Greg Abbott Invoked Mental Illness After the El Paso Shooting. Where Is Evidence?
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Greg Abbott Invoked Mental Illness After the El Paso Shooting. Where Is Evidence?
Hours after a white gunman walked into an El Paso Walmart on Saturday and killed nearly two dozen Hispanic shoppers, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed a room full of reporters in the border city and expressed grief and support for the community.
As high-profile mass shootings continue to erupt across the country — three of which occurred in Texas in the last two years — a reporter asked the governor what he planned on doing to ensure one doesn’t happen again.
Abbott, a Republican, hesitated, then spoke at length about how the state Legislature reacted to the 2018 high school shooting in Santa Fe, eventually focusing on what he said was the most agreed-upon need: addressing mental health issues.
“Bottom line is mental health is a large contributor to any type of violence or shooting violence, and the state of Texas this past session passed a lot of legislation and provided funding for the state to better address that challenge,” he concluded, referring to bills aimed at improving children’s mental health care.
Behind him, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso, visibly stiffened, shaking her head slightly as Abbott connected mental illness to what appears to be an act of domestic terrorism fueled by a white supremacist ideology.
The next day, before a downtown El Paso vigil for the victims, she put into words what had been apparent on her face.
“I would also call on those who use mental illness as an excuse to please stop. Please stop,” Escobar told reporters, to light applause from those beginning to arrive for the service. “It further stigmatizes those who truly suffer from mental illness, and the fact of the matter is people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violent crime, not perpetrators.”
“This tragedy is not in vain if we can finally have a reckoning in this country as to what is really going on,” she added.
NRA Puts Nancy Pelosi + Gaby Giffords Out For Target Practice. Will Sandy Hook Ruling Dampen Their Machismo?
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The National Rifle Association left little to the imagination in their March 2019 issue of American Rifleman, citing Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and gun control advocate, former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Gifford — herself an assault rifle victim — as in the line of fire and perhaps in need of a little target practice.
There’s no doubt that these are macho men. The white nationalist assassin from Australia who Facebook livestreamed with his assault on two New Zealand mosques Friday is also a macho man. that currently leaves 50 dead and 50 hospitalized — many in critical condition.
On Thusday, March 14th, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling, agreeng with Connecticut’s Sandy Hook families that the marketing employed by Remington Arms, a major manufacturer of deadly assault rifles and specifically the AF15, was so aggregious in appealing to men’s “killer instincts” that it transgressed against federal immunity laws that protect gun manufacturers from liability.
Connecticut law, the court wrote in the majority opinion, "does not permit advertisements that promote or encourage violent, criminal behavior." While federal law does offer protection for gun manufacturers, the majority wrote, "Congress did not intend to immunize firearms suppliers who engage in truly unethical and irresponsible marketing practices promoting criminal conduct, and given that statutes such as CUTPA are the only means available to address those types of wrongs, it falls to a jury to decide whether the promotional schemes alleged in the present case rise to the level of illegal trade practices and whether fault for the tragedy can be laid at their feet."
Read on in Salon. Sandy Hook Lawsuit Court Victory Opens Crack In Gun Maker Immunity Shield
NH Legislators Insist Wearing Pearls To Oppose Gun Control Legislation Doesn't Mock Moms With Dead Kids
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MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE FOUNDER SHANNON WATTS JOINS OTHER GUN-SAFETY ADVOCATES FOR A NEWS CONFERENCE TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO EXPAND BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR FIREARM SALES IN THE RAYBURN ROOM OF THE U.S. CAPITOL JAN. 8, 2019, IN WASHINGTON. VIA CBS NEWS
It seems that Republican male legislators in New Hampshire are really taking the gloves off -- wearing pearls to mock moms involved in trying to act against gun violence. The trope of pearl-clutching, easily-offended liberals has a tradition in American politics.
"Male New Hampshire lawmakers on the hearing committee wearing pearls to mock Moms Demand Action volunteers and gun safety advocates," wrote Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control group Moms Demand Action, to describe the picture above.
Her post condemning the men quickly spread, accruing more than 6,000 shares and almost 5,000 comments, writes the BBC.
Debra Altschiller, a Democratic representative who sponsored the bill, tweeted: "Disappointed in the pearl clutching by @NHGOP [New Hampshire Republicans]. There are families who have lost loved ones here and this mocking prop shows how little they empathise with suicide."
TOMS Shoes Launches Anti-Gun Violence Campaign With $5 Million Donation + Background Checks Campaign
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TOMS Shoes Launches Anti-Gun Violence Campaign With $5 Million Donation + Background Checks Campaign
TOMS’ Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie is expanding his already legendary activism and philanthropy. The recent deadly shooting that left 13 dead in Thousand Oaks, Calif grabbed Mycoskie’s brain, telling him thoughts and prayers for yet another mass shooting in America, weren’t cutting it.
The shoe company is well known for its “One for One” program (you buy a pair, they give a pair), which has expanded now to also providing safe water and eyeglasses to communities in need. TOMS has never engaged in political action.
Mycoskie made a $5 million dollar donation on behalf of his Los Angeles-based company to a diverse coalition of anti-gun violence organizations, making it the largest public corporate donation toward gun violence in America’s history.
In addition to the donation — which benefits organizations like March for Our Lives, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, among others — Mycoskie launched a Toms campaign called "End Gun Violence Together," aimed at engaging citizens with the gun violence epidemic in America.
The initial focus is a call for universal background checks before a gun is sold. The initiative is supported by 90% of Americans but not Trump’s Republican Party. Jimmy Fallon filled out his postcard on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘The Tonight Show’ Monday night, with Tom’s producing an actual postcard w/the sender’s name and zip code. I just filled out mine.
TOMS’ retail stores and social media are also part of the project and will become advocacy centers.
'Fearless Girl' Wears A Bulletproof Vest, The Newest Fashion Must-Have For Students Of All Ages
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'Fearless Girl' Wears A Bulletproof Vest, The Newest Fashion Must-Have For Students Of All Ages
Wall Street’s beloved ‘Fearless Girl’ got a makeover in advance of Tuesday’s election — and days before this week’s slaughter of 12 mostly young people in a shooting late Wednesday at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Artist Manuel Oliver gave New York’s most famous symbol of women’s empowerment some extra armor last Friday, dressing her in a bulletproof vest broadcasting the hashtag #FearfulGirl.
Oliver’s son Joaquin ‘Guac’ Oliver was murdered along with 16 other victims in the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“She can’t be fearless if she’s afraid to go to school,” wrote Change the Ref, Oliver’s pro-gun control nonprofit, on Twitter, about the rebranded “#FearfulGirl.” The organization is dedicated to using “urban art and nonviolent creative confrontation to expose the disastrous effects of the mass shooting pandemic,” according to its website.
Young Activists Parkland's Jaclyn Corin & Company, BLM DeRay Mckesson Featured By Vanity Fair
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Young Activists Parkland's Jaclyn Corin & Company, BLM DeRay Mckesson Featured By Vanity Fair
The poor polling in predicting Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum's Florida Dem. gov primary win didn't take into consideration the Parkland students criss-crossing the state with a massive get out the vote effort among young people.
Bernie only endorsed the former Hillary supporter in the last month. Meanwhile, Parkland students were on the move with voter registration and barely received any recognition for turning out the votes last week. Big media and pollsters struggle with anything new that doesn't fit their narrative.
Reflecting an editorial shift, yesterday, BLM co-founder DeRay Mckesson was featured at Vanity Fair online, w/his now iconic Patagonia blue vest. (Not sure if article is in print). Now Vanity Fair takes an in-depth lookat Jaclyn Corin a key logistical brain behind the nationwide Parkland students movement. VF gives you 3 free articles a month, so take a read about this inspiring young people's movement across America and check out Deray's equally positive profile as he promotes his new book 'On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope'.
Ryan McGinley Flashes 'Up In Arms' With Young Gun Control Activists For Dazed Magazine S/S 2018
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Ryan McGinley Flashes 'Up In Arms' With Young Gun Control Activists For Dazed Magazine S/S 2018
Dazed Magazine's Summer 2018 issue focuses on Youth in Power: the gun control activists changing America. I just discovered the convo myself, but the cover article is rich in links and other articles about the activists beyond this cover story. Thank you Dazed Magazine. Yours is journalism at its best!!!
Ryan McGinley captures the Parkland students and activists from around the country in 'Up in Arms' styled by Emma Wyman./ Hair by Jawara; makeup by Francelle Daly
Parkland Students Launch Nationwide 50 Stops Tour To Register Young Voters & Talk Gun Laws Reform
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Parkland Students Launch Nationwide 50 Stops Tour To Register Young Voters & Talk Gun Laws Reform
Anyone who thought the Parkland students might go into summer hibernation, hitting the beach and soaking up the rays is wrong. Last Sunday 788 diplomas -- four of them posthumous --- were handed out to graduating seniors of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. On Monday students of the March for Our Lives movement announced the kickoff of a national summer bus tour designed to raise awareness around gun control issues and to register voters in advance of the November midterms.
Launching June 15th at the Peace March in Chicago, the tour – named March for Our Lives: Road to Change – will make 50 stops across America in 60 days. The state of Florida will not be forgotten when a separate tour led by March for Our Lives activists rolls into action, with events in all 27 of Florida’s congressional districts. Registering young people to vote and educating the community about where their political candidates stand on gun reform and their relationship to the NRA is the students' priority.
Sarah Ullman Delivers A Bounty Of Ace Ads On Gun Reform With Her PAC One Vote At A Time
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Sarah Ullman Delivers A Bounty Of Ace Ads On Gun Reform With Her PAC One Vote At A Time
Meet Sarah Ullman, a young filmmaker on a mission to curb gun violence in America. Showing just how dedicated Ullman is to leverage her PAC, One Vote at a Time, Vogue writes that her political ads helped flip 10 of the 15 seats Democrats picked up in the Virginia statehouse in 2017.
In 2018, One Vote has signed on to work with 250 candidates in 10 states, including Stacey Abrams, who is running for governor in Georgia and the first-ever black woman gubernatorial candidate from a major party in United States history. In North Carolina, Ullman is excited about attorney Anita Earls, who is campaigning for a Supreme Court seat after helping to challenge the state’s redistricting laws.
Ullman interned for House Rep (D-Conn) Chris Murphy in 2009. Living in Los Angeles, pursuing a career as a young director in 2016, Ullman listened to Murphy's 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
As a familiar cycle of thoughts and prayers set in, Ullman felt helpless and angry. “I just was tired of feeling that way,” she says. She took to her Facebook page, asking her mostly film-industry–related friends and acquaintances, “What if I made campaign ads for people who are supportive of gun safety? Who’s with me?”
Parkland & Chicago Young Activists Cover Town & Country's June 2018 Philanthropy Issue
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Parkland & Chicago Activists Young Activists Cover Town & Country's June 2018 Philanthropy Issue
Students from Parkland and beyond share one of the covers for Town & Country's annual June Philanthropy issue. Parkland survivors Delaney Tarr, Emma González, and Leonor Muñoz, as well as Chicago teenagers D’Angelo McDade, a survivor of gun violence, and Alex King, whose young nephew was shot to death, reflect on the movement they have started and the future they’re fighting for. Their interviewer is none other than Jimmy Kimmel, with Max Vadukul in charge of the photo shoot.
Kimmel asks each of the students about their proudest moment in the last few months:
Yolanda Renee King: Have You Heard? We Are Going To Be A Great Generation!
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Yolanda Renee King: Have You Heard? We Are Going To Be A Great Generation!
“My name is Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King,” said the 9-year-old girl addressing an enraptured crowd gathered in Washington, DC on March 24. “My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
“I have a dream that enough is enough! And that this should be a gun-free world, period!” Yolanda proclaimed, standing next to Parkland survivor Jaclyn Corin at the 'March for Our Lives' rally.
King wore an orange gun violence awareness ribbon pinned to her coat, inspiring marchers and an international TV audience with her vision. She stood not far away from the site of her grandfather's famous 'I Have A Dream Speech', delivered 55 years ago at the March on Washington.
It's doubtful that America will achieve Yolanda King's dream of a gun-free world, given an accepted right enshrined in the US Constitution to own guns to hunt or protect oneself. Many of us imagine victory as getting assault weapons off American streets and instituting universal background checks, no exceptions.
For me, Yolanda Renee King left us with an even greater gift: HOPE.
As Donald Trump and his wrecking crew try to take America back to the 1950s, where white men ruled, activism needs HOPE and that hope can only come from our young people, who will lead a new wave of demands for racial, gender-based and economic justice in America, free from the stereotypes deeply embedded in the American psyche.
An Open Letter to Student Marchers At 'March For Our Lives': 'You Are Revolutionaries
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An Open Letter to Student Marchers At 'March For Our Lives': 'You Are Revolutionaries
To the students marching in Washington D.C, and across the country tomorrow: an open letter from Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization that aims to boost the number of women in computer science fields.
If there’s any generation that sets us free, it will be yours. If there’s any generation that achieves real lasting change for our country, it will be yours. You are change-makers. You are revolutionaries. You are patriots.
You are the most diverse generation in American history–and that diversity is reflected in your movements, in your insistence that they include the experiences of all people no matter their race, sexuality, gender, ability, or economic status. You are also the most digitally savvy generation in American history. To you, tech is not just about convenience or distraction–it’s a tool to complement community and create change (or the ultimate clapback!).
You have the ideals and you have the tactics necessary to transform our world. Combine these with your poise, endurance and anger–and you are a force to be reckoned with.
Fedex Offers Discounts of 18-26% To NRA Members and My GlamTribal Business Pays For It
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As a small biz owner of GlamTribal Jewelry & Gifts, I've been shell-shocked over the cost of using Fedex or UPS, rather than 2-day USPS, if the shipment comes over the weekend.
Amazon expects me to absorb a $20 shipping cost on a $48 pair of earrings for a Prime order, and that's w/o an additional charge of about $11 for Fedex to come and get it from me. It's cheaper to just pay the USPS overnight cost of about $20. Note that I must ship 50 orders with only one blip, and I cannot use my own USPS account, even when I know an order will arrive on time. Amazon freezes my ability to use 2-day Priority Mail, which would cost me $12 and no pickup charge. Understandably, as a prime shipment, they want to be able to track all the facts around the shipment. But vendors pay the premium price.
Now I'm reading that if only I was a member of the NRA, I would get discounts of 18-26%. So FedEx is prioritizing gun rights over the success of small entrepreneurs like myself.
I know that FedEx president David L. Cunningham Jr. is a huge contributor to the NRA. But how is it that his personal values support discounts to those who demand unfettered restrictions on military assault rifles, rather than small business owners like myself? Sorry, but that sounds unAmerican and hardly supporting free enterprise.
Why must I underwrite the cost of Fedex shipping military assault weapons, when I'm dedicated to prohibiting assault weapons? Oh, and I also support girls education in Africa and elephant conservation with business revenues. I doubt Fedex is committed to limiting the rights of assault weapons owners to kill elephants and other endangered species. I wonder if Fedex ships trophy hunters' prizes. I'll have to check that policy as most responsible airlines are saying "no go". They give up the revenue.
The majority of small business owners are women. Fedex would rather support military assault weapons murdering men -- 90% of mass killers are men -- than women business owners.
As you can imagine, FedEx and I are now in permanent divorce court, because the company's values are not my values.
I support the second amendment, but it doesn't include military assault rifles, as SC Justice Scalia explained. FedEx doesn't even agree with Scalia, which makes the company's policies ULTRA. ULTRA conservative, far more conservative than the Americans of all political parties who use Fedex for business and personal shipping.
I urge everyone to rethink your relationship with FedEx and whether you believe it's fair that small business owners like myself should be forced to underwrite their support for military assault rifles in our schools. The company says they refuse to bow to the pressure of liberals who are trying to take away gun rights. That's their choice, but we have a choice, too. ~ Anne
Related: Calls to divest from NRA fall on deaf ears at FedEx New York Daily News
Oprah, George & Amal Clooney Are Joined By The Spielbergs & Katzenbergs In Pledging $500,000 To March For Our Lives
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Oprah Winfrey stepped into the philanthropy box Tuesday, joining George and Amal Clooney,in also committing a $500,000 donation and general pledge of support for March for Our Lives in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety. The event is being organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Both Clooneys will also participate in the Washington, DC demonstration on March 24, being organized by the surviving students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School . . . Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we're donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children's lives depend on it."
The March for Our Lives is organized by Stoneman Douglas students Cameron Kasky, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Alex Wind, and Jaclyn Corin, in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety. “I'm just a high school student,” Kasky wrote in a recent op-ed, “and I do not pretend to have all of the answers. However, even in my position, I can see that there is desperate need for change—change that starts by folks showing up to the polls and voting all those individuals who are in the back pockets of gun lobbyists out of office.”
The articulate voices of the students have overwhelmed open-minded adults across America. On Twitter, Winfrey compared the Stoneman Douglas student organizers Cameron Kasky, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Alex Wind, and Jaclyn Corin to the Freedom Riders of the 1960s who “also said we’ve had enough and our voices will be heard.”
Two more Hollywood couples joined the Clooneys and Oprah in matching their donations. Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn were joined by Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg in also supporting the initiative.
“The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages," said Spielberg via his representative, Marvin Levy. "Kate (Capshaw) and I applaud their efforts to take a stand for the benefit of this and future generations. They are an inspiration to us all, and we are joining in this movement with a donation of $500,000.”
In a statement sent by representative Rachel Peterson, Katzenberg said, “(My wife) Marilyn and I are proud to stand with the brave young leaders from Parkland, Fla., who have taken their pain and grief and turned it into action. We will join Amal and George Clooney on March 24 to stand alongside these remarkable young people. We are also donating $500,000 to March for Our Lives to support this historic event.”
Florida Lawmakers Say They Will Not Debate Gun Control But Declare Porn A Health Risk
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Florida Lawmakers Say They Will Not Debate Gun Control But Declare Porn A Health Risk
After posting on FB last night that South Carolina lawmakers want to declare gay marriage'parody marriage', I see that Fla lawmakers are also very, very busy.
Our brave Parkland kids rose the buses for 8 hrs. yesterday to their state capitol -- sleeping in the civic center w/their parent minders Tuesday night -- even though Fla legislators announced yesterday that there is no way they will debate an assault weapon ban or other gun legislation.
BUT the legislators DID have time to declare porn a health risk, reports BuzzFeed. .
I REPEAT, Fla legislators declared porn to be health risk but say they will NOT debate gun control in any form. My international friends, this is the state of the American conservative Republican mind today, the Trump mind in action.
More guns. Less porn. Maybe porn is so important to them because they buy more of it and watch it on Sunday. The credit card companies have worked in HUGE research studies -- like 500,000 porn purchases -- to identify by state and date bought.
Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise
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Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise
The mere fact that Harper's Bazaar would feature an article on the topic of toxic masculinity tells you the degree to which the female mindset in America is changing. Even the fashion industry is concerned about toxic masculinity. Oh yes. The Trump male posse can descend on us -- throwing stink bombs and calling us libtards -- but the facts are the facts in their non-factual universe. The jigs up, gentlemen.
When Trump was elected, Mr. Brexit Nigel Farage proclaimed: "The alpha males are back." That may be so, but large numbers of alpha males -- are the very definition of toxic masculinity -- and it's a masculinity that kills, no matter how the alt-right dresses it up.
More than other countries in the developed world, the American culture worships men with guns. They are conquerors of 'weaker men' and women are eager to have sex with them. In reality, men who commit mass shootings do not have the respect of the larger culture, but their "catastrophic sense of male entitlement" gives them admiration in their own equally toxic communities.
Prominent 'Mothers of the Movement' With Dead Sons Rally For Hillary Clinton
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Prominent 'Mothers of the Movement' With Dead Sons Rally For Hillary Clinton
The Hillary Clinton campaign released a gripping three-minute ad on Friday, titled 'Mothers of the Movement'. Titled 'Mothers of the Movement', the spot features Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton; and Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis.
Above, the Mothers appear with Hillary Clinton and Mark & Gaby Gifford before the South Carolina primary.
