Thoughts On The Morning After America's Weekly High-Casualty Mass Shooting
Chris Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut who has been begging for Congress to do something about guns ever since the Sandy Hook massacre in his state where all those kids in school were murdered by guns, gave his usual impassioned floor speech demanding to know when we're going to do something. GOP Senator Ted Cruz, the senator from the state where the 19 kids were murdered at once yesterday, was appalled that Democrats were making this bloody massacre of children about guns:
“Inevitably when there's a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens,” Cruz said.
Weird how Republicans just don't care as much when it's real kids dying, instead of the Caucasian zygotes they all fetishize so much.
In response, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego had some choice words for Cruz:
In case you can't read that, it's "Fuck you @tedcruz you care about a fetus but you will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless." And it's "Just to be clear fuck you @tedcruz you fucking baby killer."
Gallego also had choice words for Darrell Issa, who was stupid enough to actually tweet "thoughts and prayers," as if that's anything more than a punchline in American society, and for Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who just like her Republican colleagues was "heartbroken and horrified" by the shooting, but we are certain won't do anything about the filibuster to make real gun reform happen. It was weird how her tweet was virtually identical to the Republicans' tweets, though. We guess "heartbroken and horrified" is the new "thoughts and prayers." Somebody should tell Darrell Issa.
Cruz, of course, is scheduled to talk to a big NRA hootenanny gun orgy this weekend in Houston, as are Donald Trump and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is obviously also heartbroken and horrified and thoughts and prayers and go fuck yourself Greg Abbott.
We're starting to learn about the gunman, and if you want to read about that, feel free. All we'll say is that it's not immediately clear that ideologies espoused by people like Tucker Carlson were involved, and we are sure the Fox News is relieved to have a break from the scrutiny, at least until next time a mass shooter kills people because they're angry they're getting "replaced" by non-white people.
And there will be a next time. Because there always is. Because on this count and so many others, America is a failed state, unable to do anything to fix it, because we still treat Republicans like a valid political party instead of as an anti-American insurgency hellbent on destroying the country for the sake of retaining power for itself, its propaganda arms, its NRA buddies, and its small-dicked insurrectionist white supremacist fan boy base. As long as this party, which can't win the popular vote in a presidential election to save its life, is allowed to govern over the rest of us, is allowed to block legislation, then nothing will ever change.
So 19 more children and two more teachers have been murdered because that's what happens in America. Tell the thoughts and prayers people to go fuck themselves wherever you see them, if they're not doing anything to fix it.
Here's Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr screaming about it after their playoffs game last night. He will help you channel your rage.
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The Outrageous Truth About Green Gummy Bears Will Destroy Your World. Tabs, Wed., May 25, 2022
President Biden addressed the nation Tuesday night, calling for sensible gun laws and asking "When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?" [White House]
Honestly, I don't expect it to change in my lifetime, but I'd love to be proven wrong. Here's the video of Biden's brief remarks:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-NRA) tweeted that he and his wife Heidi "are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde," a sentiment very similar to that he's tweeted following other massacres.
We're with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), who tweeted, succinctly,
Just to be clear fuck you @tedcruz you fucking baby killer.
Cruz is slated to speak Friday at the NRA convention in Houston; we assume he'll show up and make everyone despise him harder somehow.
David Frum had some good thoughts on thoughts and prayers:
Thoughts and prayers. It began as a cliché. It became a joke. It has putrefied into a national shame.
If tonight, Americans do turn heavenward in pain and grief for the lost children of Uvalde, Texas, they may hear the answer delivered in the Bible through the words of Isaiah:
“And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.”
It's right up there with "Just to be clear, fuck you @tedcruz you fucking baby killer." [Atlantic]
In non-shooting news, several states held primary elections Tuesday and we'll be updating you on the results this morning. It was a rough day for Donald Trump, who endorsed a bunch of losers.
Georgia: Gov. Brian Kemp won the Republican nomination, handily beating former Sen. David Perdue, who has now lost two elections after fluffing Trump. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who sucks deeply, beat Trump endorsee Rep Jody Hice, who in addition to sucking was an election denier. In the GOP primary for US Senate, former football person Herschel Walker did manage a win, largely because no one else had much name recognition. He was endorsed by Trump, so great job, big win, and good lord this guy does not belong in the Senate. Asked whether he thought new gun laws should be passed after the school shooting in Texas, he replied only "What I like to do is see it and everything and stuff." No, he did not elaborate. [AP / Manu Raju on Twitter]
Alabama: In the GOP race for US Senate, former Rep Mo Brooks came in 16 points behind Katie Britt; Britt fell just short of a majority so they'll go to a runoff. It won't count as a loss for Trump — or a win — because he unendorsed Brooks in March. [WTVM]
Texas Runoffs: In the GOP primary for attorney general, Ken Paxton survived a challenge by George P Bush. And the closely watched Democratic primary for US House between incumbent Henry Cuellar, the last officially anti-abortion Democrat, and challenger Jessica Cisneros, was too close to call when we called it quits. [Texas Tribune]
For some reason I took a picture of Thornton's shadow on the wall when he was sitting in the front window. The snack signal!
Margaret Atwood and her publisher, Penguin Random House, will be auctioning off a one-of-a-kind book: A specially made copy of The Handmaid's Tale that is quite literally fireproof. The auction, through Sotheby's, will raise money for PEN America, the nonprofit that supports freedom of expression in literature. The project arose out of the last year's wave of book bannings (and calls for book burnings, even) by rightwing Republicans around the country. The AP explains,
The fireproof narrative is a joint project among PEN, Atwood, Penguin Random House and two companies based in Toronto, where Atwood is a longtime resident: the Rethink creative agency and The Gas Company Inc., a graphic arts and bookbinding specialty studio.
Rethink’s Robbie Percy said that he and fellow creative director Caroline Friesen came up with the idea. Late last year, they had heard about a Texas legislator who listed hundreds of works for potential banning from school libraries: Percy and Friesen wondered if it were possible to make a book protected from the most harrowing censorship. [...]
“We thought an unburnable copy of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ could serve as a symbol,” he said.
It took two months to create the book out of "Cinefoil," a flame resistant aluminum product that was so thin that printing the pages was a challenge, since pages would slip out of place and get et by the printer. The pages had to be hand sewn with nickel copper wire.
To promote the auction, Atwood went all Fahrenheit 451 in a video, turning a flamethrower on her unburnable novel. She looks pretty into it, frankly.
It was a pleasure not to burn. [AP / Unburnablebook.com]
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Herschel Walker Completely Shocked To Learn Trump Thinks 2020 Election Stolen
That's a screengrab of the tweet that contains the video, but hit the link above and you can watch it for yourself. (Tweets aren't embedding at Wonkette this week for some reason.)
Walker was asked if he believes the election was stolen from Donald Trump. Walker replied, "I think reporters say that, I don't know whether President Trump has said it, but he never said that to me, I'm not arguing with you ..."
The interviewer was like "He says it over and over. Please."
But let the record show that Walker claims to believe that reporters say the election was stolen from Donald Trump, but that Trump himself does not say it. To clarify: no real reporter living or dead has ever said the election was stolen from Donald Trump. Note we said real reporter.
"No no no no, he has never, I've never heard President Trump say that," said Herschel Walker, because Herschel Walker has never heard him say that.
Golly, is he lying or stupid or bugfuck or what? And do you care which it is, really?
Because Wonkette is not afraid to be service-y and haphazardly glance at the internet in order to help clear up whatever confusions Herschel Walker may be having today, here is [checks notes] Donald Trump being interviewed this very week by Fox Business celebrity host Stuart Varney, who was BEGGINGFUCKINGBEGGING Trump to stop saying the election was stolen.
In response to Varney's BEGGINGFUCKINGBEGGING, Trump said, "All you have to do is see 2,000 Mules or go on Truth. Take a look at Truth. You should someday talk about Truth as a business thing. It’s hot as a pistol, Truth Social."
Take a look at Truth, Stuart, take a look at Truth! It's hot as a pistol, the Truth Social! It's hot as 2,000 Mules, the Truth Social! It's like 2,000 Mules with pistols!
Varney was like no stop please.
So Trump said, "If you don’t look at history, you’re going to be lost. It’s going to happen again. You can’t let it happen again. You have to study."
And Varney was like no stop please.
So Trump said, "So, somebody robs the jewelry store of all the jewelry, you should just let them be alone, right? Just say, OK, he got away with it. You know, I just — I disagree with that. And a lot of people in the party disagree with that, Stuart."
He just disagrees with that, Stuart.
He just disagrees with that, Herschel.
Goddammit, fuck all these people, OPEN THREAD.
[h/t Joe.My.God]
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