Readers- Just for today, I'm taking a step back from both humor and politics. I'm not in the mood to play - not yet.
In the wake of the massacre in Colorado, there's no other story which I can pretend to be wildly interested in...but regarding the terrible shooting itself, there's currently nothing useful for me to say. And unlike the revolting media vultures and opportunistic political parasites, I know it.
Comments are open as usual, and we can talk about this or anything else. -Stilt
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I was immediately and especially appalled at the blatant attempt by Brian Ross (ABC?) to connect the crazed killer to the Tea Party. Of course, this is the same media that shamelessly shills for Obama where truth is always the first casualty. I wish that I could say I was surprised, but I'm not. I wondered who would be the first brain-dead lib to connect unconnectable dots. I guess Ross drew the short straw.
ReplyDelete"Revolting media vultures"...so apt.
The move to politize the tragedy and further the agenda of many is deplorable. At least the candidates were intelligent enough not to step in that pile of do-do. However, idiots such as Feinstien and Bloomberg once again showed us just how much Class they DON'T have by blaming the incident on inanimate objects and not on the nut job that utilized them. All the while failing to see the obvious problem with the "Gun Free Zone" areas in this nation. I know that if I choose to go off my rocker and wanted the least resistence to my efforts, I wouldn't go to the NRA convention or the local range to accomplish this. Enough already, let Colorado bury it's dead, mourn for the loss and get the injured healed. God Bless them and help them.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr
ReplyDeleteJust the other day I was thinking how grateful I am and how much I rely on those who can find humor on those days when it is difficult to smile. Your ability to come up with a humorous comment when I can find nothing to say. If nothing else on a dark day know you are a light for the rest of us and a blessing and we will be here when you are ready.
Thank You
Ricko how true
ReplyDeleteThe only word I can think of for them especially blooming idiot is
GHOULS
I can picture hizhonor stacking the bodies so he can stand on them to see over the podium and appear larger. He is a very very small person and it has nothing to do with how tall he is.
I know that some time last week before the casings even cooled that hollyweird was casting and scripting for the movie to portray this tragic event while demonising gun owners.
Just read an article on AP that people are aghast that the shooter was able to purchase ammo and accessories on-line with nobody noticing.
ReplyDeleteThese are the same people who'd be aghast at the notion that the government would be able to peek at their Amazon reading list.
I was comforted somewhat the other day by the observation that even in spite of this tragedy, the 2nd Amendment remains politically solid. However, I still fear that this will be used as an excuse to chip away at our freedoms even further. Never let a tragedy go to waste...
Your sensitivity to the Colorado massacre is much appreciated. I'm certain, as the days proceed further from that event, you will have enough commentary to fill several of your cartoon pages. The libs have not yet begun to fight: the Tea Party, of course and the People's Right to Bear Arms......
ReplyDeleteOn yesterday's roundtable on Fox News Sunday Morning with Chris Wallace, Evan Bayh (former Dem. senator from Indiana) said he didn't think there was any appetite on the democrat side to promote more gun control laws as it's not a hot enough issue in the swing states. And he said that Bill Clinton once told him that's why he lost control of both houses back in the 90's. More significantly, and enough to warrant an editorial in today's WSJ, is the democrat governor of Colorado's statement, "...if he couldn't have gotten access to the guns, what kind of bomb would he have manufactured?" (Case made by looking at what they found in the killer's apartment.) So some democrats actually demonstrate common sense. And sadly, given that the mass murder and all his victims were white. Well, I'll just leave it at that.
ReplyDeletemass murderer that is. And I should add that the challenge here is trying to detect these lone, determined, and deranged killers who operate under the radar.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of media vultures and political opportunists, NBC correspondent Michael Isikoff is now blaming Bush for lifting the assault rifle ban. According to Isikoff, the AR-15 used in the Aurora shootings would have been illegal if it wasn't for Bush.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure someone intent on mass murder would have obeyed the law and not used an illegal weapon...
I just wish we as a nation would put as much passion into remembering the victims, helping the survivors, and comforting their families and friends as we do pointing fingers and assigning blame.
I saw this yesterday as a a comment by Jeff Bonwick to a blog post by the incomparable Rachel Lucas . I think it sums it all up nicely:
ReplyDeleteI hate stories like this. They all follow the Five Stages of Bullshit:
1. The crocodile tears. This includes the False Moment of National Unity, during which people proclaim that events like this bring us together, even as they sharpen their partisan knives for the next step.
2. The blood libel. With no data, motive is assigned to some conservative group or belief. This proves false 100% of the time, but like a tattoo, the accusation can never be entirely removed.
3. The Rorschach test. Every politician and pundit on earth pens an editorial explaining how this one isolated event has a much broader meaning that proves everything he’s been saying for the last 20 years.
4. Something Must Be Done. A national debate ensues on how to make sure that something like this never happens again. This event was a wake-up call and a game-changer. Everything must be on the table. We must not allow a 200-year-old piece of parchment to prevent us from Acting Right Away.
5. Suzy’s Law. Congress vomits forth a bipartisan bill that no member dare vote against. For precisely that reason, the bill includes a litany of unrelated pork and policy for both parties that could never otherwise pass. In exchange for a few billion dollars and a bit of your liberty, the president, surrounded by beaming legislators, offers a few cloying words about “what this town can do when people put their differences aside” and ostentatiously signs “Suzy’s Law”, a new set of rules that, had they been in place before the tragedy, would have made absolutely no difference.
@ CenTexTim:
ReplyDeleteApparently Isikoff never heard of Remington, Ruger, Browning or Benelli. All make semi-auto hunting rifles not covered by the assault-rifle ban. All are more powerful than the .223. That d*ckhead is hung up on what the weapon looks like.
AHD - you're so right. I've got a Ruger Mini-14 that accepts AR clips, up to and including 30 rounds. But it looks like a 'regular' rifle, and so wasn't included in the assault rifle ban. Functionally it's identical to the AR-15.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I hear one more media dolt say "automatic rifle" when talking about this I'll lose what little composure I have left.
Stilton,
ReplyDeleteI understand your need for a pause,
but the ghouls don't.
I'll spend my few minutes keeping the vultures off the corpses.
[cultural ref: Patton's bodyguard shooting a vulture on a GI after the battle]
Stilton: As concerns your previous posting - in response to that despicable Brian Ross at ABC 'news', Glenn Beck's crew decided to do a little reporting of their own using that very same journalistic standard. They came up with the stunning revelation that Brian Ross is not only a murder suspect, but also has been charged with sending lewd pics to pre-teen girls. They contend that if Mr. Ross feels n the least bit slandered then they can legally cover their butts with an itty-bitty retraction, but otherwise let the original egregious misnomer stand there smelling up the room.
ReplyDelete@ CenTexTim:
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about the Ruger 99/44 and didn't even consider the sweet Mini-14. Forgive me, Bill Ruger.
@ WindRider: I'm totally borrowing that one. Good quote!
ReplyDelete@ Stilton: Keep on keeping on my talented friend ;-)
@Earl, if any Democrats are demonstrating common sense on this issue, it's only because the voters have imposed it upon them. If only the electorate could enforce such levels of common sense on other issues as well.
ReplyDelete@ John the Econ:
ReplyDeleteAre you suggesting Democrat common sense is ephemeral...transitory...temporary...fleeting...illusory?
@Angry Hoosier Dad- There are plenty of real and substantive issues for conservatives and liberals to clash on. That the Left would try to add this bloodbath to their arsenal shows how barren their arguments are.
ReplyDelete@Ricko- We already know that the killer was a skilled make of bombs. If he hadn't had guns, he'd have used bombs or poison gas.
@REM1875- Thank you for such a nice sentiment. It's my goal to try to give a laugh in difficult circumstances, and there's almost always a legitimate way to do it. By the way, as this post indicates I'm not "missing in action" in any way. But my heart wasn't into creating a cartoon and commentary about something I cared less about...but I had nothing new to add, and didn't want to politicize the event itself (though I'm perfectly happy to address the games others are starting to play).
@John the Econ- I, too, remember when the possibility of the Patriot Act opening library records sent the Left into hysterics. Now they want to know what everyone reads, what everyone buys, what you put in your email, and more.
@Irene Peduto- There's no question that there will be plenty to say. Not so much about the killing spree, but about the cultural reaction.
@Earl- Good point, albeit a sad one. Absent a Trayvon Martin-ish victim (who looks like Obama and stopped aging at 9), the Left can't make this into a racial issue. Although they were quick to point out that the shooter was "white," only days after 300 black teens rioting in a Walmart were identified only as "teens." Just labeling the shooter "white" suggests that his race is, in some small way, germane to the story.
@CenTexTim- Blaming Bush?! Why not blame the Chinese for inventing gunpowder? Per my previous remarks, this killer could have used any device of his choice to commit carnage.
@John the Econ. I agree. Of course it's political calculation, and all I had to do was quote them. The main democrat I saw on yesterday's shows arguing for more gun control was Dianne Feinstein who has a pretty safe seat so she can safely spout to her base. It will be interesting to see what the democrat party comes up with as a group, at least yesterday, it sounded like a few individuals are implying that the party proceed with caution.
ReplyDelete@Windrider- Wow. In case anyone didn't read Windrider's comment, it contains The Five Stages of Bullshit and is exactly right. Outstanding - and I'm glad you shared this!
ReplyDelete@DougM- I'm not really pausing, other than in the cartoon and commentary portion for today only. I'd already unleashed on Brian Ross, and didn't really want to spend Sunday drilling into the news for something else to be pissed off about. Plus, Obama was visiting the victims and families yesterday and when I applied my personal "Bush rule" (would this still piss me off if Bush was doing it?) I just didn't want to be another strident voice in the mix. But like I said, that was only for today...and I will react strongly to new and additional attacks coming from the Left.
@Mike Porter- That's hilarious and entirely fitting. I hope Beck covered himself legally by saying that ABC's Brian Ross may not be responsible for all these crimes.
@John the Econ- At least at the top levels, you can be sure that the only reason the Dems aren't really pushing new gun legislation is that they know it would be a loser. Plus, as long as the "Fast & Furious" body count remains so much higher than that of the Colorado shootings, they may be anxious to change the subject.
@Readers- By the way, I'm just not conversant on anything to do with guns, so that's why I haven't chimed in on the relative merits of any particular firearms.
ReplyDelete@Stilton, not being "conversant on anything to do with guns" doesn't stop the anti-gun left, so I don't know why it should stop you. (You really from Texas?) Remember that in the '90s, when deciding which weapons to include in the "assault weapons ban", Diane Feinstein and her committee chose weapons based solely on how "dangerous" they looked instead of any actual specs or capability.
ReplyDeleteDidn't read all the comments so maybe someone already wrote this. The reason that the candidates are not bringing up gun control is that it is an election year.
ReplyDeleteOne possible reason not to bring up the politically dangerous issue of gun control, from the candidates' point of view, might be the announced intention of both billary and the metroprez to sign onto the Untied Nay-shuns small arms 'trade' Act at the end of this month. That might prove out to be all the 'gun control' that those amenable to such an heinous surrender of sovereignty think needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteI want to know, personally, when people are going to realize that the liberals USE their losses to further their agenda. A crazy guy starts shooting a place up, and the next thing you know, they want to place gun controls on innocent, law-abiding people (because we all know criminals follow the rules...).
ReplyDeleteThe government and the media doesn't care about us. They care about THEMSELVES.
Never be fooled.
I read a post somewhere where somebody said most of the victims were black so the theatre massacre was a hate crime..
ReplyDeleteHow egregious does liberal biased reporting have to be before even Jon Stewart takes notice? Now we know.
ReplyDeletehttp://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/07/24/jon-stewart-slams-brian-ross-what-story-does-guy-have-blow-get-troubl
It's a good question. Just what does one have to to at ABC to actually get in trouble for violating standards & ethics?
@John the Econ- There are plenty of guns for me to get familiar with here in Texas, but I've just never made the effort. I did visit a gun range not too long ago just to try firing a few rounds. I don't know any specs about the handgun I was using - my whole attention was focused on making sure that I was behind it instead of in front of it.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous- Earl commented early on (no pun intended) that gun control is a BAD issue for Dems in an election year, and this one is no exception.
@A Nonny Mouse- I've already seen some conspiracists suggest that the massacre was deliberately staged by the government to encourage passage of the UN anti-gun measure. Which strikes me as having about as much credibility as the theory that George W. Bush brought down the twin towers to facilitate an oil war. Both are idiotic.
@Anonymous- None of the fatalities were black; I don't know the racial mix of the many wounded...but anyone trying to introduce a racial component to this already horrible story is misinformed.
@John the Econ- With no pun intended, ABC's action was the equivalent of yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater. It was a deliberate act of provocation, and could have had dangerous consequences. There should be some sort of punitive action taken against ABC.
Stilt, staying behind the gun, as opposed to in front of it is a REAL good place to start, and finish. Many self inflicted wounds every year from people who failed to learn that one.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a Mini-14 does NOT look scary is a BIG part of the reason I bought one. Then I built an Evil Black Rifle AR that looks scary as hell. Same ammo, same size magazines, but one will freak people out SO much more than the other...
Thanks John, great link!
Was participating on FBook in a discussion on this, some nutter posted a link to a TED talk about how 'income disparity' is so bad for society and stuff, trying to blame the shooting on rich people, or something... my response being "maybe he was just f*cked in the head." I mean seriously, trying to find rational reasons for an irrational act makes about as much sense as trying to paint the air...
You're not the only one Stilton:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/227555218194325505
@SteveMartinToGo: Still absent a funny bone since Aurora. The photos of the victims seem like the faces of kindness.
@Anonymous- I'm a big fan of Steve Martin. Besides being brilliantly funny, he's also an intelligent and serious writer (and musician). And I agree with his somber assessment of the aftermath of Colorado. Humor can be a helpful tool in difficult times - but it's also important to realize when it's inappropriate.
ReplyDelete