What's in the news?

[Lustful Bride]

Also, this was rather amusing to watch last night. It seems the Democrats have decided to use the Orlando shooting as fodder for their push to further tighten restrictions on gun sales. These are educated, grown adults who know damn well that making new gun laws will not do anything to stop violent criminals from killing people one way or another. In response, the Republicans left and won't be returning until July 5th. I guess the democrats have plenty of time now to join hands and sing freaking Kumbaya while they periscope each other and pretend that they are accomplishing something while receiving pats on the back. Kind of silly if you ask me.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/jun/22/us-election-2016-live-updates-donald-trump-speech-clinton-email-ethics

Oh please, both the Dems and Reps are spoiled children who look for any reason not to go to work an rather than even attempt the slightest bit of compromise for the good of the country they will dig their heels in and throw a tantrum.

I hate both of them because neither side truly represents me or my interests. But this isn't a place for a rant.

Im pro intelligent gun control but that's a dirty word in congress :P


In other news. A teen is dead from an unknown brain eating bacteria.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ohio-teen-dies-from-brain-eating-amoeba-after-visiting-north-carolina-water-park-with-church-group/ar-AAhu211?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


A poor elephant, shot by a poacher sought aid as its wound got infected....poor thing.  :'(
http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/elephant-calmly-asks-for-help-after-living-with-infected-bullet-lodged-in-skull/vi-AAhl6yo?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

He found doctors though so its all good from here hopefully.

[Cycle]

Let's be clear here.  The Democratic Representatives want to see bipartisan bills to impose two limitations:  (1) prevent someone on the terrorist watch list from buying guns without restriction; and (2) make internet and gun show sales follow the same background check rules as gun store sales.  (So we're not talking about them trying to pass a law so the authorities can come into your house and take away your Glock.)

Now, according to recent polls, it isn't just the Democratic Party that want those two limits--Republicans want it too(!).  In fact, the majority of U.S. citizens support those two limits.

From CNN:

support for specific gun control measures was very strong, with 92% saying they wanted expanded background checks, 87% supporting a ban for felons or people with mental health problems and 85% saying they would ban people on federal watchlists from buying guns. Among Republicans, that number is even higher -- 90% say they favor preventing people on the terror watch list or "no fly" list from buying a gun. That number is at 85% for Democrats.

From Gallup:


From FiveThirtyEight:

In dozens of polls over the past two decades, Americans have been asked if they support expanding background checks for the purchase of firearms. Background checks are run to prevent sales to people who have been convicted of certain crimes, who are running from the law or who otherwise have been banned from buying guns for a variety of other reasons. The specifics of the question have varied — sometimes asking about the Brady Bill, the 1993 law that required background checks for purchases from licensed dealers; sometimes about circumstances for which federal law doesn’t currently require checks, such as sales from unlicensed sellers or of ammunition. Consistently, at least 70 percent of Americans said they favor background checks. Often, far more do. In October, a CBS News/New York Times poll found that 92 percent of Americans — including 87 percent of Republicans — favor background checks for all gun buyers.

From Quinnipiac:

voters support 89 - 9 percent, including 84 - 14 percent among voters in households where there are guns, requiring background checks on gun purchases at gun shows or online.

Voters also support 58 - 38 percent a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons. Voters in gun households oppose such a ban 53 - 45 percent.

From Pew:

mericans have shown broad and consistent support for expanded background checks for gun purchasers. In July, 85% of the public – including large majorities of both Republicans (79%) and Democrats (88%) – favored making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks. There also was substantial bipartisan support for laws to prevent people with mental illness from purchasing guns.

And Pew Research isn’t the only polling organization with these findings. In 2013, a number of other polling organizations found similar results about public views of background checks, asking slightly different questions. A review of more recent polls on this question finds it’s still the case.

So what the Representatives are doing is trying to carry out the will of the majority of the voters, Democratic and Republican.  To me, that isn't silly at all.  It is actually what "educated, grown adults" elected to public office should be doing.

[Lustful Bride]

Let's be clear here.  The Democratic Representatives want to see bipartisan bills to impose two limitations:  (1) prevent someone on the terrorist watch list from buying guns without restriction; and (2) make internet and gun show sales follow the same background check rules as gun store sales.  (So we're not talking about them trying to pass a law so the authorities can come into your house and take away your Glock.)

Now, according to recent polls, it isn't just the Democratic Party that want those two limits--Republicans want it too(!).  In fact, the majority of U.S. citizens support those two limits.

From CNN:
From Gallup:


From FiveThirtyEight:
From Quinnipiac:
From Pew:
So what the Representatives are doing is trying to carry out the will of the majority of the voters, Democratic and Republican.  To me, that isn't silly at all.  It is actually what "educated, grown adults" elected to public office should be doing.

Well alright then :)  Im for it.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Somewhere, somehow, those who are fighting the fight to allow everyone to have all the guns they want every time they want them need to learn that private citizens carrying guns in holsters into Walmart, church and the grocery store do not inspire confidence on a normal basis.

We can protect Second Amendment rights and still have some control over keeping semi-automatic weapons out of the hands of some of the terrorists and murders who turn them on innocent citizens.  There are days when the fanaticism of the gun people seems to be little different from the fanaticism of the terrorist.

[Lustful Bride]

Somewhere, somehow, those who are fighting the fight to allow everyone to have all the guns they want every time they want them need to learn that private citizens carrying guns in holsters into Walmart, church and the grocery store do not inspire confidence on a normal basis.

We can protect Second Amendment rights and still have some control over keeping semi-automatic weapons out of the hands of some of the terrorists and murders who turn them on innocent citizens.  There are days when the fanaticism of the gun people seems to be little different from the fanaticism of the terrorist.

I will grant you that :P There are some who should never even look at a gun and are the reason the rest of us have a bad name. They hurt us with their fanaticism and create the worst stereotypes.

[Lustful Bride]

Oh Jesus please no...

Man storms German Movie Theatre and opens fire on movie goers.

50 confirmed injured. Police surround building and stand off underway.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/armed-man-opens-fire-in-german-cinema-complex-up-to-50-hurt-media/ar-AAhxdSc

UPDATE: Police storm building and gunman was killed in engagement with police.

[Lilias]

The lighter side of the referendum:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14576067.Dogs_at_polling_stations_trending_on_social_media_as_voters_bring_their_pups/

[Beorning]

Eh. There are no lighter sides of this referendum. Between Britain leaving EU, Trump winning the US elections (I'm getting more and more certain that he's going to win) and the craziness in my own country, it seems that everything is going to hell these days :(

[Lilias]

Britain leaving EU

Do you know something we don't?

[Beorning]

I'm just weirdly certain that the referendum will turn out in favour of leaving...

[Lilias]

It will most probably be close, but Remain can still win, and all the flailing and polarisation of the last months may have been for nowt. There will be fallout either way. Meh, that's the way the world turns. Things are never quiet. Living in interesting times, and all that.

[TaintedAndDelish]

'Further' tightening? Considering that most states require no owner licences, no purchase permits and no registration, this is rather nonsensical.

OK, you got me there. I was incorrect. Having reviewed this list, I see now how easy it is to get a gun in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_by_state

(sorry, too much to quote here)
Cycle - my point is, other than getting attention from the public, I don't see much benefit to having this sit in. It didn't get them their vote and staying around after the session ended for the day didn't get them their vote either. Neither did staying over night and sleeping on the hard floor while the republicans slept in their comfy beds. What they did was ineffective. I think they knew that demanding that the republicans bend over and give them their vote would result in a defiant response.  ( Yes, the Republicans are dicks ). So why did they go down this avenue? To save face perhaps?

Regarding gun laws, I don't have a problem with having sane laws that try to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. I just don't think that the use of law is an effective way to deal with suicidal mass murderers who don't care much about the law and it's consequences. People like that will find a way to harm people one way or another. What's the solution? I don't know, but it's not piling up more and more laws.

[Beguile's Mistress]

There is hypocrisy is Paul Ryan's statement that the Democrat's sit-in was holding up normal business in Congress; normal things like re-naming seven post offices.  Meanwhile, the Republications have been sitting on the President's appointment to fill the Supreme Court vacancy and because the vote on immigration reform that would benefit children was split 4-4 the lower court ruling remains in effect.

Hey, Paul!  Pot! Kettle! Black!

[Cycle]

Cycle - my point is, other than getting attention from the public, I don't see much benefit to having this sit in.

Getting attention from the public is, in and of itself, a huge benefit.  The one thing every politician fears is getting voted out of office.  Revealing the Republicans' efforts to ignore the will of the general public increases the chance of those politicians being voted out, and thereby increases the chance of them doing what the people want.  Will the sit-in result in new gun laws passed over night?  Of course not.  But each step forward is a good thing.  The NRA's stranglehold is breaking, even if slowly.

Regarding gun laws, I don't have a problem with having sane laws that try to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Good.  I am glad to see you support the no-fly, no-buy and end-the-background-check-loopholes proposals. 

[Lustful Bride]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pope-says-church-should-ask-forgiveness-from-gays-for-past-treatment/ar-AAhE9JL?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Pope says the Church should ask for Forgiveness from gays due to how the church has treated them.

I like this pope. One of the better ones.

[TaintedAndDelish]

Good.  I am glad to see you support the no-fly, no-buy and end-the-background-check-loopholes proposals.

Lol

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pope-says-church-should-ask-forgiveness-from-gays-for-past-treatment/ar-AAhE9JL?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Pope says the Church should ask for Forgiveness from gays due to how the church has treated them.

I like this pope. One of the better ones.

Did he actually apologize and ask for forgiveness on behalf of his church?
No. 

Did he change the church's teaching on homosexuality in a way that gay couples would no longer be marginalized?
No.

Until he changes the religion in such a way that gay people are not marginalized by it's teachings, these words are just lip service.

For example, the church does not approve of gay people living together in a romantic relationship. That is considered living in sin and therefore makes a loving gay couple inferior to a straight couple. This sort of prejudice needs to be corrected before his talk about apologizing to gay people for marginalizing them will carry any weight.

Personally, I think he's off to a good start, but I remain skeptical.

[TheGlyphstone]

You're (still) vastly underestimating how much effort (and time) it takes to change something as monolithicly conservative as the Catholic Church. The Pope is not a religious dictator - he has immense 'soft' power, but very little hard power. This was/gets discussed every time Francis gets mentioned in-thread, and the battlelines on him tend to be roughly the same each round; he has to make baby steps towards gradually bringing the rest of the Church around to a more tolerant attitude, because pushing too hard and causing an organization-wide backlash would undo everything and make it worse. Just look at how the bishops who do his translating keep playing spin control to reduce the impact of his statements - even his closest advisors aren't entirely supportive of him on these issues.

[TaintedAndDelish]

Well, he wouldn't be the first leader in his religion to be rejected and alienated by his own people for saying things they didn't want to hear.

[TheGlyphstone]

Exactly. I mean it's not like he is in danger of assassination the way old-style popes were, but he can still make/try to make gradual change from a place of power within the church rather than outside it, especially since if he was rejected in that manner, his replacement would almost certainly be Dark Ages grade hyper-conservative as a way to calm the masses. 'Better than nothing' is weak and paltry words in the face of two millennia of persecution, but when it's also the best we can get, I think it's worth cheering him on and hoping his changes stick than rejecting them for not being fast and substantial enough.

[TaintedAndDelish]

True. It's progress, but hopefully not just empty words.


The video on this page was interesting:

Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga urge kindness in Indy
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/26/dalai-lama-lady-gaga-urge-kindness-indy/86247112/

[Mithlomwen]

Supreme Court strikes down strict Texas abortion law

They felt the law placed an undue burden on a woman's right to choose, since they required all places who offered abortions to operate like mini hospitals. 

[Renegade Vile]

True. It's progress, but hopefully not just empty words.


The video on this page was interesting:

Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga urge kindness in Indy
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/26/dalai-lama-lady-gaga-urge-kindness-indy/86247112/

Ah yes, Lady Gaga, a finer mind to speak on these issues will be difficult to find...
In all seriousness, a wonderful message that a lot of people are still going to ignore, sadly...

Supreme Court strikes down strict Texas abortion law

They felt the law placed an undue burden on a woman's right to choose, since they required all places who offered abortions to operate like mini hospitals. 

Gee, I wonder why this law was so strict in Texas...

[TheGlyphstone]

Ah yes, Lady Gaga, a finer mind to speak on these issues will be difficult to find...
In all seriousness, a wonderful message that a lot of people are still going to ignore, sadly...

You should probably take Ms. Germanotta a lot more seriously than you apparently do - her stage persona and her real-life personality could not be further apart. She's an incredibly prolific philanthropist and social activist. While I think 'making the world a more compassionate place' is sort of a pointless (though well-intentioned) fluff topic in a lot of ways, she's a far better, or at least far more qualified, candidate to doing so than most celebrities would be. If nothing else, she puts a lot of her own money where her mouth is on the issues she champions.

Fun Fact: She's been declared persona non grata in China now again because of said conference and sharing the stage with the Dalai Lama.
(Apparently it's not the first time)

Some days I think we should just let Texas go back to being an independent republic. At least then we wouldn't have to put up with their nonsense all the time.

[TaintedAndDelish]

Relevant links:

China 'bans Lady Gaga' after Dalai Lama meeting
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/28/china-lady-gaga-ban-list-hostile-foreign-forces-meeting-dalai-lama

China accuses Dalai Lama of Nazi policies
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/25/china-accuses-dalai-lama-nazi

And finally....

Tibetan sets himself on fire outside Indian parliament  ( This is related to Chinese Dalai Lama accusations above )
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/26/tibetan-protester-on-fire-india

[Kythia]

We're out of Europe. No no, not the Brexit stuff. The football. Lost 2-1 to Iceland and frankly we deserved it.

Good luck Wales