a few common topics in the media, reframed

[unblock]

***guns***:

the right-wing loves to muddy the waters by lumping all projectile weapons together and calling them "guns" and then talking about the second amendment and acting as if any attempt to stop school shootings is identical to a zero guns in america policy.

we need to distinguish between weapons for home defense and hunting, vs. weapons for mass killings.

so, we should call those weapons suitable for mass murders "STUDENT-KILLING MACHINES" and when the right wing mentions the second amendment in defense of STUDENT-KILLING MACHINES, we should say they're supporting MASS MURDERERS' RIGHTS.

we are not proposing to take away handguns for home defense and hunting rifles. if they claim that they need an AR-15 to hunt, then we need to mock their hunting abilities. yeah, you need an AR-15 to hunt deer because you're a lousy shot and need a ton of bullets to hit your target. and hey, the best part of eating venison is repeatedly chipping your teeth on all the bullets because who knows how many you're going to find after they've been shot up with an AR-15.

point is, we need terminology to focus on the weapons used in mass murders, to distinguish them from the weapons that have more support.


***black lives matter, etc.***:

with black lives matter, colin kaepernick, defund the police, every protest march, etc., the topic in the media is *always* whether or not black people are protesting legitimately, legally, and respectfully. gee, are they disrespecting the police? don't "all" lives matter", oh my, during the national anthem? did any windows get broken?

the media loves to debate this because it keeps us from ever even getting to the actual issue:

GOVERNMENT AGENTS ARE KILLING AMERICANS

there it is. the police are agents of the government, and in all these encounters where they kill innocent people or people whose only crime is a possible traffic misdemeanor, that's GOVERNMENT AGENTS KILLING AMERICANS.

so first off, all those gun nuts who claim they have guns to prevent government tyrrany can screw themselves all the way up, because for some reason they're nowhere to be found when GOVERNMENT AGENTS ARE KILLING AMERICANS.

once we emphasize the seriousness of the matter and, while i don't want to obscure that this is happening disproportionately to black people (and the certainly needs to remain a key part of the conversation), we do need to point out that this is happening to AMERICANS so everyone feel connected and invested in what happens to the person getting shot.

in this context, the right wing complaints about HOW black americans are protesting looks ridiculously petty, as it should be. colin kaepernick quietly kneels to call attention to the fact that GOVERNMENT AGENTS ARE KILLING AMERICANS and people are compaining, whoa, whoa, don't talk to me about that stuff during the national anthem? would they object to interrupting the national anthem to note that the stadium was on fire or any other emergency situation?


***abortion***:

forcing someone to carry a baby against their will is a form of slavery. no, it's not the all-encompassing human ownership type of slavery this country had until the 13th amendment was passed, but yeah, it's a form of slavery, or at least indentured servitude.

preventing someone from having an abortion means the government is commandeering her body and placing it in servitude of the fetus. the pregnant woman's life is not her own. there is a long list of things she must do or cannot do; she may suffer physical, hormonal, emotional, and psychological trauma; she may risk medical complications such as diabetes, sepsis, etc.; and last but not least, there is no such thing as a 100% safe pregnancy. ANY pregnancy has a risk of major complications causing problems up to and including death.

a pregnancy may also interfere with a woman's social life; romantic relationships; ability to study, work or travel; engage in certain activities, etc.

it is a major undertaking and for the government to say we will force you to do this against your will is PREGNANCY SLAVERY.


another tie-in to the gun issue is, when they say "but but but, the fetus is a human beeeeeing!" well, hey, if a fully grown human being was all up in *your* internal organs, would you have the right to shoot them, or at least remove them from your body?
ffs, you have the right to kill any human being you don't want in your house, even if they're several feet away from your internal organs, and they don't have to be there for half a second, never mind 40 weeks.


***"democratic scandals"****

next "scandal" they bring up involving a democrat, we need to say, we're a responsible party and we will look into any legitimate concern about ethics, propriety, or legality. however, we won't republicans have ZERO CREDIBILITY on such matters. they repeatedly make up and over-exaggerate scandals, including simply lying about voter fraud, pedophile rings, murders, and on and on. they have ZERO CREDIBILITY and the media needs to COMPLETELY IGNORE republicans. they have NOTHING TO ADD to the conversation because all they do is add baseless lies. the media needs to STOP BEING SO GULLIBLE and refuse to give republicans the time of day when they try to smear democrats.


***voter fraud***

republicans are SORE LOSERS who LIE AND MAKE UP EXCUSES when they lose elections. the right wing claims about millions of illegitimate ballots and stolen elections are CLAIMS THEY MADE UP and later made a half-hearted effort to find evidence to support, and failed miserably. the media needs to report that the CLAIMS WERE COMPLETELY MADE UP.


***january 6***

it was a failed COUP ATTEMPT. just stop with any hedging. wtf does anyone who could possible call themselves a journalist think a failed coup attempt looks like if not... exactly what happened? breaking and entering the capitol smashing doors and windows, ransacking and looting and vandalizing while searching for congresspeople, trying to "stop the steal" at the behest of the losing candidate who was about to be formally deemed the loser and wanted a different result. the people who did it and orchestrated it are TRAITORS.

and anyone defending their actions, or interfering with the investigations is giving AID AND COMFORT TO TRAITORS.

[TigressDem]

1. FIRST OF ALL --- YES!!!

It's a long read, but I already found SOMETHING I LIKE!!

when the right wing mentions the second amendment in defense of STUDENT-KILLING MACHINES, we should say they're supporting MASS MURDERERS' RIGHTS.

DING! DING! DING!


THAT'S A WINNER!!

[TigressDem]

2. However... the defense I have heard for AR-15 is Coyotes... dealing with a pack animal.

SO even in that case, I tell them that a standard CLIP is 10 and the kind of MAGAZINE the kid had in Texas can hold like 100 rounds and is overkill.

I guess I can see in a situation where a person has to stand alone against a pack it would help to not have to reload, but 10 shots should get you 2-7 animals.


The MAIN problem with these INSANE MAGAZINE sizes is that it prevents law enforcement from helping.

[thucythucy]

5. Yeah, coyotes, right.

I guess I've missed all the news accounts of hundreds of people being mauled by coyotes. Because there's nothing that coyotes like more than to prowl the streets of our cities looking for people bereft of assault weapons to swarm.

Point of information: I googled "coyote attacks" and found that since 1981 there have been TWO fatal coyote attacks in all of North America--one in Canada, one in the US. And according to Wikipedia coyotes aren't prone to attack in packs.

As for non-fatal attacks, there's what I presume to be a full listing here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_attack

They need assault weapons with mega clips for protection against coyotes? Nope. Just more BS from those desperate for unlimited access to their toys.

[TigressDem]

7. Yeah, I think they need to have special permits even then.

Just saying that has been the "excuse" I heard.

Well, they might say, "Guess we have been able to handle it, then."


A clip of 10 bullets? Might be reasonable in some situations.


A MAGAZINE of 30-100 or more? Military application, not for citizen needs. Obviously.


Reason it makes a difference. There have been rifles since 1907 that have clips holding 10 rounds and they weren't a problem. So to me that makes it a historical reference. They want us all to be in the founders shoes and knickers? They can stick to 10 round clips.

Just saying.

[TigressDem]

3. Yes, Black Lives Matter. John 3:16 For God so loved the World....

GOD does not make exceptions based on color, so neither do I.


POLICE are GOVT representatives and they are KILLING AMERICANS. Period.


Yeah. Anyone who worries about too much government has to think about that.


People who are white didn't get to choose that. What if you had been born black? Would that make it right for someone to kill you in the street for passing a fake $20 bill? Even if you gave the store back the purchased item once you knew the bill was bad?

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Recommended (nt)

[TigressDem]

6. Abortion is a tough one.

I am almost more wondering about getting more agreement on at least birth control and D and C for rape.

Even the Catholic Church allows people to use the rhythm method to plan, so there should be no problem with early birth control.
Then in the months when miscarriages are common, it could be looked at as natural timing and as long as it isn't late term abortion, there should be some area to agree.

BUT TO DEMAND THAT EVERY CHILD BE BORN is to be MORE POWERFUL than GOD is what I would say as God allows free will and even Jesus did ASK that the Cup he was about to drink might be taken from Him. It wasn't so He followed through, but if even Jesus might ask that He not have to do something that could lead to His death, maybe the rest of us might not be seen as so weak if we want to pass on parenting until we are ready for it.

[Freddie]

13. The writer's reasons are the exact ones I use about the topic

Pregnancy and childbirth are physically dangerous, occasionally fatal. It’s something to be borne WILLINGLY. Forcing a woman to endure this against her will is (no offense please) equivalent to slow-motion rape. We are not involuntary brood mares. That is the argument.

[TigressDem]

15. And that is valid. When women WANT a pregnancy they will give their lives if needed for the child.

However, what I have tried to do is back it up further and try to get agreement in the earlier stages so we don't even NEED late term abortions. They aren't the best answer for birth control anyway and a lot of stress on the woman too.

Standard birth control knocks out the sperm and kicks that moment of conception to the curb. It's a SOLID NO.

And to me, women being able to say NO begins before intercourse starts.

Morning after pill and rape d and c are next best options.

I AM Pro Life and Pro Choice.

As in I believe in allowing life to flourish when it can and making hard choices when need be.

IF someone can allow a child to be born and give it up, I see that as an act of love and sacrifice. Can everyone rise to that level of disrupting their life for a baby? No. But I do support those that can.

I simply want women to have ALL their options on the table and would prefer late term abortions to be the last choice, not a plan.

[Freddie]

17. NO ONE has a late term abortion for "birth control"!

These are tragedies. The baby has a name. The room is decorated. The crib is ready. And then something goes horribly wrong. A devastating abnormality that was not able to be diagnosed earlier. Or the woman has placenta previa, HELPP syndrome, or any of the other complications of pregnancy and she will die or be seriously injured if not treated NOW.
A good friend of mine is an OB physician, specializing in high-risk pregnancies. She is a devout Catholic, and fiercely pro-choice. Because she’s seen what can happen, knows how fast emergencies can become fatalities in that field. And as a doctor, she doesn’t want her hands tied by politicians second-guessing best MEDICAL practices. Or worse, threatening doctors with arrests and loss of livelihood if they deviate from ridiculous laws that have no basis in medical reality.

[TigressDem]

18. What you and I might reasonable call "late term" is not what Pro Life calls "late term"

And what you describe is a miscarriage ending in a loss of the fetus/baby.

It seems to me I have read that Pro Lifers believe life begins as conception. And the lines they are drawing as "late term" abortion are much earlier than what is the legal definition in most areas.

I have heard the heart beat begins at 21 days which is also about the earliest a person can take a pregnancy test with any confidence of accuracy.

It's all pretty convoluted. No doubt your Doctor friend is having a hard time navigating these rapidly devolving laws.

[TigressDem]

8. DEMs police our own. Rethugs will re-elect felons as needed. No comparison. Yup. nt

[TigressDem]

9. Voter Fraud. NO EVIDENCE of massive fraud IN COURT -- OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Onsie twosie and often it wasn't DEMS anyway.

NEVER BROUGHT ENOUGH EVIDENCE that would overturn any election. BUT that isn't what they said outside the courtroom. They have whole media and social propaganda fleet churning out fake videos.

IF they watched the actual court evidence hearings and saw them say, we have this and the judge saying, "That isn't enough to change the results. It's basically within the margin for error." The lawyers agreed and left. But went outside and still LIED about it.

[unblock]

14. totally agreed. most voter fraud is one vote here, one vote there. nowhere near enough to matter.

it's like the flag-burning crap from the 1988 campaign. 4 incidents a year across the entire country but somehow the right-wing made it a major issue in the election. no matter is too small if it helps them, and real problems are meaningless according to them if it's a topic that helps us.


i think the order of events is important. it's notable that donnie complained the election was stolen first, and then went out looking for evidence of it. this is not what responsible people do when there's actual problems. they accept the result, then become aware of evidence of problems, and only then do they say hey wait a minute. then they launch a full investigation.

what donnie did was exactly what a cheating loser does. refuse to accept the results as legitimate simply because he doesn't like the outcome, and make up an excuse to explain how the results must be, somehow, be "wrong".

[TigressDem]

16. And from their memos, it was the plan to claim they won, regardless of the numbers...

[TigressDem]

10. Jan 6th Coup Attempt. Attempted TREASON. Attempted assassignation of VP Pence.

THE TRUTH IS COMING OUT ABOUT HOW MUCH WAS PLANNED IN ADVANCE and how tRump even said, "Maybe Pence should die."

TREASON. Penalty can be death.


ARE THEY SURE they want to give AID AND COMFORT TO TRAITORS?


Yeah. I like it a lot.

[TigressDem]

11. EXCELLENT!!! K & R

[Ohio Joe]

12. A good read, I agree on all points

Well said