America's penchant for guns inevitability leads to gun violence
The Hump Day Hot Topics!
Running off at the Android...
***Another day, another mass shooting, this time up in Oakland County, Michigan where a 15-year-old shot and killed three students while wounding several others (and one teacher) yesterday afternoon.
I will NEVER understand the mindset that leads anyone to grab a weapon and go shoot up a school, mall, movie theater, etc., especially when the shooters are teens who should be enjoying life. I've read that in this latest shooting, that the teen was being bullied; bullying has gone on for years without someone pulling a weapon and going on a killing spree.
To be clear, I fully understand that mental health issues are real, but the onus on recognizing these issues and rectifying them belongs to the parents and guardians who are raising these killers. Earlier this morning, CNN reported that this latest Kid Killer's father had purchased the Sig Sauer SP2022 9MM pistol that was used in yesterday's attack; what type of safety measures did this dad use to make sure that his kid didn't take this weapon to use it for mass violence? Did anyone in this family see the signs? And how, I rhetorically ask, was an active shooter taken into custody instead of shot by law enforcement? The very fact that this latest Kid Killer is in custody and on suicide watch—and not at the morgue—only heightens my concerns that there are vast segments of people in America who seemingly have no concerns about ensuring that their "little angels" don't morph into little demons that kill innocent people indiscriminately, and that law enforcement treat some killers far better than they do unarmed persons of color…
*** I was similarly shocked and saddened to learn yesterday that former University of Central Florida and Los Angeles Rams running back Otis Anderson Jr., 24, was shot and killed by his father, Otis Sr., on Monday night near Jacksonville, Florida.
The younger Anderson, a fellow member of Kappa Alpha Psi, had engaged in a verbal argument with his father about the former's girlfriend's dog biting him. That argument was followed by a more intense one between the elder Anderson and his wife, Denise, one that prompted the son to come back into the living room to defend his mother; the elder Anderson opened fire, killing his son and grazing his wife, who remains in critical condition.
While Hell raising during the holiday season occurs in many families, it only becomes tragic when some idiot chooses to use deadly force to ease their wrath. To that end, I could not help but think of the tragic death of Marvin Gaye, 42, the R&B legend who was killed by his father back in 1984 and remember that dog bites, tone of voice, or “who ate the last piece of pie” are far too trivial to kill one's own flesh and blood.
Rest in peace along those Golden Shores, Young Nupe Anderson...
***Yesterday, CNN suspended anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after it was revealed that the noted journalist, a lawyer by training, was far more involved in helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), combat allegations of sexual harrassment and misconduct.
What will be interesting to see is whether CNN permanently ices Cuomo, one of its most popular figures, for crossing lines in a matter that the network covered daily until the elder Cuomo resigned? Or, will CNN place profits at the forefront and reinstate Cuomo in the same way that it resurrected the career of Jeffrey Toobin, the legal analyst that was briefly iced after he was caught masturbating live on a Zoom but is back to work and making big dollars to boot?
Stay tuned...
*** So, Donald Trump's former Chief of Staff and staunch ally Mark Meadows has confirmed that the former President had actually tested positive for the Coronavirus last year earlier than what his communications staff told the American people. Meadows writes in his new book that Trump tested negative—and then positive—the day of the Rose Garden ceremony where he announced the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to Meadows, the day after the positive test, Trump hosted (without a mask) Gold Star families and later that week, was fully positive when he took the stage (without mask) to debate Joe Biden.
Meadows's timeline means that by the time Trump conceded that he was really sick and was flown to Walter Reed for emergency care, that he had been Covid positive for about 10 days—far longer than his doctors and publicists suggested. This revelation further means that the weekend at Walter Reed wasn't some two day miracle, as the Trump team suggested upon his release, but the end of a near two week sickness cycle that had all but run its course.
None of this “news” comes as a surprise to me, but it does remind me of my frustrations with Trump, Biden, and countless other leaders who, depending on the day or event, can be found without masks at public gatherings despite the still prevalent risk of Covid-19. It also reminds me why my trust of my fellow Americans remains painfully low, as someone can "claim" to be Covid free or fully vaccinated and be lying straight to my masked up face.
History Hobbservation:
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks (above left) was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus. A few days later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (right), along with Rev. Ralph Abernathy (seated in this pic) and other local Black leaders began the Montgomery Boycott and the rest, as often said, was history!
These events occurred just 66 years ago…lest we forget!
***I am proud to report that "Giving Tuesday" was a success at Morehouse College with over $900,000 raised for the school's general fund. I am extremely proud that the "Legendary" Class of '94, my own, finished second on the leader board to the Class of '95, one also filled with many of my best friends!
I also thank those who thought it not robbery to give to Morehouse despite having no direct ties to the school; HBCUs belong to ALL of us and it is incumbent that we support the mission of institutions founded post-slavery to "lift the veil of ignorance" from the masses!
Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful Wednesday!
Excellent, as usual!
My heart hurts at the loss of the young Kappa, but especially in such tragic circumstances. Condolences to his family, his chapter, and his team.