Thoughts For Memorial Day

These Are The Times That Fry Men’s Souls

May 30, 2022

Memorial Day in America. We observe this national holiday to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our democracy. In defense of our commitment to protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness under the umbrella of this Great Experiment, this Republic-if-we-can-keep-it. This is how Benjamin Franklin described the newborn nation when asked by Mrs. Elizabeth Willing Powel, “Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?” as Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 18, 1787.

It is unfortunately time to add another cohort to those we memorialize every year on Memorial Day. As their numbers continue to rise day after day, year after year, we must add the many Americans who have perished as a result of the Ratpublican/NRA war – the American/Gun War – that continues to rage across this nation, to those memorialized every year on this day. 

The NRA-owned Ratpublican party continues to defend the rights of guns to wantonly take the lives of Americans on a daily basis. They defend large-capacity magazines. They defend assault-style weapons. They defend the rights of mentally ill individuals to wield weapons of mass death. They defend the rights of people to arm themselves in our streets and places of gathering without background checks, without licenses, without training, without being part of a “well-regulated militia.” They refuse to protect the rights of innocent Americans to not be mowed down in streets, to be gunned down in places of worship, in schools, or anywhere else normal people should feel free to enjoy life and liberty and pursue happiness without living in constant fear of being murdered for no reason.

Meanwhile, the NRA convention was held as planned in Texas (Coincidence?) just days after the massacre, where speakers exhibited Dali-esque creativity in blaming everything under the Sun EXCEPT GUNS for all our mass shootings. The tone-deaf/brain-dead event, featured none other than Donald Tmurp and Ted Cruz. Though he did attend a fundraiser hours after the shooting occurred, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decided not to show up to the NRA gala in person; he was probably afraid of getting shot. No guns will be permitted in the venue. Just Gun Nuts.

Both Tmurp and Cruz trotted out Wayne LaPierre’s deranged pronouncement, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” We now know that 19 law enforcement officers were standing outside the door to the Classroom of Death for 45 minutes – minutes that meant life and death…well, death for a number of children – held at bay by a guy with a gun on the other side of that door. So, it seems that one guy with a gun stopped 19 guys with guns, so by what now passes for logic in much of America, and according to the “thinking” of the NRA, et al, the guy inside the classroom must have been the Good Guy with the gun.

The defense rests.

A child protesting outside the NRA gunfest: his sign asks

AM I NEXT?

From Their Cold, Dead Hearts

Less than a year ago Abbott proudly claimed Texas as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State” – whatever the fuck that means. At the signing ceremony Abbott said

“Politicians from the federal level to the local level have threatened to take guns from law-abiding citizens – but we will not let that happen in Texas. Texas will always be the leader in defending the Second Amendment, which is why we built a barrier around gun rights this session.”

Maybe someone should have built a barrier around the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Ratpublicans (and Joe Manchin) constantly talk about being “pro-life.” Their actions are consistently “pro-death.” Watch what people do, not what they say. Now, watch the Supreme Court loosen gun laws. Checkmate.

I. Mangrey reflecting.