The Ultimate Guide To The Gun Safety Debate

The Ultimate Guide To The Gun Safety Debate: pSince the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the debate over gun violence in the Untied States has begun in earnest. Some common talking points can and should be easily dismissed — the idea that regulating access to guns is always unconstitutional or makes tyranny more likely, to take two examples. But not every argument against expanded [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

BREAKING: Virginia Senate Committee Overwhelmingly Kills Electoral Vote Rigging Scheme

BREAKING: Virginia Senate Committee Overwhelmingly Kills Electoral Vote Rigging Scheme: pProgressVirginia reported Tuesday afternoon that the Virginia Senate’s Privileges and Elections Committee killed Sen. Charles “Bill” Carrico Sr.’s electoral college-rigging bill, despite an offer by Carrico to amend the bill to award electors in proportion to the state’s popular vote. The vote was 11-4 against the bill, although it will not be official until the [...]/p

Toney comments: Finally, GOP uses good sense in not depriving voters of their rights.

LINK FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Top Conservative Publication: God Wants You To Have An Assault Rifle

Toney Atkins comments: Where in the Christian Bible does God and Jesus say that man should own a gun, much less an assault rifle? Yes, man has a right to self-defense, and the U.S. Constitution's second amendment gives the right to bear arms to do so. But assault weapons? Right-wing extremist survivalists who, for reasons unknown, fear the government and, in fact, seem to want a civil war within our country would likely want, and most likely already have, weapons designed for war. The average gun-owner may feel the need for a regular gun to defend himself or herself against such unpatriotic Americans who want to take back a country that never was.

Top Conservative Publication: God Wants You To Have An Assault Rifle: pLegislation aimed at reducing gun violence is “a limitation on a God-given right of man that has existed throughout the history of civil society,” according to an article published in the leading conservative opinion journal National Review. The author, David French, interprets the Christian Bible as granting everyone a right to self-defense. He suggests that [...]/p

THE ABOVE LINK IS TO AN INTRIGUING REPORT FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG.

VERY SPECIAL THANKS By Toney Atkins

Hello to all of my favorite people:


I don't send this correspondence with the intent of being maudlin or preachy in any way, but I feel very strongly about letting you know the way I feel.


Several of you sent messages of concern and encouragement after I wrote, asking for prayers and positive vibes about the terrifying eye problems that I have been suffering, especially since December. You don't know how much they were appreciated.

I believe in the power of faith, prayer and positive energy on behalf of one's self as well as from others who genuinely care. It is because of you that I humbly say thank you because I give you much of the credit.

While at times that faith is shaken with doubt, fear and frustration, I give the credit to God, as I know Him, and to you for the fact that my eyesight, especially in the eye of special concern, has gotten better and, in some respects, is close to being normal again, or as close to normal as would be expected with progressiving glaucoma in both eyes and a cataract on one. Maybe I'll have a few years of seeing left after all. 

This improvement has come without medications or other treatments, so I have to believe that it came from my Higher Power and from friends and correspondents who I may have never met, as well as from those who I know and love from personal and working relationships, past and present.

After all this time, I still have heard nothing from my primary care doctor or the eye surgery specialist about the tests I had after completely losing sight in my right eye, the one on which I had corrective surgery a couple of years ago. I consider that to be positive news since my physicians apparently don't sense a need for urgency, and I suppose I'll finally learn the test results and what, if anything (other than new glasses) has to be done when I go to my appointment with the specialist next Thursday.
My sight is still blurry at times, but hopefully that will only require new eye drops and new glasses. The eye of major concern  (the one that went totally blind for several days) has shown major improvement over the past week or so, and I still hope the doctor can give me an explanation as to what might have caused the temporary blindness.


So, I thank you again for your thoughts and prayers, which could have been the medicine I needed. I realize that some of you suffer your own health problems, and I pray that the positive energy you sent my way will return to you a hundred-fold, healing and making you healthy and free of anxiety that can come with such issues. Even if I should go blind tomorrow, I'm grateful for the sight at this moment that allows me to write this to you.

 Have and keep the faith. It never ceases to amaze me what it can do.

Wishing you only the best in everything.

Sincerely,

Toney Atkins

************

SPREAD LOVE AND PEACE!
www.toneyatkins.com/

Republicans’ Effort To Rig Electoral College Gets National Backing

Toney comments: This is one more important reason that I have an extreme distrust and dislike of Republican politicians and their conservative believers who want to take away the U.S.'s rights in democracy and your vote in particular. From THINKPROGRESS.ORG:

Republicans’ Effort To Rig Electoral College Gets National Backing: pFormer Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R), who was the chief elections officer when the state experienced massive voting problems in 2004, is planning to lead a national effort to rig the electoral college in favor of the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. Republicans who hold power in states that have voted Democratic in the [...]/p

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How To Convince The NRA That Assault Weapons, Not The Media, Are Responsible For Gun Massacres

How To Convince The NRA That Assault Weapons, Not The Media, Are Responsible For Gun Massacres: pStephen King — best selling author of the very kind of violent books that gun advocates say contribute to gun violence — has penned Guns, a 25-page essay dismissing their criticism, while calling for universal background checks for gun purchases, and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. A self-described “blue-state American” who also [...]/p

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GOP Florida House Speaker Blasts Plan To Rig Electoral College

GOP Florida House Speaker Blasts Plan To Rig Electoral College: pFlorida House Speaker Will Weatherford (R) poured cold water on a Republican plan to rig the Electoral College that is being considered in a number of states to all but ensure that the next president will be a Republican. A number of states that have voted consistently for Democrats at a national level but are [...]/p

THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Five Reasons Bobby Jindal Is Responsible For Transforming The GOP Into ‘The Stupid Party’

Five Reasons Bobby Jindal Is Responsible For Transforming The GOP Into ‘The Stupid Party’: pDays after Mitt Romney lost his bid for the presidency, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) kicked off a publicity campaign for his 2016 run, casting himself as a different kind of Republican. In a series of interviews, statements and op-eds, Jindal called for reform within the GOP, embracing a more moderate message that could appeal [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

FLASHBACK: Republicans Opposed Electoral Vote Rigging In 2004, Calling It ‘A Really Stupid Idea’

FLASHBACK: Republicans Opposed Electoral Vote Rigging In 2004, Calling It ‘A Really Stupid Idea’: pNearly a decade before the GOP responded to President Obama’s re-election by proposing to rig the Electoral College in states like Pennsylvania and Virginia, Republicans vehemently opposed the plan and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting its implementation. In 2004, when Colorado was still a red state and then-President Bush was locked in a [...]/p

THINKPROGRESS.ORG ARTICLE

Top Republican Distances Himself From GOP’s Election-Rigging Plan

Top Republican Distances Himself From GOP’s Election-Rigging Plan: pFormer Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) distanced himself from his party’s effort to rig the election by appropriating electoral votes based on gerrymandered Congressional districts, telling MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Friday that he opposes the effort. Republican party leaders in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan have proposed legislation that would change how most electoral votes [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Penalty could keep smokers out of health overhaul: Associated Press

Penalty could keep smokers out of health overhaul: Associated Press

Armed School Guard Leaves Gun In Student Bathroom

Armed School Guard Leaves Gun In Student Bathroom: pA gun was left in the bathroom of a Michigan public school by an armed guard paid to protect it, according to the school’s director. The Chatfield School, a charter school that teaches K-8 students, hired a retired police weapons instructor to provide armed protection after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary. The result wasn’t [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures

How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures: pYesterday, Virginia Republicans took the first step to move a GOP plan to rig the Electoral College forward in that state. Similar plans are under consideration in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Republican election rigging plan targets blue states that President Obama won in 2008 and 2012, and changes the way they allocate electoral votes [...]/p

Above link to story everyone should read at THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Toney comments: I will be writing more later about gun-worshipping "Christian" Republican and even Democrat politicians who are not patriotic in their efforts to control the country and literally deprive U.S. citizens of their rights and liberties. Let's face it. All this would not be happening if President Obama was white. I cannot recall a time in my life when a political party such as the Republicans would go out of their way to fight every issue, good or questionable, for the country. That's happening now because racism is out of the closet and ultimately could result in the total destruction of the United States as we have known it.

Wall Street Journal: Women Shouldn’t Be In Combat Because Men Poop

Wall Street Journal: Women Shouldn’t Be In Combat Because Men Poop: pAn opinion piece published in one of America’s most prestigious newspapers made a curious assertion this morning: women shouldn’t serve in combat because “social norms” would make it “humiliating” for men. After Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s surprise announcement on Wednesday that women would be free to serve in most or all combat roles by [...]/p

From THINKPROGRESS.ORG

NRA: Obama Is Ruining Christmas By Tracking Stolen Guns

NRA: Obama Is Ruining Christmas By Tracking Stolen Guns: pOn Tuesday night, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre offered the organization’s response to President Obama’s inaugural address and the gun safety proposals he offered earlier this month. Speaking at the Weatherby Foundation International Hunting and Conservation Award dinner in Reno, Nevada, LaPierre claimed that President Obama seeks to place “every [...]/p

THE ABOVE LINK IS TO A REPORT FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Toney comments: I believe that current interpretaions of the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution are often misleading about the amendment's intent, and I find it disturbing that more Americans seem to worship guns more than they worship God. Again I ask: Will there be guns in Heaven? I agree that sane people have the American Constitutional right to have a gun, particularly in this terrible day and age when citizens have to protect themselves, their families and their properties. Also, guns are fine for hunting. However, I cannot agree that military style weapons should be available to the general public, including hunters, who I doubt intend to shoot many, many birds, deer or other animals at one time. A postscript: Despite what his critics say, President Obama has never indicated that he would have the government take away the guns of law-abiding citizens. In fact, he practically ignored the issue of gun control until the wake of massacres at a movie theatre and a school in 2012.

House GOP To Supreme Court: Gay People Are Too Powerful To Get Equal Rights

House GOP To Supreme Court: Gay People Are Too Powerful To Get Equal Rights: pFor nearly two years, House Republicans paid conservative superlawyer Paul Clement $520 an hour to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in federal court — and then sent the bill to the American taxpayer. In total Clement has now cost the American people up to $3 million for his efforts on behalf of this [...]/p

ABOVE LINK FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Toney comments: Republicans mislead us when they believe in the words of documents written by our founding fathers in establishing the United States of America. They seem to pooh-pooh the concept that "all men are created equal." (A progressive gay acquainance told me with a smile, "That's definitely not true.") But I digress, returning instead to the reality of what our forefathers said and to what many Americans give lip service but don't put into practice:
 
From Wikipedia: The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

 

Clinton Scolds GOP Senator For Focusing On Whether Protest Sparked Benghazi Attack

Clinton Scolds GOP Senator For Focusing On Whether Protest Sparked Benghazi Attack: pSecretary of State Hillary Clinton shot back at a Republican senator during today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Benghazi terror attacks, arguing that the Republicans’ focus on whether there was a protest against an anti-Muslim video at the time of the attack is irrelevant. Much of the politicization surrounding the Benghazi affair centered [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Toney comments: I love you, Secretary of State Clinton. You keep going, girl!

Why Obama’s Second Inaugural Was Not A ‘Far Left’ Speech, In One Graphic

Why Obama’s Second Inaugural Was Not A ‘Far Left’ Speech, In One Graphic: pAfter President Obama finished his second inaugural speech, Republicans jumped to claim that it was a “full-throated defense of government activism,” and that “he seeks to move the country even further left.” Overall, the conservatives concluded, the speech was partisan. The only problem? It wasn’t. On every major issue addressed during the inaugural on Monday, [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Jennifer Granholm Destroys Santorum’s Opposition To Gun Safety: ‘Why Do You Need An Armor Piercing Bullet?’

Jennifer Granholm Destroys Santorum’s Opposition To Gun Safety: ‘Why Do You Need An Armor Piercing Bullet?’: pFormer Republican presidential candidate and likely 2016 contender Rick Santorum dismissed the need for gun safety regulations during an appearance on ABC’s This Week Sunday, arguing that Americans should have access to military-style weapons and magazines, including the armor piercing bullets used by criminals to kill cops. During a heated exchange with former Michigan Gov. [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG.

Toney comments: Will there be military style weapons and magazines, or even guns, in Heaven? Did Jesus carry a gun? How did He feel about violence? Check out the red quotes in the first four books of the New Testament.

Martin Luther King’s Progressive Legacy

Martin Luther King’s Progressive Legacy: pToday is the official ceremony for President Obama’s second inauguration and the national celebration of Martin Luther King Day. The holiday, which was not officially observed in all 50 states until 2000, honors the civil rights leader and nonviolent activist who led the struggle for African American equality, and against militarism, materialism, and poverty. And [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Obama Pushes Back On ‘The 47 Percent’: Entitlements ‘Do Not Make Us A Nation Of Takers’

Obama Pushes Back On ‘The 47 Percent’: Entitlements ‘Do Not Make Us A Nation Of Takers’: pIn the months of campaigning that unfolded after Mitt Romney was skewered for saying that “47 percent” of the country “believe that they are victims… believe the government has a responsibility to care for them,” President Obama was relatively silent about the remarks. But today, during his second inaugural speech, Obama got the last word [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

How Obama Made His Second Inaugural Address A Landmark Moment For LGBT Equality

How Obama Made His Second Inaugural Address A Landmark Moment For LGBT Equality: pPresident Obama just concluded what was arguably the most inclusive inaugural address ever delivered by any president. Of particular note was his inclusion of a direct call for marriage equality for gays and lesbians, reflecting the milestone from last May when he became the first president of the United States to ever make such an [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Limbaugh Tarnishes Civil Rights Movement To Advance Pro-Gun Agenda

Limbaugh Tarnishes Civil Rights Movement To Advance Pro-Gun Agenda: pConservative radio host Rush Limbaugh sought to equate the fight for African American civil rights with opposition to gun safety on Friday, suggesting that the movement could have better protected itself from segregationists had it been armed. Limbaugh specifically signaled out Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a nonviolent civil rights activist who was beaten during the [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Jennifer Granholm Destroys Santorum’s Opposition To Gun Safety: ‘Why Do You Need An Armor Piercing Bullet?’

Jennifer Granholm Destroys Santorum’s Opposition To Gun Safety: ‘Why Do You Need An Armor Piercing Bullet?’: pFormer Republican presidential candidate and likely 2016 contender Rick Santorum dismissed the need for gun safety regulations during an appearance on ABC’s This Week Sunday, arguing that Americans should have access to military-style weapons and magazines, including the armor piercing bullets used by criminals to kill cops. During a heated exchange with former Michigan Gov. [...]/p

GOOD QUESTION. FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

UPDATED: 5 People Shot At 3 Different Gun Shows On Gun Appreciation Day

UPDATED: 5 People Shot At 3 Different Gun Shows On Gun Appreciation Day: pIf the gun advocates behind this year’s inaugural Gun Appreciation Day had hoped to use the day’s festivities to build support for their anti-regulation platform, they are going to have to wait another year. Emergency personnel had to be called to the scene of the Dixie Gun and Knife Show in Raleigh, North Carolina after [...]/p

FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Everything You Need To Know About Obama’s Gun Violence Prevention Proposals

Everything You Need To Know About Obama’s Gun Violence Prevention Proposals: pIn a press conference on Wednesday, President Obama outlined a sweeping effort to prevent gun violence in the United States. Surrounded by children who had written him letters voicing their desire to see gun laws passed, Obama announced that he will sign 23 executive orders and bring a set of proposals to Congress. The President [...]/p

THIS IS A LINK FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG TO ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HISTORIC NEWS IMPACTING OUR NATION TODAY.

Wealthy CEOs Want To Force Americans To Retire Later

Wealthy CEOs Want To Force Americans To Retire Later: pThe Business Roundtable, a group representing the CEOs of the largest corporations in the nation — including the biggest banks, retailers, and insurance companies — is calling to raise the retirement age to 70. The group argues that Social Security is no longer affordable and plans to lobby Congressional lawmakers and the administration for its [...]/p

THIS LINK AND MANY OTHER NEWS LINKS IN THIS BLOG ARE FROM THINKPROGRESS.ORG TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ABOUT NEWS FOX AND RIGHT-WING SOURCES WILL EITHER NOT REPORT OR WILL DISTORT.

What Everyone Should Know About New York’s New Gun Law

What Everyone Should Know About New York’s New Gun Law: pThe New York State legislature has passed a piece of gun legislation called the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, or NYSAFE. The comprehensive measure makes sweeping changes to how the state approaches firearms and mental health. Here’s everything you need to know about the measure: 1. New York is the first state [...]/p

Common Sense

Common Sense: pWhat We Can Do to Help Prevent Gun Violence It’s been a month and a day since the tragic gun massacre in Newtown. What has been less remarked upon is the slow-motion tragedy that unfolds on the streets of America each and every day. On average, 33 people are murdered with guns every day. In [...]/p

DEFINITELY GOOD INFO FROM THINK PROGRESS.

10 States Take Action To Prevent Gun Violence

10 States Take Action To Prevent Gun Violence: pOne month after Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre prompted a national debate about preventing gun violence, state lawmakers have indicated they will push gun violence prevention measures, such as universal background checks, limiting high-capacity ammunition, and banning assault weapons. Right now, the vast majority of states have no laws on many of these issues. While [...]/p

RNC Chair: Rig The Next Presidential Election For Republicans

RNC Chair: Rig The Next Presidential Election For Republicans: pA little over a year ago, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) proposed rigging the presidential election for Mitt Romney by allocating electoral votes based upon which candidate carried each individual congressional district, rather than upon who wins the state as a whole. Thanks in large part to Republican gerrymandering, if Corbett’s election-rigging plan had been [...]/p

Gun Advocates Warn That New Safety Measures Could Foment 'The Next American Revolution' | ThinkProgress

Gun Advocates Warn That New Safety Measures Could Foment 'The Next American Revolution' | ThinkProgress

CDC: This Year's Flu Season Is Officially An Epidemic | ThinkProgress

CDC: This Year's Flu Season Is Officially An Epidemic | ThinkProgress

How Walgreens Plans To Lower America's Health Care Costs | ThinkProgress

How Walgreens Plans To Lower America's Health Care Costs | ThinkProgress

Virginia KKK Uses Obama's Presidency As A Recruiting Tool | ThinkProgress

Virginia KKK Uses Obama's Presidency As A Recruiting Tool | ThinkProgress

NRA President: Americans Are Buying Firearms Because They Fear Obama | ThinkProgress

NRA President: Americans Are Buying Firearms Because They Fear Obama | ThinkProgress

GQ And Beyoncé Knowles’—Quite Literal—Control Over Her Own Image

GQ And Beyoncé Knowles’—Quite Literal—Control Over Her Own Image: pGQ has named Beyoncé Knowles the sexiest woman of the millenium, an assessment with which I have no quibble. But what’s most interesting about the resulting profile of her, written by Amy Wallace, and the interview for which took place on the condition that Wallace consent that it be recorded by Knowles in an inversion [...]/p

Pro-Gun Advocate: Arming Black People Would Have Prevented Slavery

Pro-Gun Advocate: Arming Black People Would Have Prevented Slavery: pThe pro-gun lobby has kicked into overdrive to stifle anti-gun violence efforts in the wake of the Newtown school massacre. Gun advocates are cooking up a national Gun Appreciation Day for the weekend of President Obama’s second inauguration. Larry Ward, chairman of Gun Appreciation Day, appeared on CNN on Friday to defend his event. When [...]/p

Three Things The NRA Wants You To Believe About Biden’s Gun Safety Task Force That Aren’t True

Three Things The NRA Wants You To Believe About Biden’s Gun Safety Task Force That Aren’t True: pOn Thursday, the National Rifle Association (NRA) blasted the Obama administration for undermining Americans’ Second Amendment rights just moments after its representatives met with Vice President Joe Biden and the White House task force to reduce gun violence. Two years ago, the NRA wouldn’t even meet with President Obama and the group’s CEO and executive [...]/p

By The Numbers...Fiscal Cliff Avoided

By The Numbers: pWhat’s in the Tax Deal After weeks of tense negotiations and drama (a detailed blow-by-blow can be found here), Congress finally managed to solve at least part of its latest manufactured crisis. After the country had technically already gone over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” the Senate overwhelmingly passed a compromise tax plan early Tuesday morning [...]/p