Not only does everyone need to be aware of where the guns are, even somewhere like a rural carnival, women especially have concerns for our safety that many men do not. Of course, guns are indiscriminate when they go off. I like how Janet presents the extra concerns transwomen have, in addition to the general concerns of women going about in public.
Tag: Gun Control
From Janet:
Tenacious D’s Trump shocker
So, I enjoy Jack Black’s talent, however he applies it; he’s multi-talented. I’ve read headlines this week, and yesterday afternoon during a jog, I decided to read one of the stories about something the band Tenacious D said post-the Don shooting. I’m going to put it in here, just for general comment. I’ll add mine at the bottom. If you click through to the page, there are a couple of vids, and a photo or 2 I didn’t copy.
Tenacious D’s Trump shocker upends a career of perfectly judged musical comedy
Jack Black and Kyle Gass’s duo are on hiatus after an off-colour comment about the Trump shooting – a rare misstep after years of arena-filling antics
Is this the end of Jack Black’s spoof rock band Tenacious D? It could be, after his bandmate Kyle Gass’s comments on Sunday led his more famous partner to cancel their world tour and announce “all future creative plans are on hold”.
The band were midway through a show in Sydney when Black suggested his bandmate make a wish for his birthday. “Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass responded, apparently referring to the attempted assassination of the former US president the day before. Both have long been critical of Trump, but Black seems to have quickly realised the joke had crossed a line. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” he later said in a statement, claiming to have been “blindsided” by the comment.
For his part, the equally mortified Gass wrote: “The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened [the shooting] was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement.”
If this is indeed the end, it’s a sad and sorry demise for a partnership which always seemed to know exactly where to draw the line. Their shows may long have been littered with F-bombs, references to sexual deviancy, drug abuse, inflatable Satans and a parody of a power ballad titled Fuck Her Gently, but it’s always been in good fun and there’s never been anything actively, properly outrageous. Equally, as Gass’s comment about improvisation suggests, what makes this howler so out of character is that their stage routines are usually meticulously scripted with the same precision they bring to the visuals (giant robots, dragons and all) and the music.
Anyone who’s seen a Tenacious D show will know that they weren’t just a great spoof rock band, but a fantastic rock band in themselves. Partly, this was because, like This Is Spinal Tap, Black and Gass had a deep knowledge and indeed affection for the subject they were sending up.
Their gigantic rubber demon was based on 80s rocker Dio’s real-life 18ft dragon, Denzil. Their “sound crew solo” drily went “check, 1-2”. From Black’s operatic metal vocal to their exquisite guitar duelling, the musicianship has always been impeccable and while their songwriting wasn’t always as good, their best epic anthems could almost have been lost rock classics themselves (had they not been full of lyrics about beasts and farting). The masterful Tribute retold the meet-the-devil-at-the-crossroads myth so well they created the “greatest song in the world”, promptly forgetting how it went (hence the “tribute”). Such masterly, knowing tomfoolery enjoyed the respect of “real-life” peers from Beck to Pearl Jam. Dave Grohl was certainly in on the joke when the oft-called “nicest guy in rock” agreed to star as Satan in the video for Tribute, and then also the 2006 Tenacious D film The Pick of Destiny.
At the heart of their art was a deep, decades-long friendship between Black and Gass, which produced such wonderful chemistry onstage. Having met as struggling actors who formed the group in 1994 as a joke, before films such as High Fidelity or School of Rock turned Black into a superstar, their bond was strong enough to survive Black’s career upturn. The actor-singer once knowingly compared the duo to “Simon and Garfunkel and Black Sabbath mixed together” and indeed, just as Art Garfunkel’s voice needed Paul Simon’s songs and vice versa, Black’s comic timing benefited hugely from the classically trained Gass’s formidable abilities as a musician and comedic foil.
Their fortunes certainly waxed and waned – The Pick of Destiny flopped at the box office – but 2012 album Rize of the Fenix hit the US and UK Top 10 and this latest tour returned them to arenas around the world. On their recent British dates, audiences chanted “D!” and sang along with every word. One of the funniest bits was a sketch in which Gass dramatically “left the band”, leading Black to respond with a heartfelt ballad titled Dude (I Totally Miss You). Only time will tell whether the seemingly now genuinely estranged pair will get the band back together.
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So, first, I can easily see how this comment could escape a person’s head in that particular moment, aloud, before the person could get ahold of it. I’m not certain, though, because I’m not a popular performer, whether the additional exhilaration of performing would make it easier or more difficult to get ahold of a phrase than, say, me in a conversation with people who may or may not disagree with me. Obviously, as anti-gun as I am, it’s not something I’m going to say, and I don’t recall it occurring to me at the time of the shooting, even in the dark-humored part of me that does exist. But I’m not seeing why this is so bad for this band, really. They ought to do a few fundraisers for gun control/mass shooting locations/things like that, I think, but I’m not sure this is go-away-and-never-show-their-faces-again bad, especially since it was a single sentence, not a tirade, and there was an ASAP apology that seems sincere. Others’s mileage may vary, so let’s talk.
Jess Piper on current events
My heart wanted to fail back when now-AG Kobach was our Secretary of State. It was not at all boring! It seems that MO could be in for similar adventures. It’s vital to pay attention to all the races on the ballot. Everyone’s got their reasons for running, and it helps everyone when we know about those reasons. In addition, Jess has important words about gun violence.
On Political Intimidation
When the gun nuts run for office…
JUL 16, 2024
Let’s talk about a kind of boring state position…the Secretary of State.
Yawn, right?
Wrong. The race for this position should be as interesting as it sounds…a calm race to fill an important position. But it’s not. Not in Missouri and not in other GOP-dominated states.
What are the duties of a Secretary of State, and why should we pay attention?
The Secretary of State is the chief elections official in Missouri, bearing responsibility for the administration of statewide elections involving both issues and individuals, and oversees local verification of petition signatures for initiative petitions. The Secretary of State’s Commissions section authenticates official acts of the governor, and has the authority to appoint and commission notaries public.
That’s a very important position. It seems like the person in charge of the elections for the entire state should be serious and not bend toward extremism.
Let me introduce you to a few candidates for Missouri Secretary of State, but let me first remind you of Missouri politics and gun culture. From the Kansas City Star:
“Even when gun policy isn’t mentioned explicitly, the presence of firearms in political messaging has come to act as a kind of visual shorthand that can quickly signal pro-gun attitudes without a word.”
First up, Adam J. Schwadron of St. Charles. Here is his recent mailer to Missouri voters:
Adam Schwadron, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo, political mailer.
Adam looks as if he has a lot of big feelings as evidenced in the stickers and paint on his AR, but the point of the matter? Why did he send this mailer out to Missouri voters? What message is he creating by holding an AR while seeking the position of Secretary of State? What is an AR meant to convey about voting systems and fair elections and constituent petitions?
What would it feel like as a constituent to deliver a petition to a man you know feels comfortable enough to take and send pictures shooting an AR?
Adam looks absolutely menacing holding the AR. I can’t help but feel that this is meant to convey intimidation. It can be scary to receive a mailer from a current Missouri lawmaker, running for higher office, pointing a high-powered gun at an unknown target. I’m not sure why his campaign thought this imagery appropriate?
Yes, I do…because others are doing it.
Meet Senator Denny Hoskins, who is also running for Missouri Secretary of State as a Republican. Denny has a long history of gun fanaticism.
From April 2024:
The Missouri Senate is considering an anti-red flag law proposal. The bill would prevent guns from being taken away from anyone because of a court order or protection order. Senator Denny Hoskins introduced the bill and called it the Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act.
Denny has opposed efforts to reduce gun violence through legislation like red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to temporarily take the weapons of people who a court has decided are at risk of harming themselves or others. It’s no surprise that he would included guns in his campaign for the Secretary of State, but it is no less grotesque.
Senator Denny Hoskins is not in the photo above, but he was more than happy to post the picture on his Facebook feed. The woman standing next to Hoskins’s sign is holding a rifle with a silencer and scope.
A few days later, on July 15, just two days after the shooting at the Pennsylvania Trump rally, Sen Denny Hoskins posted the photo below. In the photo, Denny is holding an AR. The Pennsylvania shooter used an AR to kill one person and wound others, including the former President.
Denny Hoskins, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo: Screenshot, Facebook
I thought the Republicans were calling for the temperature to be turned down after the rally tragedy?
I have saved the best for last…well, the worst. The very worst. Meet Valentina Gomez. In a statement, Gomez said she would deploy the National Guard to oversee Missouri voting.
Valentina Gomez, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo: Screenshot X
Gomez has filed for the SOS position, but I don’t think she has any plans to actually try to win the position. I haven’t quite been able to figure out what she’s up to, but she is using hyperbole and extremism along with assault-style guns to make her points. She seems unhinged in most of her statements…many of these statements also have nothing to do with the office she is running for. She loves rage-baiting.
She has used a homemade flamethrower to burn books stating, “When I’m Secretary of State, I will burn all the books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First.”
Gomez also uploaded a strange video in which she is running through the suburbs with a vest with a flag decal that gives the impression that she is current military or a veteran — she is neither. She states, “In America, you can be anything you want,” and continues with, “So don’t be weak and gay,” “Stay f-cking hard.”
The video has since been removed, but another is still up on Twitter. It was posted just hours before the July 13 Trump rally shooting. You can find it here. In the video, Gomez references JK Rowling and offers to take her to a shooting range before firing off several rounds at an unknown target.
But why? Why would three separate candidates for Missouri Secretary of State send out such violent messages to the voters in my state?
Fearmongering. To stir up hate and discontent. To represent authoritarianism. To showcase an illiberal democracy.
These candidates are following the gun lobby’s playbook — they are leveraging the demagogue’s playbook. They are attempting to manipulate voters, or in the very least, intimidate voters.
We can counter this gun extremism by not voting for the folks who push it on us. We can stand against gun violence and demand better gun legislation. We can elect lawmakers who will pass common sense gun laws that will protect constituents.
A little of that common sense would go pretty far in Missouri. Especially in the race for Secretary of State.
Gun nuts need not apply.
~Jess
A Substack by Charlotte Clymer
Control Guns, Not Girls
It’s that simple.
JUL 15, 2024
Last week, at his NATO Summit press conference, President Biden, in the midst of consistently demonstrating a widely-praised command of foreign policy issues, went on a small diatribe about gun violence, which included this memorable phrase:
“Control guns, not girls”
It was immediately resonant, drawing acclaim from many quarters. It’s the kind of simple yet powerful slogan that can propel a campaign into history. I was so taken with it that I launched a t-shirt campaign the following day; we’ve already sold more than 300. (Purchase yours here: https://www.bonfire.com/controlgunsnotgirls/)
Full video of the President’s remarks are below (the gun reform portion starts at 2:20):
The President has a history of making prescient remarks; anyone remember the USA Today op-ed he wrote on the threat of COVID in early 2020, just six weeks before the shutdown?
Two days after this presser, a 20 year-old gunman used an AR-15-style rifle purchased by his father to fire eight rounds at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One round went through the upper part of Trump’s right ear, while other shots critically wounded two audience members behind him and killed a third: 50 year-old Corey Comperatore, who was shielding his two daughters from the gunfire.
I want to quickly point out that I can’t imagine being the family of Mr. Comperatore and hearing elected officials like Sen. Marco Rubio claim that God saved Donald Trump, the implication being that those wounded and killed in senseless acts of gun violence were forgotten by God.
That’s not faith. That’s warping and exploiting the love of God for cultish ends.
This horrific tragedy should never have happened. No civilian should be able to purchase an AR-15-style rifle, a weapon of war, but moreover, if we treated firearms with respect in this country, there would be comprehensive safety, licensing, and registration regulations similar to those we have for cars.
In the aftermath, every major Democratic leader in the country immediately condemned this act of cowardice. The President—in addition to delivering an immediate on-camera statement—called Trump to offer support, assembled federal resources to investigate the tragedy, and gave a moving national address from the Oval Office demanding a wholesale rejection of political violence.
Meanwhile, a number of Republican elected officials and pundits chose to politicize the tragedy while the victims were still being helped. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio—Trump’s likely running mate—immediately blamed the assassination attempt on President Biden. Congressman Mike Collins (GA-10) histrionically claimed that Pres. Biden “sent the orders” for Trump to be assassinated.
I find this fascinating given that the only incendiary rhetoric literally calling for political violence has been from the Republican Party, particularly in the past few months.
Like Kevin D. Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind the unabashedly fascist Project 2025, who said, two weeks ago, that the country “is in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”
“Bloodless.”
That same week, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor who’s been endorsed by Trump, told a church congregation that “some folks need killing” and that “Some liberal somewhere is gonna say that sounds awful. Too bad. Get mad at me if you want to. Some folks need killing. It’s time for someday to say it. It’s not a matter of vengeance. It’s not a matter of being mean or spiteful. It’s a matter of necessity.”
Or how about last year when numerous Republican Members of Congress started wearing AR-15 pins on their suits while at the Capitol, handed out by Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, who owns a stake in the company that sells them.
The AR-15 and its variants are responsible for most of the mass shootings that have become some of the most tragic markers on the American psyche in recent memory: Sandy Hook, Uvalde, Route 91 Harvest Festival, among others, and, of course, this past weekend’s assassination attempt on Trump and the murder of Mr. Comperatore.
There is only one major political party using and condoning and enabling violent rhetoric. Just one. It’s the Republican Party.
Don’t let any political journalist or outlet opine about politicization while they fail to hold accountable the GOP’s horrific rhetoric. Don’t let them shame you into ignoring this appalling double standard.
Control guns, not girls.
Some readding I have done over the day or more. Some are short, some longer. I found all of them interesting, look at the last one.
Authorities: Teens charged in trespassing case were in ‘planning stage of school shooting’
5VIEW ALL PHOTOSWestmont school shooting plot suspects: Logan Pringle, 17 (left) & Preston Hinebaugh, 16 (right)Authorities have provided new details about the investigation into the Westmont Hilltop High School trespassing incident, which they are now calling an alleged school shooting plot.
Investigators say as a result of subsequent search warrants, a total of five AR-15 style firearms, a rifle, a shotgun and additional ammunition were seized from the home of 16-year-old Preston Hinebaugh.
Police also confirmed that they can prove that Hinebaugh had “access and control to at least two of the weapons at different points in time.”
Upper Yoder police chief Don Hess stressed to 6 News that the other teenager being charged, 17-year-old Logan Pringle, was not allowed to be on Westmont school property due to a prior threat in which he “threatened to shoot up the school,” and was expelled from the district.
A criminal affidavit states that Pringle had a past history of threats and “dangerous actions” towards the school district, including lighting a carpet on fire and bringing fireworks to the school in January of 2018, as well as the prior shooting threat.
According to the criminal complaint, Pringle gained access to Westmont Hilltop High School on Tuesday after Hinebaugh let him through the front door of the building, without any staff noticing.
Authorities say surveillance video shows the pair wandering the halls of the school and observing camera locations throughout the building.
Chief Hess noted that all investigating agencies believe that the two teens were in the “planning phase of a school shooting.”
Pringle reportedly told police in an interview that he “didn’t think it would be that easy to get back into the school,” but said that he left the building through a side door near the gymnasium because he thought he would be caught.
Hinebaugh also told police in an interview that Pringle was “obsessed” with guns and had previously made firearm parts while attending a local vocational school.
During the course of the investigation, police also noted that just days prior to the “security breach,” Pringle used a computer at his school to research information on guns, specifically AR-15 style weapons.
Both teens are being held at Cambria County Prison and have preliminary hearings scheduled for Dec. 20.
Pringle’s bail was set at $250,000 while Hinebaugh’s was set at $400,000.
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ORIGINAL:
Two teenagers have been charged as adults with multiple felonies, including Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, related to an investigation of an unauthorized person gaining access to Westmont Hilltop High School on Tuesday.
Logan J. Pringle, 17, of Conemaugh Township, Somerset County, has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault, and Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault, according to a release from Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer released to Westmont Hilltop parents Saturday morning.
Also, Preston R. Hinebaugh, 16, of Upper Yoder Township has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Trespass, and Possession of Firearm by a Minor, according to Neugebauer’s release.
Both defendants were taken into custody without incident and are currently in the Cambria County Prison awaiting preliminary arraignment, according to the release.
ORIGINAL STORY | Warrant: Police seize AR-15 during investigation into Westmont trespassing incident
Neugebauer said “an alarmed parent” alerted the school to the security breach.
“Recent events, including this one, must serve as a reminder that we all should remain alert to protect ourselves and those around us,” Neugebauer said. “All threats to the safety of our schools and institutions will be thoroughly and swiftly investigated, and all incidents will be taken seriously.”
Police said in a search warrant obtained by 6 News from the office of Magisterial District Judge Susan M. Gindlesperger on Friday that an AR-15 style firearm was found in Hinebaugh’s home. Authorities say the boy admitted to possessing the weapon, without his parents’ knowledge, during a police interview.
Police said they found the weapon in Hinebaugh’s bedroom, along with ammunition and other firearm-related accessories.
Westmont Hilltop Superintendent Thomas Mitchell said Thursday that students and employees were not in danger. “Each time we are confronted with student behavior that requires police intervention, it is an opportunity for the school administration to refine its approach and quicken its response to improve the safety of all students and employees,” he said in a statement.
Neugebauer said the FBI has joined the investigation along with the Department of Homeland Security, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Greg Neugebauer also added that, ” I do believe tragedy was prevented.”
Scottie's Playtime 