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Republicans Are Trying To Repeal Obamacare In Secret Jun. 14, 2017 2:54 pm
By Thom Hartmann A... Mitch McConnell and company are trying to destroy Obamacare in secret -- and Senate Democrats look like they're going to roll over and let it happen.

They talk an awful lot about "Resistance" - but are Senate Democrats doing enough to stop Republicans from repealing Obamacare?

In a move that is shockingly anti-democratic even for the GOP - Senate Republicans are trying to repeal Obamacare in secret.

And I mean literally - in secret.

Right now they are working behind closed doors on a healthcare bill that they want the entire Senate to vote on as soon as July 4.

This bill could cause 23 million people to lose their health insurance - but Republicans are refusing to release it to the public - and they don't plan on holding any hearings.

Why all the secrecy?

Because Republicans know that if the American people actually got a chance to see what's in their healthcare bill - they'd bring out the pitchforks.

As one GOP aide told Axios "We aren't stupid".

Republicans spent 6 years throwing a hissy fit about how Obamacare was passed, and this is how they plan on passing a bill that could force 23 million people to lose their health insurance? And why aren't Democrats doing more to stop them?


With 52 votes and reconciliation they can do what they want. After the Congress vote it is obvious that they have no care about how many die, go bankrupt or lose health insurance. It is all about making the 1% wealthier. Note that I say wealthier and not wealthy. They are all ready insanely rich.

Todays shooting was terrible. The worse part was when I heard it was a Bernie supporter. A person with a criminal background of violence. How did he get these weapons that are only meant for killing people. Loose gun laws. The worse report on it that I saw was when a news announcer said "we do not even know if he has mental issues". Anyone that is firing a semi automatic weapon in a park at people has "mental issues". The next worse thing I saw was Newt Ginrich and other Republicans blaming it on the left. Did Democrats blame the right when Gabby Giffords was shot? No it was a mental nut case. I think the Republicans don't care what Joe Sixpac thinks. How else do you explain their shameless behavior?

Their main objective in repealing Obamacare is to get rid of the surtax on people making over $200,000 to subsidize insurance premiums for the poor. So how then will the poor be able to afford insurance premiums? The answer to let the insuranace companies reduce the coverage so they can reduce the premiums. That's what the Republicans mean when they say the public will have more choices.

- - - and for that matter, the talk that all Americans will have "access" to health insuranace regardless of pre-existing conditions is double talk. Well, we all have "access" right now, so long as we have a check book. Trump used to say we'll all have health insurance, now he says we'll all have "access" to health insurance. Today's shooting is probably just the first of many to follow. 'We The People' are fed up with Repugnican kowtowing to the rich and spiting on the poor. There are many who are willing, and able, to resort to violence. But then, isn't that how this country was created?

Sadly, Repugnicans are never going to recognize the cause of the fury of 'We The People'; they'll just double-down on violating our Constitutional rights and destroying Democracy.

R.I.P. U.S.A.

Stecoop01, I very much so hope that you are wrong. Democrats, Progressives and Liberals change things Democratically at the voting stations. Not with violence. The Republicans are responsible for making this a gun obsessed country. Why arn't the Dems doing more? Could they be using the Repub tactic of letting the healt care fail and then reap big in 2018?

They do not have enough votes. I am madder than hell about how the Republican Senate is handling the health care bill. They have forgotten that they work for us, not the other way around. I think the whole damn bunch of them should be impeached, especially Mitch McConnell.

You know that democracy is dead in this country when the majority party in Congress consistently ignores the voice of the people and places party ideology ahead of the will of the people. Only 17% of the population supports the so-called Republican health care bill. Why aren't these white males listening to We the People? We all know that it is because they are bought and owned by the 1%. It is time for Bernie's nonviolent revolution. It is time to take to the streets and demand change and it is time for a general strike.

Trump has got to go. Congress needs to be swept clean. The billionaire class needs to pay their fair share in taxes.

We need to unite the underprivileged in this country -- black, white, poor, laborers, etc. -- to fight for their rights and to check and reign in the power of the overprivileged.

Sorry Garth but the voters in Kentucky selected Mitch McConnell. They voted to screw themselves. Until we get the Democrats out and vote this is what is going to happen. Wakle up America. The Republican Party only supports the 1%.

The Democratic Party feeds from the same corporate trough as the Republicans. The Democratic Party Establishment is presently thinking only about the hay they can make in 2018 if they let the wheels come off (of healthcare, for example). They are ALL a bunch of professional politicians beholden to the billionaire class. None of these Jackasses gives a damn about the 99%. To draw distinctions between the two parties is playing right into the hands of the oligarchy. Divide and conquer. Instead of arguing over healthcare just make voluntary euthanasia legal. I will be the first in line to get away from all this dirtball nonsense. It will leave no one but the wealthy alive. Let them fight among themselves who is going to cut the grass and detail the car. Passing this bill will be the signal flare to start the New American Revolution! Self serving abominations of democracy like McConnell, Ryan, and Trump occupy office as a direct result of Foxaganda and the gullible citizens who drink that brand of Kool-aid.

I've repeatedly lectured my Indivisible counterparts that until we expose this misinformation for the fake news that it really is, local citizens will continue to vote party line no matter who we prop up as our candidate. I'm absolutely certain of this based on first hand knowlege of family, friends, and local citizens communicating their justifications for voting the way they do...it's all based on brainwashing. Truth and facts should never be treated as only political opinion. The billionaires have confused the populous with fake news......it's working.

It will take diplomatic intervention with truth to prevent citizens from indirectly voting away benefits like affordable health coverage. The fascists have control over the national political message....we need to overcome this at the grassroots level with discussion on how to identify propaganda. Put Foxaganda right to hell out of business.

Revolution takes organization on a massive scale. Don't get me wrong, I am all for revolution. I hope it would be from the Democrates, but don't hold your breath. They get reelection money from the wealthy. Greed has no boundaries as tRump has clearly demonstrated and his monster administration shows all of use.
 Frankly, I hope they are successful in getting rid of the whole thing. This will finally take us off of health (scam) INSURANCE, and then people will finally have to face what is going on in this country. We will go through an awful period, but in the end, Single Payer/Medicare For All, administered by the VA will emerge as the National Health Care System. Then all we have to do is keep them from sabotaging it. We need to get off BANKSTER insurances; money for nothing and their kicks for free. When do we wake up???! --This screed is off topic; but then again, senseless gun violence can certainly be considered a major healthcare issue, which burdens the system with over 100,000 patients a year and untold hundreds of millions in needless costs:

My heartfelt condolences and sympathy goes out for the latest victims and families of the (CDC five-year average) 93 dead and 186 injured, who ended up on the wrong end of a gun on this typical day in America, including Rep. Steve Scalise and the four Republican staffers injured in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as the three dead and two injured in the UPS building in San Francisco.

Except on local news, we probably won't hear much about the other estimated 269 victims of gun violence across America in the last 24 hours who didn't make the front pages -- the highest average of any other nation on Earth, except the ones embroiled in all-out warfare (and that are no doubt employing the U.S. defense industry's "beautiful" weapons, which are exported for profit to just about every country under our military/economic influence and ruthless, empirical global dominance).


Even before emergency-room surgeons dug the bullets out of the victims in Alexandria this morning, Newt Gingrich, GOP Reps. Chris Collins, Steve King, Rodney Davis, Mark Walker, Joe Walsh, and Chris Collins, along with Kellyanne Conway, Rachel Campos-Duffy of Fux News, Drudge Report, Breitbart, and Prison Planet were first up to bat, blaming the baseball shootings on the "rhetoric" coming from the left. Predictably, the glaring omission common in all of their shameless statements was the long, long history of the violent rhetoric that is a virtual staple of the far right, which Trump gladly adopted.

These posturing, reprehensible bottom feeders certainly won't be the last. The team lineup of sweaty, psyched-up wingers in the dugout are popping bubble gum and scratching their nuts, anxiously awaiting their turn to score political hits against liberals, progressives, and Democrats: "OMG, some radical, leftist, socialist who once volunteered for Bernie shot Republicans! Proof that all Democrats everywhere are violent revolutionaries -- who better sit down, shut up, quit resisting Trump and the Republican agenda, and enjoy the game, gawdammit!"

Okaaay ... then let's divide up all the politicians from the two parties, super-glue them to the most hypocritical loudmouths from their loony-toon bases, put them on opposite ends of a scale, and then see which party has been inspiring the most crazies with violent rhetoric, through the presidencies of Bush, Obama, and Trump. On the right: Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O"Reilly, Matt Drudge, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Glen Beck, Dick Morris, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Erick Erickson, Michelle Malkin, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, etc., etc., etc. On the left: ...oh screw it; it's not even close, and everyone with a fiber of honesty knows it!


So where's the outrage over the millions of victims of the violent rhetoric from Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, who blew up the Middle East? Who should bear the blame for the tens of millions of potential victims of the Republican so-called "healthcare" proposal -- violent rhetoric in sheep's clothing? What about the right-wing Trump crazy who stabbed the heroes in Seattle? What about Trump's violent rhetoric on the campaign trail against the press, the violence against the poor, women, blacks, Muslims, Hispanics, Native Americans, Jews, Asians, et al -- all those who don't fit the profile of well-off, privileged, white Christian males, like Montana's favorite choirboy, Greg Gianforte?

Notwithstanding the oddball loners with mental issues who have easy access to guns, at least three of the common threads that seem to link most of the violence in America are the unassailable walls of radical religious and political ideologies, extreme wealth inequality, and the wild-west proliferation of weaponry in all shapes, sizes, and degrees of lethalness. Those entrenched aspects of American culture are all direct consequences of Republican policies and right-wing rhetoric.

Last year, Scalise and his other Republican recipients of NRA largesse cravenly refused even to allow a vote on gun-control legislation right after the Orlando, Florida nightclub gun homicides. In 2002, Scalise addressed an infamous group of white supremacists and neo-Nazis founded by David Duke ...because, you know, they are such a peaceful bunch ... enlightened patriots so to speak (who now wholeheartedly support Trump's undeniable racist agenda and bigoted campaign promises).


Perhaps now, after being on the receiving end of real-life hate and violence, Representative Steve Scalise will stand up to Trump and his hard-right congressional colleagues -- who only bend to the will of billionaires -- to advocate for: rational gun control; a fair and more equitable economic structure that will ensure a strong middle class, as the Founders intended; compassionate policies to elevate the miserable lives of his desperately poor constituents; affordable and comprehensive healthcare as a right for all; minority inclusiveness and religious tolerance; political compromise and statesmanship in the best interests of the People, rather than the Billionaires; a full investigation into Republican election fraud and voter disenfranchisement; an honest recognition of the dire importance of addressing human-caused climate change and the unspeakable violence that lack of action will inflict on succeeding generations.

No, he won't; nothing will change! This latest media storm will soon pass to make room for the next fake outrage. We are a violent and ignorant people destined to destroy ourselves one way or the other. Both teams of fascists will retreat to their respective dugouts, and the game will go on ...and on ...and on ...until the end.

"This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes, again
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane, all the children are insane
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end, beautiful friend
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end"

--The Doors

Well written Deepspace. This guy had a criminal history that included violence yet still had semi automatic weapons and lots of ammo. He obviously had mental issues. The press will be lethargic on reporting how he got the guns. Probably legally with the loose laws that the Republicans spread through out the country. Now that a Republican is a victim of gun violence will things change? I give very little chance. ErinRose: Sorry 'bout switching the order -- I hit my "edit" instead of the "comment" field. Anyway, you make a lot of really important points, especially the other day about how the whole mentality of our society is conditioned to put wealth and privilege above all other concerns for human decency and dignity. I couldn't agree more!

Legend: Yeah, other than a nod and passing comments from the political establishment, I also give it very little chance for any meaningful change. Thom has a chance today to call for a dial down of the rhetoric he and dozens of members of the media, pseudo celebrities, politicians, and others have been pushing since the election. This hatred is boiling over and yesterday was a classic example of an individual that obviously listened to, absorbed and followed up on with an attack on republicans.

You all can look the other way, but the vile things that have been said here by Mr. Ed, the 10k runner, birdbrain, just to name a very few, with the king of all crazies calling for the Vice President to be shot,


"stecoop01 • 4 weeks 14 hours ago (5/16/2017)


As bad as Trump IS, Pence would be even worse. Why? Because Pence knows what he's doing, and is far better at the game of politics than Trump could ever dream of being.

So, impeach Trump, shoot Pence."

Thom, I will listen to the start of todays show to see if you have regained your composure, put the fact that this looney tuner shooter was a full blown Bernie supporter with talking points on his Facebook page that are a mirror image of what you put out every day. Don't blame guns, mental issues, or anything but a lack of self reflection and your past behavior.

Hopefully you and your "comrades" on the left and right will tone it down for the betterment of all.

Sorry Diane but Republicans have way more hate in their rhetoric. Look at what Obama put up with on a daily basis. This nutcase Is not like any Democrat that I have heard of and I worked for the Democratic Party. Read the link in post 19 where Republicans assured that nutcases gun rights are protected. This nutcase had a criminal background of violence and still had semi automatic weapons and lots of ammo. Have not heard yet if it was legal. Plain and simple fact is that guns that are only designed to kill humans are far to easy to purchase and possess. VA is like CO, you can legally walk down the street with an AK-47. more guns = more violence. Brought to you by the Republicans and the NRA. Gabby Giffords was also shot by a nutcase. Just coincidental that Sarah Palin had put bullseye targets on Gabby Giffords or was it bad rhetoric? Confused by the post but your response my suggestion that the left and right media, radio bobbleheads, etc. tone it down a bit falls on deaf ears.

Have your war with Trump but don't act surprised when this crap continues.

You appear to be a hypocritical a bitter small man. Don't feel bad, there a a lot of your kind here.

The fact is that this nation has grown up with gun ownership interwoven into the tapestry of our society. Guns will not be disappearing anytime soon, get used to it.

This is also a violent society, as pointed out by others here. How else can we permit our leaders to wage perpetual war against "the brown people" of the world with such impunity? We get off on video clips of our high tech weaponry wreaking havoc upon everything from "enemy" bunkers to wedding parties (oops, sorry) fed to us from our mainstream media daily. We are a bloodthirsty lot.

As to the carnage inflicted daily by guns on the people of this country, if deepspace's number is correct, That calculates to be .03% of this country's population annually. To put this into perspective, what percentage of the people here will be dying from lack of adequate health care if the establishment has its way? Guns, my friends, are the red herring of our time.

To quote Legend above "more guns = more violence". I'm sorry, but that logic just won't fly. You could reasonably say that "guns in the hands of more irrational people = more violence", but until we figure out a way to effectively limit access to guns by "irrational" or "unstable" people without a blanket ban on gun ownership, including confiscation, this is simply a pipe dream and ain't gonna happen. In addition, if it could be implemented, it raises the specter of the State being given the power to determine who is rational. I think this is a much more frightening concept than the idea that .03% of the population could be injured by a gun in a given year.

And finally, I submit that posession of a gun affords a certain measure of utility to it's owner in much the same way that automobile ownership does, in that each piece of hardware has its use in the hands of a responsible individual yet carries the inherent risk of lethal consequences if used neglegently. In my case, I live in rural North Idaho. I would hazzard a guess that behind the door of 90% of the residences in this area there lies a loaded gun and a person that knows how to use it. Violent crime is very low in this area. One aspect of this is that a would-be criminal knows that he stands a very good chance of ending up on the wrong end of a gun if he tries anything. I'll take my chances here (with my guns) over my odds in a metropolitan area, with its police "protecdtion", any day.

Please people, let's strive to think critically about this. The Left Establishment and media have managed to convince a segment of society that "guns" is the root cause of domestic violence. The real root cause lies in the violent nature of our society which has pervaded it since the founding of this nation. As a reasonably rational individual I feel it necessary to bear arms for my own self defence against all the true "crazies" out there.

We lived for a long time without semi automatic weapons. It is sad that Outback lives in such a mental state of paranoia. Think of it as "trickle-up austerity." Ending actual welfare aid gave the poor the incentice to get unpoor, and ending the ACA will give people the incentive to avoid illness and injury. If Medicaid is ended for the elderly poor and the disabled, people will eventually stop getting old or disabled, and that's a good thing. Right? DianeR -- When I listen to Thom, I always want to listen to someone else that will dial up the rhetoric. It would be interesting for you to give a quote that something Thom said that you thought was too heated?

I am sure that the "billionaires" and their sycophants would wish that Thom would not point out that every repug wants to kick 23 million out of medical insurance (per the low standards of Obamacare) so they can give a 3% tax cut to economic royalists. Is this the type of rhetoric that you think Thom should avoid? I am sure the "billionaires" think so.

Legend: You state "We lived for a long time without semi automatic weapons. It is sad that Outback lives in such a mental state of paranoia."

I believe it's true that we lived for a very long time without firearms, period. Before that, it was the male with the stoutest phisique who could wield the heaviest club. The fact is that times have changed, for better or worse, and the most formidable weapon of today (generally accessible) is the semi automati assault rifle. If things were allowed to progress unchecked it would be the fully automatic machine gun or the RPG (although properly vetted and licensed civilians in this country can legally posess even these). I wouldn't disagree that a sensible level of control is necessary to ensure that these even more deadly weapons won't proliferate, but surely you can see that, once made available, there will be no recall of the semi automatic weapon short of confiscation.

I don't feel in the least paranoid, Legend. Perhaps it's you and your like minded pals that are freaked out by the mere existance of these weapons and the constant drumbeat by the media to sensationalize every incident of gun related violence even though these are statistically insignificant within a world population approaching seven billion. The carnage inflicted upon humanity by the power brokers absolutely towers above anything perpetrated by deranged individuals bearing semi automatic weapons. You need to come to grips with the reality that the world has become a more dangerous place in our time. It's not going to change with your wishful thinking or characterizing gun owners such as myself as being "paranoid".

And in a very worst case scenario (which I hope will never come to pass) you may be ultimately grateful to the large number of rational individuals in this country that have chosen to arm themselves with something more than pitch forks. reply to Outback -- I seem to recall that Australia had the gun culture woven into its tapestry also. The thing that Australia did not have was a SCOTUS owned by the "billionaires". Because the Australian government was not under the total control of the economic royalists they were able to pass some gun laws that reduced gun deaths. However, here in the USA the Senate proposed gun laws that even 70% of the NRA agreed upon, and it could not pass. The lobbyists for the gun manufacturers rolled out the $ and the threats.

C8: Most US gun sales are offshore. It's a huge industry with tons of money (political influence) to throw around. It isn't just the NRA. Controlling access to guns within our borders is a political issue that is complex, given our Second Amendment history. The only way to achieve it would be through ratcheting up the Police State (see Hitler's Germany, 1939). Not likely to happen here. 

Simple answer. Show me when Thom Hartmann has said anything positive or supporting about republicans or conservatives in general. He has reduced himself to one or two conservative guests and when they are due to be on he wastes the first few minutes of the interviews trying to set up a strawman argument for them to address. From that point is is talk over time with Thom moving into debate mode and the other guy not able to squeeze in a full sentence . It is easy to support that kind of interview if you are on the progressive side but nothing positive ever comes out of the interview. DianeWorld; Thom has never -- not once -- encouraged violence in any way, shape, or form! Neither have I, nor have the clear majority of other liberals and progressives who post here. For you to insinuate otherwise is a despicable lie of the worst kind. You should apologize immediately to retain what little credibility you might still enjoy on this blog!

Picking out the rare exceptions does not excuse the overall dishonesty of your extremist partisan point that liberals and progressive as a group subscribe to inherently violent ideologies. Those of us who are loudly advocating for peaceful revolution, yet strongly-worded resistance, against truly regressive policies and attitudes, which are furthering the cause of a greedy, billionaire-style fascistic government and the hugely destructive global empire-building of our military-industrial-congressional complex and surveillance state -- hard realities that are eroding the foundations of democracy everywhere -- does not mean we are advocating for violent solutions.

To name a few off the top of my head, I would refer you to the teachings of your own Jesus Christ, as well as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jiddu Krishnamurti, and so many others in history, who have devoted their lives to champion peaceful resistance to the status quo -- altering the destructive course of humanity through a deeper awareness of the deep-seated conflict existing in both our collective and individual minds.

You say that you "listen" to Thom, but you obviously don't. Maybe it's time that you do...

deepspace, I can't disagree with any of your assertions. I hope no one here thinks I'm dismissing the tragedy of any single lost life resulting from gun violence, any more than I would dismiss the loss of a life due to a drunk driver as inconsequential. Then again, I refuse to place the blame on either the automobile or alcohol. My main point is that we need to keep some kind of perspective on the scale of the problem. If there was as much heat generated in the media and in these blogs about the butchery resulting from our "wars of choice" as there is on gun violence, we might be a lot farther down the road to putting a halt to the much larger problem of US imperialism. Outback: The numbers were from the CDC:


I was born and raised in a very rural area, also own guns, and am quite familiar with the culture. Having gone through an extensive hunter's safety course at an early age and later having gone through several advanced combat infantry courses in the Army, I am very comfortable around weapons and still greatly enjoy target practicing. Although I lost my taste for hunting long ago, I still carry a modified pistol-grip, short-barrel, pump 12 gauge with solid slugs, plus a 45 auto, whenever I hike in bear country. And, yes, I carry for self defense. What bothers me, however, are those with insufficient training and/or ill intent, who can so easily get their shaky trigger fingers and sweaty palms on so much firepower on a whim.

You make valid points, but I think it's misleading to base arguments solely on percentages of the population as a whole. It's too generalized. You could justify inaction in solving any problem by using too broad of a statistical analysis, such as the deaths and maiming from elective wars of aggression in the Middle East, the carnage on our highways, people poisoned by the food they eat, the water they drink, the air they breathe, etc.

A single life is no less valid because it is only a tiny percent of the entire population. Tell an inner city mom in Chicago that her dead black son was only part of .03%, and that easy access to guns in her hood are just the facts of life she must learn to live with as she tries to raise her remaining children in the free-for-all war zones of our cities.

Of course it is unrealistic to expect to solve every problem completely, but at least we can take reasonable steps to intervene and reduce the butchery and bloodshed as much as possible. Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is no big, bad "Left Establishment." (Traditionally, the so-called "left" in America is the Communist Party, which is probably less than a thousand individuals.) Like it or not, polling people outside the context of their political identities consistently demonstrates that the mainstream majority of Americans agree with liberal and progressive issues and policies more than they do with those of the right.

One of those issues is gun control. Never in its history has the Democratic Party called for "gittin rid a guns." To score political points with low-information voters, that's the red herring Republicans pin on anyone who dares to promote feasible and rational gun-control measures.

Here are but a few: strenuously enforce the laws already on the books; close gun-show loopholes that allow straw purchases, whereby criminal gangs are able to acquire large quantities of weapons; register guns and require proficiency testing for licensing and insurance -- as we do with automobiles, which can also kill people -- improve the cross-checking system to weed out those with a history of violent behavior, mental illness, or crimes involving guns; match up the "no-fly list" with a "no-gun list" so that terrorists can't take advantage of our lax laws; get weapons of war off the streets -- not the ones used for hunting, home defense, recreational target shooting, or licensed collections, but those designed exclusively to rapidly kill as many people as possible, much like the laws banning machine guns, grenades, bazookas, etc.; create gun-free zones that address the specific concerns of individual communities, for which the affected citizens may vote, including schools, churches, playgrounds, theaters, public buildings, shopping centers, etc. -- no one size fits all. (People in inner cities have different concerns than people in rural northern Idaho); require programmable, high-tech trigger locks, such as thumbprints, which can be quickly overridden by only those authorized to use the weapon.

None of these measures are unreasonable or unworkable; yet, all of them are hysterically opposed by Republicans, the gun industry, the NRA, and their lobbyists. Again, it's not the big, bad "guvmunt" who would determine who is qualified to possess weaponry on civilian streets, it is We the People utilizing intelligent solutions in conjunction with law enforcement and mental health professionals, science and technology, private industry and public institutions, objective studies and comprehensive knowledge, non-partisan cooperation and compromise, but, most of all, a solid foundation of morality and social consciousness. Why is America the only modern country that can't figure this out?

As you have indicated, people in our country because of its history will always be greatly divided on the right to bear arms and what exactly that means. Nevertheless, it is greatly appreciated that you zeroed in on the crux of the matter. It is all too true that "the real root cause lies in the violent nature of our society," which I would extend to include all forms of violence in the thoughts, words, and deeds of everyone on the planet. We are a violent people who have created a culture of violence. That is an undeniable fact that really should be at the center of any argument.

Without a doubt, Homo sapiens are a gratuitously violent species by nature -- a trait we share with virtually no other higher mammals, except chimpanzees and perhaps a few other hominids -- but evolution never stops. In fact, suggested by recent findings, archeologists and anthropologists strongly suspect that modern humans survived a "genetic bottleneck" about 70,000 years, where our population dwindled to only 3,000 to 10,000 individuals, by cooperating and supporting one another, rather than by fighting and killing until the strongest survived. Perhaps it is time to make the next great leap in consciousness -- for our continued survival into a problematic future exacerbated by overpopulation. Outback; Sorry for posting out of order again -- haha, got a problem with my itchy trigger finger always hitting the damn "edit" button when scrolling on a small screen with fat fingers.

Your points are well taken and I don't disagree at all with your main point and conclusion in #34. Wise words that we should all take to heart. 1. The Republicans =reeeeeeeally= don't give a tinker's damn about =any=one except the 0.1%. The rest of us can go to hell, period, full stop. The fact that soooo many of the 99% =still= vote for these unAmerican bastards is a point of high hilarity for them.

2. I =really= wish more people knew about how and why we got the 2nd Amendment in the first place. Of course, at -this- point, far, -far- too many Americans simply wouldn't care .. and -that- is a serious problem in itself! The problem is that even so-called, alleged progressives like Sherrod Brown, senator from Ohio, only vote according to the money they receive for their campaign funds. For example, he voted against Sanders' proposed bill to allow generic pharmaceuticals to be imported from Canada, which would seem like a benefit for many Americans. Why, because Big Pharma has contributed more than $700K to his campaign coffer. Ninety percent of the bleeping bleepers in high political office are corrupted by this pay for play situation. Things won't change much until we end private funding for politicians. 

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