Blood On Their Hands

Well, it’s nothing we can feel good about. The United States Senate has been bought; we are governed by merciless, mercenary, utterly amoral men and women. They voted their pocket, they caved to pressure, they listened to lies.

They have blood on their hands.

Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe, after all, it’s better to know whom you’re up against, who your enemies are. And maybe it’s good to get angry, to start screaming “SHAME ON YOU” as two people did.

And as you can see in the clip below, Patricia Maisch seems like an improbable person to have been escorted out of the Senate, yesterday. In fact, even at age 56 I’m still instinctively intimidated by these ladies of a certain age who so many years ago told me to sit up straight and respect your elders and don’t put your elbows on the table.

The question, of course, is not whether they should be ashamed—of course they should—but whether they have any capacity for it. The next question is what to do about them.

Here are the 54 people who yesterday said, “fuck you,” to 90% of the American people.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho,Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.*, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

*Reid voted no as a procedural move so that he would retain the ability under Senate rules to bring up the measure again should supporters believe they've mustered enough votes to secure passage.

Source: U.S. Senate

And here are the email addresses of those 54 people:

http: //www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue, http://www.begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator, http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form?p=contact-roy, http://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me, http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm, http://www.chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.coats.senate.gov/contact/, http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactsenatorcoburn?p=ContactForm, http://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe, http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm, http://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm, http://www.cruz.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=e-mail-senator-enzi, http://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.flake.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.LandingPage, http://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm, http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin, http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form, http://www.hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator, http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm, http://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactSenatorJohanns, http://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact, http://moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry, http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact, http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=contact-form, http://www.pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe, http://www.reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm, http://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat, http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.scott.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ConstituentServices.ContactMe, http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailsenatorshelby, http://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.vitter.senate.gov/contact, http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EMailSenatorWicker

Unfortunately, these are contact forms, so it’s not possible to do a copy / paste and mass emailing. So I’m going to spend half an hour, copying and pasting the message below to all 54 senators.

I’m pissed.

I have never before written to a congressperson, but today I cannot remain silent. As well, I have always been proud to be an American; today, because of your actions, I am not.

You have failed to pass a simple measure that would have saved lives. By doing so, you have put lives jeopardy, because you feared the financial power of the gun lobby groups.

I'm glad one American had the courage to shout "Shame on you!" You have ignored the 90% of the American people who supported this measure, you have jeopardized American lives, and you have lost all of our respect.

Marc Newhouse 

Don't We?

Well, the situation on Capitol Hill, it seems, is getting a bit heated. The Senate Judiciary Committee is trying to figure out what to do about a difficult question—should somebody with a criminal record or a history of mental illness including violence be allowed to buy a gun? Forty percent of guns sold in the US do NOT include a background check.

This is a difficult, difficult question for our senators, who perhaps see things in this question that we simpler souls do not. Because a large majority—is it 80%? 90%? Who cares…the numbers are ridiculous—a large majority of the American public, as I was saying, support universal background checks.

And according to the New York Times, tempers flared at a luncheon for Republican lawmakers last weekend. Senator Susan Collins was pissed—she’s getting attacked, she said, by the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) which has deep ties to Rand Paul. Then Portman got into the fray, saying that he’s spending time raising funds for Collins, and she’s obliged to use it to defend herself, instead of getting her message out or attacking the opposition. Then Ted Cruz of Texas jumped in, and said he had nothing to do with it. (Cruz, apparently, is an ideological fan of Paul.) Then Paul, offended, left in a huff (OK, the New York Times actually said “stormed out of the room.”)

According to the NAGR, the National Rifle Association (NRA) isn’t sufficiently vigilant or militant in protecting “gun rights.” Yes, you read that right—NAGR president Dudley Brown thinks that the NRA is “negotiating backroom deals with left-wing Republicans and Democrats for half a loaf of gun control.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/slew-of-gun-rights-groups-flex-muscle-89781_Page2.html#ixzz2QXPj1sCy

Some people feel differently, like former Colorado State Senator Jean White, who got shot down in the primaries, and then saw a Democratic opponent win the general election. She says the NAGR is a godsend for the Democrats; several others agree. In the meantime, the NAGR took in and spent 7 million bucks last year.

Collins is also upset because the ads—coming from out of state—suggest she doesn’t act or talk like a Mainer; she grew up in northern Maine, where everybody had guns. And the ads hit pretty low—her face doing a slow dissolve into the face of Obama. Oh, and they call her a “gun grabber.”

Guys, this is insane. And it’s a typical example of how, by trying to be reasonable with crazy people, you end up in the end in completely crazy positions.

What we should have said, those decades ago when we were worrying about “Saturday night specials” (remember those halcyon days?) was this:

1.     The Second Amendment applies to the right of the citizenry to arm themselves and form militia. You have no individual right to own a gun.

2.     OK—for historical reasons, you can own a rifle and engage in hunting.

3.     The only purpose of a handgun is to kill someone. Sales of handguns are illegal, and illegal trafficking will be strictly punished.

4.     No attack weapons, semi-automatic weapons, etc. Rifles, period.

5.     As technology evolves, you will be required to upgrade your weapon, which means, yes, a national registry. We know that you have a car—why isn’t that a big deal? So you’ll be getting letters, periodically, saying that your gun has to have a Breathalyzer, a GPS chip, a PIN lock…whatever.

6.     Duh, background checks…..

7.     Sell guns through the mail, the Internet, gun shows? What, are you crazy? Guns are sold only through licensed shops, whose records are inspected annually.

We should have said it; we didn’t. So the gun people kept claiming more ground. Eventually, they got the Supreme Court to reverse two centuries plus of constitutional history and say that the Second Amendment allows individuals to own guns. More and more laws got passed protecting gun owners and gun “rights.” Gun makers got immunity from lawsuits; it became illegal to fund research on the effect of gun policy. As everyone went farther and farther into this crazy land, the NRA and the other gun “rights” groups had to whip up the masses more and more on progressively more crazy issues. Now, they are forced into attacking their friends—like Collins—by making up absurd claims. Oh, and also by lying.

And they have now, of course, put the Republican Party in a real jam. Because they are about to show their true colors to the American people. They’re about to tell 80% (or is it 90%) of the American people to go to hell, that they don’t care what they think or how many kids get killed, because nothing, in the end, is more important than the next election.

As deeply as I care about the issue, it may be time to focus on the way our campaigns are funded. Because now, we have a terrible example of how a single-issue constituency can completely subvert the democratic process by injecting twin amounts of money and lies into campaigns. Add to that the fact that corporations can now contribute freely and we have a looming disaster.

It may be time, it may be well past time, to do what Norway does. About 74% of campaigns are publically funded. Oh, and another wonderful piece of news: political ads are banned on television and radio.

I’d go further, of course. It seems crazy to me that a candidate can opt out of accepting campaign funds. Level the playing field—give everybody the same amount of dough, and let the best candidate win.

I mean we all do want an honest government, don’t we?

Didn’t hear the answer—don’t we?

Don’t we? 

The Colors That Run

Well, we’re seeing the true colors of our Congress, and guess what? It’s not red or blue, but green. The green that lives in your wallet, not on the trees.

The polls all say the same thing—somewhere around 80 to 90% of the American people favor background checks for anyone buying a gun. So naturally, Congress is going to have to act, to get right up there at the head of the parade, to wave that flag around and pass that legislation that is more popular than motherhood, right?

Lawrence Lessig, the guy in the clip below, might say no. Or he might say that the answer is very simple: look at the money the NRA spends on Congress versus the money the gun-control groups spend.

Well, I know the answer to that one—and here it is, courtesy of the Washington Post. 

Congressmen and women spend up to fifty percent of their time on the first priority of any politician: getting reelected. And all too often that means money, preferably big money, because look, are you going to spend hours trying to get a 10-buck donation? Remember Mitt Romney and the famous 47% remark? He made it in a room full of people spending 50,000 bucks a head. That’s 100,000$ a couple, plus parking and the babysitter.

Well, we certainly saw Mitt in his element, but the bad news? That’s every politician’s element. But until we all get together and force change on Congress, we’ll keep getting what we’re currently stuck with: the best Congress money can buy.

Consider this fact from POLITICO.com: “the top 0.07 percent of donors are more valuable than the bottom 86 percent.”

Well, I’m sure at this point you must be scratching your head and saying, “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions!” And I’m happy to say that Lessig argues that there are solutions out there—varying proposals to empower the small donors and lessen the power of super donors. I’m all for it, as well as for bringing back the hand-counted, paper ballot.

Question is—which to do first?