But do they lead to less violent crime? I keep seeing the claim bandied about and can't help but think it falls within the "lies, damned lies and statistics" category. The claim is always "fewer guns means less gun violence" never "fewer guns means less violence -- period."

It hardly seems an acceptable substitute to be murdered by stabbing, asphyxiation or bludgeoning than by shooting. Over 90% of violent sexual assaults are by an unarmed attacker (of the remaining 10% less than half of those -- around 3% overall -- are by an attacker with a gun). Most robbers, regardless of what they are armed with, want money, not corpses. Mass killers want notoriety and infamy (why not ban media coverage?) and cannot be deterred as far as the means for killing.

So, what good is it to ban 500,000 to 3 million defensive gun uses annually if actual criminal violence -- regardless of weapon employed -- does not decrease? Does it?

They don't want governance, they want vengeance.



So, they plan to keep the filibuster disabled for judicial nominations until after they get a GOP president and then, once they have had their fill they will reinstate the filibuster rule before control reverts back to the Democratic party.

I dare you.

It's easy to get lost in the gloom on a morning like this. It's easy to become overwhelmed by contemplations of self-serving corporatist legislation soon to gush forth or the threats to legislation already passed. But it's important to put things into perspective: Tie does not come to an end in 2016; this was not the last election to be held.

We must look back and remember that the electorate that registered itself last night is the same electorate that gave us a Dem sweep into the national legislature in 2006, elected Obama in 2008 while widening his legislative majority and re-elected the President in 2012. We have, quite frankly, lost those voters. Whether they turned to the GOP to address some perceived grievance or simply stayed home we have lost them in one regard or another. Yes, there are the hardcore partisan GOPers but I want to address the subject of the swing / independent voter.

So, how do we win them back?

I have a few ideas --




1. Tell them they're stupid

Who doesn't like to hear that the only reason they looked past the political ads, debates, flyers and general sense of the body politic to vote as they did was really nothing more than an intellectual failing on their part. There is no way, you must explain, that they could be people of free agency and independent being; what is really the issue here is they suffer from some sort of deficiency.



2. Tell them they're brainwashed and easily manipulated.

You're practically daring them to turn their backs on you! In fact, the more you cajole on this point the greater their impetus will become for them to show you just who is in charge of their decision making.

Or maybe they'll just blindly accept everything you say and swing back.



3. Tell them they're superstitious troglodytes who believe in stupid sky fairies

This is a point that will drive home in the deepest, most intimate and personal way how you feel about them as human beings. And not just them but also their family going back generations.



4. Tell them they're toothless hick rednecks

Like Point #3 this is a good way to address their culture of not only your interlocutor but their family as well.



5. Tell them they don't know what's good for them

We don't want them going to the polls thinking they are free to make their own decisions.



6. Tell them they're {blank}ist

Slathering on the most damaging insults in American society today is always a good leading choice for winning converts. "Come back to us, you racist pigs!" is a message sure to resonate with the electorate. If nothing else, it demonstrates the depths of your own sincerity by wanting to welcome those racist, sexist haters into your own camp.



7. Tell them they only vote out of fear.

Not only should you tell them this be sure to sound as desperately angry and / or angst-ridden as possible to really drive home the point.



8. Tell them you're better than them!

You really can't overstate this one. It doesn't need to be stated explicitly, just be sure to let them know in small, subtle ways in a relentless threshing of their soul. Let them know they watch the wrong TV shows. Let them know they listen to the wrong music. Be dismissive of their concerns and do so with a sniff in the air. A political dissertation over a holiday dinner never fails to drive home the point.


I think if we follow these 8 simple steps there is no telling where we can find ourselves in 2016. This is the sort of strategy that will make the shortcomings of last night seem like a distant memory.

I went to vote and "Hang all the bastards!" wasn't an option.

Unless and until this is added we will never have a truly representative government that truly gives the people what they want.

We -- the peasant serfs -- are not allowed to structure deposits, even if the revenue was perfectly legal and ethical, to avoid the master's scrutiny but the master's minions are permitted to structure their expenditures, paid for by our money, to escape our scrutiny.

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/infections-spread-by-air-or-droplets.pdf

Those who are opposed to self-defense argue guns needlessly hurt people through misuse. They act as if guns somehow mystically alter the minds of normal people and turn them into violent monsters. If only we could eliminate guns the spell of the evil mojo will be broken.

Yet, there is a thing that does alter the mind and those alterations do lead to abhorrent and reckless behavior.

The misuse of alcohol leads to psoriasis, DUIs and other physical ailments. Moreover, guns bring with them an intrinsic understanding they are lethal the first time, every time. However, binge drinking is not only accepted it is expected if not outright encouraged in many instances.

Guns do not motivate people to violence; but to deny alcohol is an underlying factor in domestic abuse, sexual assault, child abuse and other forms of violence would be to stretch credulity beyond breaking.

Under-aged drinking claims 4,300 lives annually due to over-consumption of alcohol. That is more than 4 Sandy Hooks per week.

Of the 30,000 gun-related deaths each year 15,000 are suicides. That's 15,000 suicides out of 38,000. Having a gun in the house doesn't motivate people to kill themselves but of ALL suicides -- gun-related or otherwise -- alcohol is a significant factor.

I'm sure you'll have some hand-waving pronouncement as to why these facts are not facts or are immaterial.

Prayers for family's healing.

Does the badge make otherwise good people become monsters or do monsters seek out the badge because it gives them the power to act on their darker desires? Do they become traumatized bad the responsibilities of the job and / or frustrations or is it something else? Is it a combination of things?

It's clearly getting out of hand.