#sergeant jeffries

[starryeyesxx]

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Allison Janokwski at DNC:

5:30 PM

Call to Order Alex Hornbrook Executive Director of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Gavel In The Honorable Cory Booker United States Senator, New Jersey Invocation Sri Rakesh Bhatt Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Bishop Leah D. Daughtry The House of the Lord Churches Pledge of Allegiance Students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School from St. Paul, MN National Anthem Jess Davis Presentation of Honorary Resolutions The Honorable Jaime Harrison Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Joined by Vice Chairs The Honorable Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ken Martin, Henry R. Muñoz III, Treasurer Virginia McGregor, and Finance Chair Chris Korge. Remarks Mini Timmaraju President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All Remarks Alexis McGill Johnson President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Remarks Cecile Richards Reproductive Rights Champion Remarks Kelley Robinson President of the Human Rights Campaign Remarks Jessica Mackler President of EMILYs List Remarks María Teresa Kumar Founding President and CEO of Voto Latino Remarks The Honorable Tom Suozzi Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York

6:00 PM

Welcome Remarks The Honorable Cory Booker United States Senator, New Jersey Joint Remarks The Honorable Aftab Pureval Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio The Honorable Cavalier Johnson Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Joint Remarks Rashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch Lead pipe removal advocates Remarks The Honorable Lisa Blunt Rochester Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Delaware Remarks The Honorable Grace Meng Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York Remarks: “Project 2025—Chapter Three: Freedoms” The Honorable Jared Polis Governor of Colorado Remarks The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Remarks The Honorable Suzan DelBene Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Remarks The Honorable Keith Ellison Attorney General of Minnesota Remarks The Honorable Dana Nessel Attorney General of Michigan Joint Remarks Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin Performance Maren Morris American singer-songwriter

7:00 PM

Remarks The Honorable Veronica Escobar Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Remarks The Honorable Chris Murphy United States Senator, Connecticut Remarks The Honorable Javier Salazar Sheriff of Bexar County, Texas Remarks The Honorable Pete Aguilar Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Influencer Remarks Carlos Eduardo Espina Content creator Remarks Olivia Troye Former Trump administration national security official Remarks The Honorable Geoff Duncan Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Remarks The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mississippi Remarks Sergeant Aquilino Gonell Retired United States Capitol Police Officer Remarks The Honorable Andy Kim Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New Jersey Influencer Remarks Olivia Julianna Content creator Performance Stevie Wonder American singer-songwriter and musician Remarks Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025 American comedian and actor

8:00 PM

Host Introduction Mindy Kaling Remarks The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Remarks The Honorable Bill Clinton 42nd President of the United States Remarks The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Remarks The Honorable Josh Shapiro Governor of Pennsylvania Remarks Alexander Hudlin Jasper Emhoff Arden Emhoff Remarks The Honorable Catherine Cortez Masto United States Senator, Nevada

9:00 PM

Performance Amanda Gorman National Youth Poet Laureate Remarks The Honorable Wes Moore Governor of Maryland Remarks The Honorable Pete Buttigieg Performance John Legend American singer-songwriter Sheila E. American singer and drummer Remarks The Honorable Amy Klobuchar United States Senator, Minnesota Remarks Benjamin C. Ingman Former student of Governor Walz Remarks The Honorable Tim Walz Governor of Minnesota Benediction William Emmanuel Hall Lead Pastor of St. James Church in Chicago

Apologies for the delay of night 3’s release of the DNC Speaker schedule.

The main speaker of tonight is Minnesota Governor and Kamala Harris VP pick Tim Walz.

Other notable Speakers: Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Geoff Duncan, Andy Kim, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Josh Shapiro, and Pete Buttigieg.

Grace Meng and Debbie Wasserman Schultz were initially set to speak on Monday, but got moved to tonight.

Performers: Maren Morris, John Legend, Amanda Gorman (poem), Stevie Wonder

[pscottm]

Congress erupts over GOP bill targeting new transgender member McBride

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) set off a firestorm on Capitol Hill with a bill to keep Sarah McBride, soon to be the first transgender member of Congress, from accessing the women's bathrooms at the Capitol.

Why it matters: The measure is not being immediately dismissed by Republican leadership, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) telling Axios, "We're going to talk about that. We're working on the issue."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), asked about the bill, told Axios: "Haven't seen it."

But other Democrats expressed fury at the effort: "The cruelty is the point," fumed Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a co-chair of the Equality Caucus.

Driving the news: Mace's two-page resolution, first reported by Fox News, prohibits House members and staffers from "using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex."

[grapesodadarkchocolate]

September 22, 2023

“The thing we hunger for most is some sense that this enterprise that we’re in, this human vocation that comes with a birth we didn’t request and a grave that we can’t escape, that it has meaning and purpose.” — T.J. Pittman McGehee and Damon J. Thomas

Dearest Richard, 

Cascading leaves confetti swirl as wisps of fall continues to speak. Tethering myself to the task of putting pedal to the metal, just the start of my ride, totally enraptured by the subtle beauty of change that is so unassumingly present. The leaves are a bit brighter. The air a bit dryer. The sun rise is pushing itself a bit later. Darkness is slowly becoming more of an ally. A greeting to the shift. Appreciating this simple awareness of nature’s transforming rhythm. Heading “up north” tomorrow. Spending the weekend along the North Shore in search of more of autumn’s splendor. The 23rd being the equinox, the official start of fall. Knowing you will be present helping me to see my surroundings with more meaning. 

I realize that when I initially created your story I had a single focus of telling the “You” of the story. Your childhood. Your pilot training. The news of your crash. The letters the families of all the crew members began sending all across the country weaving everyone together in shared hope. That is where the story began to expand. It is where the losses, fears, or uncertainties were named. Or at least felt. That is what I sense, reading between the lines so many years later. 

Your crew had faces and names: Hires, Hallock, Chappell, La Salle, Leslie, Mullen, Jeffries, Simms, Lusby, and Tipps and places they hailed from—Oklahoma, New York, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Texas, and California. They had wives and mothers, brothers and fathers, grandmas and sisters, and more, so many more that knew and loved them. All were asking the same question. Hoping for the same answers. 

Sergeant Kevin Mullen’s wife Jean was very resourceful. Tireless in her effort in connecting with all the families after receiving that dismantling telegram on January 12, 1944. The one all the families of the MIA crew of the Powder Ann had received. As a long distance operator she was able to track down phone numbers using the crew members surnames and states where you all lived. 

Here is the March 21, 1944 postcard expressing her tenacity. This correspondence was sent to your dad. Being addressed to your former family home, needing then to be rerouted to Nicollet Ave. 

Martha Jane then received this letter from her dated March 30th, 1944. Here is what Jean typed: 

Take a read. Sense the love. Commend the persistence. See the drive to name what the questions demanded to have found. Her unwavering spirit. The work behind the scenes. The part that isn’t often seen or brought up to the stage for a final bow, igniting a deserved resounding standing ovation kind of applause.

Until next write.           

Love as always and forever,

Your Niece 

[criticalthinkingisalostskill]

Mayorkas Personally Declined Kennedy’s Request for Secret Service Protection

President Biden has arrayed his cabinet against not only Republican rival Trump but also against another rival, Robert Kennedy Jr.

We received 99 pages of Secret Service records from the Department of Homeland Security in a FOIA lawsuit that shows Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas personally declined presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request for Secret Service protection.

We received the records through a September 26, 2023, lawsuit filed after the Department of Homeland Security failed to respond to a July 31, 2023, FOIA request for senior department officials’ communications regarding the provision of Secret Service protection for Kennedy (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:23-cv-02846)).

The newly obtained records include a July 21, 2023, two-sentence letter sent by Mayorkas to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, advising her:

On May 26, 2023, Candidate for President Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. submitted a request to the Department of Homeland Security for United States Secret Service protection. In accordance with the authority set forth in Title 18, United States Code, Section 3056(a)(7), and in consultation with the Candidate Protection Advisory Committee, I decline to identify Candidate Kennedy for United States Secret Service protection at this time.

Mayorkas copied the letter to the members of the Candidate Protection Advisory Committee: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson.

As noted in a previous production of records from this lawsuit, the Secretary of Homeland Security has “broad discretion” when authorizing Secret Service protection to presidential or vice-presidential candidates:

Who receives protection?

The Secret Service does not determine who qualifies for protection, nor is the Secret Service empowered to independently initiate candidate protection.

Under 18 U.S.C.' 3056(a)(7), “[m]ajor Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates,” as identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security, are eligible for Secret Service protection.

Title 18 U.S.C' 3056(a)(7) authorizes the U.S. Secret Service to provide protection for major presidential and vice presidential candidates:

• Protection is authorized by the OHS Secretary after consultation with the Congressional Advisory Committee

• The Congressional Advisory Committee includes: Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and one additional member selected by the others

• Protection under these guidelines should only be granted within one year prior to the general election. Protection more than one year prior to the general election should only be granted in extraordinary, case by case circumstances in consultation with the committee, based on threat assessment and other factors.

Secret Service protection for presidential candidates began in 1968 after the assassination of Democrat candidate Robert F. Kennedy, the father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The new records also show the Kennedy 2024 presidential campaign sent several requests to DHS seeking protection for the candidate, who initially ran as a Democrat but switched to Independent after realizing Democrats had no intention of allowing him to challenge Joe Biden for the party’s 2024 nomination.

The Kennedy for President organization’s first request for Secret Service protection was sent “Sensitive and Confidential” on May 26, 2023, from an unidentified official in Kennedy’s organization and reads: “As [redacted] for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s campaign for President of the United States, I am writing to request United States Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr from this point forward pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3056(a)(7), which authorizes the Secret Service to provide protection to ‘Major Presidential Candidates.’ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr appears to have met this standard and we ask that you and your Congressional Protection Advisory Committee consider this request. If you authorize the Secret Service to protect Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, he will accept this protection as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. With respect for your time and process, the campaign commissioned an expert risk assessment in advance of today’s request (attached). If you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.” The accompanying 62-page attachment is entirely redacted under FOIA exemptions relating to personal privacy and deliberative process.

On July 7, 2023, the Kennedy organization, “Team Kennedy,” sends a letter via email to Kristie Canegallo, acting deputy secretary and chief of staff at DHS, with the subject line “Urgent Request for Sec. Mayorkas Re Secret Service Protection of Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” along with an attachment titled "RFK Jr. Risk Assessment Declaration May 24, 2023.” In their cover email to Canegallo, Kennedy’s representatives write, “I am forwarding to you for immediate action by Secretary Mayorkas the attached files in the interest of protection by the United States Secret Service of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. I can be reached at anytime at [redacted] for confirmation, or to answer questions. Thank you in advance for your assistance.” The attached “sensitive and confidential” letter states:

As [redacted] of the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., I am asking for an immediate response to my request for United States Secret Service protection Mr. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

You may know that within 24-hours after the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, President Johnson directed the Secret Service to provide protection to presidential candidates. Just days later, the Secret Service became responsible for the safety of five candidates, and by the end of the 1968 campaign, twelve candidates were protected by the USSS. The new responsibility was undertaken to ensure the safety of candidates and others in their vicinity – and to protect the electoral process itself.

Given Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s well-established risk as a presidential candidate, our campaign submitted a written request following the formal process. Our request was received at DHS on June 1, 2023. Presidential candidates traditionally hear back within 14 days; it has been more than 30-days since the formal request.

As I write this today, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. remains at risk of being harmed in connection with his Presidential campaign – and that risk is escalating.

Many weeks ago, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. met the criteria for a presidential candidate to receive Secret Service coverage, pursuant to Title 18 U.S.C. 3056(a)(7). He has polled above the threshold, has been actively campaigning on a national basis, operates a national campaign apparatus, has appeared before thousands of audience members at events in many states, regularly appears as a candidate on national network news programs, town halls, podcasts, interviews, is producing campaign materials, advertisements, and websites, is successfully fundraising, and has assembled a large campaign staff.

Again, our campaign has not heard back from the DHS since submitting the request. The risk to Mr. Kennedy, and those around him, persists and increases during this waiting period.

I have attached the first request and our initial threat assessment.

It is simply despicable that Secretary Mayorkas refused needed Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. That it took a federal FOIA lawsuit to force out this information speaks volumes.

We also recently released Secret Service records under this lawsuit that showed Assistant Director Michael Plati ordering his staff not to respond to a request for information from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s head of security. The documents also confirmed that Mayorkas and President Biden both have the discretion to provide Secret Service protection to Kennedy at any time.

In September 2023, we received Secret Service records detailing the denial of protection to presidential candidate Kennedy despite having received numerous threats from “known subjects.”

[blockgeni]

Private information of congressional members was subject to a massive cybersecurity attack that affected not just House politicians and their staff but also Senate employees. The sergeant-at-arms advised Senate staff to freeze their family credit to prevent fraud, saying that the leaked data is "substantial" and includes private information including Social Security numbers, home addresses, and details on Senate employees' health insurance policies. The email stated that the sergeant-at-arms was contacting Senate personnel on a list of those whose data had been stolen from law enforcement so they may safeguard themselves against fraud. A DC health insurance service was impacted by the breach, which also involved hundreds of US House members and staff. The information that Senate staff's private details was also exposed will further heighten the pressure on Capitol Hill for DC Health Link, the impacted insurance provider, to give a detailed account of how the hack happened. The event is being investigated thoroughly, according to DC Health Link, which also stated on Wednesday that it is collaborating with police enforcement. According to the bureau, the FBI is investigating the matter. Legislators were instantly concerned that they would suffer identity theft, just like many other Americans have in recent years, but it is unknown how the data was accessed or who committed the breach. According to McCarthy, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have written to DC Health Link to voice their alarm over the breach. Some exhibited less fright. I really can't get heated up about this, a Senate worker told on Thursday. The staff member went on to say that China "had all my data already in the OPM hack," alluding to the Office of Personnel Management leak that affected millions of US federal personnel records in 2014-2015. American officials have attributed the attack to Chinese hackers, a claim Beijing has refuted. This week, someone claimed to have sold the data belonging to DC Health Link on a well-known site for cybercrime. Source link

[justkate-tm]

hi here's a rambling of my thoughts, warning this is kind of long.

so I'm just sitting here thinking about law & order SVU as always, and I'm thinking about how seasons 1-12, and Season 13 onward are two totally different shows. the show premiered only two months after I was born but I watched it my whole childhood, probably not great for my development probably not a great thing for me, but I remember watching episodes of the show as early as when I was 6 years old. but then in like 7th grade I fell in love with the show so I've seen every single episode, and they're just 2 different shows to me. the big reason is because seasons 1-12 had a fiercely established cast. the only thing that really changed was when Jeffries left after only one season and Ice T came on, and when Cabot was replaced with Novak, and then the big big change was when Elliot left after season 12, but that's not all that changed.

cause in seasons 1-12, there was an extra element of the show that i kinda miss; the medical examiner was a main character, as was a psychologist, and a forensics guy that we saw consistently, we even saw the taru guy Morales on a regular basis. the forensics, psychology, and autopsy element of the show was a big part of it, sort of similar to NCIS. but then in season 13 and onward we don't really see any of that stuff, and it's a treat when we do. and also in the seasons following 13, there was a lot of consistent cast changes, meaning you could break down those seasons even further.

seasons 13, 14, and up to the halfway point of 15 is an established cast. we have Nick and Amanda join the crew to replace Stabler, no one leaves and during that time frame we also get Barba. but then in season 15, Munch and Cragen both leave and this is when Olivia is placed in a leadership position. now this is a significant change in the show cuz her role is completely different after that point.

and then season 16? new character. Sonny Carisi is here everybody. but then at the end of 16? Nick is gone. so then 17? another new character, Sergeant Dodds is here but then he dies, but no one replaces him, so season 18 is pretty chill. but then what happens halfway through season 19? Barba leaves, nother new character, Peter Stone is here and he stays on through season 20, so season 20 is chill like season 18. but then guess what? Peter Stone is leaving, so season 21 you would think the new character would be an ADA but instead ooh let's give Carisi a career change so now he's the ADA, so that's a structural change and then a few episodes in what happens? nother new character, Kat's here now. now it's season 22 guess what? nother new character, Chief Garland is a main character now.

so when you rewatch the newer seasons, you can actually pick a character to base your rewatch around like oh I'm going to watch the Nick Amaro years and watch Seasons 13 to 16 or oh I'm going to watch the Barba years or the Carisi years, hell you could even watch the detective Carisi years or the ADA Carisi years.

I'm not saying this as a bad thing i think it's neat. i don't feel like svu 1.0 is better or worse than 13 onward, i actually have what feels like the unpopular opinion bc I really love Carisi, Amanda, and Barba so I watch those episodes more than I do early seasons, but it feels like two completely different shows to me.

the only complaint I do have is the fact that we never got to see Carisi and Munch interact because I think they would be a good duo.

that's all thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[ms-cellanies]

Representative Jeffries was on The Rachel Maddow Show last night discussing this.  Apparently, according to Rachel’s reporting, both the Air Force & the Alameda Police Department said they had no record of Lemke serving with either entity.  More info on the story here:   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/26/california-man-arrested-text-threats-capitol-riot-robert-lemke/4271175001/

[blackkudosuniverse]

John Henrik Clarke

Remembering John Henrik Clarke.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/John_Henrik_Clarke

Dr. John Henrik Clarke (born John Henry Clark, January 1, 1915 – July 12, 1998), was a Pan-Africanist writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.

Early life and education

He was born John Henry Clark on January 1, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama, the youngest child of sharecroppers John (Doctor) and Willie Ella (Mays) Clark (who died in 1922). With the hopes of earning enough money to buy land rather than sharecrop, his family moved to the closest milltown, Columbus, Georgia.

Counter to his mother's wishes for him to become a farmer, Clarke left Georgia in 1933 by freight train and went to Harlem, New York as part of the Great Migration of rural blacks out of the South to northern cities. There he pursued scholarship and activism. He renamed himself as John Henrik (after rebel Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen) and added an "e" to his surname, spelling it as "Clarke."

Positions in academia

Clarke was a professor of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1969 to 1986, where he served as founding chairman of the department. He also was the Carter G. Woodson Distinguished Visiting Professor of African History at Cornell University’s Africana Studies and Research Center. Additionally, in 1968 he founded the African Heritage Studies Association and the Black Caucus of the African Studies Association.

In its obituary of Clarke, The New York Times noted that the activist's ascension to professor emeritus at Hunter College was "unusual... without benefit of a high school diploma, let alone a Ph.D." It acknowledged that "nobody said Professor Clarke wasn't an academic original." In 1994, Clarke earned a doctorate from the non-accredited Pacific Western University (now California Miramar University) in Los Angeles, having earned a bachelor's degree there in 1992.

Career

By the 1920s, the Great Migration and demographic changes had led to a concentration of African Americans living in Harlem. A synergy developed among the artists, writers and musicians and many figured in the Harlem Renaissance. They began to develop supporting structures of study groups and informal workshops to develop newcomers and young people.

Arriving in Harlem at the age of 18 in 1933, Clarke developed as a writer and lecturer during the Great Depression years. He joined study circles such as the Harlem History Club and the Harlem Writers' Workshop. He studied intermittently at New York University, Columbia University, Hunter College, the New School of Social Research and the League for Professional Writers. He was an autodidact whose mentors included the scholar Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. From 1941 to 1945, Clarke served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army Air Forces, ultimately attaining the rank of master sergeant.

In the post-World War II era, there was new artistic development, with small presses and magazines being founded and surviving for brief times. Writers and publishers continued to start new enterprises: Clarke was co-founder of the Harlem Quarterly (1949–51), book review editor of the Negro History Bulletin (1948–52), associate editor of the magazine, Freedomways, and a feature writer for the black-owned Pittsburgh Courier.

Clarke taught at the New School for Social Research from 1956 to 1958. Traveling in West Africa in 1958–59, he met Kwame Nkrumah, whom he had mentored as a student in the US, and was offered a job working as a journalist for the Ghana Evening News. He also lectured at the University of Ghana and elsewhere in Africa, including in Nigeria at the University of Ibadan.

Becoming prominent during the Black Power movement in the 1960s, which began to advocate a kind of black nationalism, Clarke advocated for studies of the African-American experience and the place of Africans in world history. He challenged the views of academic historians and helped shift the way African history was studied and taught. Clarke was "a scholar devoted to redressing what he saw as a systematic and racist suppression and distortion of African history by traditional scholars." He accused his detractors of having Eurocentric views. His writing included six scholarly books and many scholarly articles. He also edited anthologies of writing by African Americans, as well as collections of his own short stories. In addition, Clarke published general interest articles. In one especially heated controversy, he edited and contributed to an anthology of essays by African Americans attacking the white writer William Styron and his novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner, for his fictional portrayal of the African-American slave known for leading a rebellion in Virginia.

Besides teaching at Hunter College and Cornell University, Clarke founded professional associations to support the study of black culture. He was a founder with Leonard Jeffries and first president of the African Heritage Studies Association, which supported scholars in areas of history, culture, literature and the arts. He was a founding member of other organizations to support work in black culture: the Black Academy of Arts and Letters and the African-American Scholars' Council.

Personal life

Clarke's first marriage was to the mother of his daughter Lillie (who died before her father). They divorced.

In 1961, Clarke married Eugenia Evans in New York, and together they had a son and daughter: Nzingha Marie and Sonni Kojo. The marriage ended in divorce.

In 1997, John Henrik Clarke married his longtime companion, Sybil Williams. He died of a heart attack on July 12, 1998, at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center. He was buried in Green Acres Cemetery, Columbus, Georgia.

Legacy and honors

* 1985 – Faculty of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University named the John Henrik Clarke Library after him.

* 1995 – Carter G. Woodson Medallion, Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

* 2002 – Molefi Kete Asante listed Dr. John Henrik Clarke as one of his 100 Greatest African Americans.

* 2011 – Immortal Technique includes a short speech by Dr. Clarke on his album The Martyr. It is Track 13, which is entitled "The Conquerors".

[dragoni]

Impeached Trump goes to trial except he won’t show.

The world will be witnesses to Republican Senators violating their Oath of Office — their oath to “support and defend the Constitution” — just as Trump and his administration have done during his entire term.

The 228-to-193 vote came almost a month after the House impeached Mr. Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, formally accusing him of seeking foreign election assistance from Ukraine and then trying to conceal his actions from a House inquiry. Like that earlier vote, Wednesday’s fell largely along party lines.

Only one Democrat, Representative Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota, joined every Republican in voting “no.”

Ms. Pelosi announced a House prosecution team that will be led by Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee who led the Ukraine inquiry.

He will be joined by Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Zoe Lofgren of California, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Val B. Demings of Florida, Jason Crow of Colorado and Sylvia R. Garcia of Texas. Mr. Crow and Ms. Garcia are both first-term members.

The managers are scheduled to reconvene at 5 p.m. in the Capitol to finalize the articles with Ms. Pelosi in a formal “engrossment ceremony” that will signify the beginning of a highly orchestrated ritual. From there, accompanied by the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms, the managers will file from the House, through the old House chamber and the Capitol Rotunda to the Senate, where Democrats will present the articles to the secretary of the Senate.

“This trial is necessary because President Trump gravely abused the power of his office when he strong-armed a foreign government to announce investigations into his domestic political rival,”  Jerrold Nadler

[back-and-totheleft]

“The scales dropped from my eyes”

You could fit most of Stone's cinema into this Oedipal frame. His 1986 Vietnam movie Platoon explored his Vietnam war experiences, with Charlie Sheen's rookie grunt confronting two war-seasoned father figures, the good sergeant (Willem Dafoe) and the bad sergeant (Tom Berenger). In Wall Street, Charlie Sheen's ingenue trader is mentored by Michael Douglas's venal Gordon Gekko. Stone's 1995 Nixon biopic, starring Anthony Hopkins, could be taken as manichean flipside to JFK – the bad father undone at Watergate as the good father was slain in Dallas. The Untold History of the US is, perhaps, also worth an Oedipal reading – it's the latest rebellion against the conservative politics his dad installed in him.

"I was born a conservative," he says. "My father raised me Eisenhower Republican. I was very much fearful of the communist conspiracy to take over the world." That fear led him to fight in Vietnam. "I was a patriot. I really believed it." Didn't Vietnam radicalise you? "No. I came out of Vietnam bloodied but not really understanding the geopolitical realities.

"I wrote the screenplay for Born on the Fourth of July [his adaptation of the autobiography of disillusioned Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, which Stone eventually filmed in 1989 starring Tom Cruise] in 1976. Ron was shot, castrated, in a wheelchair. He was radicalised by Vietnam, but I wasn't."

It was witnessing what the US did covertly in Central America during the 80s that did the job. "The scales dropped from my eyes when I saw the American presence throughout Guatemala. We trained and funded the death squads of Guatemala, the elite troops who did a lot of the massacring. I saw what we did in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua too. The ultimate goal was to stop the communists taking control of the region – breaching the Rio Grande, as Reagan said.

"I thought at the time, looking around: 'This is Vietnam redux.' I may be stupid, but it took me about 15 years to get it. I saw that America was this bully and I hated it. From then on, I made progressive films."

-Stuart Jeffries interview with Oliver Stone, “America always wins,” The Guardian, Apr 15 2013 [x]

[starryeyesxx]

[lovemesomerafael]

EL AMOR TODO LO PUEDE Chapter 8:  When The Past Is Not The Past

You can read previous chapters here:  Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  

Chapter 4  Chapter 5  Chapter 6  Chapter 7

Laura's desk phone rang, startling her a little as it jerked her out of total concentration on the dictation she was transcribing. "Parker."

She heard Sergeant Platt's no-nonsense growl in her ear. "ASA is here to see Voight.  He must’ve called in a favor.  They sent an Assistant Bureau Chief."

"Nice.  He’ll be happy.”

“Voight’s happy, we’re all happy.”

“Testify, sister.  I’ll be right down.”

Getting up from her desk, Laura glanced back at the window into her boss's office. She saw that he had caught her movement and was looking at her through the glass. He returned her subtle nod - he was ready for her to bring the Assistant State's Attorney in.

Not surprising, since the case was a particularly ugly one, even for Voight's unit. He wanted a conviction.  Bad.  He had pulled strings to make sure the ASA assigned was someone tough and experienced; someone who could be counted on to put the scumbag away.

She headed down the stairs and through the security gate. As she turned and descended the second flight, she looked out into the lobby to identify the person she was there to escort upstairs. Although she didn't know whether they'd assigned a man or a woman, she figured an ASA senior enough for this case would be easy to spot in a lobby full of uniformed cops, cuffed suspects, and the occasional uncomfortable victim or witness anxious to complete their business and get out of there.

She froze there on the last step.  Her heart did a sickening flip-flop.  She felt the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand up.  It was as though her body recognized him an instant before her mind caught up and she whispered an involuntary, "Peter."

She stood, unmoving, staring at the tall, beautiful man standing near Sergeant Platt behind her desk.  She took in his tailored suit, his well-cut hair, the air of confidence bordering on arrogance he projected...  His shoes and the briefcase he casually held looked like they cost more than her car.  But it was the way he stood, the way his suit subtly revealed hints of his muscular, athletic build, and the contours of his strong, masculine profile that stirred a deep, almost physical sense of longing in her.

She helplessly drank him in.  She knew she was doing it.  She wouldn't have been able to stop herself, even if the thought had occurred to her.  The pain of missing Peter had lessened over time into a constant, gnawing ache, but that was only a matter of degree.  Although it was no longer the screaming agony of the first months, it still hurt like hell.  Simply being able to look at him like this felt like a warm blanket.

Only when she sensed Sergeant Platt's eyes on her did Laura reluctantly fumble her way back to her senses.  She didn't know what Platt had seen, but she knew for sure it was more than she wanted Platt to see.

“Peter." Laura said again, this time aloud.  Her voice came out quieter than she intended.  Somewhere below consciousness, she felt a sweet twinge just saying his name.

As he turned toward her, his shock at recognizing her was undisguised. He missed a beat - two - before uttering a stunned, quietly gasped, "Laura!"

He crossed the lobby toward her.  His face registered the same confusion she felt, but a look that she could interpret only as joy lit his features. He smiled broadly even as he cocked his eyebrows questioningly.

She couldn't help but smile back.  Here was Peter, right in front of her, more beautiful than even in her most loving memories, walking toward her and smiling as though a wish was coming true.

He stopped as he reached her, suddenly unsure how to greet her.  They simply stood there for a long moment, smiling at one another.

"Hi," she finally said with a soft, self-conscious laugh.

He chuckled. "Hi."

After another moment, he asked, "What are you doing here?" "I'm Sergeant Voight's assistant," she answered in a tone that clearly communicated her knowledge that this would need explanation at some point. "Are you a cop?" He asked incredulously.   He shook his head, taking it in. "Almost. I have another month before graduation.  So, Assistant Bureau Chief.  Impressive.”

Peter shrugged.  “I work too much.” His expression changed then; became more serious as he looked closely at her. His voice grew a little softer. "You look amazing.  You look... healthy.  Glowing." "It's OK., she said gently. "You can say sober." He hesitated. "Are you?" The cautious hope in his voice touched her. "Ever since that night. A little over four years now." "Laura, that's... that's the best news I think I ever heard."  He almost controlled the quiver in his voice.  Did his eyes get a little moist? She titled her head, cocking an eyebrow in a mocking expression she had used on him a thousand times. "Really? What about 'Congratulations, you're gonna pitch for the Chicago Cubs?'" He didn't smile. "If it's number two, it's a close call.  It’s the answer to about a million prayers." Now it was she who turned serious. "You prayed for me?" "Of course I do." "Thank you," she said softly, looking fully into his eyes. There was no awkwardness or hesitation in the way they reached out to wrap their arms around one another.  Their embrace was warm and affectionate.  They stood holding each other for what seemed a long time. Laura felt the firmness of his body and scented the achingly familiar smell of Peter.  Her Peter.  She fought the urge to turn her head into his neck and fill her lungs with it.  

Realizing that she had been holding him long enough to attract attention from a few in the lobby jerked Laura sharply back to the situation.  He wasn’t hers.  Despite his extraordinary patience, his overwhelming generosity, she had eventually driven even him away.  With four years to get over any residual feeling he could have had for her, these days he must wonder what the hell he could have been thinking to stay as long as he did.  To try as hard as he had.  What had he ever seen in her, anyway?  She wondered how he could have smiled at her at all, let alone hug her.  The surprise he’d felt at seeing her out of the blue, and in such an unexpected place, must have temporarily pushed aside the contempt he must have for her now.  But he would remember.  

She pulled back.  “You look good, too,” she sputtered.

He looked at her with a mocking tilt of his head. “Aren’t you going to tell me my hair’s too short?”

Catching the mood, she replied, “Your hair is too short.  But you don’t need me to tell you that.”

The so-familiar rhythm of this exchange and the fond look he was beaming down on her actually hurt.  She knew any second it would turn to disgust as he recovered from his surprise at her sudden appearance and remembered what she had been. She needed to be out of sight when that happened.

“Well, we should get going.”  She turned to start up the stairs.

“Yeah, but…”  Peter began.

She cut him off as she triggered the handprint scanner and opened the security gate.  “Sergeant Voigt – he’s not very good at waiting.”  

Laura stepped through the gate and turned to take the short second staircase rapidly, practically running away from him.  She glanced once, fleetingly, to be sure he was following, then strode across the bullpen floor toward Voight’s office.  As she passed her desk, she picked up a thick, ragged folder from one corner.  

To Laura’s relief, Sergeant Voight was standing just outside his office door, ready to greet Peter.  He reached out to shake Peter’s hand as they reached him.  

“Stone.  Thanks for taking this case.”

“Jeffries didn’t give me a lot of choice.”  Peter turned his head to say something to Laura, but Voight got there first.

She reached out and handed him the file she had retrieved, as he said “I’m gonna need the Wilkinson fi-.”  He gave a slight smirk.  “Thank you.”

“Well,” he said, turning back to Peter. “Let’s get to it.” Voight pivoted and stepped into his office.  Peter followed, looking back at Laura.  But she had turned away and was doing something with papers on her desk, as though she had already forgotten him.  He walked past Voight into the office, and Voight swung the door closed.  Peter didn’t see Laura look up, staring hungrily at his back through the window, before leaving her desk to head toward the hallway that led to the interrogation rooms.

Laura burst through the door to the locker room on the other side of the hall.  She paced around for a moment, her arms wrapped around her middle, before finally stopping at a rear wall of the room.  She turned her back to the tile and slid down the wall so that she was sitting on the floor, clasping her legs tightly into her body.  She lowered her head to her knees.  “Fuck.  FUCK! Why did it have to be Peter?”  She allowed herself a few tears.

The locker room door opened and, seconds later, Erin Lindsey appeared around the bank of lockers that shielded Laura from the rest of the room.  

“What was that about?”

Laura hesitated, looking up at her.  “What was what about?”

Erin rolled her eyes and sat on the end of the bench between the rows of lockers, hunching down toward Laura.  “Yeah, right.”  She pointed to herself.  “Detective.” She gave a quiet laugh, then asked gently, “What’s with you and ASA Stone?”

Laura leaned the back of her head against the wall, closing her eyes and giving a long sigh.  Moments went by before she spoke.  “Remember I told you I lost everything because of my drinking?”

“Yeah,”  Erin replied. “Was Peter Stone part of ‘everything’?”

“Mmm-hmmm,” Laura muttered sadly.  Another deep sigh.  She shook her head.  “Fuck! I thought he’d gone back to New York.”

Erin looked hard at Laura.  “You said that boyfriend - the one who left you – you said you were together a long time.  Years.”

Laura signed again.  “We met in college.  Well, I was in college.  He was in law school.  We were together eight years.  Lived together for six.  Before I fucked it all up,” she added, resting her head back on her knees and hiding her face.  “I thought I’d never see him again.”

The door opened again.  This time, Kim Burgess came around the end of the row of lockers. Taking in the scene, she leaned against a locker, saying nothing.

“Laura’s ex, the one who broke up with her because of her drinking?  It was Peter Stone.”  Erin told Kim.  “She didn’t know he was still in Chicago until right this minute.”

Kim moved to the wall and slid down next to Laura, putting an arm around her.  “Shit. Sorry.  That’s gotta suck.”  After a short silence, she added, “Peter Stone, huh?  Small world.”  

“Fuck,” was all Laura said, shaking her head against her knees.  Her voice was ragged.  

Minutes passed in silence.

“He’s the ASA that put Voight away, did you know that?” Erin asked after a while.  “Kinda weird how they’re sorta allies now.  You know, Laura, I never really thought about it before, but he’s hot as fuck.  I can see why you liked him.”

“True, but not particularly helpful”, Kim said, giving Erin a look of friendly disapproval.

“Definitely not helpful,” Laura muttered, misunderstanding. “Why couldn’t he have gotten fat or gone bald or something?  Ugly tie. Anything.”

“They never do,” Kim responded. “Assholes.”  

Again, long moments passed with no one speaking. Erin and Kim simply stayed there, silently supporting Laura in a situation they’d all been through, in one form or another.  Loving someone unavailable, yet an arm’s length away, was nothing new to either Erin or Kim.  They didn’t push.  

Laura finally looked up.  She was making an obvious effort to compose herself.  “I’m OK.  I’ll be OK.  I just didn’t expect to see him, and I…  just…  It was a shock.  I wasn’t ready for it.  But it’s fine.  Peter was a long time ago.  Another life.  I’m dating Mouse now, and I’m sober, and my life is nothing like it was back then.”  She took a deep breath and blew it out, straightening up.  “Crisis averted.  Back to the real world.”  

The three got up.  Laura straightened her hair and clothes, heading for the door.  Erin and Kim shared a look behind her back as they followed, silently acknowledging that neither was entirely sure the crisis had been averted.  Time would tell.  Both noticed that Laura did not head back to her desk, outside the room where Peter was now sitting.  She turned in the opposite direction, toward the tech room on the floor below.  

[lostinthemusings]

"Oh. Yeah, she's with Rabbit." Wait, this was Salem. "Uh, um, Jeffries. She's with Jeffries. He's not one of us, but he's cool." Just as his husband had done, Lucien nodded towards one of the shortest men in the crowd having a conversation with a staff sergeant. "Ya havin' a good time?"

@anedendarkly

“Oh, I know Rabbit! They make quite a cute couple.” Salem glanced down towards his work with the knife, being careful not to cut himself in the meantime. “Yeah, for sure I am. I’m trying not to be the awkward guy... how am I doing?” 

[lulu2992]

Is Far Cry Absolution canon?

Short answer: No, I don’t think Far Cry Absolution should be considered canon. It is not a bad book at all, just a flawed prequel.

Long answer: Below are the notable differences between the book and the game. It’s a quick read, I promise ;)

(Some SPOILERS for the book and for the game, obviously... But don’t worry, I won’t spoil the book’s major plot twists so you can still enjoy Absolution even if you read this post)

Mary May Fairgrave (and her family):

The book says she has brown hair and that she’ll turn 30 soon. In the game, her hair is clearly blond and I don’t know how old she is supposed to be since her age is never mentioned. 30 years old seems right to me, though.

In the book, she has a little brother named Drew, who is 3 years younger than she is and who joined Eden’s Gate. The problem is I’ve never heard anyone in the game mention him, not even Mary May. The only time she’s ever talked about her brother was in this trailer, but it’s likely that they changed her backstory (see next point). In the game, I’ve only seen her brother mentioned once, in this note (you can find it at Boyd Residence, in the bunker), but since it’s supposed to have been written by Will Boyd, the novel’s protagonist, it’s more an Easter egg than a canon proof... By the way, the Boyd Residence we can find in the game doesn’t entirely match the house described in the book.

According to the novel, her mother (whose name is Irene) died two weeks before her father (whose name is Gary). Her father officially died in a car accident but the truth is a little more complicated. In the game, it’s her father who died first (Mary May and a voicemail confirm this). He was presumably killed by the cult for messing with them too much or maybe even trying to kill John Seed. We don’t know what her parents’ names are.

At one point, she is captured and tattooed with her sin, which John believes is Envy (later, he says he was mistaken and that her sin is actually Wrath). We know from John’s note to Joseph and from another note found at the Hope County Clinic that she did receive a tattoo but was allergic to the ink and had to have it surgically removed. The only problem I have with John tattooing Mary May in the novel is that John’s note to Joseph implies that she, along with Nick and Jerome, was tattooed the day the cult captured Fall’s End. In the book, Fall’s End is still free when she receives her tattoo.

We (unfortunately) don’t see her a lot in the game but she seems in character in the book. Since Drew only appears in this novel, I’m not sure Mary May is still supposed to have a brother in the final version of the game... It’s the main reason why I don’t consider the book to be canon.

John Seed:

He is said to be 10 years older than Mary May, so 39 or 40, and near 6 foot-tall. The height is believable but 40 seems a little old to me…

In the book, he often carries a revolver. In the game, nothing indicates he has one. It’s likely the John from the book is based on the “early” John we see here and in Inside Eden’s Gate.

He seems to enjoy hunting. This is not confirmed in the game but he does have several stuffed animals in his ranch so maybe it’s true.

John’s characterization is not perfect, but it’s clearly not as bad as I feared it would be. It slowly changes throughout the book and gets better in the third chapter, especially during Mary May’s tattoo session (a very cool scene). Nothing about planes, though.

Pastor Jerome Jeffries:

The book says he was a gunnery sergeant during the first Gulf War. Several people in the game (including Jerome himself) confirm he fought in Iraq but I don’t think we know what his rank was. Jerome simply says he was “a pawn in an oil war”.

He swears too much for my taste in the novel. That’s not how he talks in the game…

Eden’s Gate:

In the book, Eden’s Gate is the name of the cult, of course, but it’s also a place. It’s the cult’s compound and it’s located somewhere in the mountains. There are gates with armed guards and cement blocks at the entrance, and a lake nearby. In the game, Joseph’s compound is on an island in the middle of the map and I don’t believe it’s what Joseph calls “Eden’s Gate”, is it?

Will Boyd came to them 12 years before the events of the book so it’s implied they’ve been in Hope County for at least 12 years. In the game, we don’t know exactly when they arrived but we learn from a written note (Devoted’s letter) that “a youth group called Eden’s Gate” was already in Hope County in August 2009.

It is stated in the novel that they forbid alcohol. This information is confirmed in the game. However, nowhere in the book does it say the cult forbids fornication (several people in the game confirm they do). It’s a problem because a character from the book says fornication happens “from time to time”. Eden’s Gate members are not ones to break the rules...

At one point, Will witnesses a baptism. Oddly, Joseph is in the water. He is the Baptist and people are wearing white robes. Bliss is not mentioned. This whole scene looks more like what we see in the Baptism trailer (which is truly awesome but most likely not canon for various reasons) than in the game. Later in the book, when Mary May is cleansed, Joseph is not here. John is the Baptist and they use Bliss, just like in game canon.

The bunkers are never mentioned in the book. John hears people’s confessions and tattoos them in a building somewhere in the Eden’s Gate compound.

In the novel, is it stated that the Seed brothers come from Georgia. To my knowledge, this information is not in the game, but it is in The Book of Joseph (which may or may not be 100% canon). When they arrived, the novel says the cult only had “ten or so followers” but in The Book of Joseph, Joseph says there were “hundreds” of them when they arrived in Hope County.

It looks like the cult, its methods and its rules were not all decided on when the book was written... Some things have changed.

Bliss:

The first time someone mentions Bliss, it is described as an addictive drug that helps people “do the things they have to do”. It is so addictive “most of them would kill their mothers if it meant they could get another hit”. It is different from the Bliss we know...

The second time we encounter Bliss, it is poured in the water during Mary May’s cleansing. It is described as a dark liquid that stays on the surface “like an oil” and smells like flowers.

The third time, John uses it in powder form when he tattoos Mary May. It has incapacitating and hallucinogenic properties, just like the Bliss from the game.

Joseph Seed:

He’s “fifty-some years old” in the book. That seems... old.

Aside from this detail, I think Joseph’s characterization was spot-on and close to perfection. Good job, Mr. Waite!

Jacob Seed:

Jacob doesn’t appear in the book but he is mentioned several times. John says Jacob “has been tracking wolves in the mountains”. He does so using GPS trackers on their collars. I don’t know if he uses them in the game but it would make sense. The book also says he “has begun to train women and men in the mountains”. This is true, but in the game he’s probably been doing this for years already.

Faith Seed:

She is not mentioned at all. Never. No one even says the Seed brothers have a sister. It’s like she doesn’t exist.

Casey Fixman:

We meet him once in the book and he seems in character. There is a woman with him named Janet, who is a waitress at the Spread Eagle. I don’t think she exists in the game.

Nancy(?):

At one point, Mary May says, “I don’t think it was the sheriff but someone told John I was coming. I just couldn’t say who”. This person could be Nancy. It is also implied that the county coroner (who only appears in the novel) is a cultist.

Conclusion:

It takes time to write a book, and it takes time to make a game. I’m pretty sure the game was not finished when Ubisoft tasked Urban Waite with writing this novel and, as a consequence, some characters and backstories have obviously changed between the moment the book was written and the moment the game was released. Some people and scenes described in Far Cry Absolution seem heavily based on trailers and concept art rather than the finished game we know. As the book’s story progresses, characters (and other things, such as Bliss or the cult’s methods) gradually evolve and come to more closely resemble their game counterparts. I think Urban Waite had no choice but to base his story on what was available at the time: a few trailers, some early designs, an early version of the story and an unfinished video game. The book is littered with imprecisions and mistakes but I don’t think it could have been otherwise and I don’t blame its author at all.

In this post, I’ve focused on the “negative” points but I want to make it clear that the majority of the book is good. Some aspects of the story are flawed, yes, but some others are great and perfectly in line with the game. Some moments made me tear up a bit, some lines of dialogue made me smile, Will Boyd is a likable protagonist and I totally didn’t expect some of the plot twists. Again, Far Cry Absolution is a good novel, but an imperfect prequel. I personally don’t consider it canon because of all the differences I’ve listed above but if you’re a Far Cry 5 fan, it’s definitely worth reading :)

P.S.: I’ve deliberately omitted to mention a character in particular because I think this “problem” deserves a post on its own.

[phroyd]

America, can we talk? Let’s just cut the shit for once and actually talk about what’s going on without blustering and pretending we’re actually doing a good job at adulting as a country right now. We’re not. We’re really screwing this whole society thing up, and we have to do better. We don’t have a choice. People are dying. At this rate, it’s not if your kids, or mine, are involved in a school shooting, it’s when. One of these happens every 60 hours on average in the US. If you think it can’t affect you, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. So let’s talk.

I’ll start. I’m an Army veteran. I like M-4’s, which are, for all practical purposes, an AR-15, just with a few extra features that people almost never use anyway. I’d say at least 70% of my formal weapons training is on that exact rifle, with the other 30% being split between various and sundry machineguns and grenade launchers. My experience is pretty representative of soldiers of my era. Most of us are really good with an M-4, and most of us like it at least reasonably well, because it is an objectively good rifle. I was good with an M-4, really good. I earned the Expert badge every time I went to the range, starting in Basic Training. This isn’t uncommon. I can name dozens of other soldiers/veterans I know personally who can say the exact same thing. This rifle is surprisingly easy to use, completely idiot-proof really, has next to no recoil, comes apart and cleans up like a dream, and is light to carry around. I’m probably more accurate with it than I would be with pretty much any other weapon in existence. I like this rifle a lot. I like marksmanship as a sport. When I was in the military, I enjoyed combining these two things as often as they’d let me.

With all that said, enough is enough. My knee jerk reaction is to consider weapons like the AR-15 no big deal because it is my default setting. It’s where my training lies. It is my normal, because I learned how to fire a rifle IN THE ARMY. You know, while I may only have shot plastic targets on the ranges of Texas, Georgia, and Missouri, that’s not what those weapons were designed for, and those targets weren’t shaped like deer. They were shaped like people. Sometimes we even put little hats on them. You learn to take a gut shot, “center mass”, because it’s a bigger target than the head, and also because if you maim the enemy soldier rather than killing him cleanly, more of his buddies will come out and get him, and you can shoot them, too. He’ll die of those injuries, but it’ll take him a while, giving you the chance to pick off as many of his compadres as you can. That’s how my Drill Sergeant explained it anyway. I’m sure there are many schools of thought on it. The fact is, though, when I went through my marksmanship training in the US Army, I was not learning how to be a competition shooter in the Olympics, or a good hunter. I was being taught how to kill people as efficiently as possible, and that was never a secret.

As an avowed pacifist now, it turns my stomach to even type the above words, but can you refute them? I can’t. Every weapon that a US Army soldier uses has the express purpose of killing human beings. That is what they are made for. The choice rifle for years has been some variant of what civilians are sold as an AR-15. Whether it was an M-4 or an M-16 matters little. The function is the same, and so is the purpose. These are not deer rifles. They are not target rifles. They are people killing rifles. Let’s stop pretending they’re not.

With this in mind, is anybody surprised that nearly every mass shooter in recent US history has used an AR-15 to commit their crime? And why wouldn’t they? High capacity magazine, ease of loading and unloading, almost no recoil, really accurate even without a scope, but numerous scopes available for high precision, great from a distance or up close, easy to carry, and readily available. You can buy one at Wal-Mart, or just about any sports store, and since they’re long guns, I don’t believe you have to be any more than 18 years old with a valid ID. This rifle was made for the modern mass shooter, especially the young one. If he could custom design a weapon to suit his sinister purposes, he couldn’t do a better job than Armalite did with this one already.

This rifle is so deadly and so easy to use that no civilian should be able to get their hands on one. We simply don’t need these things in society at large. I always find it interesting that when I was in the Army, and part of my job was to be incredibly proficient with this exact weapon, I never carried one at any point in garrison other than at the range. Our rifles lived in the arms room, cleaned and oiled, ready for the next range day or deployment. We didn’t carry them around just because we liked them. We didn’t bluster on about barracks defense and our second amendment rights. We tucked our rifles away in the arms room until the next time we needed them, just as it had been done since the Army’s inception. The military police protected us from threats in garrison. They had 9 mm Berettas to carry. They were the only soldiers who carry weapons in garrison. We trusted them to protect us, and they delivered. With notably rare exceptions, this system has worked well. There are fewer shootings on Army posts than in society in general, probably because soldiers are actively discouraged from walking around with rifles, despite being impeccably well trained with them. Perchance, we could have the largely untrained civilian population take a page from that book?

I understand that people want to be able to own guns. That’s ok. We just need to really think about how we’re managing this. Yes, we have to manage it, just as we manage car ownership. People have to get a license to operate a car, and if you operate a car without a license, you’re going to get in trouble for that. We manage all things in society that can pose a danger to other people by their misuse. In addition to cars, we manage drugs, alcohol, exotic animals (there are certain zip codes where you can’t own Serval cats, for example), and fireworks, among other things. We restrict what types of businesses can operate in which zones of the city or county. We have a whole system of permitting for just about any activity a person wants to conduct since those activities could affect others, and we realize, as a society, that we need to try to minimize the risk to other people that comes from the chosen activities of those around them in which they have no say. Gun ownership is the one thing our country collectively refuses to manage, and the result is a lot of dead people.

I can’t drive a Formula One car to work. It would be really cool to be able to do that, and I could probably cut my commute time by a lot. Hey, I’m a good driver, a responsible Formula One owner. You shouldn’t be scared to be on the freeway next to me as I zip around you at 140 MPH, leaving your Mazda in a cloud of dust! Why are you scared? Cars don’t kill people. People kill people. Doesn’t this sound like bullshit? It is bullshit, and everybody knows. Not one person I know would argue non-ironically that Formula One cars on the freeway are a good idea. Yet, these same people will say it’s totally ok to own the firearm equivalent because, in the words of comedian Jim Jeffries, “fuck you, I like guns”.

Yes, yes, I hear you now. We have a second amendment to the constitution, which must be held sacrosanct over all other amendments. Dude. No. The constitution was made to be a malleable document. It’s intentionally vague. We can enact gun control without infringing on the right to bear arms. You can have your deer rifle. You can have your shotgun that you love to shoot clay pigeons with. You can have your target pistol. Get a license. Get a training course. Recertify at a predetermined interval. You do not need a military grade rifle. You don’t. There’s no excuse.

“But we’re supposed to protect against tyranny! I need the same weapons the military would come at me with!” Dude. You know where I can get an Apache helicopter and a Paladin?! Hook a girl up! Seriously, though, do you really think you’d be able to hold off the government with an individual level weapon? Because you wouldn’t. One grenade, and you’re toast. Don’t have these illusions of standing up to the government, and needing military style rifles for that purpose. You’re not going to stand up to the government with this thing. They’d take you out in about half a second.

Let’s be honest. You just want a cool toy, and for the vast majority of people, that’s all an AR-15 is. It’s something fun to take to the range and put some really wicked holes in a piece of paper. Good for you. I know how enjoyable that is. I’m sure for a certain percentage of people, they might not kill anyone driving a Formula One car down the freeway, or owning a Cheetah as a pet, or setting off professional grade fireworks without a permit. Some people are good with this stuff, and some people are lucky, but those cases don’t negate the overall rule. Military style rifles have been the choice du jour in the incidents that have made our country the mass shootings capitol of the world. Formula One cars aren’t good for commuting. Cheetahs are bitey. Professional grade fireworks will probably take your hand off. All but one of these are common sense to the average American. Let’s fix that. Be honest, you don’t need that AR-15. Nobody does. Society needs them gone, no matter how good you may be with yours. Kids are dying, and it’s time to stop fucking around.

Written by a very smart man!

Phroyd