I am reblogging this from my friend, Jill at Filosofa’s Word. Please take a moment and read Jill’s analysis of the current mass shooting epidemic that is happening and being swept under the rug along the lines of access to assault rifles. Let’s get another conversation started and figure out what actions we can take to get our voices heard.
May 14th – 10 killed, 3 injured in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York May 15th – 1 killed, 5 injured at a church in Laguna Woods, California May 24th – 19 children, 2 teachers killed, 17 injured in a school in Uvalde, Texas June 1st – 4 killed at a hospital in Tulsa, […]
Beyond Words — Filosofa’s Word
All of these deaths and funerals for what??
One terrorist (Buffalo) was a racist looking to take out as many Black people as possible based on census data, and one just wanted to shoot a school up because his grandmother pissed him off (Uvalde). Then, if that is not enough terrorism for you, the Oklahoma shooting was patient dissatisfaction after a surgery, so he shot the surgeon and others in his path. The Laguna, CA shooting is new to me, but people cannot even go to church safely without worry of being shot up for religious preference.
The 2nd Amendment was never intended to protect assault rifles over public good. READ that AGAIN… and AGAIN…until it “clicks” and gun laws are changed!
I will end with the definition of domestic terrorism, and then I am going back to the books. The source of this image is from the FBI.gov page concerning domestic terrorism.
After reading those definitions, what category would you put these mass shooters in?
In Sorrow,
Amy
The Voice of the Voiceless 
First, thank you so much for this re-blog, my dear friend! Second … did you hear about today’s shooting? It was at a funeral in Wisconsin … the person being buried was himself a gunshot victim. Details were still sketchy last I looked, but I’m sure we’ll know more tomorrow. What’s next … a library? Help us figure out how to make our voices heard, my friend! Hugs!
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You’re welcome, my dearest friend! I know I say it all the time, but you keep us all updated and knowledgeable about these very important issues!
I had not heard about the funeral shooting, but I am looking up the details as I write you this comment.
While looking it up, I found this website: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/ It looks like a great resource for all of us to start watching. They have a twitter account also: https://twitter.com/GunDeaths
Shaun King says that to get our voices heard and create the change that needs to happen, it takes these four steps:
1. Find highly energized people
2. Find deeply organized people (emphasis put on deeply)
3. Develop a sophisticated plan
4. Funding…nothing is free.
Now I just need to figure out how to implement those four things…I will have to work on that next 🙂
Petitions don’t matter like they used to because there is a petition for everything anymore. Lobbying has become harder to do, but it’s probably the best way to start since elected officials need to remember that they work for us. As you already know, our voices need to be louder than the opposition. The challenge is: where can we be louder and make the most difference?
I totally just brainstormed on this comment 😀 Hugs Sis! Don’t mind my worn out brain haha!
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Awww … I’m just a news junkie and seem to feel a need to share the things that bother me the most, which in this day and age is almost everything! Ah yes, the GVA (Gun Violence Archive) has been one of my primary sources for years now. I find it to be the most accurate and most comprehensive database of gun deaths and injuries, and particularly mass shootings. Much of my data comes from them.
Unfortunately, I cannot claim to be a highly energized person, for it taxes my energy these days to walk to the kitchen! However, I’m fairly organized so while I won’t be marching in any marches, I’m yours if you need someone to track data or write something. Sorry I’m not more help!
Big hugs and much love, dear Sis!!!
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GVA is magnificent! It’s such a great resource, and I like the real time aspect of their Twitter too. 🙂
Even if you aren’t energized, you are passionate, and you have a powerful voice 🙂 I’ll do the marching for ya! No apologies needed, Sis 🙂 I can be quite the pain in the arse in person, so people sometimes listen to get rid of me 😀
I’m doing my poll observing tomorrow, so I am going to take some good pictures of the process to help my regional coordinator develop a training program.
Love and Hugs galore, Sis! We got this 🙂
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Well now you’ve taught me something — I had no idea they had a Twitter presence, but now I’m following them! And speaking of which … what is your Twitter ID … I’d like to follow you.
Yes, I’m passionate, sometimes too much so for my own good 😉 So, you’ll march and I’ll write/rant! Works for me!
Poll observing … I always think of that as something ominous, but I’m sure in this case it isn’t. You’ll have to tell me more about it later. I hope you’re having fun and meeting some really great people! Hugs ‘n love, dear Sis!
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🙂 On twitter, I am @lilbit676. I will watch for your request to add me 🙂
Sounds good to me too 😀
The poll observing gets mixed reviews. We are basically there to make sure there is no voter suppression or other issues at the voting centers. You have a tag, and you have to sign in to watch. Some like you being there, and some look at you like an alien from Mars 😀 It was a decent day! I dropped off my ballot for the primary and then studied/completed more assignments. My grade is sitting at 106.67% 😀 I got extra credit for getting some of my assignments in early.
Hugs and loves to you, Sis! I hope your birthday was beautiful! ❤
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Veni, vidi, vici, as they say in Rome! I found you right off and am now following!
I can see the upside of poll observing, and yet it seems an invasion to me. I don’t want someone looking over my shoulder as I cast a vote. Of course, for the past 10 years or so, I have done postal voting which I think is far more efficient in terms of time, at least. I really wish all states would go to all postal voting! But, of course, the Republicans claim it is rife with fraud.
WHOA … 106.67%!!!! You da woman! Heck, you don’t need to do the rest of the coursework, you’ve already got it nailed! I never ever scored that high in college! I think my GPA as an undergrad was 3.5 or thereabouts.
Loves ‘n hugs, dear Amy!!!
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🙂 I found you too! Thanks for the follow sis! I followed you back and followed Clay Toonz too from your tweets.
The poll observing is more to look over the shoulders of the workers to make sure there is not any voter suppression or intimidation, which is really important in the November elections more than the primary of course. There are many areas here that are purely vote-by-mail, and I think that it will eventually all turn that way out of fear from those that claim fraud and become psychotic during election time.
Thankfully there is a lot of extra credit available in case something messes me up on an assignment or two lol. Planning ahead as usual giggles. My GPA was not perfect on the last two degrees. I am worried that a few of my classes will knock the gpa down lol. Like Spanish…I am not sure how I will do in that.
Love and hugs, Sis!
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Thank you!!! You won’t regret following Clay Jones … he is without a doubt one of the best political cartoonists of the day!
Yeah, I do get that, but I still feel funny if someone is watching me while I cast what is supposed to be a completely private vote. Sadly, I cannot vote in any primary, for I am not registered to either party but am an Independent. I heard that quite a few Democrats were switching their party affiliation to Republican so they could have a voice in the Republican primaries! Interesting … I hope they are able to bring some sanity! However, my idea is that we should let the Republicans nominate the worst of the worst, for those will be easier for Dems to beat in the General Election in November! Dr. Oz, for example, is surely destined to suffer a crushing defeat … I hope … fingers crossed.
I don’t recall ever having an opportunity for extra credit, but it’s a good thing, I think. It gives you a bit of a cushion. You’ll be fine, Amiga, and if you need ayuda en Español, preguntame! I am bilingual!
Love ‘n hugs to you, dear Sis!!!
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I have had my party affiliation as Republican since I could vote, mostly because of my dad’s influence on my political views…or so I thought 😀
I was definitely worried about a few folks in this primary. We have some doozies in the CA primaries that scared the crap out of me with just the campaigns on TV. I must say that the Prime Time evidence so far has been good for Jan. 6.
That’s cool that you are bilingual. I wish I would have done more of it when I was in school. I pay for it now, since most places require it to get hired in California. I am moving and grooving in my classes. My Constitutional Law class starts on the 13th. It’s about to get really real 😀
Love and hugs, Sis! I love Clay’s cartoons 🙂
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WHOA!!! I had no idea! I would have bet you were a Democrat. Ah well, you’ve got values, and that’s something the Republican Party sorely needs at this point.
Since I don’t watch television, I don’t see campaign ads, which is probably a good thing … I would probably have thrown something through the television and busted it to pieces by now!
I was raised bilingual and bi-religious — my father was Jewish and my mother was Catholic. I went to Catholic schools, where I was “that Jew girl” … so by about the age of 5, I had decided that all religion was like all the other fairy tales they read to me. For the record, I still feel that way.
Oooohhhh … you are going to LOVE your ConLaw class!!! Before it’s over, you’ll be carrying a pocket Constitution in your back pocket and will refer to it multiple times in a day!
Love and many hugs, dear Sis!!!
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I thought of changing my political party, but I felt like I could maybe change something by staying the course. I think that I am more non-partisan than anything though with my affiliation of the ACLU. We have to be non-partisan when representing their interests, so I always see both sides of the table and any other ideas that are on the outside (green, independents).
I wish that I didn’t watch television sometimes 😀 I have wanted to throw a wrench or something heavy many a’times. I do remember that about religion. That had to be a difficult upbringing though. My dad was a Nazareth Christian that went Baptist, and my mom is a hypocrite 😝 All talk…no real affiliation or truth that made sense to me. I found my way in being a Christian Buddhist Wiccan that now is adding New Age Thinker to the mix 😀
I am excited about the ConLaw, and I have really learned a lot in this other class on the government too. It’s a great textbook, and the instructor gives great lectures via powerpoint and audio. It’s all going pretty good 🙂
I hope your day is going good, Sis! All my love and hugs headed your way!
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There is a chance that you may be able to be a part of a change from within, but only if there are others willing to work with you on that. Warning: it will be an uphill battle. You are a better woman than I, for while I am an Independent, I lean far to the liberal left and would be hard-pressed to deal with the rhetoric of the right wing!
A Christian Buddhist Wiccan … wow, that’s a lot to take in! I’m so burnt out on the Christian ‘ideology’ these days, with their self-sanctimonious claims that women should be ruled by men, etc. But you’re not like that, so I must assume that the Buddhist and Wiccan weigh more heavily with you. David has often said he likes the concept of Buddhism, hence the name of his blog, the Buthidars. New Age Thinker is good.
Half the battle is the professor. If he/she is passionate about the topic, they will make learning effortless … you’ll just absorb it like a sponge! I’ve been lucky for the most part in that area.
My day was … um … interesting. Our A/C went out last night (Thursday) and the temps here are supposed to be a record-breaking 98° next week, so it’s been a scramble to get maintenance here to fix it. So far, knock on wood, it seems to be working find. 98°!!! It’s never been that hot here in the entire 30 years or so I’ve lived in this area! NEver! I will die! Aaaaarrrggghhhh! Much love and many hugs to you too, dear Sis!
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The uphill battle is real for sure, Sis. It’s hard to influence blocked brains without common sense 😀 That’s the majority of the Republican party since Orange #45. (It’s like food coloring, except it’s toxic like Agent Orange 🤣)
The story of how I got those beliefs is kind of a journey lol. I had to find my own way because my father used religion as punishment, which is how I found the Wiccan path, which was probably more Druid than Wiccan to be honest. Then I found the rituals of Buddhism to be tranquil. My newest run with faith is my Grace Revolution Church that I join online every now and then. I like the sermons from the pastors there.
So far so good on the professors. Summer is always so fast, but I think the material is done very well. Great textbooks and great instruction. I got a shoutout on my discussion posts.
I feel you about the A/C. We have triple digits this week here in the Central Valley. No dying, Sis! I hope you were able to get it nice and cool. The heat is no joke the past couple of years. I think we can fry eggs on the pavement already.
Much love and many hugs right back to you!
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It is very scary when I hear a police officer say that civilians have access to assault weapons that the police don’t even have.
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Absolutely. Some of those weapons should only be given to militia, as indicated in the 2nd Amendment.
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