Okay, Michael Dukakis, you are off the hook.

"I was just saying I don't feel safe," Charles K. Smith told mySA.com.

Alternate Universe

Doctors In GOP Congress OK Gun Sales To Mentally Impaired

By LeftOfCenter

I have bipolar disorder. I ran my second husband over with a VW Beetle. Grace of God did not kill or maim him. I have written 33 articles about guns, gun death and wounding and gun culture.

I choose not to own a gun. Had a discussion about this with my Shrink because of an Obama initiative. Wrote about it. What is this? Where am I? Is this fuck with everything Obama month? We did not just have Dylan Roof? I am confused.

I have never been convicted of a crime. I am a voting homeowner. I do not have delusions. WTF. I am creeped out. Social Security as the Gestapo? Talk me down.

And I am sort of hiding and learning twitter. Wearing my red dress. I have a lot to cope with. Trumpus is freaking me out. Fucker is aiming right at me. Old and glad for Social Security and Medicare. And I have glaucoma and macular degeneration but my glasses will make my sight normal. Whoopee. You turn 70 and things start to fall off. You be cheerful. I will save France.

This is What Democracy Looks Like or The Great Dem Revolution

"I thought I was going to die a few times. On the Freedom Ride in the year 1961, when I was beaten at the Greyhound bus station in Montgomery, I thought I was going to die. On March 7th, 1965, when I was hit in the head with a night stick by a State Trooper at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death, but nothing can make me question the philosophy of nonviolence." - John Lewis

A Sit-In on the House Floor Over Gun Control

Congressional Democrats, led by Representative John Lewis, are protesting the House’s refusal to vote on gun-control measures. Read more...

Bullshitters Bullshittng

"Let's take America as an example. America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?"

- American-born al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn

I resolved to say nothing about the massacre in Orlando. Nothing I can say seemed meaningful.

Then, having resolved to say nothing, I read the quote above. When in pain, I return to the expressions of my childhood. No shit, Sherlock.

I feel powerless. I am horrified. I keep writing about guns. And mentally ill people (like me) go right on murdering gaggles of people. And the meaningless canned speeches, ready tears, and same-old-same-old stochastic terrorism crap goes down. We are buried up to our noses in rank bullshit, inane and ugly speeches, and salty tears. 

ISIS did it? Right. Sure. Uh huh. Be afraid. And Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, not.

Another colloquialism applies here. Do not piss on my shoes and tell me it is raining Muslims.

Texas Farts Back! Yes this is a pun and I committed it.

I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.
- Kurt Vonnegut

Details of the struggle are HERE: 

Getting Real Jiggy in Texas

I'm from Texas, and one of the reasons I like Texas is because there's no one in control. - Willie Nelson

By August 1 of next year, if you are a frugal college student attending a state school like the University of Texas, everybody is allowed to conceal carry a gun into your classroom and on campus.

They are posting signs and making slide shows to counsel the Faculty.

The Faculty is beside themselves and many are threatening to quit or strike. Daniel Hamermesh has already quit.

“Will I be the first of many?” Daniel Hamermesh told the Guardian. “No.

The reason I won’t be the first of many is for me it’s a pretty low-cost item. I’m 72, I have a very large pension and I have lots of alternatives. I’m fairly successful and economics is a good business. So it’s sort of cheap heroism. I’m a cheap hero. On the other hand it will cost the university and other universities in the state.

Because while people who are here are to some extent stuck, those who are thinking of coming here have alternatives. So I think the real thing is, it’s going to cost us either more money to recruit people or we’re just not going to get as good-quality people recruited to the faculty here; that’s where I think it’s going.”

If you are a rich kid and can go to private college, Baylor University for example, guns are/can be forbidden. All the private Texas schools have yet to make a decision to allow guns on campus and in classrooms. Most have opted for gun free campus. The state schools do not get a choice.
Nobody really knows for sure what the LAW means in its entirety. Everybody has to figure it out before August 1 of next year. Meanwhile...

A bill that allows children of all ages to handle guns passed Iowa’s house of representatives on Tuesday.

Approved by a 62-36 vote, the bill permits children under the age of 14 to have “a pistol, revolver or the ammunition” while under parental supervision. The bill will now head to the state senate.

Signs of the Month - February 2016 - Standoff in Oregon

If I did not know this was a standoff between townspeople and militia, I would think I was at the Memorial Day Parade in Hopewell NJ in 1956 outside my Uncle Joe's tavern. This sign is funny. The horse and rider so beautifully rural and American. The flags.  

But if you scroll through the linked material, you can see the Locals are serious as a heart attack. Serious. They brought coffee and snacks.

What the Teacher Saw: Baltimore Cops Created the Riot. Pass it on.

"Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery."– Malcolm X

The only questions I have are:

Did they do what the Teacher describes below because they are stupid, paranoid and cowardly?

Or did they do this to make noise loud enugh to obscure and cover up their torture and murder of Freddie Gray?

I say "they" because the cops are a gang of thugs. The many act as one. The good cops cover for the bad cops. Therefore there are no good cops.

Meghann Victoria Harris

A clear narration of what my students and I just saw (and please SHARE this so people know the story): we drove into Mondawmin, knowing it was going to be a mess. I was trying to get them home before anything insane happened. The students were JUST getting out of Douglas, but before that could even happen, the police were forcing busses to stop and unload all their passengers. Then, Douglas students, in huge herds, were trying to leave on various busses but couldn't catch any because they were all shut down. No kids were yet around except about 20, who looked like they were waiting for police to do something. The cops, on the other hand, were in full riot gear marching toward any small social clique of students who looked as if they were just milling about. It looked as if there were hundreds of cops. So, me, personally, if I were a Douglas student that just got trapped in the middle of a minefield BY cops without any way to get home and completely in harm's way, I'd be ready to pop off, too.

I hope everyone's kids are getting home to them safely tonight.

Cabu was assassinated at Charlie Hebdo - Sign of the Month - January 2015

Cabu was born in 1938 and had been doing political cartooning for more than 40 years. Some of his work is below. The cartoons do not require translation. We can see his lifelong dedication to peace on Earth and his hatred of violence. Rest in peace and honor. 

True. This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself is nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! —
Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!
- Edward Bulwer Lytton

Je suis Charlie

“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible."
― Salman Rushdie

[Defend the right to be offended (open Democracy, 7 February 2005)]” 

Thug is the New @#$%^&

No indictment in NYPD in-custody death (police1.com)

You find that new usage by perusing the contents of this comment thread on PoliceOne.com. Cops are getting fired for using the "N word"on social media. So they have substituted "thug."

It is true I hate the police. You can tell by the street art I chose. Evidently I am not alone in my hatred and distrust. I have never been arrested or charged with any crime. Maybe I am biased nevertheless. You read the comments and tell me what you think.

"PoliceOne.com is a discussion forum for law enforcement officers, and while anyone can access some of the site content, commenting privileges are available exclusively to verified police. The PoliceOne.com staff "confirm[s] the status of all officers registering for PoliceOne by calling that officer's department directly."

Posted by SAPDMAS on Wednesday, December 03, 2014 08:27 PM Pacific  Report Abuse

People are sick and tired of thugs. Certain people better wake the hell up and stop supporting the thugs. 2 years 1 month before the head thug gets thrown out and hopefully a real POTUS gets elected.

This is the post that disturbed me the most below. Do you want to be policed this way and with this attitude. In Great Britain the police do not have guns and very few police shootings. In Japan the police help Seniors get their groceries home. American cops are the thugs. And it is not just poor Black folks who are being murdered by the Police anymore. It is the mentally ill. It is upper middle class business owners. It is old women. It is children.

Posted by haziz on Thursday, December 04, 2014 01:01 AM Pacific  Report Abuse

President just does NOT understand - it is NOT police who need modify or change their approach to public encounters with blacks, BUT blacks who must not turn almost every encounter with police into a racial incident. My 5 tips on how black and others can survive a police encounter with police are very simple and if you stop and think about it make a lot of sense: 1.Do NOT under any circumstance ARGUE with police out in the street. You cannot win an argument with police out in the field. 2.2. Do NOt raise your voice, but stay cool and calm. Do NOT make any quick or aggressive movements. Remember the police officer does NOT know you and will react to protect himself or those around him. 3.Police know that hands kill, so always keep your hands in plain sight. Before you move your hands ask permission, officer I need to go into my back pocket to get my ID, is that OK with you? 4.NEVER run from police even if you are innocent. When you run you create a heightened sense that something must be wrong here. 5.DO NOT resist arrest – if you do one of three things is going to happen: a.You are going to get beat down till you stop resisting b.You are going to get injured or accidentally killed c.And you are going to have charges taken out against you

St. Louis Blues - Sign of the Month - October 2014

Another young black man in St. Louis shot by an off duty white police officer because he was "running like he had a gun." Say what? His name is Vonderrit Myers Jr. 

Seems like a 'pedestrian check' is the St. Louis version of "Papers please." I would run from the cops in St. Louis and I am pink. 

This is the statement from St. Louis PD sent to Buzzfeed reporter Jim Dalrymple:

An officer working department-approved secondary for a security company, wearing a St. Louis Police Officer's uniform was in the 4100 block of Shaw when he attempted a pedestrian check. The male suspect fled on foot. The officer pursued the suspect. The suspect turned and fired a gun at the officer. Fearing for his safety, the officer returned fire striking the suspect, fatally wounding him. The officer was not injured. A gun was recovered from the scene. The officer is a 32-year old white male. He has been on the force for 6 years. The suspect is a black male believed to be 18-20 years old. As is department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing.

This post has musical accompaniment - St. Louis in better days - and we have to go back to 1929 to find those 'better days.' Now that is sad. It is more than sad. It is intolerable. This video is beautiful.

When was the last time a Philosopher went viral?

Open Carry Texas Activists

Below is an excerpt of A Rational Response to Open Carry Activists written by Philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein that went viral.

You want to read this essay in full and the resulting comments at the source. 

"As most people know, there are activists in Texas who are making a point of going to public places with visible firearms. They have gotten a lot of attention because some chain restaurants and stores have prohibited them from openly carrying their weapons, mostly because it frightens other patrons.

This fear is legitimate. As many have pointed out, there is no way for bystanders to know whether the people with guns are “good guys” or “bad guys.” It is rational to be afraid of someone with a weapon, especially if you know nothing about them.

Furthermore, as Jon Stewart has pointed out better than anyone else, since people are often legally permitted to use guns to protect themselves when they are legitimately afraid for their lives, there is no predicting when someone is going to see the activists and shoot before they ask questions. This will happen. It is just a matter of time. And, in many cases, it will be a legal and rational act. None of us want to be victims of the crossfire.

My proposal is as follows: we should all leave. Immediately. Leave the food on the table in the restaurant. Leave the groceries in the cart, in the aisle. Stop talking or engaging in the exchange. Just leave, unceremoniously, and fast.

But here is the key part: don’t pay. Stopping to pay in the presence of a person with a gun means risking your and your loved ones’ lives; money shouldn’t trump this. It doesn’t matter if you ate the meal. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just received food from the deli counter that can’t be resold. It doesn’t matter if you just got a haircut. Leave. If the business loses money, so be it. They can make the activists pay."

Mental health consumer here, occasionally medicated for public safety. My Doctor suggested I not buy a gun.

UPDATE: Because of the Isla Vista mass murder by a mentally ill man, I thought it would be useful to publish this essay again. My apology to those who have already read it. I wrote this precisely a year ago. Not much has changed. In fact, the gagging of doctors has gotten worse. 

Do you want the government telling your doctor what to say to you? Or what S/he must not say to you? Did Nancy Lanza's doctor ask her about guns?

Gagging doctors and scientists or giving them a script to follow seems to be a right wing hobby these days. Who do we thank for the proliferation of bills dictating what your doctor can or must say to you? Is it ALEC, the NRA, the Republican Party or the Religious Right? 

AMA Supports Blocking Illegal Florida Gun Gag Law 

CHICAGO - The American Medical Association (AMA) today filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the State of Florida’s attempt to revive a law preventing doctors from asking patients and families about guns in the home. The brief condemned government-sponsored censorship of private medical discussions between patients and physicians.

It is easy to see why medical personnel might ask clients about guns. Take a look at the leading causes of death per the CDC. Suicide is #10. Chronic depression and bipolar disorder can and do kill patients and others who know them.

I wonder if Nancy Lanza was afraid of her son? Many parents of mentally ill children live in fear. The Police routinely ask medical professionals if they are aware of guns in the home in the course of investigations, for their own safety as well as ours. Do we really want to tell medical professionals they cannot ask about guns?

Psychiatrists and Psychologists who have clients like shooter Jared Loughner and the Lanza boy are understandably confused. They are damned if they do report a scary or aged client and damned if they do not. "Why did you not know they were dangerous?" we accuse. They may get sued if they speak about a client's behavior or their guns. And sued if they do not. Add gun gag laws to the mix. No wonder malpractice insurance is so high.

I think the President has got this. Now let us all make a lot of noise and help him out!

Obama enlists doctors for gun violence prevention

The president reassures physicians that they can ask patients about guns in the home and inform authorities if they believe someone might harm others.

By CHRISTINE S. MOYER, amednews staff. Posted Jan. 28, 2013.

 President Obama’s multifaceted plan to reduce gun violence calls on physicians to play an important role in decreasing shooting deaths and injuries in communities nationwide.

Obama clarified that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors from discussing gun safety. He assured physicians that they can report credible threats of violence without fear of penalties from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule. He also authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research the causes and prevention of gun violence, work that was suspended in 1996 after a National Rifle Assn.-backed push to block the study’s funding.

Dr. Denise Dowd

“We need to counsel our families about how to keep our children safe,” regardless of whether that involves bicycles, guns or swimming pools, said Denise Dowd, MD, MPH, a pediatric emergency physician and director of research in the Division of Emergency and Urgent Care at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. 

Dr. Dowd said Obama’s clarification on this issue was needed, because some physicians were confused by language in the ACA that prohibits the collection of any data pertaining to firearm counseling, language inserted by pressure from the NRA.

Update: Kansas legislature proposing a Bill to prevent doctors from asking questions about gun ownership. Five other states have gag laws in the works. Why? 

 Sec. 9. No physician, other than a psychiatrist, shall inquire of any patient in conjunction with obtaining the patient's personal information and medical history, whether the patient has any firearms in such patient's home or on such patient's property and shall not require such information before providing treatment.

 

Gun Safety and Gun Nuts

UPDATE:  Gun-rights activists: No more long guns in businesses ... more at the link.

My Dad was a big gun guy. His guns nearly killed my baby brother and, years later, my toddlers. His guns were never of real use. They bagged him a wild boar, a dozen woodchucks and almost 3 children over three generations. In his elder years, Father laid up in the front bedroom and waited with his shotgun and a revolver for the "college boys who are running over my mailbox for fun." In suburban Lawrenceville New Jersey. To be fair, our nearest neighbor was a half acre away behind trees. No other neighbors were near. Good reason to have a gun in the country.

If you have a gun, you have good chance someone around you will be maimed or die. Thank you Gun Nuts and the National Rifle Association for my bad dreams and the deaths of a good many children over the years.

The Gun Nut mofos buy junior rifles for their kids. Pink ones for girls. A toddler bleeding to death from a gunshot wound in the parlor is Gun Nut chic evidently. Doesn't everybody have one?

The picture below of the boy with the gun comes from the Facebook page of Flakoo del Campo a typical Open Carry Mofo. I would not trust this guy to get me a cup of coffee much less trust him with guns or my child. Flakoo got so much flak he removed the picture.

I learned a new word for these Mofos and that word is Ammosexual. Flakoo recently took part in the invasion of a Chipotle restaurant. And what is up with this boys Mother? Is she nuts? Child protective services anyone? If I lived in Texas I would be on the phone ASAP.

The photo below is Flakoo and friend in the midst of occupying Chipotle. How safe do they make you feel? Flakoo is the shorter of the two flakes. UPDATE: Chipotle has since this writing made their restaurants closed to open carry Mofos.

Asshats on Parade - Which ones are the Good Guys? Edition

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Hot damn I love Texans. A bunch of open carry Mofos showed up at the Jack in the Box and the employees called the Cops and hid in the freezer. Mofos were indignant that they were treated like criminals. Video at the link.

Open Carry Demonstrators Scare Restaurant Employees

By Ken Kalthoff

 “They locked themselves inside a freezer for protection out of fear the rifle-carrying men would rob them,” the email stated. “The demonstration had no signage that would have alerted anyone to their real purpose, and to our knowledge they did not attempt to contact anyone in the Fort Worth Police Department to advise us prior to the demonstration.”

Fort Worth police responded to the situation as if it was a robbery. 

Imagine if the employees were also big fans of open carry and 'stand your ground'. You want to be the Cop deciding who to shoot?

What are the PoPo going to do if some customer decides to stand their ground and shoots these Mofos? Charge the frightened customer?  Know how much a trial would cost?

Shaking my damn head. Not in my State. How much tax money do they have to waste in Texas? How crazy stupid are these folks? Maybe it is the heat? You have to admit that Texans have panache. What does Pennsylvania have to offer? Scrapple? Quakers? At least when we go out to get a hamburger, we do not end up hiding in the freezer. I will take it. I am getting a little too long in the tooth for hide and seek. And scrapple is delicious.

Open Carry MoFos or Not in My State

"Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." - Arthur Brisbane 

The guy in the white coat is C.J. Grisham of Open Carry Texas and the other guys are his Posse. Aren't they special?  How confident do you feel that they can and will meet the challenges of Wayne LaPierre's brave new world?

“We, the American people, clearly see the daunting forces we will undoubtedly face: terrorists, crime, drug gangs, the possibility of Euro-style debt riots, civil unrest or natural disaster.” - Wayne LaPierre, National Rifle Association

"Most Texans are surprised to learn that the people they see openly carrying in our streets and our public spaces are not required to have had a background check or to have received any firearms safety training whatsoever," said Hillary Rand. 

Activists have congregated in malls, store parking lots, restaurants and city parks in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio in an effort to "normalize" the open carry of firearms. Last year in Arlington, nearly 40 open carry activists protested four Moms Demand Action volunteers by standing in the parking lot with long guns. - http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/15065/texas-moms-demand-action-chapter-gives-testimony-on-open-carry-laws

When I googled "open carry Texas," I also found this lovely young lady with a BLOG. I looked at the picture of the posse above and I looked at her and I thought to myself "Self, maybe you misunderstand Texas culture. Could this be a mating ritual like Christian Mingle?" 

Then I found this photograph with the label "gun-girl.' My mind is officially blown. And I grew up in New Jersey. These are the women Texas legislators are trying to take reproductive rights from? 

Texas, like New Jersey, has lately become one long messy greasy salty popcorn worthy event. I am starting to love Texas. 

Note: For those who are not familiar with American slang, the meaning of 'mofo' can be found HERE. 

I'm from Texas, and one of the reasons I like Texas is because there's no one in control.

Willie Nelson

SexPig Terrorist Who Supports Forced Birthers

Today's sexpig is Zachary Jordan Klundt. I cannot find any information that he is guilty of explicitly sexual crimes yet. He just hates women, pregnant or otherwise.

Mr. Klundt is charged with arson, theft, and vandalism, which is the pervert trifecta. He is a white supremacist with a gun too. Several guns.

One account of the vandalism said there was a "powdery yellow substance" all over everything." Maybe it was pollen? Maybe his Momma never had "the talk" with him and he is just an excitable boy? You think he got a woody when he was destroying all the Art?

Mr. Klundt took documents and files. Mr. Klundt and his "prolife" buddies could be coming after you or your cousin Flora to replay a 21st Century version of The Scarlet Letter. Just contemplate that for a moment.

I promised myself I would not make fun of his name. I will not make fun of his name. Unacceptable. I will just make fun of his Mother's name, which is Twyla Klundt.

Mrs. Twyla Klundt runs the crisis pregnancy center mentioned below. I like it as Twatwaffle Kundt. Be a great name for a graphic novel. I hope this oaf's white supremacist buddies do not come after me. Be a shame to die for a Twat Joke.

Suspect In Montana Clinic Vandalism May Be Linked To Controversial ‘Crisis Pregnancy’ Center

By David Neiwert

The clinic, All Families Healthcare, was vandalized overnight Monday when one or more perpetrators broke glass and equipment throughout the office. Zachary Klundt, a 24-year-old Kalispell resident, was arrested while breaking into another building early Tuesday morning, and was promptly linked to the clinic burglary because of evidence he was carrying.

Fetus Freaks and Gun Nuts Stalk Little Girls for Clicks and Giggles

CLICK ME !

You think this is going to be satire, right? Wrong.

A conservative group is pushing Cookie Cott 2014. They have a fancy logo and everything:

What is the Girl Scout's crime that engendered the cookie boycott? Here is a list of crimes and a policy statement they are working with:

MISSOURI RIGHT TO LIFE POLICY STATEMENT
GIRL SCOUTS USA
Because Girl Scouts USA promotes, both directly and indirectly through other organizations, policies and behaviors clearly contradictory to the goals and purposes of Missouri Right to Life, Missouri Right to Life urges citizens to consider carefully whether to participate in Girl Scouts or support them in any way.

Now if you think "stalk" is too strong, you want to read THIS: 

For four consecutive Saturdays, protesters have come to Teabearies, which hosts parties for girls ages 3 to 12, carrying graphic pictures and placards reading, "Teabearies supports baby killers."

The connection? In addition to running Teabearies, a children's birthday party place in this southern Illinois town 40 miles east of St. Louis, Dudek runs the front desk and serves as an administrative assistant at Hope Clinic for Women in nearby Granite City, which performs abortions.

 "They were intimidating young girls with graphic posters of aborted fetuses and statements of murder, and they were utilizing the intimidation of these girls as a way to coerce the owner to quit her job at the clinic," said Mark Levy, Dudek's lawyer. 

During the hearing, one mother tearfully described taking her 7-year-old daughter for a birthday party at Teabearies on Jan. 19, when, according to Dudek, 17 protesters showed up and shouted at arriving tearoom customers. 

Gail Pickett of Highland had adopted the little girl last year; this was her first birthday party with her adoptive family. "She was scared; the pictures scared her," Pickett said. "And we had to usher her through the back door to her own birthday party." Pickett, a Girl Scout leader, said she has canceled her plans to take some scouts to Teabearies, where they can earn a badge on manners. "I cannot subject my Girl Scouts to this kind of thing," she said.

What this viral photograph proves to me is this: If gun nuts are stupid enough to think this is good publicity, they are too stupid to own guns. The lady gun nut in the photo and Fox News says it is all a misunderstanding. Her name is Kathy Perkins. Here is her organizations's facebook page. 

Look at the reflections in the windows of the other gun nuts standing guard in case the Girl Scouts get jiggly.

Like they say at JuanitaJean's: 

So the way I figure it, we liberals are under a sacred obligation to buy some Girl Scout Cookies! Oh hell, go wild, buy three or twenty boxes. Use them to feed your campaign block walkers at your local Democratic headquarters.

Find when and where you can buy Girl Scout Cookies in your neighborhood HERE.

Guns: written in horror and haste. - with Update

My Father was a hunter and gun enthusiast. He had at least four guns at any given time. He was the kind of Italian guy goes boar hunting in his 60s. He was kind of dotty toward the end there at 83. He managed to get a trophy boar's head and avoid killing people.

I do not own a gun because I am bipolar. I take legal drugs. Drugs legal and illegal are a common thread through all these mass shootings. So is mental illness for which we take ... wait for it ... drugs.

I am open to gun control. We need it here in Philly. But the PoPo and the Suits never go about it in a way that will actually work. I know a way. Bust nobody for drugs, just guns. Offer a reward to anyone who turns in anyone who has a gun and carries. Does not have to be much: a hundred dollars maybe. That will take many violent felons with guns off the streets.

As long as the War on Drugs continues, so will shootings. Don't innocents always get shot in wars? This war is being waged on our streets and in our homes.

Put the money spent on interdicting drugs into mental health facilities and public health. Take a close look at legal psychotropics being freely prescribed to children and others. The legal drug pushers need attention: Merck, Pfizer, Glaxo-Smith-Kline and many more. You know who they are. They push drugs on the TV and not the street corner.

I just went to the funeral of my friend Baby D who was shot by a paranoid drug dealer. A completely senseless death. I miss him every day. Children are being shot on the streets in my city. The children we lost in Connecticut were shot with legal guns. Gun control is needed. Gun killings are only a symptom of a larger problem. If we look only at the guns, we will miss the mark. We have a large group of people in this country who are zealots, armed and into shooting Doctors. Doctors. Violence in our society is about a lot more than guns. For God's sake, stop rewarding the shooters with a public circus.

Stop dithering SCOTUS, POTUS and Congress about the War on Drugs. You started it. We need to end it - as badly as we need to end the war in Afghanistan. Both are a money sinks that provide no discernible benefit that I can see. We are dying out here in America, Bubble Folk. Poverty creates violence too. We need jobs. We need health care. We pay you to fix this shit. You are not doing the job. You are bloviating. This shit is real.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/jared-loughner-mass-shootings-mental-illness