Remember Senator John Thune’s impotent response to the Las Vegas shooting? My local paper dedicated its Sunday editorial to its “anger” over Thune’s “get small” advice and failure to pursue real policy solutions:
The comment is, at best, thoughtless and tone-deaf; at worst, it’s an admission that Thune is without power, without ideas and without the guts to do anything about a national crisis [editorial, Aberdeen American News, 2017.10.15].
The AAN editorial board says Thune’s job isn’t to give public safety advice but to craft public policy. So far, on domestic gun violence, Thune isn’t doing that job.
As a country, the US is 4.4% of the world’s population, yet we own 42% of the world’s guns. Let that sink in. Our homicide rate in the US is over 300% that of the average of the rest of the OECD.
Just saying.
At over six foot, Thune has a long way to go to be an example at being small.
Marlboro Barbie’s actions make up for his over-active thyroid glands in making him a small human being.
As far as I can tell, Thune’s “job” is to stand over McConnell’s left shoulder and look “tall” for photo ops. I can’t really see where they GOP uses him for anything else. When he opens his mouth, all you get is word salad and GOP talking points. Just another pretty face like Palin, Bachmann, Blackburn, …
The left needs to fight Constitution myths with actual facts. One of popular ones is that everyone in Switzerland is armed which is partially true because everyone is conscripted into the Army and those weapons stayed locked up in an armory for the most part- Those that take them home have their guns majorly altered into a single shot gun. Here is an article to arm yourself with facts to counteract the myths regarding Constitutional rights. https://theconversation.com/five-types-of-gun-laws-the-founding-fathers-loved-85364
Nice try, Robin @ 13:20. You forget wingnuts have developed alternative facts not based on science or even intelligence.
Mike from Iowa ok become a victim instead of victor- Our group did a study on the Right and Left . The right doesn’t sit on sidelines and moan and groan- it doesn’t matter if they truly believe what the rest of their party is doing but they maintain a steady front of support.
The left is dead in SD because it will not fight like the right- If several million women can sit down and figure this out surely men can figure this out and form like the women.
I refused to allow my kids to attend public schools in SD because I refuse to have them regularly be subjected to terrorist lock downs. Freaking ridiculous that any parent would allow their kids to grow up in a simulated war environment as normal life.
I am not willing to become them to beat them.
Robin, interesting that you would take that strong and admirable stand against terroristic lockdowns. Do you homeschool, or did you find a private school that does not do lockdowns?
On fighting the right: Democrats regularly offer the facts against Republican fiction. South Dakota Democrats offer those facts—what other “fight” must we offer to beat the right-wing extremists? How do we respond effectively without triggering Mike’s concern about “becoming them to beat them”?
Cory since I need to work I could not afford to exactly home school an private is definitely out. I found a way to beat the system . Decided that children with PSTD was not exactly who I wanted running the world later. Plenty of options out there if you are serious about your children’s well being.
So what is the way you beat the system?
On the fighting the right: I had a very wise professor who whenever I had a problem referred me to ” The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. I would suggest that since some of the Tea Bagger Senators are trolling this page that the discussion be made in either email or some other place. There are some very constructive things that could be done without resorting bizarre lying Teabagger behavior.
Robin, think a minute- what is one of the very first programs wingnuts go after in order to ruin our world? If you guessed public education, you would be right. Now, how does avoiding a public education for your kids not help wingnuts?
All those lockdowns you mentioned are part of the heresy of right wing nut jobs in their efforts to force guns everywhere. Those nutter clowns have scared you worse than you imagined since you have your kids out of public schools.
That is solely my opinion.
Mike from iowa-Public schools are not going to be around much longer anyway- Both the Dems and the Repubs keep stealing money out of the schools every time they do a TIF loan.
As for scared nah they can get hurt walking down the street- Just sick and tired of kids coming home with anxiety every time there is a lock down. Absolutely no reason for my tax dollars to be used that way.
I was on the fence about public schools anyway – Creationism, Climate Science denial and the fact that schools use kids as little fund raisers( which would be alright if politicians weren’t handing out money meant for education) is really not what I consider a wise use of my hard earned dollars for an agenda I was not consulted on. The more I put up with it the further they go to la la land with my kids.
Robin is cruising right down my road with complaints about lockdown drills and fundraising.
Robin, both sides don’t do it. Wingnuts are the enemy of public schools. Period. End of story. Wingnuts want all government services privatized for maximum profits for their sugar daddy campaign contributors
mike from iowa- Sorry Mike but yes both sides do it. Every single Congress and President since Reagan has reduced the amount of money to public education.
Bush gave charters 308 Million , Obama 332 Million but he did a significant piece of legislation in 2016 he gave states the power to create charter schools on a whim. Remember Daugaard went further with that last year and decided to go with religious charters by and created a backdoor on religion by having the insurance companies donate and get a tax deduction. Of course we taxpayers have to make up the taxes not paid , so really we are paying for them.
I hang with a group of sociologists, economists, and poly sci peeps who do this stuff for a living
Ok Dems and moderate Conservatives tend to do it slower and quieter than tea baggers but they still do it.
Beware the false equivalency (where did this thread start? I’m just riding the wave…): Mike is solid: Democrats support public education, Republicans support the ALEC/Koch/DeVos effort to delegitimize, defund, and destroy public schools and privatize them, turning them into another way to reverse the redistribution of wealth back up the ladder, as elite kids get the best schools and poor kids pay billionaire-corporations for third-rate private schools.
You skipped over the facts and went all tribal loyalty.
So exactly what you saying about the facts ?
That they are false ?
Or they are excusable because I haven’t a clue what to insert ?
I am neutral as far as politics go because taint no one watching the hens while the fox is raiding the house. You think corporations don’t run the Democratic party as well ? I am not trying to be argumentative – I used to be a dyed in the wool party Dem .
Obama was wrong about charter schools and merit pay. But I’m saying you’re exaggerating the total mindset and record of actions on public education by Democrats to sustain a false equanimity. Voting records and policies in South Dakota and nationwide show Republicans taking more action to defund, delegitimize, and destroy public education. That’s a plain fact that we must not hide in false nonpartisan equanimity, which individual voters use too frequently to excuse themselves from making a real judgment.