DeSantis Ignores Domestic Gun Violence as He Targets Immigrants

 By Mildred Robertson

A recent headline in the New Yorker reads: "Ron DeSantis warns ‘There’s going to be a terrorist attack’ in the US from someone illegally entering the country." It strikes me as curious that DeSantis has nothing to say about the numerous terrorist attacks America endures on a regular basis as a result of domestic gun violence. 

Just in 2023, America has endured mass shootings perpetrated by domestic offenders such as the:

•  Lewiston shootings where 18 were killed, and 13 injured. 
• Trabuco Canyon shooting at the Cook's Corner bar, where three were killed, and five wounded. 
• Baltimore shooting where 2 were killed and 28 were injured in South Baltimore.
• Monterey Park shooting where 11 were killed and 9 injured after a gunman opened fire at a dance studio in Monterey Park after a Chinese New Year. 
• Dadeville shooting where gunmen opened fire at a birthday party, killing 4 and injuring 32 others. 
  

Approximately 266 people have been killed or injured in mass shootings in America from January 2023 through October 25, 2023. And that does not include the random acts of violence where an individual is killed, or the body count is low.   

But Republicans like Ron DeSantis won't acknowledge domestic terrorism and the source of terror...guns of war flowing freely on the streets of America. Nor do they acknowledge the accidental shootings or crimes of passion arising from guns being prolific in the homes of Americans.

Needless to say, DeSantis and other far-right Republicans do not include January 6th insurrectionists among feared terrorists, nor do they place domestic terrorists arising from neo-Nazi organizations among those who threaten our tranquility. 

So, it appears it is not the violence that he fears, but the brown people who might immigrate here.  We must focus on our gun laws here in America that allow folks next door to wreak terror in the streets. Let's stop the almost daily incidents of gun violence in America by AMERICANS.  Let's call it American-on-American crime. Why don't we try to stop that!

Ron DeSantis Flustered as He's Confronted on Florida's Gun Deaths (msn.com)

Congress STOP Performative Politics: Get Back to Business

By: Mildred Robertson

A recently published Newsweek story covered the efforts of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib, (D-MI) who is Muslim, of anti-Jewish and anti-American rhetoric. She introduced a resolution on the House floor on Thursday to censure Tlaib for comments related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Freshman Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) played tit-for-tat by introducing a resolution to censure Greene for her use of "Islamophobic" rhetoric.

OMG...Legislate y'all! There are too many REAL issues facing this country for this petty bickering.

Do I agree MGT needs to be censured...absolutely, but in the scheme of things it's relatively irrelevant. Her censure or that of Tlaib would do nothing to help the economy, feed the hungry, end war, reduce the cost of medicine, care for the elderly and children, address a distressed economy, safeguard the country against insurrectionists, provide universal healthcare, decrease gun violence, improve a failing education system...and I could go on and on about the REAL challenges this country faces.

We should not overlook the fact that one of the first acts of the newly minted Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) was to allow Greene to bring this ridiculous resolution to the floor of the House when so many other pressing issues face this Congress and our nation. It does not bode well for any hope for bipartisan governance in the near future. We must wonder whether this Congress can pass much-needed legislation to fund the government and address international issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Palestine.

I want my legislators to LEGISLATE. Is that too much to ask? I understand Balint's desire to respond to MGT's ridiculousness, but please, don't rise to the bait. LEGISLATE.

Our nation teeters on the brink of destruction. It is up to our elected officials to pass legislation that will strengthen our economy, address social challenges, and safeguard us from attacks on our democracy. If Republicans won't get back to business, Democrats MUST.

Republicans Turn Congress Into a Circus

 By Mildred Robertson

Well, four down and 221 to go. That's how many Republicans are in the U.S. House of Representatives. And we may have to go through all 221 in order to get a Speaker of the House. Nealy three weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House Speaker, the House languishes rudderless as infighting among Republicans has brought the governance of this country to a standstill. Without a Speaker, the House can do no legislative work, including averting a government shutdown in a little over a month. 

But even with this looming national crisis Republican legislators can't get on the same page as they battle it out to see who will lead the Republican majority. They have already gone through Steve Scalise, (R-LA) Jim Jordan, (R-OH), and Tom Emmer, (R-MN) with only Jordan going to the floor to face defeat three times, losing more votes at each round. With more and more Republicans jumping out of the clown car to throw their hats in the ring, we appear to be no closer to resolution than when McCarthy was ousted on October 3rd. 

It appears the factions in the Republican delegation have devolved to the point that they are no longer one entity. It seems we now have a three-party government with a unified Democratic Party, while  Republicans morph into two distinct parties. These two factions, a radical right-wing and a semi-moderate middle, hold no common values. Throw into this mix a thrice impeached, four-time indicted former president struggling to maintain a grip on power and suddenly you are viewing the greatest show on earth; a three-ring-circus posing as a governing body of the most powerful country on earth. 

So who is the next up on deck? Well, it appears Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA), will be presented as the Speaker Designate today, Wednesday, October 25th...but the day is young. Who knows what entertainment may yet be in store for us as the circus continues.  This 2nd term legislator represents Louisiana's fourth congressional district. A Trump ally, Johnson vociferously supported Trump's efforts to overthrow the 2022 election results. Trump, who still wields enormous power over the Republican legislators in the House, quashed Emmer's efforts to win the seat.

As we waste yet another day as Republicans continue their battle to seat a Speaker, it makes one wonder how they will be able to manage the hard task of governing when they have struggled so mightily to select a leader of their caucus. If they cannot pick a leader...if their members refuse to be led, how can they possibly govern? 

And if the House cannot function adequately to provide us sound government; where does that leave the rest of America? This circus may in fact be a horror show. In the end, it is America that will be the victim.