GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, OR DO THEY?

[HairOfTheDog]

^ That doesn't surprise me at all; lots of gullible people with an unyielding need for bias confirmation out there.

'Don't believe your eyes and ears or search out facts, just find and limit yourself to sources that confirm what you want to believe' -- that seems to be the motto.

[Duchess]

This 11-year-old has quite a presence. Her speech and demeanor kinda blew me away. Her name is Naomi Wadler and she's from Alabama.

She was awesome! Her poise belied her youth.

The very first thing I noticed was how well spoken she is. Her elocution!

[HairOfTheDog]

The only thing the NRA can ever say is ‘2^nd Amendment’.

That’s it.

Nothing further to add.

Ever.

“My right to own any conceivable weapon under the sun outweighs any persons right to life.’

End of discussion.

Rick Santorum was on State of the Union today. As a representative of the GOP and lifelong member of the NRA, he has the solution.

According to Santorum, those kids should stop asking politicians to represent them by developing policy to help keep them safe. Instead, the students should accept reality and use their time learning CPR so they're prepared to assist their friends when a school shooting goes down.

I'm not kidding. He really paints these teens as unwelcome pests who should be swatted, despite the fact that they're peacefully engaging in the political process and exercising their First Amendment rights instead of sitting around acting like helpless victims and hopeless potential targets. He made that idiotic deflective comment at the 5:00 minute mark in video below.

[Duchess]

the students should accept reality and use their time learning CPR so they're prepared to assist their friends when a school shooting goes down.

He's an idiot on more than one level. CPR isn't going to help anyone shot by one of those guns, you'd think as an NRA member he'd know that. They'd be better off learning how to keep their young friends from bleeding out. That's sarcasm for those who aren't going to be able to detect it.

His comment is as ignorant as the school that keeps boxes of rocks in their classrooms to use against active shooters.

[HairOfTheDog]

Generally speaking, I think it's great for people of all ages to learn CPR, basic techniques to assist bleeding victims, etc... But you're right that CPR is often not the right thing to do for someone whose internal organs have been ripped apart by an AR15.

What was ludicrous about Santorum's comments is that (1) he criticized activists for pressuring their elected representatives to actually do their jobs and represent them and, (2) he painted the young people/survivors participating in the protests as lazy pests who should just accept their fate and prepare to be victims INSTEAD OF engaging in the political process with the goal of preventing/minimizing school shootings.

Santorum and people like him want teachers acting as soldiers, armed guards surrounding schools, students acting as medics....they want American citizens to stop trying to change gun policy and just accept as normal that school zones should be treated as war zones so that the NRA and some Americans who like to play with military-style weapons don't feel put out. That kind of mentality and propaganda is one of the reasons this country is facing so many gun homicides in the first place, in my opinion.

[Duchess]

Generally speaking, I think it's great for people of all ages to learn CPR,

I agree with that and when it came time for me to learn the very first thing that was said to me was "bones can be broken & lungs can be punctured. When that happens you will feel and hear it".

[Duchess]

Remington has filed for bankruptcy.

[Duchess]

^ That doesn't surprise me at all; lots of gullible people with an unyielding need for bias confirmation out there.

'Don't believe your eyes and ears or search out facts, just find and limit yourself to sources that confirm what you want to believe' -- that seems to be the motto.

This is the picture I was referring to, HotD. Some on the right are trying to demonize her and the other students. Bastards.

[HairOfTheDog]

^ So dumb and misleading.

It looks like they even darkened under her eyes and widened her nose.

[Duchess]

I noticed that too. *sigh*

[Jimbone]

What a terrible photoshop job. You'd think the Russians could do better.

[HairOfTheDog]

I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest that Russian trolls are behind the chop which is being circulated mostly by purported NRA members.

It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if the NRA brass and/or some of its members are behind both the chop and the widespread fake news, given all the other bullshit they’ve been hurling at these young survivors turned activists.

Hopefully Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg and the other student/survivor activists take the childish vitriol as a high compliment or a mere ‘meh’.

The kids are obviously scaring and riling up the myopic and paranoid adults and organizations that have been ignoring the voices of millions of their constituents and members for way too long.

[Jimbone]

Well, it was a joke, so...

[HairOfTheDog]

Sorry Jimbone -- I didn't get it.

Your's wasn't the first comment I saw pointing the finger at Russians; the others were dead serious and without any substantiation.

I wouldn't put it past Russian trolls. I just don't have any reason not to believe the shit is coming from the exact people it appears to be coming from in this case.

[Jimbone]

No problem, just trying to keep it light.

As far as the shop goes, probably some far right nutter is the culprit. Or a far left nutter looking to shit stir. Or Russians for that matter.

With regards to the nose widening, I don't think that's the case. It appears to me that the brightness/contrast enhancing done on the image changed the tone/shadow profile. You can really see the blooming on the side of the face.

[Maggot]

Why not just give the kids rocks to throw at a person with a gun. I read that and my eyes rolled like Linda Blair's head.

[Donovan]

NPR posted an article saying the Russian trollbots had ramped up attacks on both sides of the gun control issue. The idea isnt to take a side it's to foment chaos, and it's working.

Here's one from a couple weeks ago.

http://www.npr.org/2018/02/20/587375771/...a-shooting

[Duchess]

Why not just give the kids rocks to throw at a person with a gun. I read that and my eyes rolled like Linda Blair's head.

That was my reaction as well.

[Maggot]

These kids are going to find out what happens when a person gets noticed in this world and I really don't think they are ready for the reality of it. To be outspoken usually plants a target on a persons back as you just cannot please everyone. It will never happen. it's a good try though I'll give them that.

[Duchess]

These kids are going to find out what happens when a person gets noticed in this world and I really don't think they are ready for the reality of it. To be outspoken usually plants a target on a persons back as you just cannot please everyone. It will never happen. it's a good try though I'll give them that.

They've been dealing with the reality of it since they watched their friends and schoolmates slaughtered and were accused of being crisis actors. This isn't a whim for them, they're in it for the long haul and a lot of people didn't like coming to that realization. They aren't going to ride off quietly into the sunset, they are making their voices heard and they'll continue to do so.

Why do you think this is just a passing phase for them?