Monday, October 2, 2017

Platitudes for Las Vegas

Speaking in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Trump said: “Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence and although we feel such great anger at the senseless murder of our fellow citizens, it is our love that defines us today and always will forever.”

He added: “In times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”

The president, who is not known for public expressions of faith, went on to read a line from Psalm 34: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

  Guardian
'This is a country-western bunch. Gimme something from the Bible.'

What does all that even mean?  What single light?  What single ray of hope?  Our love defines us.  Just ask the mayor of San Juan.  Ask anyone in Yemen.  Iraq.  Syria.  Afghanistan.  Black Lives Matter.  Children who will be uninsured because Congress let CHIP expire.  Shall I go on?

Or, as Richard Wolffe of The Guardian asks:
Is this Donald J Trump by any chance related to the Donald J Trump who goes by the handle of @realDonaldTrump on Twitter? I only ask because I could have sworn that the last couple of times there was a senseless murder in London, he variously blamed ‘loser’ terrorists, the internet, and its mayor. [...] Answers do not come easy, unless we are detonating an incendiary Tweet. 
A moment of silence was held on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump and vice-president Mike Pence, accompanied by their wives, walked out the White House in between two rows of White House employees including Ivanka Trump, HR McMaster and kitchen staff. They reached the end of the rows, stood silently, and then bent their heads in prayer while a uniformed Marine tolled a bell. Afterwards, the four turned around and walked quietly back to the White House.

[...]

[Sarah Huckabee Sanders] said it was too soon to talk about policy. She said: “Before we start trying to talk about the preventions of what happened last night, we need to know facts.” She said “the only person with blood on their hands is the shooter” and dismissed the efficacy of gun control legislation by talking about the shooting rate in Chicago, a city she described as having “the strictest gun control laws in the country”.

[...]

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a fervent advocate of gun control reform, made a passionate plea for his colleagues to take action on gun violence, saying: “It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.”

The Democrat, who is from the state where 20 children and six adults were killed in the Sandy Hook shooting of 2012, said: “Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity.
Only in America. But if we didn't do anything after twenty children were killed, we're probably not going to do anything.
Since Trump’s inauguration in January, there have been other mass shootings, including one in Texas last month when a gunman killed eight at a house party. But events in Las Vegas will be seen as the first major test of a president for whom the National Rifle Association (NRA) was a key part of his electoral coalition.

[...]

[Paul Ryan] said “this evil tragedy horrifies us all” and added: “The whole country stands united in our shock, in our condolences, and in our prayers.” The Wisconsin Republican said he had ordered “flags over the United States Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the victims of this tragedy”.
Shock, condolences, prayers and lowered flags. That should take care of it. It's always sufficed before.
The shooting came days before the House of Representatives was to consider legislation that would partially deregulate noise suppressors for firearms. The provision is part of the Share Act, a bill that would also remove restrictions on hunting and shooting on federal land.

The Share Act was first set for a hearing in June but that was delayed after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia injured five people including the Republican House majority whip, Steve Scalise.
Damn. Every time we try to loosen gun control, somebody shoots up the place.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

No comments: