How important is your job to you? What would you do to keep it?
What would you be willing to sacrifice to keep it? Who would you be willing to sacrifice to keep your job?
Would you be willing to let innocent people die to protect your job?
Because that’s what happened today. Forty-six (46) Senators voted to protect their jobs instead of speaking for the people they represent. You see, the people those senators represent believe in stronger background checks for gun purchasers by roughly 90 percent.
These Senators think they protected their jobs when they voted for themselves and their jobs instead of protecting your children and mine, instead of protecting granny and students, teenagers in malls, folks who like movies, and anybody who might just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and who might die because some asshole didn’t have to go through a background check for that gun they fired.
These Senators, well they just today said “Fuck You” to the next bunch of victims.
Forty-six United States Senators will have blood on their hands the next time one of these random acts of gun violence happens. And of course there will be a next time.
Forty-six.
Cowards.
Elections matter. Get these folks out of office. (Thanks for the list, Jueseppi)
- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) – @SenAlexander
- Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) – @KellyAyotte
- Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) – @SenJohnBarrasso
- Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) – @MaxBaucus
- Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) – @SenatorBegich
- Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) – @RoyBlunt
- Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) – @JohnBoozeman
- Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) – @SenatorBurr
- Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) – @SaxbyChambliss
- Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) – @SenDanCoats
- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) – @TomCoburn
- Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) – @SenThadCochran
- Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) – @SenBobCorker
- Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) – @JohnCornyn
- Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) – @MikeCrapo
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) – @SenTedCruz
- Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) – @SenatorEnzi
- Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) – @SenatorFischer
- Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) – @JeffFlake
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) – @GrahamBlog
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) – @ChuckGrassley
- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) – @SenOrrinHatch
- Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) – @SenatorHeitkamp
- Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) – @SenDeanHeller
- Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) – @SenJohnHoeven
- Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) – @jiminhofe
- Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) – @SenatorIsakson
- Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) – @Mike_Johanns
- Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) – @SenRonJohnson
- Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) – @SenMikeLee
- Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) – @McConnellPress
- Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – @JerryMoran
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) – @lisamurkowski
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) – @SenRandPaul
- Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) – @robportman
- Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) – @SenMarkPryor
- Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) – @SenatorRisch
- Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) – @SenPatRoberts
- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) – @marcorubio
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) – @SenatorTimScott
- Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) – @SenatorSessions
- Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) – @SenShelbyPress
- Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) – @SenJohnThune
- Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) – @DavidVitter
- Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) – @SenatorWicker
FiftyFourandAHalf 
Reblogged this on sueshan123.
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I needed to thank you for this fantastic read!
! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you book-marked to look at new stuff you post…
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I wrote them. It won’t do a bit of good. I feel horribly depressed by all this. Not just because of the vote, but because it’s no longer apparent that we elect politicians to work for us. They work for their moneyed interests and that’s it. These politicians have sunk their institution to the lowest place it could be. We might as well elect lobbyists to represent us.
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I’ve written them too. And no, it won’t do a bit of good. One of my two democratic senators, Mark Warner, voted in favor of this bill, but against the assault weapons ban and the limit on the magazine size. I am so disgusted I could spit. There will be blood on the hands of all these cowards.
And you’re right. Why not simply put the government into the hands of the NRA. Why do we need the middlemen?
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Shameful.
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It really is.
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Sadly, most of our elected officials only answer to whose that got them elected which would be their largest donors. Most of those large donors are large multi-national corporations and their lobbyists of which the NRA is a major player. The NRA long ago abandoned their core constituency of hunters and sportsmen, most of whom support background checks, in favor of the interests of gun manufacturers and ammunition manufacturers.
Our experiment in democracy of governing “the people by the people for the people” has become a government of the people by corporations for corporate interests. Sadly, I fear that until money is removed from the democratic equation, we, the people, will have no real voice in “our” government, especially since so many of us are so distracted by the banalities of “reality TV’ and viral cat videos to even pay attention to the details. Corporatism moves us ever so closer to Idiocracy.
But keep fighting the good fight, Elyse, and I will fight with you!
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After I wrote this I learned that one of my senators, a Dem with a safe seat voted against reducing magazines and assault weapons. I am so angry. I have no idea why anybody would vote against these things.
You’re right about the money. It’s criminal.
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Here’s Ottawa Citizen columnist Janice Kennedy’s take on why Newtown will continue.
Giffords and Her Glock
“It happened during this week’s interview with former United States congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
With husband Mark Kelly to interpret as she struggled bravely to communicate, Giffords was promoting her new initiative to curb U.S. gun violence, which has claimed 57,000 adults and 5,000 children in the two years since she herself was shot in the head.
Americans for Responsible Solutions will work to end such violence — and to protect responsible gun ownership. And yes, said Giffords with an apple-pie smile, both she and Kelly own guns.
It was at that moment that I realized I will never understand American attitudes toward guns.”
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I’m American, and I don’t understand it either. I never will.
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As someone who lived through a mass shooting six years ago, it is incredibly disheartening to see even the most basic, most common-sense measure to prevent other people from experiencing the same agony get thwarted by politics. Thank you for writing a post I couldn’t have written (well, not without my grandmother disowning me for foul language anyway).
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Lauren, I can’t even imagine what this must feel like for you and others who have been personally affected. But under the circumstances, I hope your grandmother would be more understanding about the language!
We seem to be in the same neck of the woods. I enjoyed exploring your blog and will be back for more.
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Wow, Elyse, this must have taken a lot of work to put together (the links take time). Thanks. I just keep reminding myself that I have to stop trying to figure out why Americans are so in love with their weapons. You can’t approach irrational people with a rational mind-set…
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Why do we love guns? I wish I knew. We protect ourselves and our families and friends from dangers whenever possible. Oh, yeah, except for guns. Yup those could never hurt anybody. Not accidentally. Not on purpose. Nope. Never.
(You are welcome to pat me on the back, Lorna, but I stole the links.– and I think many are to twitter accounts and I don’t do twitter …oops)
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I’ll still pat you on the back. Just because you so full of awesomeness! 🙂
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The bill might have been somewhat “toothless,” but it was a symbolic step, a first baby step, against the rabid control the NRA has over congress. Every march, every battle, every journey needs to start somewhere, and our representatives blinked, backed down, and refused to take even this one baby step against the irrational and dangerous bully that the NRA has become. The NRA should NOT be dictating policy to our legislators. It is sickening and discouraging. Thank you for speaking out on this, Elyse.
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I agree the NRA should not be dictating policy on anything. It exists to make money for companies out of death.
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This is why I leave things like this up to you to write. 😉 No way I could have said it better myself. I was so angry watching that news conference. And I’m even angrier that cowardly Tennessee Senator’s Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander made that list.
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I don’t think I did the most effective job at writing it — I spout sometimes too quickly. But I am so angry about this. And I want to slap Harry Reid silly for not taking care of that stupid rule when he could have. At a minimum, we need a Majority leader in the Senate with a spine.
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All 100 senators we elected as senators – not justices to the Supreme Court. Debating and voting no is one thing, preventing a debate and vote one Constitutional grounds is another matter … and possibly an unconstitutional act.
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You said it. Totally bollixing up the Senate is not in the constitution. I remember reading that Reid agreed (reagreed?) to the handshake so that gun control wouldn’t go through. I am so angry. You can’t get 90% to agree to which way is up, let alone something substantive.
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The idea that there’s anything controversial about making sure felons, violent abusers and seriously mentally ill people cannot sidestep a background check by walking into a gun show or buying a gun online is absolutely incomprehensible to me.
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Me too. I am totally disgusted.
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Sickening!!! There is one house in this country that needs to be cleaned from top to bottom in order for anything to ever be done again. I’m not sure when the memo about “serving yourself” was distributed, but it certainly time for the reminder memo to be handed out!
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Maybe what we need is an IQ test.
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There is a “next time” about 30-40 times every day. Yes, I heard the bill was pretty toothless, but even that would have saved lives.
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Yup and yup. Assholes.
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Which one do you want, Elyse: my honest response or my joking response?
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Your choice Revis. I was letting off steam.
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Eh, the jokes are too easy. After all, you listed all of the jokes in your post.
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Most of my jokes are too easy, Revis. But I didn’t know what side of this issue you’d come down on. Your brother and I (somehow) became friends over some of my earlier gun control pieces. He, um, disagrees with my position.
TwinDaddy? You’re still wrong even if you won.
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well…….
let’s take the emotion out of this for just a second and look at what the actual bill sez (Bill S.649):
The Feds are going to give 100 million to the states so the states can create their own offender databases and forward that info to the Feds for inclusion into the NICS database. So the Feds really aren’t doing anything here but throwing money and responsibility to the states – and there are provisions to slap the State’s hands if they don’t cough up the information.
By the way, there are certain gun transactions that are exempt from any background check, according to this bill. For example if Daddy, as a licensed, legal gun owner, buys a weapon and gives it as a gift to the wifey, or one of his unstable spawn, the gifting part will not be tracked. Still lots of obvious loopholes for disgruntled/disturbed teenagers and those twenty somethings still living at home to get access to guns and visit the local campus. And that’s just one exception – there are pages of them. So the bill is really toothless in that area.
Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence? You now go in the Fed database and will be background checked. Okay. This is a good thing.
Title III – School and Campus Safety Enhancements Act. Ah, here we go.
This bill establishes a task force to study the problem and report back in a year.
Seriously. That’s it. Oh, there’s some rigamarole about educating those who live on campus and how to react in dangerous situations while cooperating with campus security. But that’s the gist of it.
So, while I agree with the need for a re-evaluation of the gun control issues we face, especially with schools, and while the NRA has moved just to the right of Extreme Fascism, there really isn’t anything in this bill to get our collective knickers in a twist about. It’s pretty lame, actually.
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i agree completely, Cooper. Or almost. I think that once you start with your foot in the door, you can improve. But this bill needed miles of improvements.
Personally I would prefer that our gun laws be more like those in the UK.
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i think the coward list needs to be expanded to those voted yes and no….just alot of posturing and sound-biting with no real substance behind it. But by now I should expect that from the nation’s capitol.
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I agree. I am particularly pissed at Mark Warner.
Asshole .
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Warner’s the asshole, not you!
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LOL. I understood.
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He said it, and it’s been true through history – a small vocal minority steered the debate.
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And who the hell do they represent? Not their constituents.
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Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) – @JohnCornyn
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) – @SenTedCruz
There are my two utter and complete AZZHATS.
I had written them. Their response? Yeah, that would be a nice form letter. I wrote them in response to their form letter. No response.
I called their offices, yeah I couldn’t talk to anyone.
I posted on their Facebook page. Ted Cruz blocked me. Jon Cornyn deleted my post.
The likelihood of getting these AZZHATS out of office in Texas is slim to none.
Mitch needs to change to Senate rules to a simple majority vote.
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Harry Reid should be out of the Leadership. There was speculation that he didn’t press on the filibuster reform because he didn’t want to have to do gun control.
Fuck these folks. Fuck them and the horse they rode in on.
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Not with out a full body condom, I am afraid their cowardice might be catching.
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You may have a point.
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Amen.
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(Though if you fuck the horse they rode in on, it will bring us right back to the bestiality os the marriage equality debate.)
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Whatever makes them uncomfortable.
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I am so frustrated I can’t even type. Arrgghh!!!
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Yup, me too. We need to wipe out all the folks who might have crossed paths with a muslim, but guys with guns? Nope, they are fine. Hunky dory, even.
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Cowards is right.
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I’m so angry. So angry.
Thanks for the list, pal.
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