More on gun violence and Moscow Mitch

September 6, 2019: NASTY JACK BUZZ NEWS BYTES

Gun violence and Moscow Mitch are a couple...   

My earlier post, Moscow Mitch apparently approves of gun violence," clearly illustrates the fact that Senate head, Mitch McConnell has no intention of addressing gun legislation that could halt mass killings and the deaths of innocent children and adults. He's paid by Wayne LaPierre's National Rifle Assn. (NRA) to not do this in the amount of $1.26 million. Not only that, but he relishes his power in the Senate, thus over Democrats, to do his any bidding.

It is unconscionable and MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, the guy who came up with the moniker, Moscow Mitch, says, although McConnell hates the name, it will become his legacy. Scarborough added...

“You look at this guy’s legacy, and it’s going to be two things, I think right now. He’s going to have a legacy of basically doing the work of Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB agent, and Mitch McConnell has been told by the CIA, director of national intelligence, the United States military, he has been told by everybody that Russia is trying to interfere and disrupt our democratic process, that we are under attack, so Mitch McConnell is killing Republican bills like Marco Rubio’s, and Democratic bills that would protect the homeland from this attack from Russia.”

It is no different, except for the deaths, than McConnell's recent blocking of legislation that would have improved the security of U.S. voting machines. Moscow Mitch wants the Russians to hack into the 2020 elections, because they are on the sides of Donald Trump and his new Republican brood. On the short side of treason, if not actually it, this is a U.S. senate member that has chosen to side with a foreign government, instead of the country he represents. Just like Donald Trump.

Opposition to Moscow Mitch over gun legislation...

During all this, there are still pluses and minuses in the gun violence issue. First on the plus side, Kroger has requested customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in its stores, along with Walmart recently, and Dick's Sporting Goods dropping guns in the not too distant past. But, on the minus side, a 14-year-old boy from Elkmont, Alabama, admitted to killing five members of his family, including his three younger siblings. A mass killing at one home, all in the family. Late additions, Walgreens and CVS joined the above. The victims...

"CBS affiliate WIAT-TV reports that authorities identified the victims as the teenager's father, John Wayne Sisk, 38; his stepmother, Mary Sisk, 35; and three siblings -- a 6-year-old boy, 5-year-old girl and a 6-month-old boy."

The Sheriff said the kid used a 9MM handgun that was in the house illegally. Number one, where did the illegal gun come from, and number two, how did it get in the hands of a 14-year-old? This kind of killing is what makes the NRA's propaganda about responsible guns owners pure bullshit. And finally, The Atlantic is reporting on a Supreme court that appears to have taken sides with the gun rights gang...

Recently, "53 United States senators—every member of the Republican caucus—wrote a 'letter' to the clerk of the Supreme Court assuring the justices that the Republican Party has their back. The Democrats, the senators told the Court, pose 'a direct, immediate threat to the independence of the judiciary.'”

I don't know what you would call this--certainly unethical--but it is just another example of how the right will do anything to win. ANYTHING!

Gun violence is Moscow Mitch's speciality

THURSDAY September 6, 2019: NASTY JACK BUZZ NEWS BYTES

Moscow Mitch McConnell behind U.S. gun violence...  

Moscow Mitch-Gun violence perpetrator 

Moscow Mitch McConnell, the sub-slimeball heading up the U.S. Senate won't even allow the consideration of any new gun legislation. Could that result from the $1.26 million in NRA contributions he has received? Moscow Mitch has been a lowlife for years since he said, "my number one priority is making sure president Obama’s a one-term president." He didn't, and Barack Obama could have been a three-term president and beat Donald Trump if not limited to two terms.

Now, recognize these names? Rodolfo Julio Arco, 57; Kameron Karltess Brown, 30; Raul Garcia, 35; Mary Granados, 29; Joseph Griffith, 40; Leilah Hernandez, 15; Edwin Peregrino, 25. They were the seven massacred by a shooter in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa. This is beginning to happen too regularly, says the Editorial board of the Washington post. The Board asks...

"What if there was a mass shooting in the United States not once or twice or four or six times monthly, but every single day, a big one, the kind that electrifies social media and squats for days on Page 1 — would that be enough to move Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from his insistent inertia on gun safety? Would any volume of bloodshed convince the Kentucky Republican that Congress faces a moral imperative to act? Thirty-eight people were slain in three such shootings in August — in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, as well as West Texas — and still Senate Republicans and President Trump refuse to act."

Hundreds rally against Moscow Mitch stand on gun legislation...

It is sheer lunacy that one of the biggest newspapers in this country has to pose the above question. Moscow Mitch is complicit with other gun terrorists like Wayne LaPierre and his National Rifle Assn. (NRA), and must be dealt with quickly to save the lives of innocent Americans. In a surprise move recently, San Francisco's board of supervisors passed a resolution officially labeling the NRA a domestic terrorist organization. District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani said...

the NRA "spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence."

The Daily Beast says, "The NRA Can Be Beaten—and Here’s How It Will Happen"...

"I’ve come to think it’s possible to beat the NRA within maybe three or four election cycles. Doing so requires three elements. One, some anti-NRA Democrats beating some pro-gun Republicans in some high-profile races. Two, some Republicans turning against the NRA and living to tell the tale." [Synopsized] Three, NRA continued propaganda will alienate pro-gun rights Republicans, flipping them on the issue.

Michael Tomasky of The Daily beast Beast thinks this could take a few election cycles. Well, I disagree in that we can't wait that long for more mass shootings and hundreds more deaths. Somehow...we must make it happen soon. NOW!

The American Dream must be saved #2

September 5, 2019: THURSDAY'S NASTY JACK BUZZ BYTES

The Dreamers dream on...  

Earlier this morning it was all about the migrant dreamers who have become seriously discouraged with the American dream as it is interpreted by Donald Trump. The Oval Office lunatic has all but eliminated this foundation of U.S. democracy and replaced it with a tyrannical government that abhors anything that doesn't look like, well...Donald Trump. Actually T-rump is an ugly, repugnant site that most American would like to be rid of....in 2020.

Tawheeda Wahabzada, whose Afghan parents had earlier sought refuge in Canada but then came to the U.S., has all but given up hope for citizenship any time soon with Donald Trump running the show, and is considering self-deporting back to Canada. It isn't just Trump that is to blame...

"Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would rather have the issue of unauthorized migration with us forever, because if they were sincere about solving the problem how would they leverage vulnerable constituencies for votes?"

The Pelosi/Schumer attitude could easily be one reason that Hispanics have lost confidence in Democrats and also part of the logic why they don't come out to vote. On the other hand, "Wahabzada holds a master’s degree in global policy studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson school at the University of Texas in Austin," and could make a major contribution to this country. There are hundreds more out there like Wahabzada that work hard and...pay their taxes.

On another front, "Many [migrant] mothers detained in border stations this summer reported the health of their children worsened while in custody, recounting bouts of fever, diarrhea and respiratory illness they say were not properly treated." A flow of migrants entering the country has sent services spiraling down to the point where it has become seriously dangerous, especially for children, some of whom have died.

Border Protection officials have not explained exactly what's going on, no doubt due to the waffling policies of the Trump administration, and the fact that so many top GOP members have visited the facilities reporting there is nothing wrong. There was one case where these people were not being provided soap or tooth brushes, and, much worse...

"according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there have been 921 new cases of mumps in less than a year, in or around immigration facilities."

The Squad...

Measles cases have also been noted. But, the question is what can the Wahabzadas of this country look forward to when it comes to freeing themselves from the shadow of a brutal autocratic government that could care less about these people. A new administration? As long as the likes of the conservative has their way, nothing will change. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining on the "Squad," Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley,  and Rashida Tlaib.

They are loose canons at times, but, wasn't the Revolutionary War started and finished by loose canons?

The American Dream must be saved?

September 5, 2019: THURSDAY NEWS BYTES

Have we lost the American dream? Some think so...  

Tawheeda Wahabzada

"Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," written by Poet Emma Lazarus and emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, meant to welcome immigrants from all around the world has now fallen on deaf ears. The ears are those of Republicans, starting at the top with Donald Trump and working its way down to the minions of the party. We scoff at the baby boomer generation's me, me, me. Republicans are focused only on themselves.

Common Dreams said on RawStory...

"It is a truism that whatever starts off hurting immigrants eventually harms us all. On the other hand, if something benefits immigrants that too ends up helping all of us."

There's more...

"When xenophobia hits a nation, this basic principle is forgotten, as a false us-versus-them dichotomy takes hold. A disturbing aspect of American exceptionalism is that this dichotomy keeps being presented as something virtuous; the veneer of exceptionalism blinds us to our common interest and is now breeding the intense storm of resentment that is ostensibly targeted toward immigrants but is actually a reflection of deep self-hatred."

WOW! That explanation would certainly account for the way Donald Trump demeans so many others when in fact it is not them, but himself that he really detests. Also true for other xenophobics and racists; there's just something terribly wrong with them and they refuse to face up to it. And these lowlifes have made it so bad for some, like Tawheeda Wahabzada, here from Afghanistan, that she is considering self-deporting back to Canada, the country of her birth.

Who are the dreamers?...

Wahabzada, 29, says...

"I speak as someone who believes in completely open borders, to a degree far greater than any of the current Democratic Party contenders, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro or Beto O’Rourke, are willing to concede."

She feels that comprehensive immigration reform is an excuse to negotiate the rights of Hispanics down for a "bargain which takes away a lot of migrant rights in return for much fewer concessions." We're between a rock and a hard place here since we can't just throw the gates to our borders open without some control that legally qualifies those entering. At the same time, there must be laws passed to grant immigrants citizenship just like those who came through Ellis Island.

More, later this morning.

Racism incidents accelerating: REPORT

September 4, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

This sign says it all

Latest wrap up on racist incidents  

There have been 7 more racism incident in less than two weeks after my last report on August 23rd. That's close to one a day, and I am sure my research does not reveal the full extent of this problem. What the hell is wrong with these people? They must have little or no self-esteem, certainly a double-digit IQ, and are extremely insecure. Probably don't really like themselves, and rightfully so since they must be the dregs of humanity. Hard not to rant on but here are the events.

"Texas governor busted sending racist call-to-arms a day before El Paso attack." AFTER: "Promised to work to reduce violence in his state, in the wake of the shooting in El Paso that left 22 dead and dozens more injured." BEFORE: "Sent out a letter peppered with racist attacks on Hispanic immigrants — and a menacing, violent suggestion that Texans “take matters into our own hands.” Just how pathetic can these Republicans get?

"A white Florida man cited ‘stand your ground’ for shooting a black man. A jury found him guilty." Didn't work this time - Take that Marion Hammer and your NRA. Michael Drejka, 49, was convicted of manslaughter based on his shooting of Markeis McGlockton, after McGlockton pushed Drejka. Jury decided McGlockton's action did not justify his death. Watch it on the video.

Stephen Colbert on Trump racism and The Squad...

"‘Go back to China’: Racist white woman goes berserk after she allegedly hits ‘chinky’ Asian woman’s car." A racist white woman who was identified as Carla Waldman tells woman to go back to China for parking next to her when it was Waldman's car that was parked incorrectly. Looks like a double-digit IQ case for sure. And this was in Canada.

"Racist woman gets probation for insane and relentless campaign of harassment against neighbors." This has been going on for years. Roberta Madison finally admitted to one count of violating a harassment restraining order and was sentenced to one year of probation. "Neighbors have complained for years that Madison has subjected them to various and bizarre forms of harassment."

MSNBC does Donald Trump racism...

"‘I can’t breathe’: Officers caught on video applying chokehold to black man while they Taser him." There has to be a better way of taking a suspect down and the police had better find it fast. This has become much too common, especially with blacks. This happened in DeKalb County, Illinois where police officers were caught on camera using a Taser to shock a black man before putting him in what appeared to be a choke hold.

And, finally, this one takes the cake. "American Airlines booted allergic black man from plane so dog could fly first class: lawsuit." This reminds me of signs in yards in Norfolk, VA, during the Korean War: Sailors and dogs, keep off the grass. The black man was complaining he was allergic to the dog sitting close by, and it was a support dog. You decide.

Once again you are updated on the rampant racism going on in our country, but just hang around, there will be plenty more.

My last two posts on racism:

Racism at its worst in the U.S.today documented

Wrapping up the worst of.racism documented

Top Republican says Trump everything but electable

September 4, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump completely unqualified for his office 

And that's an exaggeration

“He’s unqualified, he is unfit, he’s a child, he’s reckless, he’s erratic, he’s a narcissist, he’s mean, he’s cruel and he lies every time he opens his mouth.” That was a Republican talking about Donald Trump, not a Democrat. It was former Rep. Joe Walsh from Illinois, and the above tirade was followed by Walsh's assessment that the "GOP is in big trouble." There's more in this article reported by RawStory...

“If he’s our nominee in 2020, the Republican Party is going to get spanked because young people don’t like Trump, women don’t like Trump and people who live in the suburbs don’t like Trump,” Walsh explained. “I heard you earlier, Joe, the Republican Party right now is at a real crossroads and because of Trump they’re in trouble.”

You have to understand here that Joe Walsh is challenging Donald Trump in the Republican Primary. Then MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked former RNC head Michael Steele...

“You have run the Republican Party before and it’s looking like another political tsunami is coming the Republican Party’s way if Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket,” he prompted.

“Yeah, it will be very hard for the president to sustain the races beneath the presidential campaign,” Steele conceded.

Joe Walsh challenging Trump in 2020 Republican Primary...

Vanity Fair says...

"his [Donald Trump's] first victory was a miracle. A second, after four years of embarrassments and betrayals in office, might take an act of God."

There's more and it's classic...

The best you can say for Trump is that he became less scary to a lot more people, and the devil you know is always preferable to some.

The magazine continues with its assessment of Donald Trump on everything from gun violence to trade tariffs, and most of it isn't complimentary, but it's definitely worth reading.  Salon/AlterNet reports on a Steve Bannon statement from the 2016 election, “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” Donald Trump took it from there with his lies and racism, concluding...

"Nearly three years into Trump’s tenure the American news media is still struggling with how to cover a president and an administration that have no use for democratic norms, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the truth or reality itself."

Republicans exit the House en masse...

Now here's an interesting viewpoint...

"The media covers President Trump because it must — and because he is highly entertaining and good for ratings. Those two factors together mean that Trump the president and TV character is highly profitable for the corporate media. He stands at the center of the country’s and the world’s attention in two roles. He is both the Mad King and the King of the American Kakistocracy."

And here's another glaring illustration that Republicans are looking at disaster in 2020, "GOP lawmakers are quitting at a ‘stunning’ pace rather than serve under Trump." That is perhaps one of the, if not the most, damning condemnation of Donald Trump I've heard yet. Here's the scenario...

CNN’s “New Day,” contributor John Avlon highlighted the exodus of GOP House members who have chosen to step down and not run for re-election under Donald Trump, calling the sheer number of them “stunning.”

The results: “Since Trump took office, the House GOP has seen a stunning 38 percent turnover." It can only bode well for Democrats, but will 2020 come too late?

How to stop mass shootings with a computer model

September 3, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Second thoughts on a gun violence database  

Now that looks like a mass murderer

It's like anything else Donald Trump proposes, you question it immediately. Not in the same way lowlife Senate head Mitch McConnell reacts to Democrats' motions in Congress where everything is blocked. Trump denial is based on his first two years in the White House spewing lie after lie--10,000 since his inauguration--his perpetual bouts with instability which occur daily, and a general feeling by leading psychiatrists that the man is incompetent in his job.

Having said that, I published a post on September 1, "Trump to launch Big Brother to stop mass shootings." And I have to admit that my intentions were not totally focused on solving gun violence, but to point out where the Oval Office lunatic was trying to pry into the lives of innocent Americans. And then I saw this article in the local papers suggesting a FICO-like score that could predict what gun owners might be prone to gun violence.

I had just entered the direct marketing industry when the FICO score was being created. Actually had the opportunity to sit in on some meetings held at the then retail giant, Montgomery Ward. FICO works, not only for credit, but also for determining auto insurance rates for drivers. But the key to anything aimed at gun violence would be lifestyles; your wine preference; the books you read; if you are a coffee drinker; Are you a fitness freak; there are several hundred.

Charlie Manson who started it all...

And they are documented by several database companies in the U.S. That plus a multitude of demographic data is readily available. The next thing missing is data on guns by household, which would require a U.S. registry of guns that will certainly be repelled by most gun owners and the National Rifle Assn. But the most important factor in this formula will be getting individual online search behavior, which, like a gun registry, will be resisted.

With the combination of the four, an AI (artificial intelligence) computer model could be generated that would very possibly tell us the next location of a mass shooting, even those on an individual basis. It's a matter of combining the right variables to solve the problem. But it's all questionable whether most of this could be accomplished in a Republican environment. However, with the NRA on the ropes and on its way out, and a Democratic takeover in 2020, there's hope.

Wanna know more about artificial intelligence?...

Not sure whether this should be government run or private enterprise, but it will take the feds to assemble the data necessary, plus enact a law requiring everyone register their guns. No doubt this will be the major hurdle, an act that may also demand getting rid of Wayne LaPierre and his NRA. But both are a good thing. I personally have created AI models that were able to predict the customers for a mail order catalog that would spend the most money.

We will need to analyze the household characteristics of the mass murderers to date (around 50 since 2014) using the guns per household, demographics, and lifestyles, plus online surfing behavior. Building the AI model will have to determine two things. One, based on the appropriate variables, what is the area where the next mass shooting is most likely to take place? Two, which households are most likely to house the shooter?

Wouldn't it be nice to give it a try for the sake of our children and innocent adults?