Binders Full of Conservative Saviors to Speak at CPAC 2013

by Sunnyjane

It should come as no surprise to those Americans who don't have pickle relish for brains that the GOP is in disarray.  Perhaps disarray is too mild; the GOP is in the midst of a self-made tsunami of chaos.  And hey, it wasn't the Democrats who said that the Republican Tea Party would never have the elite, smart people on their side.  It was Rick Santorum who engaged in that bit of intellectual segregation. 

CPAC 2013 -- Only Wingnut Faithfuls Welcome

The Conservative Political Action Conference (fondly referred to as Conservative Politicians Are Clowns by the liberal establishment) will be held March 14-16.  CPAC is actually sponsored by the American Conservative Union, which boasts as members of its board of directors such black holes luminaries as David Keene (NRA), Carly Fiorina,  John Bolton, Grover Norquist, etc. 

There are a couple of head-scratching paradoxes going on at CPAC this year.  First is the rather weird news that Mitt Romney is attending.

                                           

The Mittster, of course, convinced CPAC participants in 2012 that he was severely conservative, and he ended up winning the straw poll with thirty-eight percent of the vote.  OK, so they're idiots, but that's not the point.  This year it is expected that with all the usual suspects -- and some of the other losers -- having speaking roles that the focus will again be on proving that they lost last year because the nominee was not conservative enough.  And there will be Romney in the middle of it.  Hmmm...can you say awkward?

The other shoot-yourself-in-the-foot issue is that it seems there will be several panels devoted to discussing how the GOP can become a more inclusive party.  Well, that's all fine and dandy, of course, until it comes to some who will never be included.  GOProud and the Log Cabin Republicans have once again been barred from attending because both groups are advocates for -- shh, quietly now, gays and lesbians.  Gasp!  Oh yes, in 2012 the far-right Christianista family values groups pitched a hissy-fit and said they would pull their sponsorship if those people were allowed to attend.  Same for this year.

And so it goes with the Republican Tea Party attempting to, um, reinvent itself.  

Who Will Speak at CPAC?

Why, the Tea Party will speak at CPAC, that's who.  What, you were expecting a half-way sane Republican like Jon Huntsman?  Splort!  Not a chance.  As it stands today, the brain-cell count in that room will dip into negative numbers.

In fact, the conference's theme this year is -- wait for it -- CPAC—America's Future: The Next Generation of Conservatives.  

Let's take a quick look at several of the saviors swirling around in CPAC's Tea Party dreck.

Dem strategist's email during Jindal's 2009 SOTU rebuttal:
I'd pay a lot of money to be back watching a Palin speech.

*Bobby Jindal (LA-Tea Party) -- Gov. Jindal had quite a lot to say about the results of the 2012 election (not to belabor the point, you understand, but: Obama 332, Romney 206).  His main criticism was that the GOP should stop being the stupid party and should embrace a larger group of constituents.   (Psst!  Hey, Bobby, does that include gays and lesbians?  If so, perhaps you should inform CPAC.)  Things aren't faring too well in his home state these days, either.  While Jindal is said to be a favorite among conservative intellectuals (isn't that an oxymoron?), he is living with an approval rating of less than fifty percent because both Democrats and Republicans are unhappy with him.  Oh, well!

If I just take a quick gulp, no one in the whole country will notice, right?

*Marco Rubio (FL-Tea Party) -- Anointed by Time Magazine as The Republican Savior (no question mark; Time is seems to be certain about this) should make Sen. Rubio the creme de la creme of the GOP.  To be sure, he's steeped in the Tea Party's ideals.  In his rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address recently, he pulled out the same old party lines: Obamacare bad; raising taxes bad; accepting climate change science bad.  

Long before he felt the urge to re-hydrate himself during the rebuttal, Rubio had announced his support for Florida Gov. Rick Scott's illegal purge of vote registration rolls.  What about this inclusion thingy the GOP was talking about?  He's a real piece of work, is Sen. Rubio, but that's exactly what the Republican Tea Party is looking for.  Can he save the party?  Well, it's according to what your definition of savior is, I suppose.

Going UP or Going DOWN?

*Ted Cruz (TX-Tea Party) -- The newest loudmouthed Tea Party agitator has been blessed with the coveted Last Speaker spot on the CPAC agenda.  Oh yes, the Cruz Missile is the newest darling of the far-right wingers.   On a recent escape to Texas where he is adored, Sen. Cruz stopped by a lumber yard and a factory that spits out AR-15 rifles.  Hot damn!  He told his supporters that Texans elected a senator to go to Washington and speak the truth.  The only problem here is that he doesn't exactly tell the truth, relying instead on innuendo.  He's made absurd accusations about Chuck Hagel and he's said there there were 12 communists actively plotting against the government at Harvard Law School while he was there.  Hey, the man sees radicals and communists everywhere, leading many to refer to him as the new Joseph McCarthy.  This kind of thing might play well in Peoria, but when his own party has to rebuke him for his outlandish rhetoric, he might have a small problem.

I am DOWN with this Tea Party stuff, you betcha!

*Mia Love (UT-Tea Party) -- Mama Mia!  This one's a treat.  A Mormon, an African American, and a Tea Partier, she just might be one Karl Rove wants to keep an eye on when he's making his not-right-for-the-GOP list.  

Love's parents came to the U.S. from Haiti in 1973, leaving their first two children behind.  Mia was born in 1975, and then the parents sent for her siblings.  Can you say Anchor Baby?

She is the mayor of Saratoga Springs and ran for the House of Representatives in 2012.  During her campaign she made the statement that once in congress, she would join the Congressional Black Caucus and take that thing apart from the inside out!  

I'm sort of sorry she lost, actually.  I'd love to have seen her come up against the likes of long-time respected members of the CBC such as Elijah Cummings, Keith Ellison, and John Lewis, just to name a few.  Talk about taking that thing apart.  Whew!

Bendy Straws, Anyone?

*Sarah Palin (AK Failure-Tea Party) -- Frankly, I have no earthly idea why Palin is speaking, except to remind Democrats and Moderates how far outside the Bell Curve she is.    There are smarter, younger, and more motivated far-right conservative wannabes than she is.  We're talking Sarah Palin here, the same Quitting/Fired Failure who lacks the intelligence to organize a pissing contest at a sports bar on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Next Generation of Conservatives?

By the standard set by its own theme, we can assume that CPAC would not have the be-knighted Ronald Reagan as a speaker this year.  In all probability, Reagan would be appalled at how the Tea Party has taken over the conservative movement in this country.

It's also pretty obvious that, by CPAC's standards, Chris Christie doesn't fit in.  Sarah Palin does.  Go figure.

A Reminder for Liberals




End Note

Which part of NO didn't the Republican Tea Party understand in the 2012 Election results?

Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy - The collected posts about "Babygate" by Politicalgates in one PDF-document

By Patrick

A lot has been published by the bloggers at Politicalgates about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy. But for new readers, it is not always easy to find the relevant posts.

Therefore I had the idea to compile all our posts about "Babygate" in one PDF-document. It can be downloaded, it can be send around, it is all in one place.

Maybe our posts will arouse the interest of some historians in the future who might ask themselves some questions. Were there really persistent faked pregnancy rumours as well as a non-pregnant looking Sarah Palin shortly before "giving birth?" Why didn't anybody conduct a serious investigation?

We would have some answers to such questions.

You can download the PDF-document here:

Download Link 1



Download Link 2

Download Link 3

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Here is the introduction I wrote for this document:

Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy – The collected posts by Politicalgates

Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy with Trig in 2008. This seemingly „unbelievable“ fact has been uncovered by citizen bloggers through diligent research over the course of several years. The media, however, showed little interest and with great confidence filed Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy under „Conspiracy theory – Not to be touched.“ Only a few people dared to disagree in public, for example Andrew Sullivan, Joe McGinniss and Professor Brad Scharlott.

The aim of Politicalgates was always to convince readers with facts, and to present those facts accurately and honestly. The investigation into Sarah Palin's pregnancy has always been a „work in progress.“ The investigation is not over yet. We still do not know the full story. But there are many facts that we do know.

In order to get a better overview about those facts, we thought it would be helpful to collect the relevant posts by the bloggers at Politicalgates in one PDF-document, for easier reading.

The hyperlinks in the posts below are working, and the pictures can be viewed. What cannot be viewed for technical reasons are the video clips which were included in the posts. Here is a list of the most important clips which are mentioned in the posts:

ADN-journalist Michael Carey discusses the faked pregnancy rumours. Interview from September 2, 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrd8pQjKp8

In 2010, a reader published her own documentary about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy.

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ZtzPI2OMw

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm9YxKbmQrk

Later, a third part was created which examined the conflicting statements that Sarah Palin provided about Trig's birth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZSVMzeR5jU

The Israeli filmmaker Elan Frank had exclusive access to Sarah Palin on April 8 and 9, 2008, just about 10 days before Trig was officially born. He recorded extensive footage, part of which was included in a documentary by Fox News about Sarah Palin in 2008. The excerpts by Elan Frank which were used by Fox News have been cut together in the following clip for easier viewing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-BSzQvDAj8

Later in 2009, more of this footage by Elan Frank was shown on Israeli TV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7khNG2fWwE

What else is there to say? Although Sarah Palin's political career appears to have finished, the fact that a female Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate faked a pregnancy for political gain is still a major scandal, and one which is waiting to be finally acknowledged.

Almost equally scandalous is the treatment this affair has received by most parts of the media. Since the days of „Journolist“ we have known that the media hates this issue. It is politically inconvenient, it is somehow „birther“, it is not in good taste – and who would seriously fake a pregnancy, and why? Surely not Sarah Palin. Not even she could be that crazy!

Unless she did, unless she is.

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The following video in particular should not be missed: Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy, an open secret in Alaska. Interview with Michael Carey, journalist with the Anchorage Daily News, from September 2, 2008.

Watch:

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Palin-biographer Joe McGinniss: "I think the Politicalgates archives are the best single available resource for anyone wondering why questions are still being asked about Sarah really being Trig’s birth mother." (from August 28, 2011)

Kathleen Baker, editor of Politicalgates, writes in the UK "Guardian" about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy: "Sarah Palin, unreliable narrator"

Read all posts at Politicalgates about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy with Trig - FOR THE COLLECTION, CLICK HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE AND HERE.

Download the research paper regarding Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy and the role of the media, written by Brad Scharlott, Associate Professor for Journalism at Northern Kentucky University - CLICK HERE.

Brad Scharlott's revised version of the paper has also been published by "Business Insider."

Read the old post at Palingates about the faked pregnancy with the pictures still intact in hardcopy HERE.

Read the old posts at Palingates online HERE (useful also for watching the video clips which were published with the posts).

Listen to Sarah Palin's own description of her unbelievable "Wild Ride" from Texas to Alaska, which happened on April 17, 2008: Sarah explains how she decided to make the trip, despite of the fact that her "water broke" the night before.

In addition, please don't hesitate to watch the excellent video-documentaries about "babygate" which our reader Lidia17 created - HERE, HERE and HERE.

Michelle Obama's National Fitness Initiative - Jimmy Fallon Show

By Kathleen

In honour of Michelle Obama's initiative, Let's Move, which encourages people, especially kids, to get moving (and because it is snowing here and I cannot make my planned journey to the gym today) I'm posting the video of Michelle dancing with Jimmy Fallon. The video is very entertaining - just wonderful. So enjoy it and why not dance along? I know I will be.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. 

Hat-tip to JCos

Finally arrived at Politicalgates: The new Disqus!

By Patrick

Hello everyone! The world keeps changing, and so do the features on "Politicalgates." We have finally switched from the "old" Disqus to the "new" Disqus commenting system, because the new system is far more advanced - with "real-time updating" and much more. Therefore: Welcome, "new Disqus!"

I can see that some of our readers are already getting a bit confused, which is understandable. It happened to me as well. Because: The "new" Disqus shows by default the oldest comments first - which is not helpful. You (the user) have to change it yourself, and your choice will be saved with a "cookie" on your computer.

You have to click on "Discussion" and then select your choice:

Easy, right? Now let's examine some of the other new features.

Unfortunately, the avatars have now become smaller. But luckily, that's not the whole story. Because when you "hover" with the mouse over the avatar, you will see the enlarged version. Therefore we can still display more or less hidden messages through the use of original avatars. :-)

Now, a very helpful new feature for all the tweeters:

If you leave the "comments" and click on "reactions" instead, then you can see all the tweets for this post. This is very helpful, because if you click on the time stamp, you can open the individual tweet and then re-tweet it immediately! I really like it a lot.

You can now easily share discussions on facebook or twitter with the new "Share" button:

Also, there is a new "Community" page, right next to the "Discussion" tab, which is great! We can take a look at previous posts and also see the top-commentators.

As you will have observed, the comments now refresh themselves automatically. It is not necessary any more to refresh the page in order to see the new comments! This will make reading much easier.

Disqus has some explanations about the new system on the website, for example here and here.

They also published a cool little clip about the new system:

There is no page numbering any more, just "Load new comments" at the bottom of the comments.

Well, apparently the bots now believe that the new Disqus with the possibility to "downvote" comments is an evil conspiracy by President Obama to prevent the bots to spread the truth about the good righteous Lady Sarah. One more reason to like the new system!

I am sorry that I have not written any posts for such a long time, but real life kept me pretty busy and exhausted. Hopefully things will improve in the future. I just need to gather my strength again! :-)

Finally, a different topic:

Kathleen saw on facebook that tomorrow is the "Day of Action" for Gun Violence Prevention - picture:

You can see on this page if there are events at a location near you.

Have a good evening, everybody!

Gun Reform Laws: In WayneWorld, It's Apocalypse Now!

by Sunnyjane

Unfortunately, the country's Founding Fathers didn't reckon on the vile and authoritarian  National Rifle Association when they penned our Constitution's Second Amendment.  Nor did they ever think that elected representatives, who are sent to the nation's capitol to promote the general welfare, would be so lily-livered as to kiss the ring of a lobbying organization with a membership totaling fewer than 1.4% of the American population.  Hell, if there were such an organization as the American Society of One-Armed Chicken Venters, it would have more members.

How ashamed the Founders would be of us.

My dentith is going to thoot thith ugly tooth out ob my mouff.

Wayne LaPierre is on a rant against gun reform.  Not just any rant, mind you.  This is an all-out tirade boiling over with unmitigated racism, while reminding us that the NRA is the largest civil rights organization in the world. 

What?  Did LaPierre really say that?  Yes, he very recently said that -- and more.  Have you heard this one?  Phoenix is one of the kidnapping capitols in the world?  Yes, you have.  John McCain said in 2010 that Phoenix is the second kidnapping capitol in the world.  While I have recently expressed my displeasure with NRA mouthpieces calling gun ownership a civil right, it is important to reiterate that the Phoenix kidnapping capitol thingy is pure bullshit has been thoroughly debunked. 

We've got violent Latino gangs, a porous Mexican border that lets in gangs of murderers, rapists, and robbers -- and Al-Qaeda!  We've got gangs of marauding something-or-others in Brooklyn, Obama using some trumped-up massacre to take our guns, and a collapsing civilization if we enact any intelligent form of gun reform.  Whew!

However, concerning LaPoop's claim that South Brooklyn became a hellish world of apocalyptic violence after Hurricane Sandy,  one business owner said of the NRA maggot, He's a f---ing idiot.  In fact, an NYPD spokesman even refuted his allegation, saying: (In) the 60th Precinct in Coney Island, it was hardly hell week — there were no murders, no rapes and no shootings.

 

But hold on there, dear readers, we're not through with the crazy yet.  Ms. Lindsey (Graham) had to come up with something heady to salve the worries of the 2014 voting constituents in South Carolina.  Before Wayne-Boy had his say, Graham tried to scare the hell out of Americans in January by giving this piece of sage advice for owning an AR-15: In 1992 you had the riots in Los Angeles.  I think it was the King event, but you could find yourself in this country in a lawless environment through a natural disaster or a riot. … And the story was about a place called Koreatown. There were marauding gangs going through the area, burning stores, looting and robbing … and raping. 

However, as The Grio points out, Of course, there is no evidence of marauding rape gangs in Koreatown during the 1992 riots, but that’s not the point of Graham or LaPierre’s rants. The point is to terrify Americans who don’t fall into the ethnic categories their comments are targeting, into buying more, and deadlier weapons, out of fear. 

Quite frankly, I'd rather take my chances with the marauding gangs than those law-abiding, real-American men who use guns as testosterone enhancement therapy.

After the Connecticut Effect Dissipates...

While NRA headquarters has, for the most part, been loath to mention the words Sandy Hook, it appears that at least one state NRA lobbyists is not so squeamish.   Last week the Wisconsin NRA lobbyist, Bob Welch, had an unfortunate case of verbal diarrhea when he lamented at the state convention that until the public stops focusing on the Newtown shooting it would be impossible for the NRA to push bills like Stand Your Ground through the legislature.  We have a strong agenda coming up for next year, but of course a lot of that’s going to be delayed as the “Connecticut effect” has to go through the process.  

These remarks caused some heartburn (heh) at HQ, causing an NRA spokesperson to assure Talking Points Memo that Bob Welch is neither a staff lobbyist nor a contract lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and added that Welch does not speak for the NRA.

Death by Calphalon

Expect the next fashion trend to be a holster for your favorite frying pan.  Why? you ask.  Well, because according to one Georgia state legislator, Bill Jackson (R-Demented), They’re killin’ people with frying pans. They’re killin’ people with hammers! There’s more murders with hammers last year than there was shotguns, pistols and AK-47s.

Back in the real world, the FBI states that statistics from 2011 reveal that firearms accounted for 67.7 percent of all murders and blunt objects (including frying pans and hammers) accounted for 3.9 percent. 

No word on how many mass murders have been committed with frying pans or hammers, but Politicususa is still looking.  If they find some, I'll get back to ya. 

Not Enough Money for Hate

One bit of bright news last week was that the Tea Party's Day of Resistance, scheduled for February 23rd, failed to reach its fundraising goals.  Can I hear a collective Awww?  Yep, the big event needed $100,000 to proceed after its drop-dead (no pun intended) collection date; it garnered a mere $26,000.  Not to fear!  They have pledged to do better in the future.  (What, are the Koch Brothers not answering their phones these days?)

End Note

There was great skepticism over the veracity of this chart, which shows that more people in the U.S. have been killed by guns since 1960 than have been killed in all of our wars.  However, as it turns out, it's true.  And very chilling.

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NEW POST UP!

An Open Letter to Members of Congress on Gun Reform

by Blueberry T

Dear Senator/Representative:

Before you vote on gun reform legislation, I ask you to read this letter with an open mind and an open heart.

I am sure if your own child, grandchild or loved one was killed at Sandy Hook, Tucson, Columbine, Virginia Tech, a Chicago park, a Wisconsin temple, a Colorado movie theater, an Oregon shopping mall or anywhere else in this country, you would move heaven and earth to pass gun reform laws, and would deeply regret that you had not done so sooner. Indeed, those who have been personally touched by gun violence are in the forefront of the effort to reduce gun violence and reform our gun laws. I am sure that you would be, too, if you had to endure what they, and the victims and their families and friends, have endured. Right?

Before you vote, please put yourself in the shoes of all those who have lost loved ones. You must act for them and for all of us who beg for better protection from the gun culture that so threatens our safety. In fact, it is long past time for Congress to act to reduce the gun violence that plagues America. But far better late than never. 

More than 31,000 Americans die from gunshot wounds each year, and another 73,000 suffer gunshot wounds. Think about that - more than 10 times as many Americans as died in the 9/11 attacks are killed EACH YEAR by guns. Yet Congress allows that to happen without taking action to try to prevent more deaths. How can that possibly be in the country's best interest?

Gabby Giffords, a gun owner and gun rights supporter and now a gun violence victim, is calling for universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips. Take her advice. Be bold. Act. Ronald Reagan, who also experienced gun violence first-hand, supported the Brady Bill, including a waiting period for gun purchases, and a ban on assault weapons. Why don’t you join him in agreeing to take these military-type weapons off our streets, where they have no legitimate purpose? Justice Scalia, who is among the most conservative members of the Supreme Court, has clarified that the Second Amendment does not preclude restrictions on guns or ammunition. 

Guns do not make us safer. Having a gun in the home dramatically increases the risk of death or injury from a gunshot, and the states that have more households with guns also have more gun deaths. (Find more information here and here.) When Missouri repealed its requirement for background checks, gun violence increased by 25%.   

The firearm homicide rate in the U.S. is twenty times greater than the combined homicide rate of 22 other high-income countries, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. “The higher prevalence of gun ownership and much less restrictive gun laws are important reasons why violent crime in the U.S. is so much more lethal than in countries of similar income levels.”  

The idea that we should, or even can, have armed guards everywhere is ludicrous on its face, nor would it solve the problem of gun violence; President Reagan was not lacking in armed guards when he was shot, nor were those at Ft. Hood. Having a gun could not even save Chris Kyle, a highly skilled sniper. Armed guards did not prevent Columbine or Virginia Tech, and as an ABC News program showed, even trained armed guards who were expecting an attack were not able to respond effectively. (Please watch the videos at end of article.)

Must we endure another Sandy Hook and another Aurora? Must we again read about bullets like those in this photo, traveling at 3000' per second, designed to "explode" through the tissue and cause "devastating" injuries such as blasting away a 6-year old’s jaw and hand? What would you do if that were your son? Please do THAT for all our children. 

Must we again picture a young teacher trying desperately to hide and shield her kids, a therapist working with autistic children (about to get engaged and get her PhD) who died trying to protect a child, and an aide trying to shield a child with her own body? Do you know their names, their faces, and their stories? You should; you must. What would you do if that was your wife or daughter? Please do THAT to protect all of us.

Can you honestly say you are doing everything within your power to stop this violence? No – if you are being honest, you cannot say that. But you have the power to really make a difference for the American people. You can do this. We need you to do this. Have courage; you can still do what is right for the American people.  

I urge you – indeed, I beg you - to vote in favor of comprehensive gun reform legislation, which is supported by a significant majority of the American public.   Please support the President's proposal and several additional measures:

·        Require universal background checks and a waiting period (5-7 days) for all gun purchases (more here)

·        Ban large capacity ammunition magazines and hollow point bullets and strengthen rules regarding armor-piercing bullets by banning their possession and transfer, rather than weakening them

·        Ban assault weapons and other semi-automatic weapons (without loopholes of 1994 law). Here is an opinion piece on this subject by the judge who sentenced Jared Lee Loughner; the judge is a conservative gun-owner appointed to the bench by a Republican

·        Improve law enforcement's ability to prosecute gun trafficking and other gun crime

·        Improve the national database and information sharing about guns and gun violence, provide tools to link to critical mental health data

·        Repeal the Tiahrt Amendment that thwarts data-sharing and research and mandates destruction of records regarding guns (more here and here)

·        Remove legal impediments to ballistics tracing and support ATF and other agencies in using this technology to more easily trace guns that are used criminally

·        Mandate annual registration and liability insurance for gun owners, which would help address existing guns and lead to improved safety requirements (more on this here, here and here.)

·        Impose federal taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for programs to reduce gun violence and/or help cover the costs to society (as Cook County, IL is doing) of gun violence, estimated at $100 billion per year in 1998 (Cook PJ, Ludwig J, Gun Violence: The Real Costs) 

When 6- and 7-year olds are gunned down in their classrooms by a gunman wearing body armor and using an assault weapon and high-capacity ammunition clips, no reasonable person can accept such horror as a legitimate tradeoff for Second Amendment rights. We all also have the right to live free from the fear of being shot, and we share the responsibility to protect our children and all our citizens from senseless violence. If you do not act to prevent this, then you must bear some responsibility and guilt for these and future deaths. I truly hope that is not the case.

Finally, I beg you to be brave. Due to Congress’s failure to properly regulate guns, victims, including young children, had to face an armed gunman, often wearing body armor and using a semi-automatic weapons. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine their terror. You have the power to help prevent these tragedies; please do this for the children and for the good of the nation.  

“It will be hard. But the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Thank you." ~Gabby Giffords

Thank you for your consideration. 

********

Please contact your Senators and Representative today, and also contact others who hold positions of influence regarding this issue. Here is the list of all members of Congress; click on each name for specific contact information. 

Here is an article that addresses many of the arguments against improved gun regulation.  http://thinkprogress.org/gun-debate-guide/  

Here is a short article with some good information on this topic - one of many!

In memory of ♥Ana♥Noah♥Charlotte♥James♥Emily♥Jessica♥Danny♥Grace♥Dylan♥Caroline♥Jesse♥Avielle♥Madeline♥Jack♥Josephine♥Chase♥Allison♥Catherine♥Olivia♥Ben♥Dawn♥Rachel♥Vicki♥AnnMarie♥Lauren♥Mary♥Hadiya♥Christina♥Gabe♥John♥Phyllis♥Dorwin♥Dorothy♥Trayvon♥Jonathan♥AJ♥Jessie♥Gordon♥Jessica♥John♥Matt♥Micayla♥Veronica♥Alex♥Rebecca♥Alexander♥Cassie♥Steve♥Corey♥Kelly♥Matt♥Daniel♥Rachel♥Isaiah♥John♥Lauren♥Kyle♥Dave♥Ross♥Jamie♥Brian♥Ryan♥Austin♥Jocelyne♥Daniel♥Kevin♥Mathew♥Caitlyn♥Jeremy♥Rachel♥Emily♥Jarrett♥Matt♥Henh♥Liviu♥G.V.♥Partahi♥Lauren♥Daniel♥Juan♥Minal♥Erin♥Michael♥Julia♥Mary♥Reema♥Waleed♥Leslie♥Maxine♥Nicole♥Paramjit♥Satwant♥Prakash♥Sita♥Ranjit♥Suveg♥and far too many more….

UPDATE:  
ProPublica has an excellent post on this subject today.  

Older_Wiser makes the excellent suggestion that body armor should also be banned, except for law enforcement and other authorized users.