The American people refuse to protect their children.

[Irish_Dem]

They love guns more than their kids.

The GOP will do anything to get the gun vote.

The murder of children is just collateral damage.

The GOP only cares about money and power.

The American people willingly go along with it.

[SheltieLover]

1. republiCONS do pootins bidding to their own detriment

[FalloutShelter]

2. Insanity

These are the forced birthers . They don’t give a shit about children… women… educators… workers.
They are misanthropes who only care about control.

[Renew Deal]

3. Now that's a broad brush

[AKwannabe]

4. Right?

General statement about the American people …saying we all don’t care. Very broad stroke!!

Lemme just run out and FIX IT!!
Be right back

[Irish_Dem]

7. Americans have failed to protect their children.

I am not taking about the their feelings, I am taking about their lack of adult behavior.

Adults typically protect their young.

Not in America.

Sad fact.

[leftstreet]

14. Nonsense. Electeds and law enforcement have

Parents aren't expected to go around testing water samples or grocery products for safety

[Irish_Dem]

5. The truth will set us free, but first it hurts like hell.

Prove me wrong.

Show me where:

1. Americans are taking steps to protect their children.
2. The GOP does not love guns more than kids.
3. The GOP does not use guns as a way to get votes.
4. The GOP is not more interested in wealth and power than the American people.
5. The American people are fighting back to enact gun laws, demanding safety for their kids.

Reality is a hard thing to face.

[sarisataka]

6. I vote Democrat

I think that checks your boxes.

[dickthegrouch]

9. I disagree, in part

Because we are all subject to the inanities enacted, or not, by whichever party is in charge at the time (or the effects of their SCrOTUS appointments, which amounts to the same thing), just you voting Democratic is not enough.

(Added on edit, I lost my train of thought)
Until we succeed in limiting gun sale, availability and use, we have ALL failed.

TSF did not win with an outright majority.

Until Dems win with an outright majority in both houses, and across the entire country, we'll never get a sane society in which people are dedicated to uplifting their neighbors rather than tearing them down in any way they can.

We all have to convince as many swing voters, and rethugs, as we can that their Democratic vote is essential to everyone's wellbeing. Game theory proves that cooperation is ALWAYS the best outcome eventually.

More checks and balances are needed, not less.

[sarisataka]

12. I only have one vote

I cannot singlehandedly change the election result.

But according to the OP that is irrelevant; if I don't change the country it is on me personally. Apparently, I am no different than the GOP... I love guns, hate children and am happy to see them killed.

[wnylib]

38. There are more ways than our votes to make Americans, especially our children,

safe from gun violence.

We can contact our representatives. In red areas, with Republican Representatives and Senators, we can get like-minded people together to picket their offices in protest. We can form local groups to discuss the guns issue in public forums, raising awareness of specific facts and statistics, and get agreement on solutions.

When we work at grass level organizing for gun laws and enforcement of them, we can create enough of a threat to the careers of gun lobby politicians about being voted out that they will act.

[sarisataka]

40. Done, done and done

But the OPs original lack of nuance and the doubling, tripling and quadruple down indicates we are all "criminally negligent", "criminally complicit" for gun violence. Also we are apparently guilty of "criminal child abuse and neglect".

[TomSlick]

25. Surely it is clear at this point that America loves its guns more than it loves its children.

If that was not true, something meaningful would have been done to protect our children.

[Irish_Dem]

8. I see Americans as criminally negligent.

They allow children to be in harm's way and refuse to protect them, causing their death.

This would be felony neglect if parents let this happen in a family setting.

[SheltieLover]

16. Absolutely correct!

But lawmakers can't offend the republiCONS.

And, although Democratic politicians try, the bottom line is that we don't protect our kids.

[Irish_Dem]

17. Bottom line: Americans refuse to protect their children.

Guns are more important than our children.

[SheltieLover]

18. Yup!

[TomSlick]

26. Yup.

[wnylib]

45. We can create pressure on RW legislators

to ban assault weapons, pass gun control and red flag laws by organizing grass roots level support for the legislation. Local groups can hold public information forums to inform people of statistics, medical damage to injured victims who survive, psychological damage to children and families, and costs to society. Discuss solutions. Picket RW legislators' offices.

Make it a popular movement and gain enough public support that legislators fear being voted out if they do not support legislation

[dickthegrouch]

10. As another expat Brit, I'm with you, Irish_Dem

In fact I'd go further:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19418889

[maxsolomon]

11. We unwillingly go along with it.

Because there are no other options - the Republican-packed courts have decided that this is how it's going to be, and they're actively making it more this way.

The 2nd Amendment is being interpreted as absolute.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Pretending to be helpless would not be a good defense in a court of law

when a parent refuses to protect their child from a known danger.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death.
Yet we refuse to protect our children.

This is democracy. Of course we have options.
We willfully refuse to use our options.

[maxsolomon]

15. Realistically appraising the situation isn't "pretending to be helpless".

Can you tell us how the tide is turned? Do I live to see it? I'm 60. I've got till 2054, hopefully.

Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Coney-Barrett could still be on the SCOTUS then.

[Irish_Dem]

19. The truth is we refuse to protect our children.

Protecting offspring is the major obligation of any species.

We flat out refuse to do it.

We are criminally complicit in the deaths.

If this happened in a family, the jury would not buy the "I am helpless" defense.

As long as we pretend to be helpless and sit on our hands the deaths will continue.

It is up to We The People.

I do not buy the BS excuses any more.

[maxsolomon]

20. I get that today's events are enraging you.

I am not criminally complicit in firearm deaths.

[TomSlick]

28. Appraising the situation is not pretending to be helpless.

Last edited Wed Sep 4, 2024, 10:41 PM - Edit history (2)

It is anticipatory helplessness.

If enough of the American people decided they love their children more than they love guns, the Second Amendment would be repealed.

[Irish_Dem]

35. Tom, I am calling it BS and excuse making.

It is not appraising, Tom.
Instead of navel gazing we need to do something.

All other species protect their young.
Except Americans.

Americans need to hang their heads in deep shame for what they are doing
to their children.

Guns are the leading cause of death for children.

We live in a democracy and vote in our leaders.
We vote in leaders who cause our children to be murdered in cold blood.

Can you tell I am pissed off and done listening to BS?

[TomSlick]

44. Perhaps I was unclear.

Anticipatory helplessness is not a virtue. It is refusing to try because the effort is difficult.

It is similar to Timothy Snyder's idea in "On Tyranny" of obeying in advance. The answer to gun violence is for Americans to vote like their children's and grandchildren's lives depend on it - because it does.

Yes, I can tell you're pissed off.

[Irish_Dem]

46. If people are not angry at the slaughter of American children

then we have lost our way.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a society which allows this to happen.

Yes exactly.

We live in a democracy, we can stop the gun violence but we choose not too.

[TomSlick]

53. Yes, we have lost our way. Our society is fundamentally flawed.

Too many Americans love guns more than they love children. Too many are perfectly content with kindergarten students having active shooter drills. Too many are fine with parents taking their children to school worry that their children will not come home again.

Our democracy is crippled by gun manufacturer's money and gerrymandering. It is possible to cure the disease but the rest of us need to demand change and then back up the demand with money, organization, a votes.

Here endeth the rant.

[Irish_Dem]

55. Righteous rant, well said.

There is a dark underbelly in our society that is terrifying.

I think it is even worse than you state.

I think the GOP loves the carnage.
They are sadists and get off on it.

They love violence, chaos, division.
The deaths of children mean nothing to them.

[maxsolomon]

51. Repealing the 2nd amendment would be the work of decades.

The tide is still going against that effort. FFS, just last week a judge said that bans on AUTOMATIC weapons were unconstitutional.

[TomSlick]

54. Yes, repealing the 2nd Amendment would be a heavy lift.

JFK said that the US should go to the moon not because it was easy but because it was hard. As Army folks say: The difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a little longer.

What we need are leaders who propose that we do difficult things and lead us to accomplish difficult things. I know such leaders. They are named Harris and Walz.

[Initech]

21. The fucking gall of Marjorie Shit For Brains offering thoughts and prayers is pretty low.

After all, this vile woman made a career out of harassing mass shooting victims.

[bdamomma]

22. Too many fucking guns

and are easy to get, what's a 14-year-old thinking to just kill students and teachers?????

They don't value life. And as far as having legislation to be put into place. it can be done. Our children are getting killed, and the GOP wants women as breeder's and more children will be killed for their sick agenda.

[Irish_Dem]

34. Yes Americans need to hang their heads in shame.

We refuse to be responsible and save our children.

All other species have more sense than Americans.

[Hekate]

23. Much too broad a brush.

[Irish_Dem]

33. All species except human Americans protect their young.

All species protect their offspring from aggressive behavior.
Look at the Mama Bear.

Americans send their kids to school and pretend to be helpless.

We should hang our heads in shame.

[sarisataka]

39. Your knowledge of biology is as lacking

As your brush is broad if you think infanticide and killing young is unique to humans, let alone just Americans.

[Sky Jewels]

43. The males of many species kill their young.

Sad but true.

[Irish_Dem]

47. Americans fit right in with this paradigm.

We should be so proud of ourselves.

[Elessar Zappa]

24. Some Americans.

I won’t take any blame because I vote for, donate to, and work for gun control advocates.

[Irish_Dem]

36. Our country regularly murders its children in cold blood.

Allows it to happen and does nothing about it.

Not much to be proud of in my book.

We are all to blame.

Pretending otherwise does not change the reality we murder our young in cold blood.

[Irish_Dem]

48. The strategy you outline is an abject failure.

I would not be proud of it.

If decades of this strategy have not worked, it is time for a new strategy.

[Dulcinea]

27. Maybe we could ban assault weapons instead of books.

Just a thought.

[Irish_Dem]

32. Americans refuse to do the responsible thing.

We keep sending their children into harm's way.

Yes it is easier to ban books than guns.

[bdamomma]

37. Exactly.

The Gun Lobby needs to kicked to the curb. Or dry up their resources.

[BrianTheEVGuy]

29. That's unfair

Ted Cruz Is coming up with a new school door control plan as I type this. It will totally work this time. Really. It will. What? It will!!!

[Generic Brad]

30. I disagree with this premise

The way I see it, a segment of America wants to endanger our children. That minority voice owns this and have consciously chosen a war of terror against the rest of us.

[Irish_Dem]

31. It is criminal child abuse and neglect.

Pretending to be helpless would not work in a court of law.
For parents who let their children be in harm's way when they know there was danger.

Prove me wrong. Americans are not protecting their children.

This is a democracy and We The People elect our leaders.

We allow minority rule.

As we watch our children being shot to ribbons we throw up our hands and do nothing.
Absolutely nothing.

We need to hang our heads in shame.

[orthoclad]

41. The US oligarchy refuses to protect OUR children

Most citizens want gun control. The plutocracy prefers chaos.

[Irish_Dem]

49. This is simply not true. It is a story we tell ourselves.

We live in a democracy, if people wanted to stop gun violence they would do so.
They would vote out leaders who like killing children.

They don't want to.

[orthoclad]

52. It will take a truly massive effort,

akin to the Civil Rights Movement, to over-rule the well-funded and well-organized chaos agents who have spent decades putting us in this position.

Propaganda: outlets glorifying our "right" to bear arms, much like the South fought for the "right" to own people. "Entertainment" exposing children to thousands of violent deaths and endless gore, and normalizing it.
Lawfare: The unelected Supreme Court justices placed in lifetime positions by, yes, elected leaders, who overrule local laws. I joined DU to write about the threat of the Extreme Court.
Callousness: we become inured to tragedies that happen over and over. One flavor of American exceptionalism.

Two things to follow: money and power. Arms manufacturers make a ton. Pols who are skilled at pushing the emotional hot buttons manufactured by propaganda (lawless hordes of coloreds and antifa coming for your town) get elected and build a power structure resulting in the current Extreme Court.

I don't advocate complacency in the face of power. I advocate engaging with the centers of destructive power. These centers of power cause a LOT of our problems, like climate change and inequality. They thrive on chaos. And death.

[Sky Jewels]

42. Yep. It's a sick, twisted, cruel, delusional, brainwashed country.

Yes, in general. Of course there are many exceptions. Etc.

[Irish_Dem]

50. An excellent and true statement SJ.

There is something fundamentally wrong with American society.

You should make your comment an OP.