A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

Texas has an open carry law. A person can walk down a street in Bryan carrying an assault rifle. On March 17, 2021, the South Carolina House gave key approval to a bill allowing people to carry an assault rifle on a street in Rock Hill.

All this follows mass murders in Atlanta and Boulder three weeks ago. Both Georgia and Colorado allow persons to carry assault rifles down their city streets.

Following several mass murders, Republicans on this forum are largely avoiding discussions on the Second Amendment and gun ownership. Why? It once was their favorite topic. There was zero reaction to the comments I made concerning recent mass murders (see post 380). I anticipate my comments here will be avoided by my Republican friends as well.

Republicans argue that reasonable laws to control gun ownership is a slippery slope to taking away all guns. It is a ludicrous argument, and they know it.

There are state laws that require a person to wear a seat belt while driving. Is that a slippery slope to take away your car?

You are told not to exceed a certain speed limit when driving your car. Is that a slippery slope to take away your car?

If it becomes illegal to walk down a street with an assault rifle or prevent a deranged person from acquiring an AR-15, does that mean the government is going to take away your deer rifle? Only an idiot would believe that to be true.

Not unlike the seat belt law and the speed limit, certain laws are created to prevent injury or death to others as well as ourselves.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Naw, this is too corny even for Hollywood. The day before the President of the United States issued executive orders to control the sale of guns there is a mass shooting in South Carolina. The day he issued the executive orders, there is a mass shooting in Texas.

Corny, but true.

The day before, at least five people are dead, including two children, in what police in York County, S.C., called a “case of a mass shooting” that involved a former National Football League player as the gunman.

The day of the President's E.O.'s, one person was killed and at least four others were wounded in a shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas.

Three weeks earlier, on March 22, a mass shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed, including a local on-duty police officer.

Three days after that, a man who police say went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight people, was charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

On March 17, 2021, the South Carolina House gave key approval to a bill allowing people to carry an assault rifle while walking down a street.

In Texas, Colorado, and Georgia it is perfectly legal to walk down a city street carrying an assault rifle.

Today, according to the L.A. Times, "A confrontation in a Tennessee high school that involved police officers responding to a report of a possible armed man left one person dead and an officer wounded, authorities said.

"No other persons were killed or wounded, police said, adding the scene had been secured at the Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville following the afternoon shooting. Authorities said only that a man was deceased but that another person was detained for further investigation.

"The school was the subject of media reports in February after three students were shot to death over a three-week span."

Last week, Republican governor Bill Lee signed off on legislation that would make Tennessee the latest state to soon allow most adults 21 and older to carry handguns — openly or concealed — without first clearing a background check and training.

Surreal.

Republicans do not have the brains to agree to reasonable controls on the sale of guns.

They also don't know how to talk. Their silence on this issue is deafening.

Surreal!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Republicans do not have the brains to agree to reasonable controls on the sale of guns.

They also don't know how to talk. Their silence on this issue is deafening.

Surreal!

NBC News reports, "A man has been charged with second-degree murder after an 11-month-old girl was killed and two other children were injured in a weekend drive-by shooting in New York, authorities said.

"Chavez R. Ocasio, 23, is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center on multiple charges, including violating his parole, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, online jail records show. His first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

"According to Syracuse police, three girls were sitting in the back seat of a car when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on them around 7 p.m. Sunday."

Congress -- Republicans -- must take certain steps to try to bring this gun violence under control. Instead, as shown in the previous analysis, Republicans are making it easier for men like Ocasio to get guns and openly display them in malls and on our city streets. So, the carnage continues. Republicans don't cre as long as they continue to get their NRA contributions.

Through it all, Republicans remain silent on the issue.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Finally!

President Biden is ending America's involvement in our longest war -- Afghanistan.

The Post reports, "President Biden will withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan over the coming months, U.S. officials said, completing the military exit by the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that drew the United States into its longest war."

Then it gets complicated.

According to the Post, "The decision, which Biden is expected to announce Wednesday, will keep thousands of U.S. forces in the country beyond the May 1 exit deadline that the Trump administration negotiated last year with the Taliban, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters Tuesday under rules of anonymity set by the White House.

"While the Taliban has promised to renew attacks on U.S. and NATO personnel if foreign troops are not out by the deadline — and said in a statement it would not continue to participate in “any conference” about Afghanistan’s future until all “foreign forces” have departed — it is not clear whether the militants will follow through with the earlier threats given Biden’s plan for a phased withdrawal between now and September."

 

[basquebromance]

"I think he is meeting the needs of the American people, and if people want to call that progressive? Hallelujah, that's a good thing." - Pelosi on Biden

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Finally!

President Biden is ending America's involvement in our longest war -- Afghanistan.

One thing about Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he is consistent.

Business Insider reports, "GOP senators on Tuesday had mixed reactions to reports about President Joe Biden's planned announcement on Wednesday to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks."

"Foreign terrorists will not leave the U.S. alone because our politicians have grown tired of taking the fight to them," McConnell said on the Senate floor. Biden "needs to explain to the American people why he thinks abandoning our partners and retreating in the face of the Taliban will make America safer," he added.

Trump ordered a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1. How did McConnell act when a Republican President ordered a withdrawal?

Once again, it is Business Insider. "President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan is meeting resistance from Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who likened it to the US's retreat from Vietnam in 1975.

Speaking on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, McConnell stressed that the US must provide a "limited but important role in defending American national security ... against terrorists who would like nothing more than for the most powerful force for good in the world to simply pick up our ball and go home."

"A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm," McConnell said.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

We got ourselves a President, not a Putin bootlicker!

The Post reports, "The Biden administration on Thursday imposed the first significant sanctions targeting the Russian economy in several years to punish the Kremlin for a cyberespionage campaign against the United States and efforts to influence the presidential election, according to senior U.S. officials.

"The administration also sanctioned six Russian companies that support Russian spy services’ cyberhacking operations and will expel 10 officials at the Russian Embassy in Washington, most of them identified as intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover, U.S. officials said. The administration formally named the Russian intelligence service SVR as responsible for the hacking operation commonly known as SolarWinds.

"The measures were taken under a new executive order and are an effort to make good on President Biden’s vow to hold Moscow accountable for a series of operations, including the election influence and the cyberhacks, that compromised nine federal agencies and about 100 private firms."

As Americans we can feel proud again. No more mollycoddling communist dictators like Putin and Kim while trashing our traditional allies.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Dow hit 24,036 today!

Boy, investors sure like Biden.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Republicans do not have the brains to agree to reasonable controls on the sale of guns.

They also don't know how to talk. Their silence on this issue is deafening.

On March 22, a mass shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed, including a local on-duty police officer.

Three days after that, a man who police say went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight people, was charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

A man has been charged with second-degree murder after an 11-month-old girl was killed and two other children were injured in a weekend drive-by shooting in New York, authorities said.

According to Syracuse police, three girls were sitting in the back seat of a car when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on them.

At least five people are dead, including two children, in what police in York County, S.C., called a “case of a mass shooting” that involved a former National Football League player as the gunman.

On the day of the President's E.O.'s on gun control, one person was killed and at least four others were wounded in a shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas.

A confrontation in a Tennessee high school that involved police officers responding to a report of a possible armed man left one person dead and an officer wounded, authorities said. The school was the subject of media reports in February after three students were shot to death over a three-week span.

Today, Police were working to identify a gunman and determine his motive for opening fire at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and taking his own life in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the gunman started randomly shooting at people in the parking lot late Thursday night and then went into the building, where he shot himself shortly before police entered the facility.

McCartt said four people were killed outside the building and another four inside. Several people were also wounded, including five taken to the hospital.

The carnage took just a couple of minutes. “It did not last very long,” he said.

All of this has happened since March 22, 3 1/2 weeks ago.

It is past time for reasonable gun controls, but Republicans will not allow that to happen. They do nothing, and they say nothing as this murderous rampage continues

 

[The Original Tree]

Love Biden kissing China's Ass while they roll around in Mobile Torture Vans raiding Christian Churches and torturing people until they denounce Christ or Die.

Love Biden kissing Iran's ass while they continue to develop Nuclear weapons paid for with the money Obama Bin Lying gave to them.

Love Biden telling us The Constitution doesn't matter while he allows Fascist Health Departments to fine businesses and shut them down over an unscientific & Unconstitutional sets of business restrictions that we started The Revolutionary War over if this were to occur back in 1776. On top of that, he turns a blind eye to gross violations of free speech by Big Tech, and wants to circumvent the law and the legislature from everything from election law, to immigration, to The Supreme Court.

Love Biden demanding that Americans wear masks for the rest of their lives, undergo experimental and soon to be mandatory vaccinations, while he does ZERO health screening, and no vaccinations, and just let them flood in to this country without a passport, and without legal immigration status while he tells Americans they are going to need a COVID passport to leave their state, and that "we are in this together" while people are locked in their homes illegally. We freaking fought the British over what the CCP DemNazi Redcoats are doing to us now.

Love Biden sucking up to sexual perverts in his TransBiden administration while Human Trafficking and Kids in Cages hit all time record highs.

Love how Biden put a halt to legal building of already funded border wall so his business associates could continue to traffic children for their sexual perversions, and killer drugs to make them rich and destroy our communities.

Do we really need to go on about this wooden headed puppet China and the DemNazi party rigged an election for so they could put Pinocchio in The White House and lock down DC like a Soviet Gulag complete with razor wire?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The corrected version.

On March 16, a man who police say went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight people, was charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

On March 22, a mass shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed, including a local on-duty police officer.

A man has been charged with second-degree murder after an 11-month-old girl was killed and two other children were injured in a weekend drive-by shooting in New York, authorities said.

According to Syracuse police, three girls were sitting in the back seat of a car when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on them.

At least five people are dead, including two children, in what police in York County, S.C., called a “case of a mass shooting” that involved a former National Football League player as the gunman.

On the day of the President's E.O.'s on gun control, one person was killed and at least four others were wounded in a shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas.

A confrontation in a Tennessee high school that involved police officers responding to a report of a possible armed man left one person dead and an officer wounded, authorities said. The school was the subject of media reports in February after three students were shot to death over a three-week span.

Today, Police were working to identify a gunman and determine his motive for opening fire at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and taking his own life in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the gunman started randomly shooting at people in the parking lot late Thursday night and then went into the building, where he shot himself shortly before police entered the facility.

McCartt said four people were killed outside the building and another four inside. Several people were also wounded, including five taken to the hospital.

The carnage took just a couple of minutes. “It did not last very long,” he said.

The US has had at least 45 mass shootings, according to CNN reporting and an analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), local media, and police reports. The US has seen at least 147 mass shootings in 2021.

It is past time for reasonable gun controls, but Republicans will not allow that to happen. They do nothing, and they say nothing as this murderous rampage continues.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Today, Police were working to identify a gunman and determine his motive for opening fire at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and taking his own life in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S.

The Times reports, "The 19-year-old gunman who killed eight people and injured seven others at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis late Thursday was a former employee of the company whose mother had warned law enforcement officials last year that he might try to commit “suicide by cop,” officials said."

Note: It is always easy to red flag a shooter after the act. There are a lot of stupid, dangerous people out there, and, for law enforcement to take action, there must be probable cause.

The gunman had a previous encounter with law enforcement — including the seizure of a shotgun from him last year.

The Times continued, "After the teenager’s mother reported him to law enforcement in March 2020, the authorities launched an investigation and put him on an “immediate detention mental health temporary hold,” Mr. Keenan said in a statement. He was not charged with a crime. “The shotgun was not returned to the suspect,” Mr. Keenan said.

"A law enforcement official, requesting anonymity, identified the suspect as Brandon Scott Hole."

Two huge questions are: A) What kind of rifle was used, and the size of the magazine? B) How did Hole get his hands on such a weapon?

 

[Bush92]

President Joe R. Biden, how refreshing that sounds. What a refreshing day. Our divisive, erratic, foolish, conspiratorial, narcissistic President is gone, replaced by a President who deeply wants to unite us. Barring ill-advised preconceived notions about President Biden, his task should be easy. We are all Americans.

That said, although I voted for Biden for obvious reasons, not unlike 81 million Americans who did the same, I am a conservative Independent. That's official. In CA, we have to declare our political posture. Until I was driven out by Trump, for over a quarter of a century I was a declared Republican. I voted for Biden, but I have some reservations concerning him, mostly having to do with taxation and spending.

I said all that because I want to be honest with readers. I want them to know where I am coming from.

Whether or not Biden will be a good President is obviously an open question, but I think he is a good man. He will do his best to unite us and adopt policies that benefit all Americans, while removing those policies that do us harm. He wants the United States to rejoin the community of nations, and the days of isolation and making unitary decisions that involve other nations, in particular our traditional allies, are over.

The European Union's top politician, Ursula von der Leyen, said it best. "After four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House."

For the first time in four years, there is optimism in America created by a popular President. 59% of Americans approve of Biden.

On day one, Trump's approval rating was 40%, and, although it went lower than that, it never got much higher. Thus the reason for American optimism.

Straight "F's"

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Two huge questions are: A) What kind of rifle was used, and the size of the magazine? B) How did Hole get his hands on such a weapon?

I have scowered the internet for this information. I have listened to several news programs on the telly. Surely law enforcement knows what kind of weapon was used in the FedEx shooting in Indianapolis, and they probably know how Hole got his hands on the rifle.

Despite my exhaustive search, it is readily apparent that law enforcement is holding back all information regarding the weapon.

Why?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Despite my exhaustive search, it is readily apparent that law enforcement is holding back all information regarding the weapon.

We know the shooter's name, Brandon Scott Hole. We know he had worked at the FedEx facility, and we know his mother thought he was suicidal and a shotgun was confiscated from him.

That is all we know about him, and we know nothing about his family, not even their names.

Why is law enforcement keeping all information about this shooter a secret?

Indiana has long been considered to be a Republican stronghold. It's governor is Republican. Currently, the Republican Party holds super majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. The two Senators are Republican.

That might explain the complete lack of information on the shooter and his weapon.

 

[beautress]

The corrected version.

On March 16, a man who police say went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing eight people, was charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

On March 22, a mass shooting occurred at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed, including a local on-duty police officer.

A man has been charged with second-degree murder after an 11-month-old girl was killed and two other children were injured in a weekend drive-by shooting in New York, authorities said.

According to Syracuse police, three girls were sitting in the back seat of a car when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on them.

At least five people are dead, including two children, in what police in York County, S.C., called a “case of a mass shooting” that involved a former National Football League player as the gunman.

On the day of the President's E.O.'s on gun control, one person was killed and at least four others were wounded in a shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas.

A confrontation in a Tennessee high school that involved police officers responding to a report of a possible armed man left one person dead and an officer wounded, authorities said. The school was the subject of media reports in February after three students were shot to death over a three-week span.

Today, Police were working to identify a gunman and determine his motive for opening fire at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and taking his own life in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the gunman started randomly shooting at people in the parking lot late Thursday night and then went into the building, where he shot himself shortly before police entered the facility.

McCartt said four people were killed outside the building and another four inside. Several people were also wounded, including five taken to the hospital.

The carnage took just a couple of minutes. “It did not last very long,” he said.

The US has had at least 45 mass shootings, according to CNN reporting and an analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), local media, and police reports. The US has seen at least 147 mass shootings in 2021.

It is past time for reasonable gun controls, but Republicans will not allow that to happen. They do nothing, and they say nothing as this murderous rampage continues.

All those examples you gave were of deranged mental cases seeking attention and they got it. The law says mentally sick people aren't allowed to own guns. Yet, nobody mentions this aspect of responsible gun ownership. The fascists always have to get rid of guns from their political survival mode. It's a bad idea for this free country to curtsey to fascists to their utopia of silence from their political opponents who value human rights. Meh on the cancel culture that Socialists are.

 

[beautress]

Despite my exhaustive search, it is readily apparent that law enforcement is holding back all information regarding the weapon.

We know the shooter's name, Brandon Scott Hole. We know he had worked at the FedEx facility, and we know his mother thought he was suicidal and a shotgun was confiscated from him.

That is all we know about him, and we know nothing about his family, not even their names.

Why is law enforcement keeping all information about this shooter a secret?

Indiana has long been considered to be a Republican stronghold. It's governor is Republican. Currently, the Republican Party holds super majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. The two Senators are Republican.

That might explain the complete lack of information on the shooter and his weapon.

Has it ever occurred to you that the State of Indiana and its residents may be law abiding people be they Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and they may have privacy laws in place that do not publish information on suspects to weaponize their breach of State laws until after the trial by jury? It wouldn't be a fair trial if you ignore that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

[BluesLegend]

Biden has earned an F- that takes real talent.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Indiana has long been considered to be a Republican stronghold. It's governor is Republican. Currently, the Republican Party holds super majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. The two Senators are Republican.

Now we know why the Republican-run government didn't want tell us anything about Brandon Scott Hole. We still know nothing Hole or his family, but we know about Hole's gun purchases.

The Indy Star reports, "In March 2020, police took a brand new shotgun from then 18-year-old Brandon Scott Hole when his mother reported his desire to die at the hands of law enforcement.

Just four months later, he legally bought an assault rifle in Indianapolis. He would add another to his collection two months after that.

"And 13 months removed from the call his mother made to police at the precipice of the pandemic, Hole used his two assault weapons to kill eight people and himself at a FedEx facility on Indianapolis’ southwest side."

What about Indiana's red flag law?

The Star explains, "On paper, Indiana's red flag law should have stopped him. Called the Jake Laird Law in honor of a slain Indianapolis police officer, red flag legislation introduced and approved by the Indiana General Assembly in 2005 allows law enforcement to seize guns from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others.

But the law played no role in derailing Hole's plans. Online court records show no indication Hole appeared before a court to prove his competency, and police say it's unclear of the shotgun seized in March 2020 and never returned was confiscated under proper red flag procedure.

What do we know about Brandon Scott Hole?

Nothing!

The Star tells us, "Officials from the prosecutor's office told IndyStar Sunday they are looking into the specifics of the matter and hope to provide comment as early as Monday afternoon."

That explains a lot. Little wonder as to why the Republican government tried to hide this.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The US has had at least 50 mass shootings in a month, according to CNN reporting and an analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), local media, and police reports. The US has seen at least 150 mass shootings in 2021.

It is past time for reasonable gun controls, but Republicans will not allow that to happen. They do nothing, and they say nothing as this murderous rampage continues.

Amidst all this, countless murders, Republican members of this forum and Republican members of Congress remain completely silent.

Why? They know they are on the wrong side of this issue and total silence is their only recourse.