It seems impossible! Yet the first Quarter of 2015 slipped by us.
Weather and her companions plagued all of us as the year changed.
Snow, sleet and ice troubled many.
Floods, mud slides and sink holes claimed lives, land and property.
All this as fields went dry from lack of rain.
People were restless, some from confinement, others from insecurity
of not knowing what comes next and for how long.
Even so, somehow we found time to celebrate a snowman,
a wedding, a bar mitzvah, a christening
and to grieve universally for injustice.
Some overcame worry with humor,
even as patience wore thin for others.
We helped each other, improvising when necessary
bemoaning when greed overtook others.
And then suddenly April was here.
We had come through the first quarter of 2015.
How can it be?
Monday, March 23, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
DOES THE POWER Of THE NRA & THE GUN INDUSTRY THREATEN OUR SAFETY?
In 1986, President Ronald Regan signed the Law Enforcement Officers Protection ACT. The Law directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to ban ammunition that could pierce the body armor of police officers. The NRA opposed the Legislation.
In September of 2013, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, and Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte, and Chuck Wexler executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum wrote an article, which appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They urged Missouri's Legislators to sustain Governor Nixon's veto of HB 436. The Bill would have "nullified all Federal gun laws in Missouri." The officers explained that communities would be less safe if Missouri's Law Enforcement Agencies would be unable to work with Federal Agencies like the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Officers asked legislators to uphold the Governor's veto of HB 436.
The legislators did not uphold the Governor's veto of HB 436.
In 2012, 20 children and six social workers were gunned down in their school in Newtown, Connecticut. The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was appointed to look into the tragedy. Three years later the Commission presented its findings in a 277 page Report to the Governor who said he doubts the state legislature has the "appetite" to take up many of the additional gun control recommendations included in the Commission's Final Report. Some parents of the Sandy Hook massacre are suing the manufacturer of the gun(s) used by the shooter. But Congress, prodded by the gun lobby, passed a law in 2005 protecting the gun industry from liability for death and injuries caused by fire arms.
On March 11, Michel D.. Sher of the New York Times wrote:
"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had proposed to restrict the armor-piercing 5.56-millimeter "M855 green tip" rifle bullet, saying its increasing use in hand guns that could be concealed posed a threat to law enforcement officers. But in a Twitter post the Agency acknowledged the intense opposition to the change and said it would shelve the proposal for now. The opposition came from Republican Senators and the NRA saying the "Second Amendment is at risk."
In Tallahassee, Florida, four moths after a mentally ill gunman wounded three students in Florida State. State legislators are considering a Bill that would allow holders of concealed weapon permits to carry guns onto public universities and college campuses. Some legislators have expressed reservations about the Bill because of the many students living on campuses. Eight other states now permit gun holders to bring them on campuses. Marion Hammer, former NRA national president and head of its Florida Chapter, said, "Oopponents' arguments are emotional hysterics not based on facts."
On March 13, 2015, Police Officer Don Re wrote on his blog donofalltrades.com of his experience of trying to save the life of a six year old child who had been shot during a shoot-out in Ferguson, Missouri. Officer Re ended his account with, "This is all too sad and it needs to stop. Someone please figure out how!
Do I believe the NRA and the Gun Industry threaten my safety and the safety of my country? You betcha! What can I do about it? I will support and vote for the candidate(s) who will not abide this kind of power and urge others to do the same.
In September of 2013, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, and Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte, and Chuck Wexler executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum wrote an article, which appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They urged Missouri's Legislators to sustain Governor Nixon's veto of HB 436. The Bill would have "nullified all Federal gun laws in Missouri." The officers explained that communities would be less safe if Missouri's Law Enforcement Agencies would be unable to work with Federal Agencies like the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Officers asked legislators to uphold the Governor's veto of HB 436.
The legislators did not uphold the Governor's veto of HB 436.
In 2012, 20 children and six social workers were gunned down in their school in Newtown, Connecticut. The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was appointed to look into the tragedy. Three years later the Commission presented its findings in a 277 page Report to the Governor who said he doubts the state legislature has the "appetite" to take up many of the additional gun control recommendations included in the Commission's Final Report. Some parents of the Sandy Hook massacre are suing the manufacturer of the gun(s) used by the shooter. But Congress, prodded by the gun lobby, passed a law in 2005 protecting the gun industry from liability for death and injuries caused by fire arms.
On March 11, Michel D.. Sher of the New York Times wrote:
"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had proposed to restrict the armor-piercing 5.56-millimeter "M855 green tip" rifle bullet, saying its increasing use in hand guns that could be concealed posed a threat to law enforcement officers. But in a Twitter post the Agency acknowledged the intense opposition to the change and said it would shelve the proposal for now. The opposition came from Republican Senators and the NRA saying the "Second Amendment is at risk."
In Tallahassee, Florida, four moths after a mentally ill gunman wounded three students in Florida State. State legislators are considering a Bill that would allow holders of concealed weapon permits to carry guns onto public universities and college campuses. Some legislators have expressed reservations about the Bill because of the many students living on campuses. Eight other states now permit gun holders to bring them on campuses. Marion Hammer, former NRA national president and head of its Florida Chapter, said, "Oopponents' arguments are emotional hysterics not based on facts."
On March 13, 2015, Police Officer Don Re wrote on his blog donofalltrades.com of his experience of trying to save the life of a six year old child who had been shot during a shoot-out in Ferguson, Missouri. Officer Re ended his account with, "This is all too sad and it needs to stop. Someone please figure out how!
Do I believe the NRA and the Gun Industry threaten my safety and the safety of my country? You betcha! What can I do about it? I will support and vote for the candidate(s) who will not abide this kind of power and urge others to do the same.
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