Yesterday President Obama declared his 23 Executive Actions on Gun Control. Executive Orders are originally intended to be used to clarify and direct laws passed by Congress, not to bypass Congress by making laws (which is highly unconstitutional....and yet is sometimes done by the president) so these are not laws, just orders from the President to help make laws more effective.
However, I'm not gonna talk about each order and what it does or does not actually say...because frankly I don't speak in political-ese. Most seem transparent enough. Yet there are a few that cause giant question marks. The 23 Orders are as follow.
1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.
3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
5. Propose rule making to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
11. Nominate an ATF director.
12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.
16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.
23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health
Again, most seem transparent and appropriate. Then there's numbers 14 and 16. Now what I'm about to say borders on the paranoid and I'm not entirely sure I'm not just being paranoid. (Isn't it interesting how Obama is doing things so crazy that talking about them makes you feel crazy?? I have a friend who posted a lot of Obama information on his Facebook page before the election, and he told me that he was called a conspiracy nut by at least 3 people...even though what he said was well documented as true if you did a little research. So at least I know I'm not the only one.)
Number 14 directs the Centers for Disease Control...yes, the CDC...to research causes and prevention of gun violence. Now why on the good planet Earth would that job be given to the CDC??? The CDC, in case you happen to be Patrick Star, is the federal agency designed to protect and promote public health and saftey in the United States. Mostly they focus on infectious diseases. Now I suppose you could say that being shot is unhealthy and therefore the CDC could be in charge of trying to keep people from getting shot...however that seems like a stretch. Now this may just be paranoia because I'm in the middle of a Fringe marathon, but somehow it just doesn't make sense that this research should be the CDC's jurisdiction. So why have them do it? I think we may have gotten our answer to that today. Today Obama asked Congress for $10 million dollars to be allocated to the CDC for this "research." That's a lot of research. Now I don't know how much it takes to figure out if people seeing violent images repeatedly has anything to do with violence...but I'm pretty sure $10 mil is overkill. (This is why our country is broke, btw.) So why the hell does Obama want the CDC to have this money then?? Now I have no idea what secret projects the government works on. I'm not naive enough to believe that governments don't work on secret initiatives that may be, well, nefarious may be the right word. I'm also not educated enough to know just what those projects are, so I won't posit something just for the heck of it. It just reminds me of the part in 'Independence Day' where the old guy responds to the question of how does the government pay for something like an Area 51 by saying "you don't really think it costs $1,000 for a hammer, $10,000 for a toilet seat, do you?". Makes you wonder what the CDC is really up to, doesn't it? Wonder if it has anything to do with those FEMA camps I keep hearing about.
The other order that stood out as unusual is the 16th. Now just what the hell does that mean!? I understand that it, along with the 17th have to do with questioning and reporting people who may have violent tendencies and who owns guns, clarifying that doctor-patient confidentiality doesn't prohibit doctors from asking (or telling) about gun ownership. But....why the hell is it there in the first place?? I mean, why does a doctor need to know if their patient owns a gun? I understand that they could then report someone that they feel is unstable...but what I don't get is how a doctor is going to find out if a person owns a gun or not. Because here in America we like a little phrase "none of your damn business" and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Unless.....what if in the future, when Obamacare is the rule of the land and doctors are basically employees of the government, that doctors must ask that question. And what if, just what if, a patient who refuses to answer is withheld treatment until they disclose whether they own a gun or not?? Now maybe this is just my wild imagination running course, but I really see no other reason for that order. Doctors have no business asking personal questions that do not pertain to medical issues...and unless I'm eating the lead bullets daily which is giving me lead poisoning...doctors have no business asking me about what I own. That seems so basic and simple that it causes Order 16 to stand out like a 30 year old at a Justin Beiber concert. Like I said, most of these are transparent enough to not raise any eyebrows, but then those two seem to make such little sense that it makes me, at least, wonder.
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Saturday, December 29, 2012
First They Came For The Guns...
I don't often "steal" other's posts, but occasionally there are some too good not to share. Like this one from Monkey in the Middle.
The good news is that if we ever do get that assault rifle ban, followed by a handgun ban, followed by a ban of anything that can shoot bullets, the “Banners” will still have a banner year of banning all the other ways with which people kill other people.
Violent crimes haven’t gone away with the UK’s gun control.
They've actually gone up.
Britons suffer 1,158,957 violent crimes per year, which works out at 2,034 per 100,000 residents. The U.S., meanwhile, has a rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, which is lower than France’s, at 504.
Instead of gun crime, the UK worries about knife crime. And has been practicing knife control.
Read the rest of the post here to see how they're discussing banning kitchen knives now!
First They Came For The Guns...
And took them out of their hands in Great Britain. They promised the population that they would be safe, that crime would reduce to almost nothing. It didn't happen. In fact, crime increased. Crime with knives increased. So now they will ban the knife.
The good news is that if we ever do get that assault rifle ban, followed by a handgun ban, followed by a ban of anything that can shoot bullets, the “Banners” will still have a banner year of banning all the other ways with which people kill other people.
Violent crimes haven’t gone away with the UK’s gun control.
They've actually gone up.
Britons suffer 1,158,957 violent crimes per year, which works out at 2,034 per 100,000 residents. The U.S., meanwhile, has a rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, which is lower than France’s, at 504.
Instead of gun crime, the UK worries about knife crime. And has been practicing knife control.
Read the rest of the post here to see how they're discussing banning kitchen knives now!
Friday, December 14, 2012
The G-- Problem in America
This country has a problem. This problem starts with a 'G' and has been getting incrementally worse. We try to remove this 'G' problem from the home. We try to remove this 'G' problem from the schools. We want to remove this 'G' problem from every facet of public life. We think this will make us better. We think it will cause more harmony and less strife. And things will be better in America if we just remove this problem.
No, the problem we have is not a gun problem. The problem we have is a God problem. Gun laws are more stringent than they have ever been, yet more shootings continue to happen. God laws are also more stringent. No prayer allowed in school, on the football field, in the office. The Ten Commandments are removed from public buildings. Lawsuits are filed against towns, companies, and schools to stop even the very word of God to be spoken. For 30 years this has been told it makes us better; more tolerant; more inclusive.
As the next few days go by, the word "gun" will be talked about ad nauseam. But that is not the 3-letter word beginning with a 'G' that should be talked about. After the Colorado theater shooting, Mike Huckabee said that "this country doesn't have a gun problem, it has a sin problem. We've removed God from every aspect of public life and then we get surprised when all hell breaks loose."
As I learned about the horrid tragedy that occurred in Connecticut today, I was reminded of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 24:12: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
As we have turned our back on God, we have sown in sin and wallowed in iniquity. As we abandon "Judeo-Christian" principles, we have accepted moral ambiguity. We have declared that we don't need God, and that we will decide what is right and wrong. Well, you reap what you sow, and when you sow in sin you will reap only in evil. Yes this country has a problem. But it's a God problem, not a gun problem.
No, the problem we have is not a gun problem. The problem we have is a God problem. Gun laws are more stringent than they have ever been, yet more shootings continue to happen. God laws are also more stringent. No prayer allowed in school, on the football field, in the office. The Ten Commandments are removed from public buildings. Lawsuits are filed against towns, companies, and schools to stop even the very word of God to be spoken. For 30 years this has been told it makes us better; more tolerant; more inclusive.
As the next few days go by, the word "gun" will be talked about ad nauseam. But that is not the 3-letter word beginning with a 'G' that should be talked about. After the Colorado theater shooting, Mike Huckabee said that "this country doesn't have a gun problem, it has a sin problem. We've removed God from every aspect of public life and then we get surprised when all hell breaks loose."
As I learned about the horrid tragedy that occurred in Connecticut today, I was reminded of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 24:12: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
As we have turned our back on God, we have sown in sin and wallowed in iniquity. As we abandon "Judeo-Christian" principles, we have accepted moral ambiguity. We have declared that we don't need God, and that we will decide what is right and wrong. Well, you reap what you sow, and when you sow in sin you will reap only in evil. Yes this country has a problem. But it's a God problem, not a gun problem.
Monday, December 3, 2012
The New KKK
The buzz word of the weekend was apparently 'guns' as I read multiple stories about guns and their dangers and how we should control them.
Bob Costas' rant at halftime of last night's football game is the hot topic today. I missed it myself, but I've been reading about it today. Apparently Bob, quoting Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock said that the NRA is the new KKK, as no white person has ever been killed with a gun in the history of America. Stunningly, he also said that "if Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today."
Are. You. Serious? Have you ever known someone who was suffering from severe mental problems? It doesn't sound like Bob or Jason Whitlock ever have. I have. And let me tell you, the absence of a gun is no deterrent of deep mental disillusions. As if any person suffering from such problems, when unable to find a gun, is simply cured and suffers no more thoughts of suicide or violence. As someone who's known people that have attempted suicide, Jovan Belchers actions are disturbing, sad, and tragic. But to place the onus on guns instead of the actual problems this man was having belittles his problems and distracts from the real issues that we should be talking about. It does a tremendous disservice to anyone suffering from mental anguish if we ignore the person and focus on their actions. And if you really believe that if all guns were removed from the world that murders and suicides would never happen again...well then you're an idiot. There's really nothing more to be said than that.
Another story that caught my attention was the arrest of an 11-year old boy on the Lower East side of Manhattan that took place last week. The boy's crime: he had a black, plastic prop gun in his backpack. Apparently the boy was supposed to be a cowboy in a play at an East Village theater and the theater had given him the prop gun. Well...we can't have children carrying around fake guns, so the school called the police, the boy was handcuffed and hauled off downtown. That'll teach him!
I mean...can our society get any stupider? It was a prop. It wasn't even a BB gun, which the school claimed it was. But to have the cops handcuff him and drag him off to the police station?? Dudes can sell drugs on the street corner and not get such treatment! But an 11-year old with a fake gun, well he is a danger to us all! The boy was also suspended and forced to attend an "alternative-learning facility" in Harlem for two weeks. So basically an otherwise innocent kid was forced into a group of kids with actual behavioral problems. Brilliant.
The child is now trumatized, afraid to go back to school and scared of cops. Awesome. If only they could start arresting kids for eating candy, then they might finally be able to end all the problems in New York City.
Bob Costas' rant at halftime of last night's football game is the hot topic today. I missed it myself, but I've been reading about it today. Apparently Bob, quoting Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock said that the NRA is the new KKK, as no white person has ever been killed with a gun in the history of America. Stunningly, he also said that "if Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today."
Are. You. Serious? Have you ever known someone who was suffering from severe mental problems? It doesn't sound like Bob or Jason Whitlock ever have. I have. And let me tell you, the absence of a gun is no deterrent of deep mental disillusions. As if any person suffering from such problems, when unable to find a gun, is simply cured and suffers no more thoughts of suicide or violence. As someone who's known people that have attempted suicide, Jovan Belchers actions are disturbing, sad, and tragic. But to place the onus on guns instead of the actual problems this man was having belittles his problems and distracts from the real issues that we should be talking about. It does a tremendous disservice to anyone suffering from mental anguish if we ignore the person and focus on their actions. And if you really believe that if all guns were removed from the world that murders and suicides would never happen again...well then you're an idiot. There's really nothing more to be said than that.
Another story that caught my attention was the arrest of an 11-year old boy on the Lower East side of Manhattan that took place last week. The boy's crime: he had a black, plastic prop gun in his backpack. Apparently the boy was supposed to be a cowboy in a play at an East Village theater and the theater had given him the prop gun. Well...we can't have children carrying around fake guns, so the school called the police, the boy was handcuffed and hauled off downtown. That'll teach him!
I mean...can our society get any stupider? It was a prop. It wasn't even a BB gun, which the school claimed it was. But to have the cops handcuff him and drag him off to the police station?? Dudes can sell drugs on the street corner and not get such treatment! But an 11-year old with a fake gun, well he is a danger to us all! The boy was also suspended and forced to attend an "alternative-learning facility" in Harlem for two weeks. So basically an otherwise innocent kid was forced into a group of kids with actual behavioral problems. Brilliant.
The child is now trumatized, afraid to go back to school and scared of cops. Awesome. If only they could start arresting kids for eating candy, then they might finally be able to end all the problems in New York City.
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