Curing America's sick fascination with guns
The Hump Day Hot Topics!
Running off at the Android keyboard...
***Kudos to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for calling for a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines! Kudos, too, to President Biden for realizing that an executive order on the matter won’t have the same impact as legislation from Congress, preferably of the bipartisan variety that would show some unity on an issue that frightens so many Americans.
While the president’s call falls short of my own call to repeal the Second Amendment entirely, it goes farther than the two responses from Republicans: 1. Do nothing 2. Do a little something, like enhanced background checks.
Trust, I understand that the road ahead will be difficult for the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats because the gun lobby spends untold millions of dollars each year to buy congressional influence while flooding the airwaves with the false narrative that any restrictions on weapons restrict liberties.
So yes, Biden and Harris are on the right path, and it is important that we keep the memories of all who have lost their lives due to gun violence front and center in our daily conversations in person and on social media!
***While repealing the Second Amendment is my long-term solution, a short-term solution that I champion is placing bulletproof doors and windows in all classrooms across America. I also support equipping teachers with a remote switch that would allow them to lock down their classrooms if they hear shots fired!
When professional visitors, be they lawyers, paralegals, or investigators, visit an inmate in a state or federal prison, they are equipped with a device that can be pushed in the event something goes wrong during the visit; when pushed, correctional officers flood the room immediately to provide security.
A similar device would make lots of sense to help protect our schools!
***Another additional short-term solution could include hiring retired military personnel and civilian police officers to further secure our schools. The officers would have to undergo yearly active shooter certification; the concept of two or three armed officers on site would make a would be mass murderer think twice because they would be out numbered and potentially out armed!
***As Uvalde enters the grim phase of burying the 21 victims of last week's mass shooting, a Good Samaritan, artist Trey Ganem, visited the victim's families and helped design custom little caskets for the little Angels.
Kudos to Mr. Ganem!
Kudos, too, to the anonymous donor who has paid all funeral costs for the deadly departed.
***Speaking of solutions, ever notice how Great Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and Canada have far fewer mass shootings than the United States? Whenever I raise this issue, a whole lot of folks get really quiet, especially the "it's a mental health problem" excusers who don't want to admit that folks have mental health issues in those other European and colonial countries, too, but they don't dish out the wanton death and mayhem that mass shooters do in the ol' USA 🇺🇸!
The difference? Those aforementioned nations don't have a sick fetish with guns—period!
To this point, according to The Hill, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing to "halt new sales of all handguns, while also proposing a new buyback program on military-style semi-automatic rifles, the purchase of which is already prohibited nationwide."
Sigh, if only America had the resolve to do the same...
***As the son of a military and civilian police officer, and as a former prosecutor who worked daily alongside officers, I have always respected the many hard working men and women who respect the communities that they patrol.
But I have also always blasted the jackasses, which includes the brass and police union officials who ALWAYS find ways to piss on folks heads—and swear that it's raining!
My vision on these ones is why I am NOT surprised in the least by the latest news that the Uvalde police forces and school districts are NOT cooperating with the investigation by the Texas State Police.
Well, foxes are always going to side with foxes, not the hens they prey upon in the henhouse. The solution? U.S. Justice Department intervention via the FBI, so that the who, what, and why of last week's failure to act decisively at Robb Elementary School can be fully ascertained!
LGBTQ Pride Month
As an ally of the LGBTQ community, I'm proud to note that today, June 1st, marks the beginning of Pride Month!
What is an “ally,” in this context? The same as in any context, meaning, I support the freedom for all Americans to love, express love, and self-identify as they wish!
This month, I will provide biographical sketches of notable Americans who were members of the LGBTQ community. These sketches will include Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, Alvin Ailey, the four men depicted below:
For those unaware, the above four gay Black men were critical figures in American history through their work in literature, philosophy, civil rights, and entertainment. Each an icon of Black culture...Each a man...Each a strong Black man...Each a strong Black homosexual man, which was their personal prerogatives—and their business, not ours!
Lest we forget...
Happy Birthday to The Marching 100
On this date back in 1946, the legendary Dr. William P. Foster (pictured with the hat above) founded what would eventually become the greatest band in American history, the "Incomparable" Florida A&M University Marching 100.
Also depicted in this early 1960's photo is Dr. Foster's then pupil and eventual successor, the legendary Dr. Julian E. White!
Hubba 100rd!
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Man of the Times! Write-on!