The gun-violence plague is evolving, dangerously

[Nevilledog]

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"The more guns are sold, the better the odds that someone we love will be behind that door," Marilynne Robinson writes in a guest opinion.

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Opinion | The gun-violence plague is evolving, dangerously
As the carnage grows, are we being trained to have no expectations of our government? This would be consistent with subversion of democracy.
7:29 AM · Jun 19, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/17/marilynne-robinson-gun-violence-plague-evolving-dangerously/

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https://archive.ph/7y3Xz

A young man with a powerful gun attacks a crowd of defenseless people. An interval of mourning is observed. Republicans wait for the outrage and disgust to ebb a little, then dismiss demands for legislative response as political. Worshipers of the Great God Gun tell us again that the terrible bereavements our people suffer are the price we pay for our freedom. And the apex apologists — Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, for example — say mild and unspecific things about mental health.

But in Uvalde, Tex., where 19 children and two teachers died, something was new, something that might mean the plague is evolving. Law enforcement stood around for an appallingly long time, allowing the shooter his rampage. Why would such a thing have happened?

The simplest explanation is that officers knew the shooter would have a great quantity of ammunition and assault-style weapons. They would know this because of the ritualized character of these mass murders and the utter laxity of all relevant laws.

However the issue might be debated in principle, they, like all police, were confronted with the fact that they had a lethal problem to deal with at great risk to themselves, the danger endlessly compounded by everything stupidity, corruption and paralysis could do to make this killer truly effective. Add to this that he was probably suicidal. It is no excuse for their inaction to say that we can reasonably expect to see more police afraid to act.

*snip*

[Dysfunctional]

1. As climate change gets worse so will the gun violence.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Yes, just wait until people are fighting over water.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Putin and the GOP want to show that democracy is a failed form of government.

They are displaying the rationale for dictatorship.

[LastDemocratInSC]

6. Wow, that's a powerful statement.

[Irish_Dem]

7. The GOP wants what Putin has:

total permanent power and access to all state financial assets.

The GOP understands that democracy cannot give them what they want. The GOP therefore has worked very hard, with the help of Putin, to destroy trust in the US government, destroy the election process, destroy government institutions. They create carnage with gun violence, create chaos, confusion with their relentless propaganda.

China and Russia have made no secret that they disdain democracy and see it as a weak and ineffectual form of government. They have also made it clear they will be the 21st century global superpowers.

Putin has spent a great deal of money and time installing his puppets in the US government.

[Irish_Dem]

8. Putin seems to delight in helping ridiculous, ignorant people get elected

to US office.

Look at Trump.

Look at some of the other buffoons holding federal office.
Where did their support and financing come from.

All to make our democracy look foolish.

[gulliver]

4. The base plague is unmastered emotionalism.

People have the sense that their emotions (affects) are their true selves. That's terrible. We're like fish swimming in a pond, and all around us is bait with treble hooks. Not a real worm in sight.

[krispos42]

5. The headline is factually incorrect

[SYFROYH]

9. But, but its a plaguq, worse yet an evolving plague.

Ban teh gunz.