Peaceful protesting met with police violence. Is the police state real?

          To try to ascertain the exact number of people killed by the police is not possible . Police departments do not have to report to anyone these statistics. Out of 1700 police organizations only 750 actually reported their numbers. Yes, the numbers state that African Americans are killed almost 2 to 1 to white people despite making up only 12 percent of the population. So I do believe it is time for Fox News and the crony conservatives to admit that race is an issue. A great example of the hypocrisy is Sean Hannity. He supported what Cliven Bundy was fighting for his rights and was an American hero. This despite Bundy dodging a tax instituted by conservative  hero President Reagan, he owed millions of dollars in back taxes. He was part of an armed resistance against federal agents and was an American hero. The people of Ferguson or any of these others cities protesting were referred to as thugs and hooligans who were breaking the law. Yes both were said by Sean Hannity.

        If you ever took the time to listen to conservative radio, there are no progressive stations in my area, you will here the perpetuation of this ugly race rhetoric. Rush Limbaugh, who is one of the most disgusting human beings on the face of this earth, said Eric Garner deserved to get choked because he broke the law. Although he refuses to acknowledge that the cop broke the law by using an illegal choke hold, illegal means breaking the law. Fox News is horrible. For a white mass murderer the headline is about how he was bright and brilliant, despite the disturbing fact he killed several people. For Trayvon Martin, who was killed by a wanna be cop, the headline was, he was suspended 3 times in school. Those are just a couple quick examples that show how minorities are viewed by the conservative media, which then trickles down to the dregs of society, the radical conservatives.

Growing up I remember cops carrying a gun, cuffs, baton and their radio. Possibly pepper spray. Cops are better armed now and in Pennsylvania are required to wear their bullet proof vests whenever on duty. There is more crime now then I recall, the local news papers seem to think so as well. But even so, why the militarization of the police force? Aren’t they here to protect and serve? It now seems like the police are an invading force, authorized to use whatever force they want. I understand that if you fight with cops they are going to kick your ass. But killing unarmed people, shooting at them as they run away, beating a woman on the ground who is cuffed, choking people, firing tear gas at peaceful protesters, all while Wall Street is robbing us blind and walking away Scott free. I have had experiences with cops, I have never been beat or shot, but I am white. I have had cops give me a ride to my home when I was intoxicated. They do seem to abuse their power, but as I said my personal experiences were not bad. I truly do not know how it feels to walk in a minorities shoes.

The way our police resemble the military reminds me of videos of Nazi Germany. They robbed people of their rights, arrested who they wanted and abused their power. They also went after a certain group of people, the Jewish people. They systematically decimated them, in the end almost wiping them out. I realize it gas not reached that level, yet. But what is the next step? Can’t indict a cop who shot at a guy 12 times, hitting him 7 times. Can’t idict a cop caught on camera using an illegal choke hold to kill someone. What is next? A group of African Americans or possibly a whole area of town they live in? The whites there are collateral damage in the conservative war on people of color. I feel as if I went off the tracks. But did I? If our justice system doesn’t stop this, who does? How many have to die to change this?

I keep saying conservatives because they believe the victims are wrong. Democrats are spineless, sending out weak statements in order to avoid upsetting the corporate apple cart. We will get nothing from those in our government because they are owned, they recieve their marching orders from the rich and powerful. The 1960s were when the Civil Rights Movement, a mere 50 years ago. Our Conservative Supreme Court Judges ripped apart the Voting Rights Act. I have a very difficult time understanding why these people are so obtuse. Why do they hate so much? Why does this hate pervade our society? Can the media be blamed for all of it? Of course not, ignorance seems to be embraced in our country. People speak of the Constitution, but know nothing about it. The loudest speaker gets the most attention. Sadly that is typically a Ted Cruz or a Sarah Palin.

I believe the militarization of our police has a purpose. Conservatives keep talking about President Obama taking away our rights. I say bull shit to that. That is conservatives mirroring their intentions to keep the focus off of them. Many say that we have become an oligarchy. I believe we are headed to a method of feudalism. Our debt will make us indentured servants,to work their factories and fields. The cops will become their military as our states separate. Conservatives want a group of states with a “defanged” federal government, essentially creating 50 autonomous countries. They will eradicate as many of the poor and minorities that they can. Then live as kings. They will eventually fight amongst each other or be destroyed by Russia or China. The police state is the wealthy jump starting their vision.

I reread this and thought, I sound a little deranged. But, what if………

Another mass shooting, let’s start the blame game.

                Aaron Alexis went on a shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard yesterday. At about 8:20 in the morning he opened fire, killing 12 and wounding another dozen. This is a man who had a history of violence. He was even arrested for shooting at a work crew. But because he was never convicted he was able to get a gun. So now the blame game starts.

A person who knew Alexis said he played violent video games a lot, for hours at a time. So Call of Duty must have been the reason he shot these people. Of course he learned how to shoot a real gun by playing this game. It also gave him the ability to plan his attack and sneak the weapons in. I think the people who make these games should be held responsible. This is a cop out. I play violent video games, many people I know play them as well. I do not know any mass murderers.

Maybe it is violent movies. They are desensitizing our society. So watching Taken 2 must have caused him to do it. He learned everything he needed to know from that movie, as well as the mental ability to pull the trigger. It is not as easy as a Hollywood movie makes it out to be. Sadly this is another cop out. These movies do not cause mental disorders or even cause the act to happen. Do they exacerbate the situation? Possibly, maybe even probably. But are these the true issues.

Alot of the problem lies with our inability to change anything. As a society we are angry. To change anything causes waves of anger and protests. Media protagonists make the situation much worse. Firing up fringe elements of society and inflaming hatred for anyone who disagrees with them. Is this the cause, maybe not this case, but it is another possibility. We as a society need to be careful how we approach these type of things. The instability of a person is more likely to be pushed over the edge. In an era of mass media knowing everything about the shooter and very little about the victims sends the wrong message.

An already polarized society is made worse by the polarization in government. Our elected officials, Republican and Democrat alike are guilty of making the situation worse. Democrats pushing for more social safety nets and Republicans pushing for everything the Majority of Americans don’t want. The NRA makes it worse with saying how the government intends to take everyone’s guns. How the Second Amendment is there to help overthrow tyrannical government. This most definitely exacerbates the situation.

So how do we fix the problem? There is not one solution. We need to make access to guns a little more difficult. Walking through Walmart and seeing them sell Assault weapons is very unsettling. We need comprehensive gun reform, as well as stronger mental health standards. We need less anger in government and more focus on the victims. If we stop making violent video games and movies would the violence stop? No, for some reason we seem to be a violent society. If violent video games and movies had so much to do with this, why don’t other countries have the same amount of mass shootings? They care for theur people and help take care of them. They are not societies that bury the poor, they help. Maybe if we weren’t a top down nation, we would be a little better off.

Does the Republican party really mean what they do?

             Many of the things the Republican party are currently doing are inherently unAmerican. The Constitution seems only to matter when it helps their corporate masters. The lobbyist, Koch Brothers, ALEC and the NRA are some very prominent puppet masters. The will of the majority has been pushed to the side. Do Republicans even realize what they are doing?

Take Gun Violence. Instead of pursuing a possible solution they spout out the rhetoric they are fed by their puppet masters. All the numbers shown by independent researchers directly contradict the numbers put forth by the NRA. The areas with the highest amount of guns tend to have a very high crime rate. About 5,000 people have been killed by gun violence since Sandy Hook, yet Republicans refuse to do anything about gun violence. The public wants action, yet Republicans stall and protect the money.

For 2 years Republicans complained about President Obama and Democrats not creating enough jobs, despite Republican efforts to thwart any type of job creation. They have held the House for 3 years, yet have not created any jobs. They denied the Obama Jobs Bill and the Veterans Jobs Bill, yet have passed 44 anti-abortion measures and another 90 religious bills. They say they want the corporate tax lowered, yet when President Obama offered it, they refused. They refuse to help the average American.

Republicans seem to enjoy holding Americans hostage with the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling enables us to pay the bills we have already incurred. They raised it 7 times for Bush 43 and another 7 or so for Reagan. This is the first time a President had to fight to raise the debt ceiling. The last time Republicans did this it resulted in a credit downgrade for the U.S. Are they truly willing to default on America’s bills to further their agenda?

Then we have the way Republicans talk about race. Anne Coulter referred to President Obama as ‘Putin’s Monkey” several times in an interview. Another Republican Senator called Latinos “wetbacks”. A Republican leader in Pennsylvania said the Voter I.D. laws were put in place to prevent minorities from voting. This is not what are forefathers had in mind when they drafted the Constitution. It is not for our representatives to pick and choose from.

Do Republicans really expect to be taken seriously? They keep pushing the will of the people to the side for corporate interests and then try to tell us all the good they are doing. They are slimming their voting pool. Democrats already outnumber them, their actions are pushing more people away. They talk about a broken system, they broke it. They are also prospering because of it.

Bloomsburg Fair in northeastern Pennsylvania bans guns, then changes rule because gun owners threaten to boycott the fair.

               The Bloomsburg Fair banned guns at its 157 inception.  Gun owners took to Facebook to threaten to boycott a tradition in Pennsylvania. Why do these people need their guns at a fair? What about the normal people who do not carry guns? The fear a person having a gun causes for others, it is absurd to have a gun in a public place. Why does the Second Amendment trump all other parts of the Constitution?

What if someone gets killed by a nut job with a gun? If the fair gets sued, does the lawsuit now fall on this group? What if it is another group of kids that get shot? These people have no compassion for anyone else. Having people walk around with guns in a place with as many as 20,000 a day. What if the gun gets stolen and the theif shoots someone? I know it is a lot if what ifs, but the job of the fair is to mitigate risks.

So once again gun rights trump common sense. It seems to be the only Constitional Amendment that matters to people. The First Amendment was stomped all over constantly by the Republican party, but the gun nuts don’t care. Don’t touch my guns, but force religious beliefs on me, take away my voting rights and my freedom of speech. This is what our great nation has come too. The hilarity of it is that most of these gun nuts dont even know the full Second Amendment. If you are offended by this, tell me the complete Second Amendment.

The gun nut comments may bother some, but why does your right to haveca gun trump my right to feel safe. The numbers the NRA gives about gun owners stopping break ins are seriously skewed. The numbers are much lower than they give. Sadly the NRA is a lobbyist for the gun industry, not a group with no financial interests. So if course anything they give is skewed. Democrats and President Obama tried new gun control laws but were stopped by a Republican filubuster funded by the NRA. So once again big money triumphs over the will of the people.

You need to register your car and get insurance for it, but not for a gun, which is built to kill. You need homeowners insurance as well. Sadly a portion of the American public outweighs the rest because of money. Money has led to Americas fall from the top and it will topple our political system. It will soon be a Fuedal Society governed by corporations and protected by gun owners. The rest will be indentured servants.

The North Carolina Senate makes guns easier to get without background checks.

                      The North Carolina Senate amended sweeping pro-gun legislation making it easier to buy a handgun without a background check. It allows for the private purchase of guns in the state without a permit. Background checks and a permit would be needed only when buying from licensed dealers, but not from private purchases, including sales at gun shows.

This is just part of a larger gun package making its way through the Republican controlled legislature. This amendment would become part of the package that the Senate is taking up after the House passed it. The bill includes provisions to allow guns in locked cars at all public colleges and schools in the state. As well as at parks, bike paths and restaurants that serve alcohol. Attendees at a funeral will be allowed to carry a gun, along with people participating in parades. Judges, registers of deeds and court clerks would be permitted to carry guns during a work day.

Conservative legislation has dominated the current North Carolina Session. Current proposals include overhauling the states tax system and creating an official religion. Yes you read that right, an official religion. That is a complete violation of the First Amendment. Republicans talk of protecting the Second Amendment at the cost of every other Freedom we have.

This is the first year in more than 100 years that Republicans have controlled both houses of the legislature and the Governorship of North Carolina. Hopefully for the state this will be the last time for the next 100 years.

State Democrats question the logic of the Gun Bill. The State Democratic Spokesman told the Huffington Post ” Republicans in the General Assembly have no concept of consequences. They have shown that time and time again. Guns and Alcohol don’t mix. Guns at town parades or at playgrounds with our children are unacceptable. Guns on campus makes our college students less safe. To add insult to injury this legislation undermines our local Sherriffs ability to make their towns and cities safe.”

Republicans nationwide seem to want to poke President Obama in the eye. After Sandy Hook, President Obama and Democrats pushed for Gun Reform. The Gun Reform legislation was stopped by a Filibuster, supported by Republicans, who were funded by NRA Lobbyists. Since Sandy Hook about 5,000 more people have been killed by gun violence. Republicans seem to support chaos, both economically and socially. They seem deadset on a Fuedal Society controlled by wealthy corporations.

Believe it or not racism does exist today.

                 Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was aquitted by a jury of his peers. Sanford County is 80% white and just as strong supporters of the Republican party. Sadly not only are Americans divided politically, but also apparently on the topic of race.

Rush Limbaugh is guilty of preaching racism on his radio show, not to mention degrading women amongst all the other groups he apparently hates. Sean Hannity says that President Obama is like Martin because he smoked pot and did a little blow. These popular conservative radio hosts perpetuate racism and bigotry.

Just take the marches for Trayvon Martin for example. People marching for Martin were chanting “Justice for Trayvon”, with the same on their signs. Not to be outdone, supporters for Zimmerman, yes a murderer has people marching opposite of those marching for the victim. Just a little crazy. They were carrying signs that said “I am racist and proud of it”, as well as chanting that. Who in the world is proud of their ignorance?

Democrats let the Stand Your Ground laws slip by, funded by ALEC and the NRA. We the people are guilty as well, voter apathy enables this to happen. But racism starts at home. If people grow up that way, they will normally stay that way. We are the melting pot, were every color, creed and race comes to avoid persecution. Unfortunately many are being denied these rights by conservatives who want to live in the 1800’s. These people will kill hundreds of years of progress to smear a dead 17 year old boy. Unbelievable!

Trayvon Martin deserves justice, Zimmerman got away with murder.

                 My faith in America’s judicial system is gone. A teenage boy was murdered by a man, a man who followed him when 911 told him not to. A man who carried a gun on neighborhood watch when he was told not to. A man who instigated the fight, after a year of Mixed Martial Arts training. A man who shot this child when he started losing this fight he started.

For Don West and Marc o’Mara said this case had nothing to do with Civil Rights, race. They could not be farther from the truth. If Zimmerman was black and Martin white, the case is closed, Zimmerman is convicted of murder and it never garners national attention. I am flabbergasted that a murderer walks free today because of an ALEC model legislation, that was made into law by Republicans.

I can’t process this decision. I am a white man, with a bald head, large goat-tee and a lot of tattoos. I get dirty looks and judged regularly. But I cannot grasp how a young black man feels. Every race has bad people, but entire races should not be judged on the actions of a few. Race should not be so prevalent in 2013. I feel for young black men, I know how I feel and it cannot compare to what they feel. They should see police and feel safe, if innocent, like everyone else. I really believe they are not.

This decision has shaken me to my very soul. I feel let down, I could not be as calm as Trayvon Martin’s parents. If it was my child, I would be going nuts. The Republicans have sold America to corporations and lobbyist like the NRA. Democrats are just as guilty for letting it happen. We the people are guilty of letting America become this joke it has become. It is now legal to murder a kid because you think they may be doing something wrong. You are allowed to shoot someone if you feel threatened, but not defend yourself from some creepy guy who is following you. This is a disgrace.

Republicans are harmful to America.

                    Republicans have gone out of their way over the last 5 years to make President Obama look bad. In the process they have hurt the American people and the way the rest of the world views us. It is a party of whiners who throw pity parties when they lose and do not accept anything unless it agrees 100% with their party agenda.

They are against Immigration Reform. They subscribe to the theory that all of them should be deported. In fact Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney believed in self deportation. They do not agree with a Path to Citizenship, saying it is amnesty. Didnt Ronald Reagan do Immigration Reform somewhat like this?

Republicans have obviously declared war on women. They refused to vote for VAWA, because it protected Native Americans, among other things. State after state governed by Republicans have declared war on Reproductive Rights. One restrictive Abortion ban after another, yet there has been a grand total of ZERO jobs created by the Republican majority in the House.

Supporting banks that hurting homeowners through illegal practices. Siding with the NRA on the Gun Control issue. Railing against the Supreme Court DOMA decision, voting to repeal the ACA 37 times. Cutting funding for embassy guards then blaming the Benghazi incident on Hillary Clinton. This list of offenses against the people of the United States goes on and on.

Democrats, while not anywhere near perfect, have done a lot more for the people than Republicans. Republicans conservative agenda hurts America and every state they are in the majority. If women’s uteruses were jobs women would be safe from Republicans and their lobbyist masters.

Gabby Giffords keeps up efforts for Gun Control.

          The former Arizona Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords, vwas shot in the head about 30 months ago. She recently met in New Hampshire with the parents of the children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. They gathered to talk strategy, how to get Congress talking about Gun Control again.

Giffords, a Democrat, has become the face of the Gun Control movement. She is still recovering from injuries incurred in a 2011 attack that killed 6 others. Her and her husband, Mark Kelly, have been travelling the nation encouraging states to defy the NRA. They are trying to gain traction for legislation to expand background checks. They would also like to push for legislation for Assault Weapons Bans and High Capacity Magazine Bans.

Giffords recently formed Super-PAC and related non-profit group have ambitious plans to expabd their political clout in 2014. The group is known as Americans for Responsible Solutions and they are expected to raise $20 million for political activities and ads for the next election and the next Gun Control Vote. Up to now New York City Mayor Micheal Bloomberg has provided much of the financial support for Gun Control advocacy. His group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has spent more than $12 million in an effort to pressure lawmakers in several states.

Despite Giffords and Bloomberg’s effort, they reportedly have not won any more votes in Congress. It seems as if the Bill has truly bogged down and will not move forward. In the lead up to the Manchin/Toomey Gun Bill vote, the NRA poured close to $400,000 into the Senators who voted against the bill. Republicans have been bashing Mayor Bloomberg for throwing his money around. It seems as if the NRA is uncomfortable going up against another lobbyist with just as much money.

Since Sandy Hook, over 4,500 have been killed by gun violence. Children have shot other children and people have been shot at gun shows. The NRA and other gun lobbyist use fear to mobilize gun rights activists. I am for children being able to live, as well as stopping at least some of the gun violence. If 20 murdered First Graders doesn’t sway Congress, what will? It seems they only support things when it hits close to home. I hope this is not what it takes, hopefully it won’t take another Elementary School massacre either.

What happens when a Congressman doesn’t listen to the NRA?

           Senator Pat Toomey is beginning to see the answer to that question. Toomey a Republican from Pennsylvania helped author the Manchin/Toomey Gun Bill, which of course was shot down, against NRA wishes. Before this he had an A rating with the NRA. Who are the NRA to rate any of our Senators? They are a lobbying group.

The Virginia based National Association for Gun Rights is running a smear campaign against Toomey for that Bill. The Bill required background checks on all gun sales, internet, gun shows and the classifieds. Current law only requires background checks on sales conducted by Federally licensed dealers. They are trying to connect Toomey with President Obama. They are attemptimg to connect him to the manufactured IRS, Benghazi and the NSA scandal. All of which have been proved fruitless. But Toomey is a conservative Republican who is on tge other side of most issues with President Obama.

Toomey now sees what Democrats deal with during each election cycle. Each election cycle the NRA and NAGR go into full attack mode. Portraying anyone who disagrees with their lobbying stance as trying to rob people of their Constitutional rights. All these Senators were trying to do was create sensible gun laws that might help prevent another massacre like Sandy Hook. Lobbyist attack Democrats for going to the bathroom the wrong way. This is what they mean when they say corporate America, politicians owned by corporations and lobbyist groups.

Republicans now on the other side of these attacks, now aren’t so convinced that Super-Pacs are right. They are also questioning the Citizens United decision. They haven’t felt the full effect of lobbyists and corporations trying to get you out of office. Maybe now Campaign Finance Reform can get done. Maybe this will help break the gridlock and help Gun Reform and Immigration Reform get done. But then again any Republican that goes against the grain finds themselves on the outside looking in. The Republican party looks to regress any progress made in America, how else do you explain their support of the Supreme Court gutting the Civil Rights Act. Republicans are beginning to dislike the system they created, it is now hurting them.