The activism since the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's day, particularly the response to the "thoughts and prayers", is beyond anything I can recall. Perhaps the most prominent event is March For Our Lives on March 24, organized by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. There's a national walkout (student-organized) on April 20, … [Read more...] about Thoughts and prayers, a “solution” to mass shootings, is widely ridiculed
Great Music Chapter 9
For this week’s chapter of Great Music we again return to the world of Classical music. This time for the famous Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt. He was born in 1811 in what is now Hungary, then part of the Austrian Empire, and lived a long and full life dying in 1886. His father was a musician and Franz learned much from his father’s teaching. Like other promising musicians of … [Read more...] about Great Music Chapter 9
Love Mass Shootings (Cartoon and Column)
Donald Trump said the National Rifle Association is full of good people, which puts them in exclusive company because that’s the same thing he said about Nazis. Congrats, NRA. If you watched just a few seconds of the speeches by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and spokesgoon Dana Loesch, you’ll see why they might belong in the same company. Wayne LaPierre said gun control … [Read more...] about Love Mass Shootings (Cartoon and Column)
The NRA’s journey from marksmanship to political brinkmanship
By Robert Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department, State University of New York College at Cortland . Late actor and former National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston held a rifle aloft at a 2002 get-out-the-vote rally. AP Photo/Jim Cole The mass shooting on Valentine’s Day in Parkland, Florida, ripped at the… … [Read more...] about The NRA’s journey from marksmanship to political brinkmanship
The Olympic sport most likely to kill you
It's probably not skeleton. Winter Games’ deadliest sport? Deposit Photos Watch a few minutes of Winter Olympics and your knees or ankles might start hurting. Winter sports are notoriously tough on the joints, from skis and snowboards that can tweak legs to the tendon-shredding, cartilage-endangering feats of figure skaters. But which sport is most likely to… … [Read more...] about The Olympic sport most likely to kill you
(UPDATE) Good Guys versus Bad Guys with a Gun…
UPDATE: Here’s what a Marine, a school teacher (professor) “highly adept [at using an M-16]” and among professors in the United States, “almost certainly one of the best shooters” has to say about teachers packing heat. Original post: As Trump and the NRA continue their seductive yet deceptive Lorelei chant to have teachers pack heat in their classrooms, millions of … [Read more...] about (UPDATE) Good Guys versus Bad Guys with a Gun…
Cartoon: Marco Rubio and school shooting
No wonder Wayne LaPierre is freaking out
WASHINGTON -- I had supposed President Trump was causing only his opponents to freak out, not his supporters. Then I heard Wayne LaPierre. To see the National Rifle Association boss speak this week at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference was to see a man in urgent need of mental-health intervention. He turned a conventional speech about guns (specifically, the … [Read more...] about No wonder Wayne LaPierre is freaking out
America’s gun violence, a curse or God’s retribution?
On Thursday the 24th of September 2015, Pope Francis addressed the Joint Session of the United States Congress and said this, “Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan … [Read more...] about America’s gun violence, a curse or God’s retribution?
Trump: I Want a Parade Worthy of Me (UPDATES)
U.S. troops participating in 2017 Bastille Day Parade. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique Pineiro UPDATE - Feb. 23: According to Politico.com, president Trump, who “revels in pageantry” has decided that he would like to have his military parade on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day. A memo sent by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to Secretary of Defense … [Read more...] about Trump: I Want a Parade Worthy of Me (UPDATES)
(UPDATE) Reflections of a ‘Nation of Immigrants’ – Part 1
The ocean liner "Paris" that brought Susan's grandparents to America from Le Havre, France, in 1922. UPDATE: In the five-part series of articles – starting with this one -- published at TMV a few months ago, we read the stories of TMV authors and readers who themselves or their ancestors immigrated to the United States and helped make our country truly great. As you … [Read more...] about (UPDATE) Reflections of a ‘Nation of Immigrants’ – Part 1
You and Your AR-15
The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle used in Vietnam to replace the M-14, the last, official U.S. battle rifle. As the nature of war changed, the instruments of war changed with it. As a military weapon the AR-15 (M-16) was fully automatic, In its civilian incarnation, it is semi-automatic, meaning each bullet fired requires a separate squeeze of the trigger. The AR-15 … [Read more...] about You and Your AR-15
Kushner May Be A Member Of The Lucky Sperm Club, But His Gig Is Just About Up
There was a time in Jared Kushner's life when he could have turned away from the Dark Side. That time might have been in 2005 when following an investigation by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, Kushner's billionaire father Charles pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering, a charge arising from retaliating against his … [Read more...] about Kushner May Be A Member Of The Lucky Sperm Club, But His Gig Is Just About Up
Parkland school cop ‘never went in’ during the shooting. There were other failures, too
MIAMI — Eight days after mass shooter Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward's top cop on Thursday revealed a stunning series of failures by the sheriff's department. A school campus cop heard the gunfire, rushed to the building but never went inside — instead waiting outside for another four agonizing… … [Read more...] about Parkland school cop ‘never went in’ during the shooting. There were other failures, too
Trump and the GOP won’t act on gun control. So we must.
WASHINGTON -- They won't do anything meaningful about guns until you force them to with your votes. This time, following the Parkland massacre, does feel different from all the other times. But I fear the outcome will always be the same -- thoughts, prayers, furrowed brows and no real action -- until the Republicans who control Congress and so many state legislatures start … [Read more...] about Trump and the GOP won’t act on gun control. So we must.
Voices of Sorrow, Voices of Hope
By Blair Bess In the wake of last week's mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, new heroes have emerged. They are the young men and women who survived and have made their horrifying experience a defining moment in the lives of all Americans. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are demonstrating more commitment than their government when it comes to putting … [Read more...] about Voices of Sorrow, Voices of Hope
Gun control is about saving lives, not waging culture wars
WASHINGTON -- You have perhaps heard the joke about the liberal who is so open-minded that he can't even take his own side in an argument. What's less funny is that on gun control, liberals (and their many allies who are moderate, conservative and non-ideological) have been told for years that if they do take their own side in the argument, they will only hurt their … [Read more...] about Gun control is about saving lives, not waging culture wars
Cartoons: NRA r Us
Conspiracy theories about Florida school shooting survivors have gone mainstream
In a world of senseless chaos and cruelty, there are apparently two ways to comprehend what's driving the student-led gun control activism spreading across the country: 1. After a gunman killed 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Fla., last week, the students have launched a movement that began in their liberal enclave… … [Read more...] about Conspiracy theories about Florida school shooting survivors have gone mainstream
Rubio is jeered as CNN town hall meeting about Florida school shooting turns angry
SUNRISE, Fla. — A massive town hall quickly turned into searing television Wednesday night as a grieving father of a girl killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School angrily confronted U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., over his opposition to gun control. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime, 14, was among the 17 people killed at Stoneman… … [Read more...] about Rubio is jeered as CNN town hall meeting about Florida school shooting turns angry