate in the newest fad, the Machine Gun Adventure.

But this post is about a 22-year old woman who took her lunch break to buy herself a gun and get a concealed weapons permit. 

As Kellie Mejdrich describes it, that short amount of time plus $100 was all it took.  Mejdrich is a senior at the University of Arizona and is the Bolles Fellow this semester covering the Legislature.  She’ll now be able to carry that concealed weapon into restaurants that serve alcohol, most national and city parks, near schools—and 36 other states that recognize that permit.  The rest of her story is still more bizarre, even in Arizona.

Of course there are some restrictions in getting the concealed carry permit, she says, like “citizenship, being 21 years old, not suffering from mental illness (this isn’t ever evaluated though), never have been convicted of a felony, and having ‘satisfactorily completed a training program or demonstrated competence with a firearm,’ according to state law.  I’m using a lot of Kellie’s article text in this post because of its tone; the “can you believe this?” approach.


Kellie Mejdrich

Here are some examples of “can you believe this?”  A prior 8-hour training course has been reduced to only 1 by the state.  Kellie took her one-hour course from Bob Denis of CCW AZ School, LLC.  Their website proudly advertises “1hr Law Gets Permit.”  The site does say you should have experience, but Denis didn’t even ask Kellie if she had shot a gun or test her proficiency.  And, of course, there is nothing in Arizona law that requires that.

Denis is DPS (AZ Dept. Public Service) and NRA certified, and he showed them a PowerPoint presentation which included the phrase, “Now that I’ve taken human life, what’s next?”  The instructor also provides a business card to be given to police in a situation where Kellie used her weapon.  It says:

“If I have given this to you, it has been necessary to take actions to defend innocent life,” and continues to set out legal parameters: “I wish to make no further statements until I have contacted an attorney and composed myself.”

Kellie asked Denis why he didn’t quiz the class on their gun experience.  His answer, “I can’t ask 20 or 30 people independently, I have to cover it as a blanket statement,” Denis said. “Plus my attorney told me that the website does in fact cover me, as far as the legality of that, if anybody ever tried to come against CCW AZ School.”  He later admitted that without adequate training, the gun owners are “hurting themselves.” 

And even more “can you believe this?”  Denis advised his students to “…shoot first and deal with the consequences later in the event of a home invasion.”  Not, attempt first to confirm that it isn’t your wife or children you are shooting, just shoot first.  Precisely what George Zimmerman did in killing Trayvon Martin, but he wasn’t even in his home.

Kellie eventually gets around to the dim-witted GOP legislators {my words} that enacted these stupid laws.  One such state lawmaker, Rick Murphy, R-Glendale, raved over the fact that concealed carry holders were “trained and following the law.”  She asked Murphy his opinion of her ability to defend herself in public, I am assuming based on her descriptions of Denis’ training.  Just what you might expect from a politician, particularly one who passes idiotic gun laws {my words}:

“I think it would be irresponsible of you to try,” Murphy said. “But then again we cannot always legislate responsibility and when we try we always fail. You cannot legislate common sense any more than you can legislate responsibility.”  What the hell did he say?   

“Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, expressed his support for concealed carry on college campuses on Twitter the day of the Oakland shooting at a small religious college that killed seven.”  But when Mejdrich told him of her experience with training, Harper replied, “well, you know, it’s still a background check. That’s important. Obviously you took a one hour course, that is some kind of training.”


The perfect twins

Kelly countered with the question of whether or not “…he thinks the law should be changed back to the training requirements he boasted the CCW involved, he defaulted to the Second Amendment.”  He continued, “You’ve been influenced by academia.  The constitution is absolute.”  Pathetic!

When Mejdrich asked House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Tempe, if a 22-year-old woman holding a permit without having ever fired a gun was too much, Campbell answered: “That’s a problem.  And that’s why I have a problem with some of the gun bills down here.  Previous CCW law required ‘good training, good background checks.’  We basically gutted it.  The CCW program is irrelevant now in this state.”  Amen!

The epitome of understatements!

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