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Well, other than my wife, and my doctor, you fuckers are the only ones to know. I had an endoscopy last Thursday as I have had increasing difficulty swallowing food. The scope showed a stricture (narrowing of the esophagus near the stomach that he stretched out. As a matter of course, like a colonoscopy, they took a few biopsies. I got a call last night from my GE. I got the cancer. He's not an oncologist, so doesn't want to try to paint to much of a picture, but it's in the esophagus, so likely esophageal cancer. That's not a good cancer. Referred me to a top thoracic oncology surgeon at City of Hope. Haven't yet connected. Until the tests are done, really won't know the stage or any of that. I've been literally having an out of body experience the last 18 hours. Like it's somebody else. But it's me. Not sure how to process it. Of course all I can think about is my family. Son is graduating HS in a week. I don't want this to fuck him up, so may wait to tell the kids until afterwards. And he's planning on spending his first year of college in London. I don't want this to fuck it up. And, well, they really need me around. I'm having lunch with a few buddies today, one of which has brain cancer that is terminal. He and I have been friends since we were kids. I'll be driving him home. He'll be the 2nd person I tell. Figured he can relate.

He's absolutely right in everything he said.

Eva Mireles, 44 Uziyah Garcia, 8 Xavier Lopez, 10 Rojelio Torres, 10 Nevaeh Bravo Irma Garcia, 46 Makenna Elrod, 10 Amerie Jo Garza, 10 Eliahana ‘Eliajha’ Cruz Torres, 10 Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10 Ellie Lugo, 10 Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10 Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11 Alithia Ramirez, 10

LMAO. You're accusing Beto of political grandstanding at an event that was the very fucking definition of political grandstanding. Good lord.

and to quote my own post to further clarify the republican strategy on this - they will never make small concessions, and here's why. small concessions actually make common sense and have a chance at not only passing, but making a difference. and they cannot risk the dems making any type of progress on anything, because that would go against their obstructionist mission statement. so they roadblock all small solutions. but why? so that only big solutions remain. and then when dems propose big solutions, the red hats can screech about the radical left overreacting and coming to take their guns. because they know this is the fight they can win. and if you don't buy it, try subbing out guns with healthcare, education, crime, immigration, taxes, voting reform. the trains are on different tracks but the stops are all the same.

With all due respect, fuck you and the majority of your family.

and people wonder why republicans keep winning...this post is why. dan patrick, greg abbott, dade phelan, and ted cruz are some of the worst human beings on this planet...they ran interference on the real issue and trotted out their "we don't know what to do, we don't know why it is so bad, mental health mental health mental health." not one reporter asked him why he stole $210 million from dhhs's budget to fund his border theatrics if he's actually concerned about mental health in this state. not one. these are the same people who cheered on an invasion of the fucking united states capitol in an effort to overturn the outcome of a national election...whose supporters erected gallows outside of the capitol for mike pence. and they are going to get sanctimonious about someone standing up and saying "hey, you assholes, you're ignoring the problem here" after 21 people are murdered. and you are all too willing to carry their water for them.

You read this thread and you see the faces of these 19 children, and your only conclusion is that Brisket has lost "it"? Here's my question: in light of recent events, how can any sane person possibly retain "it"? Aren't we at a place now where the only sane people are the insane?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ruben-gallego-hurls-expletives-ted-002927543.html Rep. Ruben Gallego hurled profanity at Sen. Ted Cruz after the Texas Republican worried that Democrats and the media would use the massacre of elementary students Tuesday to curb gun rights. In a series of coarse tweets reflecting the raw outrage at the slaying of at least 14 children and a teacher in Uvalde, Texas, Gallego, D-Ariz., also alluded to an infamous 2021 trip to Cancun, Mexico, Cruz took as his state grappled with massive blackouts following a winter storm. "Fuck you @tedcruz you care about a fetus but you will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless," Gallego wrote on his personal Twitter account. Twenty-one minutes later, Gallego doubled down on the message: "Just to be clear fuck you @tedcruz you fucking baby killer." Gallego did so in response to remarks by Cruz reported by CNN. “Inevitably when there's a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens,” Cruz said. Gallego later turned his anger at Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who had tweeted, "Our thoughts and prayers are with these families." "Fuck your prayers. They haven’t worked for the last 20 mass shootings how about passing laws that will stop these killings," Gallego said. Gallego also ripped Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., after she condemned the shooting. “We are horrified and heartbroken by the senseless tragedy unfolding at Robb Elementary School in Texas and grateful to the first responders for acting swiftly,” Sinema said in a statement. “No families should ever have to fear violence in their children's schools.” “Please just stop.. unless you are willing to break the filibuster to actually pass sensible gun control measures you might as well just say ‘thoughts and prayers,’” Gallego responded.

Same people crafting laws to make it very difficult for a woman to get an abortion, "I have no idea how we can prevent gun violence."

The reason so many are so angry right now is because the “practical solution” is very obvious and easily implemented if it weren’t for voters like you. That simple.

The gun issue is maddening. The answer is so obvious. There is absolutely no real downside to taking the only action that might have an effect on the number of mass shootings. Make assault style rifles illegal. At least make them a lot more difficult to get. Age limit? Yes! Background check? Yes! Waiting period, interview, watch list, connectivity between medical professionals and law enforcement? Yes, yes, yes, fuck yes! Every argument against common sense gun restrictions is either illogical or just outright stupidity. -If you take my guns then I can't overthrow the government if necessary. Answer: You can't overthrow the government with your AR as it is. Or with your 50 cal or tank or whatever in the fuck else you have. The U.S. military has puff the magic dragon and warthogs and shit. You ain't doing shit. Accept it and affect the government in the ways that are actually possible. -I won't be able to defend my home. Answer: Bullshit. You can still own handguns and shotguns (which should also be harder to get, but not impossible). Plenty of firepower to blow away a burglar, in the unlikely event it ever happens. -My right to own firearms is protected by the Constitution. Answer: Yes, it may well be. However, we live in a different time than when the Constitution was drafted. Do you honestly think that the framers, if they could see the shit that is happening now, wouldn't add a couple of qualifiers to 2A? If you don't believe that then you are being willfully ignorant. Things change, policy and laws have to change to adapt. To believe that one single document written 200 years ago is infallible and can effectively address every single conceivable situation possible under the sun is just crazy. Yes, it's a great, historic legal document. Changing it should be very, very hard and should not be taken lightly, but when the situation calls for it, like, say, when hundreds of schoolchildren are murdered in cold blood as a direct consequence of the easy access to firearms, then that is the right situation for change. I'm not going to continue. It's maddening. It's sickening. I'm beginning to hate all politicians. Whatever. It all boils down to guns vs. lives. Choose.

Greg Abbott is ok with kids being shot in school. He's ok with kids being sex trafficked in state foster care. He's ok with kids freezing to death. Greg Abbott is a child killer.

Something I thought about today. Did you know you cant carry a personal firearm on a military base? I don't just mean Joe Q. Public, I mean errbody. This isn't a general policy for the logistics clerks on Fort Hood, I mean this extends to our most highly trained Delta operators on bases like Bragg. Even if you live on base in housing or the barracks. You cant even store weapons in your living quarters. For those that aren't tracking, I'm not talking about an AR, I mean pistol, shotgun, etc. You have to register all weapons with the MPs, and then have those weapons stored with your unit armorer if you live on base. To use a shooting range on base, you have to again, register the weapon with the MPs, carry that weapon in locked storage in your trunk, and go to the range, finish your shooting, and then get the fuck back off base (or return it to the armorer for those that live on base). You don't get to drive to burger king and grab a bite with a weapon in your vehicle. I wont even get into all the hoops you have to jump through to access actual military weapons. The most highly trained people we have in the use of weapons aren't trusted to store a pistol in their house, or carry one in their vehicle while on a military installation. Doesn't matter if they are an 18 year old private or a 40 year old highly decorated green beret. I would assume its very similar for police stations wrt to the carrying of firearms in the building. Its beyond odd that our most trained weapon users have stronger gun control policies than the public.

If you vote Republican, you are the problem.

David Frum has a parable. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/uvalde-texas-robb-elementary-school-shooting-gun-violence/631649/ A village has been built in the deepest gully of a floodplain. At regular intervals, flash floods wipe away houses, killing all inside. Less dramatic—but more lethal—is the steady toll as individual villagers slip and drown in the marshes around them. After especially deadly events, the villagers solemnly discuss what they might do to protect themselves. Perhaps they might raise their homes on stilts? But a powerful faction among the villagers is always at hand to explain why these ideas won’t work. “No law can keep our village safe! The answer is that our people must learn to be better swimmers—and oh by the way, you said ‘stilts’ when the proper term is ‘piles,’ so why should anybody listen to you?” So the argument rages, without result, year after year, decade after decade, fatalities mounting all the while. Nearby villages, built in the hills, marvel that the gully-dwellers persist in their seemingly reckless way of life. But the gully-dwellers counter that they are following the wishes of their Founders, whose decisions two centuries ago must always be upheld by their descendants.

Fuck that sentiment. He's not a lawmaker and he was never the deciding vote in an election that prevented the passage of sensible gun legislation that could have prevented this killing. He lost his child and now his shit is on blast. That's not karma, and these posts are cruelty. Dems need to be better at fighting, but along the way cannot become the flaming pieces of shit they're fighting against. Be ruthless towards Pub politicians, not poor folks devastated by their anti-life policies.

I find your use of cringe pretty fucking cringe

I like how republicans accuse Beto of political theatre/grandstanding as they sit up on stage 15 deep to show they care about the children.

we need more Betos and we need more people like this:

Kids at home during covid: kEePiNg OuR kIdS aWaY fRoM sChOoL iS CaUsInG iRrEpArAbLe DaMaGe!!?! Kids getting murdered at school: wE nEeD tO hOmE sChOoL oUr ChIlDrEn!!!?!a

Beto just started the fight. Will the rest of the party join in?

Beto played the nice guy against the most hated man in Texas, and lost. He needs to go after Abbott with everything. Scorched earth strategy.

The tree should've finished the job.

This is so ducking dumb. Mass shootings don’t only occur at schools—it just fucking happened at a grocery store. It happens at churches. So your solution is to “harden the targets” at every single one of those location? So all schools, colleges, HEBs, and churches should be hardened when there’s a MUCH EASIER SOLUTION? Fuck outta here bro.

Yeah, you seem totally responsible and don't come off as someone who can become unhinged at any second..

You can go fuck yourself.

Yea, it's fucked up. I don't get the pride in being a gun owner though. It's obviously not hard. You don't have to put in any effort or show any degree of responsibility to own a gun. You just fucking pay for it and there you go. I'm not a proud television owner.

Sheriff at press conference: "On March 17th, Ramos purchased a semi-automatic rifle at a local sporting goods store. On March 18th, he purchased 375 rounds of ammunition for that rifle. On March 20th, he purchased another semi-automatic rifle at that same local store." and then: "We have YET to find a clue, whether it's social media or other indicators, that might have given us ANY TYPE OF IDEA that he was about to do something like this..." An 18-year-old buying a semi-automatic weapon in the first place should be a flag, but then he buys a SECOND one from the SAME store just three days later, and sheriff head-in-the-sand has to throw out there that no one had ANY TYPE OF IDEA that he was about to do something?! Then pats himself on the back that it was only 19 children that were killed. Hey, sheriff,

12 terrorists crashed 3 planes into buildings 20 years ago and we fundamentally changed how you could access airplanes, airplane cockpits, airports, installed massive security systems, and created a billion dollar agency to help ensure it never happened again. But yeah, we can't do anything to solve something that's going to happen one way or the other.

Maybe we should pay our politicians a pittance to ensure they are in it for the right reasons.

Someone mentioned it earlier, but I think the only way the 2A nuts really come to terms with this is with getting full exposure to the full gory details of events like this. Don’t show the happy photos of these kids. Show the footage from the crime scene. Show whats left of their heads. Run ads with this shit during every football game. We are numb to it because people aren’t exposed to the reality of what’s happening. It’s easy to say T&Ps to the smiling family photos of these kids. The only way you can sever the NRA’s hold on politicians is by making their money Chernobyl level untouchable.

This is some “nobody should be allowed to dislike me for my repugnant politics and personality” bullshit right here.

I don’t care if it was seen in poor taste. I want more Steve Kerr, Beto, and general outrage using all avenues possible. Decorum and solemn T&P has been the runout groove on this LP for years and years now. As a parent of two elementary kids, if I was in the vicinity of that PC I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t have barged in there and started yelling. Those are the fucking people that constantly brag about making it easier to get guns, carry guns and campaign on guns…fuck them

Call me an asshole, but I have a special distain for people who make false claims of abuse, racism, etc. because it gives a foothold to people not believing ACTUAL victims of those crimes. Fuck her and her bed shitting ass.

Not going to go digging to find the Patrick quote about hardening targets, but this is a response to that and any idiot that takes that deflection seriously. It is impossible to harden a school to the point that it would be immune to a mass shooting. Even if you could overcome the tax burden (lol), there are just too many events that make school “school”, that renders all the walls, doors, etc a moot point. Even if you secure every door, put in a gun proof screening entry area, move playgrounds indoors or behind walls big enough to prevent shooting angles, add bulletproof auto locking interior doors, etc etc, you still aren’t there. Those mitigations assume a static environment, and schools are anything but. Kids still have to move in and out of Fort Knox Elementary every day, and the mitigations that make it more makes it harder to get in and out of. You just made the next school shooting have a more specific time (drop off or pick up). Nott if we have armed officers at every school at those times, checkmate libtard! Again, assuming we overcome the tax burden for that too (more lol), it’s still a pipe dream. Pick up and drop off are pure fucking chaos, and even a small army of cops couldn’t adequately cover the volume of potential threats in that environment, but let’s say you cover the base. Now the target shifts to school busses. Even if you secure the loading of kids at the school, that bus is exposed to risk at every stop. What is stopping a nut from standing at a bus stop from just hopping on when the doors open and going ham? Are we hiring armed security for every bus too? You don’t even need to get on the bus, the sheet metal on a bus would probably struggle to stop a BB. Are we going to up armor busses? Hardening the target is a fucking bullshit deflection by the NRA and their well paid spokespeople. We can’t harden schools, theaters, grocery stores, etc. The only realistic solution is reducing access to firearms, but we as a nation don’t have the guts to attempt it.

Every single person who has voted for or contributed time or money to the Republican politicians in this state has a hand in these murders. Full stop

What? This person spent less than an hour total acquiring all of the weapons and ammunition needed to do this. Do I think it should take longer than 1 hour to do that when you just turned 18 and require at least a gun safety course along with a background check and some type of evaluation? Yeah dude, they don't just toss you the keys to a fucking car and say go mow down kids on the sidewalks. I'm about to permaban your ass if you don't stop falsely equivocating preventable gun violence with completely unrelated things.

You vote for gun nuts or people owned by the gun lobby. You keep them in power. You are most definitely a gun nut.