The Arizona Tragedy: Guns and the language of violence

What’s senseless is our tolerance for guns

By Derrick Z. Jackson

Only a decade ago, US gun manufacturers produced 947,000 pistols and revolvers and 3 million guns of all types (most of the rest were rifles and shotguns) for the domestic market, according to the Bureau of Tobacco and Firearms. In 2009, that production reached 2.4 million pistols and revolvers and 5.4 million guns overall. The number of federal background checks for guns has zoomed, from 8.5 million in 2002 to 14.4 million last year.

Read more at the Boston Globe

Guns and responsibility

By Eugene Robinson

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign, said in a statement that "if Congress had not allowed the 'Assault Weapons Ban' to expire in 2004, the shooter [Loughner] would only have been able to get off 10 rounds without reloading. Instead, he was able to fire at least 20 rounds from his 30-round clip."

Read more at the Washington Post

Are Wackos With Guns Just a Fact Of Life in America?

by Henry Blodget

Obviously, with 300+ million people in this country, we're not going to stop some people from going nuts. And given the depth of the American commitment to the right to own guns, we're also apparently not going to stop having guns available at Walmart -- or at the neighborhood sports store, which is where Loughner got his Glock.

Read more at the Huffington Post

Armed citizens -- not assault weapons ban -- could have stopped Arizona carnage

by Rodger Jones

Arizona-like tragedies make me think back to one survivor of the 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Suzanna Gratia Hupp. Twenty-one people died in that, including Hupp's mother and father. Hupp went to that restaurant armed, but she left her gun in the car to comply with the law. She came to regret that for obvious reasons.

Read more at the Dallas Morning News

Thought experiment

by Michael Tomasky

But if guns are part of your life, it may be the imagery that comes to mind, and it's far worse than calling someone a dirty name or a war criminal. And sure it's happened among liberals, but it's worse among conservatives.

Read more at the Guardian

Guns, not talk, cost lives

by Telegraph View

The American political classes would do better to focus on gun-control laws that allow, in Arizona, a 22-year-old with mental health problems to buy a Glock 19 handgun. But with the President (and indeed Miss Gifford) staunch defenders of the individual's Second Amendment right to bear arms, such a debate is unlikely to get very far.

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Tombstone Politics

by Timothy Egan

In my home state Washington, federal officials recently put away a 64-year-old man who threatened, in the most vile language, to kill Senator Patty Murray because she voted for health care reform. Imagine: kill her because she wanted to give fellow Americans a chance to get well. Why would a public policy change prompt a murder threat?

Read more at the New York Times

Serious Guns and White Terrorism: Two Unasked Question in Tucson Mass Murder

by Bill Quigley

Does the US really need tens of millions of assault weapons and hundreds of millions of other guns? We already put more of our people in prison than any country in the world and we spend more on our military than all the rest of the world together. How fearful must we be?

Read more at the Huffington Post

Shooting in Tucson

by Tom Hayden

Rep. Gifford’s office was vandalized by the right-wing in March 2009 in a protest against national health care bill. She also faced attacks for her opposition to S.B. 1070, Arizona’s tough anti-immigrant law. Judge John Roll, killed in the incident, also was subject to significant threats due to his positions on immigration.

Read more at ZNET

Krugman on the Health Care Debate

Health Care: Feel the Fraudulence



So, of the five claimed “gimmicks”, three are nothing of the kind — GOP claims are fraud, pure and simple. Of the other two, one (appropriations) is mostly fraud, the other involves tricky play with time horizons.


And all of it is dressed up with out-of-context quotes from various people.


Read more at NY times

Read also our recent post for more articles

Orioles pitcher Simon sent to preventive prison for killing a man

PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  -- Baltimore Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon on Tuesday was sent to a year in preventive prison over the murder allegations against him, Hoy newspaper reported.

The Puerto Plata Court determined to sent Simon to prison meanwhile the charges against him are resolved. Simon is accused of killing a young neighbor and injuring another during New Year's festivities.

The Orioles relief pitcher claims to be innocent of the murder charges against him. The 29-year-old pitcher surrendered himself to Dominican authorities during the morning. He said he shot bullets to the air and never towards a person.

"That boy was just like a brother to me. I should not have to surrender but here I am in order to clarify the incident," said Simon as he entered the police headquarters.

The charges allege that Simon fatally shot Michael Castillo Almonte, 25, in the chest and also injured Starlin Castillo, 17, in Luperon, northeastern Dominican Republic. Simon was wanted by the national police.

Simon was accompanied to the police headquarters by Orioles teammate shortstop Julio Lugo. Simon's attorney, Carlos Olivares, said that they would appeal the court's decision as there is no risk of Simon fleeing the country.

"He is scared as he acknowledged shooting some bullets to the air, not to the victim, who was his friend," said Lugo. "We don’t know if he is guilty or not. I advised him to surrender."

Police said that in less than 48 hours the lab analysis will return and will determine if the bullets were fired using Simon's weapon. Initially, prosecutors demanded three months of preventive prison but later it was extended to one year.

Prosecutors said that apparently there was an argument between two women and Simon tried to stop it. He fired a bullet that passed through the 17-year-old boy's arm and ended in the victim's chest cavity.

There are allegedly many witnesses of the incident as it took place in a Luperon public park. If found guilty, Simon could receive a sentence of up to two years in prison as well as irreparable damage to his rising baseball career.

Simon was the Orioles closer during the last season. He saved 17 games and had a 4-2 winning record. It was Simon's third complete season in the Major Leagues.

Russia orders Tu-154B aircraft be put out of service after deadly explosion

MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- Following Saturday's Tu-154B passenger jet explosion in Siberia, Russia's transportation watchdog Rostransnadzor on Sunday recommended that all passenger jets of the same type be put out of service until the cause is determined.

The accident happened on New Year's Day when the engine of a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft caught fire at Surgut airport in West Siberia. The fire quickly spread throughout the plane before the entire aircraft exploded, killing three people and injuring 43 others.

Most of the 124 people on board - including passengers and crew - were evacuated safely before the explosion, which completely destroyed the Russia-made plane.

"Rostransnadzor has conducted a rapid assessment of the risks of further operation of this type of aircraft," a statement from the agency said. "In accordance with the analysis, a Rostransnadzor inspector has issued an order in which it is proposed to suspend Tu-154B aircraft of this type until the causes of the aviation incident at Surgut are established. "

Only 14 aircraft of this type are currently in service in Russia, and a spokesman for the aircraft manufacturer said the order to temporarily suspend the use of the aircraft would not affect its business.

Russia has seen several major aviation accidents involving Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft over the past few months. On April 10, 2010, Polish President Lech Kaczynski was among 96 people killed when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft crashed near the city of Smolensk in Russia. He was visiting Smolensk for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn.

And on December 4, three people were killed and around 40 others were injured when a Tupolev Tu-154 Dagestan Airlines passenger plane crash-landed at Moscow's Domodedovo airport while making an emergency landing after it had lost all three engines during the flight. Authorities said 160 passengers, including several children, and eight crew members were on board.

President Obama signs 9/11 first responders bill

HONOLULU -- President Barack Obama on Sunday signed a bill which will provide assistance to survivors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and to rescue workers who became ill as a result of working at Ground Zero.

The 'James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act' establishes the World Trade Center Health Program and extends and expands eligibility for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. It was named after New York City Police Department officer James Zadroga who died of a respiratory disease that has been attributed to his help during rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero.

Obama said he believed the bill is a 'critical step' for those who continue to bear the physical scars of the September 11 attacks. "I was honored to sign the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to ensure that rescue and recovery workers, residents, students, and others suffering from health consequences related to the World Trade Center disaster have access to the medical monitoring and treatment they need," he said after signing the bill. "We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers, and first responders who risked their lives to save others."

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked airliners crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while a fourth crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.

Six children died of food poisoning in Central Java

CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA -- Six children over the weekend were killed due to food poisoning in Central Java, the Jakarta Globe reported on Monday.
The six victims were residents of Jebol village in Jepara district. The six children died after eating 'tiwul' a traditional dish made from cassava. Two died on Saturday, then two more succumbed on Sunday and finally four more died this Monday.
Their father Jamhamid said that the food was prepared by the mother Sunayah for breakfast on Saturday. Luftiana, 22, the oldest, complained of a headache after eating and vomited many times.
Jamhamid took her oldest daughter to the village's clinic who said that she only suffered a minor illness. However Luftiana and Abdul Amin, 3, died on Saturday. The next day, Kusrianto, 5, and Hisyam Ali, 13 died as well.
On Monday, Saidatul Kusniah, 8, and Faridatul Solihah, 15, died and left the death toll at six casualties. The mother and father did not fall ill as they did not eat much.
Tiwul is made from dried cassava powder which is steamed and eaten with saved coconut and palm sugar. Jamhamid, a tailor, had to change from rice to cassava two weeks ago as he could no longer afford rice.
Jepara Police Chief Adj. Comr. Ruslan Ependi said that his department has launched an investigation on the matter to rule out any foul play. Police is waiting for lab results in the meantime.

Spain's anti-smoking law comes into force

MADRID, SPAIN -- Spain's new anti-smoking law, which prohibits smoking in all public buildings, bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as some areas where children are present such as parks and school zones, came into force on Sunday.
The law went into effect in the early hours of Sunday - as of 12 a.m. local time - when local bars and clubs were still full of habitual smokers. According to locals, waiters would pass by clients, reminding them of the new law.
Despite being a bit surprised, everyone seemed to catch on quickly as bar managers would be forced to call the police if anyone disregarded the new law. However, simple signs saying "please help us follow the law" were enough for most people to cooperate.
In addition, hefty fines accompany the law as bar and restaurant owners could face fines between €60 ($80) and €100,000 ($133,240) for allowing customers to smoke inside.
In other areas such as public parks, people continued to smoke as many are still unfamiliar with the new law. Several people also ignored the law in sanitary facilities such as hospitals, but officials believe that after the new year's weekend is over, citizens will begin to abide quickly.
Spain's Congress approved the anti-smoking law on December 21, giving little time to inform all citizens.
According to the country's Health Ministry, smoking is Spain's top avoidable cause of death with an estimated 60,000 people dying of smoke-related causes each year, 1,500 of them only being passive smokers.
In 2006, Spain adopted its first anti-tobacco law but restaurant and bar owners were allowed to choose whether to allow or completely ban smoking. As a result, 95 percent of them chose to allow smoking despite 65 percent of Spain's population being non-smokers.

Gay Suicide and the Ethic of Love: A Progressive Christian Response

by Eric Reitan

For Christian progressives like myself, this appeal to Scripture and God to justify anti-gay teachings is both tragic and appalling. But our reasons aren’t rooted in some treasonous embrace of the perceived individualistic permissiveness of secular culture. They’re rooted in the law of love. To wear the cloak of biblical righteousness while promulgating the categorical condemnation of homosexuality is, as we see it, unloving.

But why think that? The knee-jerk response of Christian conservatives is to say that it is always possible to love the sinner while hating the sin. Now, since sin is by definition toxic, I actually agree that one can’t love sinners without hating what really is a sin. But sometimes it’s unloving to take something to be a sin in the first place. Sometimes it’s the condemnation of a behavior, rather than the behavior itself, that’s toxic and should be called sin.

Consider a father who forbids all childhood play. Such a prohibition is devastating to the healthy development of children. Even if the father means to promote his children’s welfare, he’s seriously misguided, and his actions reveal a sharp disconnect between what the father means to do and what he’s actually doing. No loving person would endorse this prohibition if he or she knew the truth.

Read full article here

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH BROADWAY?

by Kimberly Kaye

January has long been the month for Broadway to bring out its dead. Having wrung the final drops of revenue from New York City’s holiday tourism boom, productions with limited runs or falling sales wisely close up shop, making room for the onslaught of spring productions in the process. This season, however, has revealed a body count higher than any in recent memory.

Of the 19 new shows which opened this autumn, only four will survive weeks into the new year—"Long Story Short", a solo show with Colin Quinn, a comedian; "Lombardi", a play about an American football coach; "The Merchant of Venice", starring Al Pacino; and the recently extended "Driving Miss Daisy", starring Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. Longer-running musicals, including the Tony award-winning "In the Heights" and Pulitzer prize-winning "Next to Normal", will also join the pile of the dearly departed in January.

The news of so many showbituaries has produced nervous hand-wringing among seasoned arts patrons. Many can't help but ask: What is wrong with Broadway?

The answer is: nothing we didn’t already know.

Read full article here

Getting Darnell Off the Corners: Why America Should Ride the Anti-Drug-War Wave

by John McWhorter

It’s one thing that the United States will soon be taking orders from China (or already is). But what about when we’re becoming less forward-thinking than England? That’s the only possible reading of the fact that there, the former top drug official Bob Ainsworth has addressed the House of Commons and argued for the legalization of all drugs. Not just pot—all of them. His reasoning is simple, and has nothing to do with the ideology of Timothy Leary:

“We need to take effective measures to rob the dealers of their markets and the only way that we can do that is by supplying addicts through the medical profession, through prescription. We cannot afford to be shy about being prepared to do that.”



Read full article here

Majority of Muslims want Islam in politics, poll says

By Meris Lutz

According to the survey, majorities in Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Nigeria would favor changing current laws to allow stoning as a punishment for adultery, hand amputation for theft and death for those who convert from Islam to another religion. About 85% of Pakistani Muslims said they would support a law segregating men and women in the workplace.

Read full article here