Gabrielle Giffords; Number One with a Bullet

UPDATE: At the second Presidential debate this evening, the President came out in support of an assault weapons ban. In response, (gosh, gee and golly, Beave) Ward "Mittens" Cleaver-Romney promised us all a better life - just like that. And dances away from the fact that after he signed off on an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts he became a varmint hunter, joined the NRA and shackled himself to the Second Amendment zealots in his own party. Coward.

As he made his way down the House aisle, last January to deliver the annual State of the Union speech, President Obama paused to give Gabby Giffords a warm, lingering embrace and I cried. 

I thought back to January 8, 2011, yet another national day of horror, as we sat the story unfolded of Jared Lee Loughner, the solitary, mentally ill  man who lawfully purchased and concealed a 9 millimeter Glock pistol capable of firing 33 bullets that he then used to stalk Gabby Giffords before firing a bullet point blank into her brain, shoot and kill six others and wounding 13 more. 

I joined the national mourning for the dead; the innocent bystanders, housewives and retirees, the Federal Judge, the Campaign staffer and the symbol of hope, the nine year old girl, born of 9/11/01. 

I joined the search to place blame for the constant undercurrent of violence that inflames our national political rhetoric that conveniently pointed to Sarah Palin and her "Don’t retreat - reload" campaign.

I watched the riveting, prescient video clip of Rep. Giffords decrying Palin's use of that cross hairs target to symbolize the “urgency” of defeating Giffords’ reelection bid that led to the vadalizing of her campaign office months before the shootings. 

Reactions from the nations' leaders were eloquent, moving and hopeful. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) decried "this heinous, cowardly act". 

House Speaker John Boehner issued this statement, "I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff. An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."

Listening to our nation's “leaders”, many of whom knew, and, in some cases, cared for Gabby Giffords, impassioned denunciations of violence, I allowed myself a fleeting moment to believe there was hope for legislation to curb the ease with which virtually anyone – including every misfit - in this country can purchase, carry and ultimately use assault weapons as they see fit.

There were immediate calls for tighter restrictions on gun laws, specifically those limiting the sale of high capacity magazine clips and they seemed, as always, to make sense in a rational world.

Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), whose husband was killed and son severely wounded by Long Island Railroad mass murderer Colin Ferguson announced, once again, that she would introduce legislation to ban the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines to civilians.

Senator Chuck Schumer, also once again, urged a fresh look at gun control laws, including prohibiting the sale of high capacity magazines and prohibiting any person who had been rejected for military service due to drug use from owning a gun.

Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter T. King announced that he would introduce a bill to ban the carrying of firearms within 1,000 feet of certain federal officials.

But their calls were hushed and huddled, shoveled into tiny corners, never to see the light of the House floor. Then, Attorney General Eric Holder was slapped down for daring to suggest a limit on the size of ammunition clips.

And, once again, the message was clear: “Gabby, we love you, but we love our positions and illusory power more and we’ve already been bought and sold by the munitions manufacturers who will kill us, one and all, if we stand against them and their right to profiteer from marketing their killing machines. 

So, we bury the dead, turn away from the carnage and everything remains the same as it ever was.. 

Sorry Gabby, we love you, but after all, it’s life and life only. 

February, 2012

September 6, 2012 Democratic National Convention

UPDATE: Jared Lougner. Ring a bell? He is the man who shot former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head, leaving her half-blind and partially paralyzed, wounded 12 more and killed six including a Federal Judge and Christina Taylor Green, a 9 year old Face of Hope, born on 9/11.

Loughner was sentenced today to serve seven consecutive life sentences plus 140 years with no possibility of parole in a plea deal that spares him the death sentence. A court-appointed psychiatrist testified that while Mr. Loughner was competent to stand trial, he is mentally ill. His parents and most of the victims or their survivors were present in the court room, all of their lives shattered.

Since that day, there have been more mass killings including Colorado (twice) California, Michigan and more. The killings go on. If we pay any attention, it is for a day of so, depending on the notoriety and the number of dead and we have just completed an entire election cycle in which the issue of gun control was barely mentioned.

Meanwhile, last week, Hernon Manufacturing, one of the world's leading ammunition manufacturers, their profits threatened by the end of one war and the winding down of another, is targeting hunters with it's latest innovation - a shotgun that fires six thousand (6000!) bullets - all eco-friendly.

Every one of us is captive to this evil industry and it threatens to kill us all.