Your Congressmember Doesn't WANT You To Die-- He Probably Just Doesn't Care One Way Or The Other

As you can see in the video above, on Thursday-- 6 days after a completely garden variety, typical Trump supporter went on a shooting rampage and slaughtered 50 Muslims worshipping in 2 mosques-- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced an immediate ban on all military-style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles, along with a government buy-back program. Many have noted how different that quick and decisive decision by New Zealand's government was in comparison to the inability of the U.S. government to do anything about the gun-terrorism that continues to plague this country despite thousands and thousands of tragic deaths that horrify everyone except the death cult Trumpists, who absolutely revel in the mass murders.

Marie Newman, the progressive candidate running in the Chicagoland district occupied by right-of-center Blue Dog Dan Lipinski, pointed out that "New Zealand’s swift action on the assault weapon ban after the horrifying tragedy is the model for strong leadership. The hope is for our leaders to follow and adopt stronger and more impactful laws. We can do this, over 80% of Americans want common sense gun laws." That was pretty much what I heard from every Democratic candidate I spoke with. But what's mucking up the works. Eva Putzova, another progressive running for a seat held by a real bad Blue Dog (this one, Tom O'Halleran), noted that "As in other policy areas, what often times stands between people and sensible policies and programs is unbridled corporate power-- in this case the arms industry and the NRA-- enabled by a subservient legislative and executive branch." She'srunning to challenge that power. So is Mike Siegel in Texas, whose opponent, hard-core Republican incumbent Michael McCaul, an NRA patsy. Mike told me that he'd "support a ban on military-style semiautomatic weapons and believe most Texans feel the same. We need to simultaneously limit corporate interference in our elections because unlimited NRA money is preventing Congress from enacting the will of the people."

Yesterday, in a report for CNN, Zachary Wolf asked why the U.S. hasn't been able to react the way New Zealand has, noting that "Twenty years after Columbine, the first of so many major mass shootings in the US, the federal government has done basically nothing. The federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004. Support for reinstating such a ban is less than 50%, according to recent polls." Wolf offered one sickening excuse after another that has made it impossible for the U.S. to ban assault weapons, some political, some cultural, some systemic-- all requiring, if they're to be overcome, the kind of political courage sorely tacking in contemporary U.S. politics. Think carefully before casting your next votes. The people you elect could kill you and your family by-- for example-- ignoring gun control, ignoring health care, ignoring climate change. This is serious stuff. If we don't take it seriously...