Shall Not Be Infringed 10: Guns Don't Kill people: Overgrown Trees & Deer crossing the street (and Republicans) do

"Does the right to voting say shall not be infringed?" Gun Humping Lunatic Nathan Dahm of Oklahoma 

"Oh... so this is just a semantic argument now?"  Jon Stewart

America's ridiculous infatuation with guns continues to claim lives and in reality, the one in which 50,000+ are year die from Gun Violence and another untold quarter million or more are wounded each and every year, Jon Stewart, inadvertently hit upon the crux of the Gun Control Argument.  Us Gun Grabbers always FORGET the MAGIC WORDS; 

🎩SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED! 🎩

Republicans, gun humping lunatics, and the Firearms Manufacturing Industry (all the same thing) care more about those 4 Magic Words than they do about anyone's actual life.

Simply, observe how Oklahoma State Senator Nathan Dahm responded to being made to a laughing stock by Jon Stewart on guns and the death toll it extracts amongst Americans and especially children.  His responses afterward show he doesn't give a fuck about the law and believes the Constitution is a static document that contains magic immutable spells and he as A True Believer in the Constitution interprets those spells correctly.

Look at the concerted and immediate pushback to New Mexico Governor Michelle L. Grisham's emergency ban on open and concealed carry in Albuquerque.  Republicans want their psychotic followers armed at all times and gun nuts want guns at all times because they want to murder people.  That is the whole of the Law, everything else, as they say, is commentary.

Therefore, Americans just have to live with the constant threat of dying from gun violence anywhere, anytime, anyway.  So, here's two quintessentially American recent deaths by gun;

In western Washington State,

Dan Spaeth of Snohomish, Wash., was outside his home with his wife on the evening of Sept. 7, trying to alert passing cars to deer that were crossing the road, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Det. Kendra Conley wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed in court.

He was shot once by a man driving by, who later told authorities that seeing Spaeth and his wife in the street made him afraid and said he didn’t know whether he had hit someone. He drove away.

Because of Stand Your Ground Laws in Washington and the doctrine of No Duty to Retreat, the 22 year old shooter Dylan Picard probably stands a great chance of getting off on Second Degree Murder charges because of his "Subjective Fear".  Maybe not, because Spaeth is a "good guy". i.e. white male who worked as a corrections officer.

In DeLeon Springs, Florida just North of Orlando, 

The victim, 42-year-old Brian J. Ford, was trimming tree limbs along the fence line between 1880 and 1890 Alameda Drive when 78-year-old Edward S. Druzolowski confronted him about being on his property. Druzolowski told detectives he threatened to shoot Ford, and when Ford didn’t leave, he shot him.  The Sheriff’s Office received 2 911 calls reporting the incident around 7:13 p.m. The first two deputies on scene attempted life-saving measures until EMS arrived, but Ford was pronounced deceased on scene.

This case is laughably simple.  Libertaryans argue that someone trespassing by touching a single blade of grass on your lawn has abrogated their rights and can be thus be safely killed.  Therefore, by demanding Get off my Lawn in his best Clint Eastwood impression Druzolowski has satisfied the conditions of a warnin' and then a shootin'.  Case Closed.

Just like with healthcare coverage, wherein Republicans simply believe if you're born with a genetic condition, develop an illness or become injured too bad, tough shit... Die.

Or with the non-stop Republican efforts to steal Social Security if you're life savings are swindled by the Republican financial sector or Crypto Bros well too bad, tough shit guess you'll become homeless or Die.

And if you should become homeless?  Well then Republicans get to treat you as less-than-human garbage and just be grateful Republicans don't light you and your tent on fire.

Republicans don't give a fuck if you, your wife, your children or anyone are shot to pieces.  Thoughts & Prayers is code for Tough Shit...

Another openly armed Conservative decided to
visit a Democratic President's Home

And, in fact, the more gun violence the better because then they can demonize Democrats as weak on Crime, all the while Republicans at every level of government weaken Law&Order.

Because, more to the point Republicans plan to do away with the United States of America and replace it with a Fascist Facsimile.  Republicans have cultivated this Murder-Suicide Gun Culture because they expect to use rightwing domestic terrorists to eventually take over the country and the guns will help.  

Republican stochastic gun violence follows a very standard pattern:

Elected Republican: Liberals are traitors and want to take away your way of life.

Republican media: Liberals are traitors and deserve to die.

Conservatives on social media. Liberals are traitors and we should kill them.

Firearms Manufacturing Industry: Liberals want to take your guns, you should buy some more now.

Corporate Media:  [silence]

Motivated "Lone Wolf" Rightwing Terrorist: [Absorbs message, crafts plan, tells friends, kills some liberals]

Corporate Media and Republicans:  This is actually the fault of LGBTQ+ people (or perhaps Teachers) and they want to take away your way of life... (repeat sequence) 

It is incorrect to say that political violence is coming.  As with the crazed rightwinger who absorbed Faux News talking points about Nancy Pelosi, then descended upon her home to duct tape her and beat her to death with a hammer but, instead merely cracked Pelosi's husbands skull open Political Violence is here and Republicans are doing it.  

But, even saying that makes you a target for more political violence from the Right.  As Mitt Romney mentioned on his way out of the Senate, 

“There are deranged people among us,” he told McKay Coppins for a forthcoming biography, an excerpt of which was published in The Atlantic on Wednesday, shortly after Romney announced that he would not seek reelection. “It only takes one really disturbed person.”

Absolute Truth is not a defense against rightwing domestic terrorism.  But, what's coming isn't a repeat of the Civil War of the 1860's, we're too integrated for that, but regions of the country are simply going to declare themselves free of control of Washington DC (when Democrats are in control of the White House or halls of Congress) and so-called purple states will experience the equivalent of the Irish Troubles.

So, make some preparations.  Voting is Necessary but not Sufficient with what's coming.  But, increase your situational awareness now.  Be brave if you can, but be ready.  Because Republican Domestic Terrorism is already here.

Republicans are Grooming a new crop of Domestic Rightwing Terrorists.

The militias that were cultivated by Republicans in the 1990's prepared the ground for the later more radicalized rightwing domestic terrorists.  This was recognized by the nascent Obama White House which published a definitive analysis in 2009 and prediction of were the threats facing the United States were coming from; rightwing rhetoric, Faux News, conservatives, and Republican Tea Party terrorists.

The right-wingers correctly identified as potentially dangerous flipped out and upped their threats of violence in response.

Of course, conservatives then attempted some direct actions; such as the Bundy Insurrection at the Malheur Bird Sanctuary but, AG Eric Holder and President Obama handled that deftly allowing the assembled wackos to spout and expend their energy fruitlessly and then slowly waited for the group to commit mistakes resulting in their capture.  This strategy was correct even if a rightwing judge threw out the government's case in a miscarriage of justice.

But, the biggest expression of white rightwing violence was demonstrated on 01/06/21 at the Capitol in Washington DC which, except for some lucky breaks and individual acts of bravery, would have resulted in multiple Democratic Congresspersons and Senators being executed and Mike Pence either dying or affirming the false slate of Electors.  Arch-Traitor Trump's 7 hours and 37 minute gap of phone communications indicate there is far more 

And no this is not hyperbole, if you think the Bounty Hunter laws being passed in Texas and the Anti-Trans laws being passed in Florida, and the anti-abortion laws being passed in every Republican control state aren't violence because they've been adopted by State Legislature then you've allowed yourself to be lulled to sleep with the rightwing canard "America is a Nation of Laws";  we aren't.  The United States is a Nation steeped in violence and minority ruling over the majority through unDemocratic means and state violence.  Just remember all these States have also passed Stand Your Ground and Run-Em Down laws designed to indemnify conservatives when they use vigilante violence against protestors.

But, while many Republicans are comfortable and prefer the old ways of passing laws making certain people subjected to the awesome power of state violence (while exempting others from it), the newest batch of Republican psychos is not.  

No for them, they yearn to see Police busting people over the head with batons and imagine armies of Kyle Rittenhouse's executing street justice on all those they categorize as "Others".

And that is what "Grooming", the newest blood libel Republicans are throwing around at every opportunity, is because the newest cohort of Republicans want state sanctioned violence to be used at every opportunity.  This has a two-fold benefit for Republicans; because LGTBQ+ people will either have to face violence from the legal system with little means of recourse or if there is a protest or violent counter-reaction, then Republicans can unleash the full might of Government (as well as Truck driving run'em down enthusiasts) with strict "AntiFa" Laws labelling every Non-MAGA as a terrorist thereby enabling them to round-up millions of Americans.

Because Abraham Lincoln's immortal Cooper Union address remains as potent today as when he gave it in 1860; Conservatives and the GOP are all in for 2022 and 2024 with their agenda of Rule or Ruin;

Your purpose, then, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the Government, unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please, on all points in dispute between you and us. You will rule or ruin in all events.

Therefore, it has fallen to Us, We, the People to stand up and face down the rightwing terrorists who are coming for us.  As Lincoln as said,

Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves.

Additional: 

Don't expect charges of hypocrisy to blunt the rightwing Grooming agitprop campaign, as at the same time every Republican slapdick is shouting 'CRT, Antifa, Grooming', Tennessee Republicans have crafted a new Super Special Straight Wedding Law which has no minimum age for marriage.  

Merry Xmas! Gun Nuts celebrate their Newton Massacre Victory

Like all cowards, Gun Lovers are willing to sacrifice someone else's life in defense of their beliefs.

On this Christmas Day, take a moment to reflect that since the Newton Massacre, 34,472 Americans have been killed by guns. But, because of political cowardice and the blood money flowing freely to and from Firearm Manufacturers We, the People have to live under constant threat from criminals and the delusions of lunatics like Wayne LaPierre.

Another gun lunatic, Larry Pratt continues his organizations' ceaseless campaign of blaming the victims of gun violence for their deaths and praising gun owners as god's chosen people. Of course, Faux News gives Pratt airtime to voice his vile, frightening and ignorant views.

"All of these gun-free zones are murder magnets, and we’ve simply got to get rid of them." 

If this had a scintilla of truth then no police officers or law enforcement officials would ever be shot or killed in the line of duty because they are always armed. Here's some more inane prattle from Larry Pratt, about how God loves guns and judges those who don't pack heat everyday,

"And we should be praying that we will all be able to go around armed because that will be one outward indicator that we have God’s blessing. If we are walking around like they are in New York and San Francisco, we are under his judgement."

Blaming Gun-Free Zone for the murderous rampages of Second Amendment Heroes is the akin to blaming homeowners for the actions of burglars, if you didn't own that home it couldn't have been burglarized.

But, victim blaming is part of the strategy adopted by the Gun Nuts. Fear is another potent weapon.

In the US Congress, fear of the Gun Lobby and rancorous speeches about the Second Amendment Shall Not Be Infringed have made for a cowardly, wishy-washy approach. Typically, the eventual bill is a clunky, hastily, cobbled together bunch of contradictory nonsense which fails because they go too far in the views of the lunatic fringe gun nutters and irk gun control advocates for not going far enough. While the rest of us groan over the malapropisms inserted in the text which shows that whomever wrote the bills doesn't have enough, if any, technical knowledge about what they're trying to legislate.

Of course, complicating matters is unlimited buckets of blood money Wayne LaPierre has at his disposal with which to threaten or cajole lawmakers. Thus, of the 109 Gun Laws passed after Newton, the vast majority (70) have eased restrictions and made acquiring, carrying and using guns easier. 

Starting next year, Illinois will have a concealed carry law. Cook County Sheriff Tommy Dart has correctly labelled this law "horrifically unworkable" and derided the blood money soaked Illinois legislators who wrote it, "What in God’s name were these people thinking? What were they thinking?"

Sheriff Dart is correct about the law being unworkable because the background checks installed in the law are to be conducted by Illinois State Police, who are going to do a standard name check of the applicant. Because of manpower limitations and HIPA laws ISP is not going to go speak with neighbors of the applicants or be able to find out if someone is unbalanced if they've never officially been institutionalized.

Sheriff Dart, who deals with the 3rd largest metro area in the Nation, wanted automatic disqualifications for known criminals with gun offenses, domestic abusers and those with recorded gang affiliations, but Rep. Brandon Phelps, the Harrisburg Democrat, the prime sponsor of the law has said that standing objections are "not part of the law". 

In Colorado, 2 state lawmakers were recalled and other hastily resigned because out-of-state Gun Lunatics brought pressure and money to remove them.

On the topic of Colorado, another responsible gun owner stood his ground, shot and killed an intruder to defend his property. It turns out the dastardly criminal breaking into the basement was his 14-year old step-daughter sneaking back into the home at 6 in the morning.

No target identification at a time not generally associated with burglaries. This is going to take some investigation by the local PD, but I'd look at the history between the two and see if the obviously willful stepdaughter and stepdad haven't had a few domestic disputes and the "responsible" gun owning stepdad didn't care for his now deceased stepdaughter.

See the act of owning a gun ipso facto makes one a "responsible" gun owner.

A canard amongst Gun Nuts is that 'An Armed Society is a Polite Society', Chicago's gun violence and the 34,000 dead Americans across the Nation show this to be false. What Stand Your Ground Laws and Concealed Carry have brought about is a Shoot First cause Dead Men Tell No Tales and create the potential for turning every minor scuffle or verbal disagreement into a gunfight.

So, have a safe Christmas. Remember guns aren't toys to show off to relatives. Remember to keep them locked up so children don't have access to them. Don't drink and draw. If family tensions start to run high don't go for your gun. Let's not add to the horrific gun death total this year.

George Zimmerman Acquitted due to Victim Blackness

 Better a Hundred Guilty Men should go Free than an Innocent One should go to jail. Well, George Zimmerman's just become One of a Hundred.

Zimmerman is guilty but, he's been acquitted because his victim is of no consequence. The facts surrounding this Killing show beyond a "reasonable doubt" that George Zimmerman is Guilty Second Degree Murder. Which is why Right-Wingers have been screaming into the Internet for a year and a half to get Zimmerman off.

Thus, they made the smearing and slandering of Trayvon Martin their Cause Celebre.

Martin's background has no bearing on the incidents surrounding the night of his murder. Setting aside the fact he committed no crime on his final night on earth, his past marijuana use and minor incidents at school were unknown that night to his killer and thus can not have played a role in Zimmerman's decision to ensure this one wasn't going to get away.

Zimmerman hadn't witnessed anything other than a "suspicious" young black male was walking around the neighborhood. What made Martin suspicious? There's a reason Towns used to have Signs which read: Ni[clang], Don't Let the Sun Set on Your Black Ass in Town. Walking while Black is still a crime in most of America.

In Law Enforcement paralance, Zimmerman is a "White Hispanic" just as he was refered to. While, Race is a bullshit construct designed to seperate people, Law Enforcement in most States still adhere to the Black/White/Hispanic/Asian paradigm. And Hispanic is broken into Black and White subgroups. You need not believe me, simply ask any Illinois Police Officer. But, notice how ignorant Right-Wingers jumped upon the label as Proof Positive! the Liberal Media was trying to railroad poor innocent Georgie.

George Zimmerman is 250+ pounds of soft bubble gum. His former MMA instructor could see it, testyfing he was "just physically soft" and "non-athletic". His girlfriend who accused Zimmerman of Domestic Violence, knew he was soft. The Police from multiple contacts with Georgie, his 46 calls to 911, and his arrest for Battery to a Police Officer no doubt knew he was soft. And soft, wide-waisted, flabby assed wannabes like Zimmerman need that Gun to Prove their tough.

And man, once you have that Gun on your hip, it's weight just screeeeeeeeams for the need to be pulled to prove yourself.

Beyond the blathering of Zimmerman's Defense Attorneys, "Martin armed himself with a sidewalk" for instance, repeatedly badgered Martin's mother to admit Trayvon was responsible for his own death.

Trayvon Martin was under no legal obligation to stop for Zimmerman or to explain his presence in the area to him. None. Trayvon was entirely within his rights to be in that neighborhood.

And the whole incident would have been over when Zimmerman told the Sanford Dispatcher , "Shit he's Running," if Zimmerman had chosen not to follow a young man who had committed No Crime. Zimmerman had no legal authority to follow or confront Martin. But, Zimmerman wasn't going this "asshole get away".

Bruce Lee, when asked what the Best Martial Arts move was, allegedly said; To Run.

Martin did the right thing by running at first but, (and we'll never know the unbiased true sequence of events) he must have decided he'd run long enough from this "creepy-ass cracker".

If there's a Stand Your Ground case to have been made it would have been for Martin. But, despite being within his rights Trayvon made what proved to be a fatal mistake. The entire defense of Zimmerman was based on portraying Trayvon, a young black man out at night in a hoodie as suspicious and complicit in his death. And they're right.

Zimmerman told the Sanford Dispatcher, "This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about."

Of course, Zimmerman thought Trayvon Martin was "up to no good" and "on drugs". As he told Dispatch he's black. And this is America. Young Black Males are a priori assumed to be Guilty of something.

Zimmerman hadn't seen him commit a Burglary. Zimmerman hadn't looked at Martin's pupils and couldn't have gotten a whiff of anything while seated in his car with it raining outside to claim Martin was on drugs, other than knowing he was black. But when Martin ran as he knew he was one of those assholes who always got away and Zimmerman the Self-Appointed Watch Captain wasn't going to let this one get away.

Zimmerman admitted on the 911 call that he was following Martin. The Sanford Dispatcher is a Sworn Law Enforcement Officer, so yes she had the legal power to order Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Too bad she phrased her instruction to him as, "We don't need you to do that."

It's one reason my contacts with a possible perp always include Stop Police. Don't Move.

But, that doesn't matter now. Zimmerman's been acquitted, Martin's still dead, and Gun Violence rules the Land.

Clothes Make the Man and No Harm No Foul / Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman

A Roman Maxim and An American Maxim

Geraldo Rivera offered up the 'If the hoodie fits, you must convict' verdict that by wearing a hoodie Trayvon Martin was guilty or looked guilty enough and thus George Zimmerman was absolutely within the law to murder him.

Thomas Sowell offered up support for Rivera in his column over at the despicable NRO. There is no point in dressing like a hoodlum when you are not a hoodlum, even though that has become a fashion for some minority youths... Sure thing Thomas, just like all these scary men who shop at this Thug store.

But, Daddy Zimmerman offered up a ludicrous fairy tale account of what happened that night,

“At that point, he was punched in the nose, his nose was broken and he was knocked to the concrete. Trayvon Martin got on top of him and just started beating him. In the face. In his nose, hitting his head on the concrete. After nearly a minute of being beaten, George was trying to get his head off the concrete, trying to move with Trayvon on him, in the grass. In doing so, his firearm was shown. Trayvon Martin said something to the effect of, ‘You’re going to die now,’ or ‘You’re going to die tonight’ or something to that effect . .”

Except video surveillance of the Sanford PD car port and lock-up was released and after getting his nose broken and having his head bounced off the concrete for "nearly a minute" Zimmerman, apparently, has no visible injuries or blood stains.

But, really all the evidence in the world isn't going to convince Right-Wingers. If Martin had shot Zimmerman their reaction might have been different. They would be calling for an arrest for murder.

But, instead what has been most important to conservatives in this case are the shockingly lengths they got to smear and slander Martin, to find post hoc and hearsay evidence which proves he was a bad kid, like pictures of a tattoo or his school suspension records, and the out-right lies and false information (crafted by the white supremacists at Stormfront) they are willing to uncritically resend and fervently believe it because it fits their pre-conceived narrative.

Update: Gawker has an story of White Supremacist Hackers Klanklannon claimed to have hacked Trayvon Martin's email, twitter and facebook accounts and posted them. Gawker states Klanklannon made clear their intention was to smear Trayvon and probably knew Erick Erickson or Dana Loesch would repeat their bigoted smear job on National Media, "Today / pol / Tomorrow CNN."

Sadly, besides their efforts to defame the dead, conservatives have no other concerns about the dead young man or the too vague/too subjective Stand Your Ground Law, which contributed to his murder at the hands of George Zimmerman, but have focused their ire and hatred towards, as every right-wing bigot puts it, the professional race-baiters, which to them includes the President of the United States.

That's whom conservatives are really mad at in this case. It's a realization that for conservatives everything always and forever will be about Race. And now anything they think they can use to harm Barack Obama they are going to use.

Related:
Stonekettle Station: Trayvon Martin: License to Kill

We are respectable negroes: Smearing Trayvon Martin: The True Lie that Black Men Commit More Crime than Whites

Trayvon Martin's Murder in Florida, Business the American Way

Can't You Feel It Coming? Empire!
Can't You Hear it Coming?
Black Man trapped Again - Empire, Queensrÿche

The murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, besides being a fucking murder, is a clear cut case of Tennessee versus Garner (SCOTUS 1985). A case well known to all Police Officers. But, for those unaware, if a person is running away you can not just gun them down. Specifically, when a law enforcement officer is pursuing a fleeing suspect, he or she may use deadly force only to prevent escape if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.

Before deciding to murder of Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman has apparently gleamed enough from Cop Dramas to lie and claim self-defense but, the 911 tapes clearly show it was a case of premeditated murder by Zimmerman of "fucking coons". Zimmerman's full 911 call includes that tidbit @ 2:21 of the tape.

George Zimmerman - "He's got his hand in his waistband and... he's black."

Dispatcher- "Are you following him?"

George Zimmerman - "Yeah."

Dispatcher - "Okay we don't need you to do that."

But, Zimmerman wasn't going to follow that order because according to him these "fucking coons", "these assholes always get away".

Trayvon's final scream before Zimmerman murdered him is The Eternal Testament to Governor Jeb Bush and the NRA Gun-Nuts who empowered crazy wannabe vigilantes to go around murdering people. Think Progress has more deatils about the wannabe crime fighter Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin's murder shows the Florida Stand Your Ground is prima facia Unconstitutional just like everything connected to the Bush Legacy.

As Jill over at Brilliant at Breakfast stated,

do not let any mention of Jeb Bush go by ever again without a photograph or mention of Trayvon Martin attached to it. Because this country, when it forgets (as it will) what Jeb Bush's brother did to this country, it must never be allowed to forget just who it was that made it legal to kill people because of the invented "threat" of their race. I want the face of Trayvon Martin to haunt Jeb Bush's dreams for the rest of his life.

Jeb Bush, the NRA, and Right-Wing Gun Nuts are responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin because as always conservatives build these grand edifices of supposed rights and liberties which are supported by a foundation of shit and lies and end up, when actually applied in the Real World, getting people killed.

Update:
Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed a Task Force to investigate the Trayvon Martin Murder.