Steve, this is not only one of your best columns (at least in my opinion) but also one of your most touching columns - the way you captured the spirit and heart of both Biden and the people in VoteVets.com. This is the true meaning of “pro-life.”
Common sense says that assault weapons are made for a single purpose: kill or maim. That is it freedom, that allows those with such weapons to take away freedom from others to choose to live as they like, believe as they like, so long as it does not harm others. That is how this needs to be framed. Unchecked guns is not freedom, but absolutely counter to it.
I leave with the words of Ronnie van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd from the song Saturday Night Special: “Handguns are made for killing, they ain’t no good for nothing else, so if you like to drink your whiskey, you might even shoot yourself.” Pretty keen observation for a boy from the west side of Jacksonville, don’t ya think?
Mar 17, 2023·edited Mar 17, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Thank you Steven for sharing your wise and intuitive writing. And Bravo to the VoteVets alliance for taking the initiative to oppose FOX, and tell truth to power. Of note, the mass shootings in the United States were instrumental in Canada's Federal government taking strong action on guns, from stringent background checks, authorised clearance to purchase weapons, banning AR-style rifles and magazines, and most recently making the sale of hand guns illegal. It takes courage to do not only what is right, but what is necessary. The Republicans who are are overtly loyal to the NRA gun lobby need to demonstrate the same courage and conviction of America's VoteVets. FOX media's fervent desire for ratings came at the expense of sincerity and integrity of purpose. Murdoch and team should have been called out long ago for their misleading and misguided platform, wherein they pandered to Trump's false claims. There must be penalties for disseminating untruths and misinformation. The $ 1.6 Billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems will set the precedent.
President Biden has the facts on his side. When the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire, mass shooting increased tremendously. President Biden has empathy on his side; and I quote the quote in this post: “you’re loved and not alone…I know what it’s like to lose a loved one so suddenly…like a black hole in your chest you feel like you’re being sucked into. Suffocating, hardly able to breathe. The anger. The pain.” President Biden has the power of the Office of the President of the United States on his side. He can do at least something by Executive Order. We can never expect Congress to do anything. There are, especially now with a Republican led House of Rep, too many who fear that trying to save lives will take away their Second Amendment rights. They just don't get it. No one is trying to take away their Second Amendment rights. While the right to bear arms meant something different at the time the Second Amendment was drafted, it is in the Constitution, and so we must deal with it. Importantly we must deal with it in the context of today: the types of weapons that are out there now, the access people with questionable backgrounds have to those weapons, and the egregious ways people are using those weapons, ways far from their intended use. Yay for President Biden for addressing this issue, for doing what he can through Executive Order. It isn't the whole solution; but it is a sort. In my faith tradition, as we try to make the world a better place, we are not expected to solve every problem out there completely. that is unrealistic and impossible. However, when we see a problem out there, we are obligated to make starts at solving the problem. Thank you President Biden for making a start, for trying to make the world a better place. Amen.
Women are sick to death of being considered nothing but incubators -parents who have lost children to senseless gun violence are fed up with the lack of action by our totally paralyzed imbecilic Congress - the whole world is both fed up and sad seeing the USA spiraling into this fascistic Christofascist morass. WE NEED BOLD MOVES to fix this mess!
When is the US Government going to ban Fox "News" propaganda to everyone, not just our military? The lies they have admitted to constantly spewing for profit on those who see nothing else is sedition, isn't it? Are they not fomenting the end of democracy and our way of life, funded by the oligarchs of Russia and the US? As with Biden's thoughts on taking executive action to stop gun violence, isn't the lies told by this company who have been caught red handed lying to nearly 30% of the country, who just happen to be the MAGA nation, just as important? ENOUGH!!
People are upset with “Congress” for their failure to
address the horrific role guns play in current American society. But in reality it’s not “Congress”
that won’t address the problem, it’s republicans in Congress who consistently block gun legislation
that are the problem. I’m not going to pull any punches in order to be politically correct when writing about this hideous problem by claiming “both sides” are at fault, because it isn’t the fault of both sides, it’s republicans’ fault.
It’s time to speak plainly about the calamity that is
now the republican party. The first realization necessary to address the many horrifying aspects of the party, is that they will do anything for the right amount of money. And I mean anything.
When the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case, they plunged a dagger into the heart of our democracy. That decision unleashed a tsunami of money into our political system, and as we know, what often happens when only part of a society is awash with money is, it becomes corrupt.
Corruption is dishonest, fraudulent conduct by those in power and it typically involves bribery. If there are any honest senators & representatives still in the republican party, their honesty has been drowned out by the dishonest majority. Examples of this are Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. If you refuse to go along with the rampant corruption like they did, you will be drummed out of the “grand old party,” just like Cheney & Kinzinger were.
Republican greed is why we don’t have gun control,
why we pay far more for our prescriptions than any other democracy, why we don’t have healthcare for
all, why we don’t have quality subsidized daycare,
why our public school system is floundering, etc.
Republicans don’t value a well-educated population, affordable quality daycare or the 50% of the population who are women.
As far as I can tell, republicans don’t value any goods or services that don’t turn a profit and they are hell-bent on removing women from the work-force. If women won’t quietly remove themselves from the workforce and insist on controlling our own reproduction, we might as well be dead as far as republicans are concerned, because that’s what their policies do--they kill women by refusing them ordinary medical care for any condition remotely related to pregnancy.
This situation is unsustainable. Corporations are pitted against people now, and the people will always lose because we can’t match corporate wealth. Personal wealth is the only thing republicans care about anymore. America will either slide into being a wholly corrupt, fascist form of government that retains power via dishonesty & corruption--the trajectory we are now on--or we’ll do whatever it takes to regain control of our democracy. Sliding
into corruption is easy. You don’t have to do anything. But regaining our democracy is going to be very hard and we have to do it before democratic norms are only dimly remembered.
Amendment II : A well REGULATED MILITIA, being NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment V : No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime unless indictment of a grand jury except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the MILITIA, when in actual service IN TIME OF War or public danger.
The first item I saw when opened computer today, was man charged with shooting his ex wife to death. Was that securing a free state? Was the shooting in Uvalde, Texas killing 19 children, 2 adults, bodies so mangled that little girl only identified by her green sneaker, securing a free state in time of war or public danger?
Walmart has gun sales occupying one aisle, guns lined up like ducks at a carnival. Anyone of any age can go buy one, no questions asked really. Yet, can go down the street to grocery store, buy a bottle of wine, and be carded, by law.
The idea of 2nd amendment allowing every Tom, Dick and Lauren to own, carry anywhere, openly, has been ingrained by gun manufacturers and the NRA into the thinking of Americans just like the Fox trio has embedded the big lie into the minds of trump followers.
I get all the emails, stickers, from Vote Vets as my brother was Air Force officer, left to go to seminary at Emory U, then reenlisted as chaplain. They not only had that ad on Fox, they are putting up billboards at Mar a Lago stating same. A good organization as is Move On. Am afraid to put any stickers on car as some nut might smash my window or wait in the shadows.
Not all who join the Armed Forces are of the highest character.They are easily brainwashed by watching Fox "News" while eating their MREs. I have read that our boys committed the same atrocities as the Nazis and other enemies during wars, so I do not say Thank you for your service to anyone wearing an army etc hat. Who knows? I spoke with an actual WW II survivor the other day. In 90s, still driving. He served both in Europe and Asia, mentioned Patton, Normandy. He still sees those days in his mind like they happened yesterday. But he, too, was young once. Who knows?
My AF ex kept a rifle he bought when stationed in Germany. The stock was a work of art with trees and deer carved into it. The marriage end was not amiable. One night,there was his car parked in my driveway. Couldn't find him. Called police. Couldn't find him. Scared as a cellar window could always be opened if forgot key. Was he inside hiding? In the woods somewhere behind? Car gone after few hours. Intentions? Shoot or intimidate? Were I and three children lucky? Who knows? We were no danger to the state.
When son little, he had a small plastic horse and a western hat, pretended to be a cowboy. I said no guns. Well, along comes a Xmas present from Grandma-a toy gun and gun pocket as he called it. No wonder there are mother in law "jokes."
Men with guns are like Kim Jong-un. Whether shooting off guns or ballistic missiles, it makes them feel important, masculine, red blooded machos in the eyes of beholders. Self defense - baloney !! A study proved guns in homes more likely involved in accidental shooting, criminal assault or suicide attempt than used in self defense. It's the old More likely to get hit by lightning story.
Forget shots at cardboard people shapes, aiming for hearts or brains. That is not sport. Go smash a tennis ball, hit a golf ball into a cup, kick a football, take a walk and cool off. Stop publishing so many books about murder in small towns or TV programs where guns are so often drawn. Only Barney shot a gun (unloaded. Allowed to carry one bullet), not Andy.
For the many people here that strongly oppose Fox News (I am among them) there is something simple you can do. The organization linked to below uses email campaigns to encourage companies and services that support Fox News to stop doing so. It’s easy to participate!
I am a Vietnam vet and just signed up with VoteVets to support their initiatives. Thanks for the insight and link.
Steve, this is not only one of your best columns (at least in my opinion) but also one of your most touching columns - the way you captured the spirit and heart of both Biden and the people in VoteVets.com. This is the true meaning of “pro-life.”
Common sense says that assault weapons are made for a single purpose: kill or maim. That is it freedom, that allows those with such weapons to take away freedom from others to choose to live as they like, believe as they like, so long as it does not harm others. That is how this needs to be framed. Unchecked guns is not freedom, but absolutely counter to it.
I leave with the words of Ronnie van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd from the song Saturday Night Special: “Handguns are made for killing, they ain’t no good for nothing else, so if you like to drink your whiskey, you might even shoot yourself.” Pretty keen observation for a boy from the west side of Jacksonville, don’t ya think?
Thank you Steven for sharing your wise and intuitive writing. And Bravo to the VoteVets alliance for taking the initiative to oppose FOX, and tell truth to power. Of note, the mass shootings in the United States were instrumental in Canada's Federal government taking strong action on guns, from stringent background checks, authorised clearance to purchase weapons, banning AR-style rifles and magazines, and most recently making the sale of hand guns illegal. It takes courage to do not only what is right, but what is necessary. The Republicans who are are overtly loyal to the NRA gun lobby need to demonstrate the same courage and conviction of America's VoteVets. FOX media's fervent desire for ratings came at the expense of sincerity and integrity of purpose. Murdoch and team should have been called out long ago for their misleading and misguided platform, wherein they pandered to Trump's false claims. There must be penalties for disseminating untruths and misinformation. The $ 1.6 Billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems will set the precedent.
President Biden has the facts on his side. When the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire, mass shooting increased tremendously. President Biden has empathy on his side; and I quote the quote in this post: “you’re loved and not alone…I know what it’s like to lose a loved one so suddenly…like a black hole in your chest you feel like you’re being sucked into. Suffocating, hardly able to breathe. The anger. The pain.” President Biden has the power of the Office of the President of the United States on his side. He can do at least something by Executive Order. We can never expect Congress to do anything. There are, especially now with a Republican led House of Rep, too many who fear that trying to save lives will take away their Second Amendment rights. They just don't get it. No one is trying to take away their Second Amendment rights. While the right to bear arms meant something different at the time the Second Amendment was drafted, it is in the Constitution, and so we must deal with it. Importantly we must deal with it in the context of today: the types of weapons that are out there now, the access people with questionable backgrounds have to those weapons, and the egregious ways people are using those weapons, ways far from their intended use. Yay for President Biden for addressing this issue, for doing what he can through Executive Order. It isn't the whole solution; but it is a sort. In my faith tradition, as we try to make the world a better place, we are not expected to solve every problem out there completely. that is unrealistic and impossible. However, when we see a problem out there, we are obligated to make starts at solving the problem. Thank you President Biden for making a start, for trying to make the world a better place. Amen.
The organization known as "FOX News" is way more dangerous to our democracy than any firearm. Ban them as a criminal conspiracy to sedition
Women are sick to death of being considered nothing but incubators -parents who have lost children to senseless gun violence are fed up with the lack of action by our totally paralyzed imbecilic Congress - the whole world is both fed up and sad seeing the USA spiraling into this fascistic Christofascist morass. WE NEED BOLD MOVES to fix this mess!
When is the US Government going to ban Fox "News" propaganda to everyone, not just our military? The lies they have admitted to constantly spewing for profit on those who see nothing else is sedition, isn't it? Are they not fomenting the end of democracy and our way of life, funded by the oligarchs of Russia and the US? As with Biden's thoughts on taking executive action to stop gun violence, isn't the lies told by this company who have been caught red handed lying to nearly 30% of the country, who just happen to be the MAGA nation, just as important? ENOUGH!!
The moment demands assertive action. The lack of same will find us in further peril.
People are upset with “Congress” for their failure to
address the horrific role guns play in current American society. But in reality it’s not “Congress”
that won’t address the problem, it’s republicans in Congress who consistently block gun legislation
that are the problem. I’m not going to pull any punches in order to be politically correct when writing about this hideous problem by claiming “both sides” are at fault, because it isn’t the fault of both sides, it’s republicans’ fault.
It’s time to speak plainly about the calamity that is
now the republican party. The first realization necessary to address the many horrifying aspects of the party, is that they will do anything for the right amount of money. And I mean anything.
When the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case, they plunged a dagger into the heart of our democracy. That decision unleashed a tsunami of money into our political system, and as we know, what often happens when only part of a society is awash with money is, it becomes corrupt.
Corruption is dishonest, fraudulent conduct by those in power and it typically involves bribery. If there are any honest senators & representatives still in the republican party, their honesty has been drowned out by the dishonest majority. Examples of this are Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. If you refuse to go along with the rampant corruption like they did, you will be drummed out of the “grand old party,” just like Cheney & Kinzinger were.
Republican greed is why we don’t have gun control,
why we pay far more for our prescriptions than any other democracy, why we don’t have healthcare for
all, why we don’t have quality subsidized daycare,
why our public school system is floundering, etc.
Republicans don’t value a well-educated population, affordable quality daycare or the 50% of the population who are women.
As far as I can tell, republicans don’t value any goods or services that don’t turn a profit and they are hell-bent on removing women from the work-force. If women won’t quietly remove themselves from the workforce and insist on controlling our own reproduction, we might as well be dead as far as republicans are concerned, because that’s what their policies do--they kill women by refusing them ordinary medical care for any condition remotely related to pregnancy.
This situation is unsustainable. Corporations are pitted against people now, and the people will always lose because we can’t match corporate wealth. Personal wealth is the only thing republicans care about anymore. America will either slide into being a wholly corrupt, fascist form of government that retains power via dishonesty & corruption--the trajectory we are now on--or we’ll do whatever it takes to regain control of our democracy. Sliding
into corruption is easy. You don’t have to do anything. But regaining our democracy is going to be very hard and we have to do it before democratic norms are only dimly remembered.
Amendment II : A well REGULATED MILITIA, being NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment V : No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime unless indictment of a grand jury except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the MILITIA, when in actual service IN TIME OF War or public danger.
The first item I saw when opened computer today, was man charged with shooting his ex wife to death. Was that securing a free state? Was the shooting in Uvalde, Texas killing 19 children, 2 adults, bodies so mangled that little girl only identified by her green sneaker, securing a free state in time of war or public danger?
Walmart has gun sales occupying one aisle, guns lined up like ducks at a carnival. Anyone of any age can go buy one, no questions asked really. Yet, can go down the street to grocery store, buy a bottle of wine, and be carded, by law.
The idea of 2nd amendment allowing every Tom, Dick and Lauren to own, carry anywhere, openly, has been ingrained by gun manufacturers and the NRA into the thinking of Americans just like the Fox trio has embedded the big lie into the minds of trump followers.
I get all the emails, stickers, from Vote Vets as my brother was Air Force officer, left to go to seminary at Emory U, then reenlisted as chaplain. They not only had that ad on Fox, they are putting up billboards at Mar a Lago stating same. A good organization as is Move On. Am afraid to put any stickers on car as some nut might smash my window or wait in the shadows.
Not all who join the Armed Forces are of the highest character.They are easily brainwashed by watching Fox "News" while eating their MREs. I have read that our boys committed the same atrocities as the Nazis and other enemies during wars, so I do not say Thank you for your service to anyone wearing an army etc hat. Who knows? I spoke with an actual WW II survivor the other day. In 90s, still driving. He served both in Europe and Asia, mentioned Patton, Normandy. He still sees those days in his mind like they happened yesterday. But he, too, was young once. Who knows?
My AF ex kept a rifle he bought when stationed in Germany. The stock was a work of art with trees and deer carved into it. The marriage end was not amiable. One night,there was his car parked in my driveway. Couldn't find him. Called police. Couldn't find him. Scared as a cellar window could always be opened if forgot key. Was he inside hiding? In the woods somewhere behind? Car gone after few hours. Intentions? Shoot or intimidate? Were I and three children lucky? Who knows? We were no danger to the state.
When son little, he had a small plastic horse and a western hat, pretended to be a cowboy. I said no guns. Well, along comes a Xmas present from Grandma-a toy gun and gun pocket as he called it. No wonder there are mother in law "jokes."
Men with guns are like Kim Jong-un. Whether shooting off guns or ballistic missiles, it makes them feel important, masculine, red blooded machos in the eyes of beholders. Self defense - baloney !! A study proved guns in homes more likely involved in accidental shooting, criminal assault or suicide attempt than used in self defense. It's the old More likely to get hit by lightning story.
Forget shots at cardboard people shapes, aiming for hearts or brains. That is not sport. Go smash a tennis ball, hit a golf ball into a cup, kick a football, take a walk and cool off. Stop publishing so many books about murder in small towns or TV programs where guns are so often drawn. Only Barney shot a gun (unloaded. Allowed to carry one bullet), not Andy.
Bless President Biden for doing what he can.
For the many people here that strongly oppose Fox News (I am among them) there is something simple you can do. The organization linked to below uses email campaigns to encourage companies and services that support Fox News to stop doing so. It’s easy to participate!
https://checkmyads.org/fox/