March 23, 2021

There's one organization to blame for creating a nation of sociopaths

Amanda Marcotte
Salon, by way of Raw Story

Right on the heels of last week's horrific shooting spree by a 21-year-old at three Atlanta-area Asian day spas that left eight dead comes another mass murder, this time with a death toll of 10 at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store. The suspect, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was reportedly armed with an AR-15. While everyone waits for an apparent motive (officials said an investigation would not take fewer than five days to complete) one thing is absolutely certain: Little will be done to address the primary cause of mass shootings. The ease with which any random man with an inchoate grievance can pick up a gun and rapidly snuff out the lives of strangers to make himself feel powerful will remain unchecked.

That's not because Americans oppose stricter gun control laws. In fact, around 90% of Americans polled consistently support background checks for all gun sales. But when House Democrats introduced a bill earlier this month making background checks universal, all but eight Republicans voted against it. And forget about even turning this bill into law. The filibuster's continued existence makes it impossible to get it past Republican obstruction in the Senate.

The grim reality is that the entire nation is in the thrall to a minority of extremely insecure mostly white men who, drunk on decades of NRA-fueled propaganda, have decided that having the ability to commit mass murder at a moment's notice is a crucial component of maintaining their manhood against the ever-encroaching threats from de-gendered Potato Heads and lady video game players. Most of these men claim exoneration because they don't personally grab one of their many overpriced killing machines to lay waste to a grocery store or high school. Grotesquely, some even use these mass shootings to indulge in public fantasies about how they would totally stop an active shooter, though somehow they never seem to actually get around to doing it. But ultimately, they've become complacent in the face of mass murder from decades of being told by right-wing media that there's a binary choice between preventing murder and watching Michelle Obama personally run off with their testicles in her handbag. Worse, the right has cultivated an overall suspicion of the very concept of concern for the lives of others at all.

https://www.rawstory.com/national-rifle-association-nra/

March 23, 2021

Where did I put my socks?

I swear, I just had them

March 23, 2021

We need a national Cease-Fire Day one day each week

With seven mass shootings in seven days, maybe it's time to establish a weekly day of rest for our overworked law enforcement and medical personnel. Not to mention the trigger-happy murderous monsters and their pushers, aka gun merchants.

Is it too much for America to enjoy even one day of respite per week? That's 52 cease-fires a year. Surely patriotic mass murderer wanna-be types could be convinced to hold their fire for 24 hours, right? (yeah, right)

Of course it would be harder to convince the gun peddlers and their enablers in Congress and in state legislatures, and the gun lobby, who seem to feel that waiting even a few minutes for a background check would impose hardship on those anxious to get out and start murdering.

I'm not joking. I'm not trying to make light of the latest horrors in Colorado and Florida. We have a mass murder epidemic in our nation. The fear and anxiety and the grief are exhausting us.

Come on, Congress, give us a weekly cease-fire break. It probably won't stop the crazies with their AK-15s, but maybe, just maybe, it would plant a tiny seed in people's minds that this situation is too much to bear.

Didn't God rest on the seventh day too?

March 23, 2021

A Police Officer Has Died After A Shooting At A Supermarket In Boulder, Colorado

Source: Buzzfeed News

BOULDER, Colorado -- Police are responding to an active shooter at a King Soopers grocery store Monday afternoon, warning residents to stay away from the area as heavily armed officers surrounded the store.

A Boulder police officer was killed in the shooting, two officers told BuzzFeed News. As of Monday evening, authorities had not officially released any information on any deaths or injuries.

Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/boulder-king-soopers-shooting?ref=bfnsplash

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Huffington Post reports at least 6 people dead

At least six people died Monday in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, according to multiple reports.

Police took at least one person into custody after responding to reports of a shooting inside the King Soopers store. Reports by KMGH-TV, WGCL-TV and The Wall Street Journal say that one of the victims was a police officer.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/police-boulder-colorado-active-shooter-supermarket_n_60590410c5b6bd95117f2f90

CNN reporting:

One senior law enforcement source also says the weapon used in the shooting was an AR-15 style rifle.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/colorado-king-soopers-shooting/index.html

March 23, 2021

A Police Officer Has Died After A Shooting At A Supermarket In Boulder, Colorado

BOULDER, Colorado — Police are responding to an active shooter at a King Soopers grocery store Monday afternoon, warning residents to stay away from the area as heavily armed officers surrounded the store.

A Boulder police officer was killed in the shooting, two officers told BuzzFeed News. As of Monday evening, authorities had not officially released any information on any deaths or injuries.


https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/boulder-king-soopers-shooting?ref=bfnsplash

Huffpost reporting at least 6 dead:

At Least 6 Reported Dead In Mass Shooting At Colorado Supermarket

By Sanjana Karanth, Carla Herreria Russo, and Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

At least six people died Monday in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, according to multiple reports.

Police took at least one person into custody after responding to reports of a shooting inside the King Soopers store. Reports by KMGH-TV, WGCL-TV and The Wall Street Journal say that one of the victims was a police officer.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/police-boulder-colorado-active-shooter-supermarket_n_60590410c5b6bd95117f2f90

March 17, 2021

Is there some kind of Mercury retrograde thing going on today?

It's been a terrible day.

I don't dare to do anything else, for fear of yet another major problem.

March 11, 2021

Since when do mosquitoes bite in early March?

I slapped one when it landed on my hand this afternoon.

This is in Maryland, maybe 16 miles northwest of DC.
It's March 10. We could still see some snow in the next 3 weeks.

The world is going nuts.

March 1, 2021

FYI from Congressman David Trone's March 1 vaccine distribution letter

Following an order by Governor Hogan, Maryland is currently in Phase 1C of its distribution plan. According to the Maryland Department of Health, the following individuals should now be eligible for the vaccine:

Residents age 65 and older
Essential workers in food and agriculture, manufacturing, public transit, grocery stores, U.S. Postal Service, veterinary medicine, clergy, and more.

However, it is important to note that Governor Hogan has given each county and vaccination site the ability to set their own eligibility requirements, which may differ from the statewide phase.


Each county is progressing along their vaccination plan at a different pace based on population size and the availability of the vaccine. Below is a list of the current vaccination sites available in each county. You can also use this tool to find a COVID-19 vaccination site near you.

Please note that any Marylander who's eligible can register for a vaccine at a mass vaccination site. However, for all other vaccination sites, please be sure to ONLY SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT IN THE COUNTY IN WHICH YOU LIVE OR WORK. If you schedule an appointment in another county, your appointment will likely be cancelled or you may be turned away.

STATEWIDE MASS VACCINATION SITES:

The Baltimore Convention Center:
Individuals needing assistance to register for a vaccine appointment at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital can call (443) 462-5511 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Six Flags America Theme Park

M&T Bank Stadium: (855) 634-6829

MONTGOMERY COUNTY:

Montgomery County Health Department:
Montgomery County Health Department is currently vaccinating Phase 1A and people 75+ who live or work in Montgomery County.
Residents must pre-register for a vaccine appointment using the pre-registration portal (link above) or by calling 240-777-2982. Once you have pre-registered, the county will contact you and schedule your appointment as it receives COVID-19 vaccines from the Maryland Department of Health.

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic: (240) 826-4636
At this time, Adventist Health community vaccination clinics are open only to those who meet the state's Phase 1A, 1B and those 65 years and older in 1C ONLY.

Adventist HealthCare Takoma Park Campus COVID 19 Vaccine Clinic: (240) 826-4636
At this time, Adventist Health community vaccination clinics are open only to those who meet the state's Phase 1A, 1B and those 65 years and older in 1C ONLY.

Holy Cross Hospital
Holy Cross Health is prioritizing Phases 1A and 1B and will open vaccine appointments to Phase 1C in the future depending on the availability of vaccines and progress vaccinating higher priority groups.

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins' Maryland hospitals received an extremely small number of vaccines this week from the State of Maryland to distribute to eligible patients and health care workers as outlined in Phases 1A-C

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center

CCI Health & Wellness Services:
CCI Health and Wellness Services is offering the COVID-19 vaccine to its established patients following the state of Maryland’s vaccine schedule.
CCI is currently vaccinating patients in Phase 1B; if you are an existing patient eligible for vaccination they will reach out to you directly to schedule an appointment.

CVS Bethesda
CVS Wheaton
Giant Food Bethesda: (301) 530-3271
Giant Food Burtonsville: (301) 421-4493
Giant Food Gaithersburg: (301) 208-8204
Giant Food Silver Spring: (301) 565-0575
Safeway Rockville
Safeway Wheaton
Walgreens Bethesda
Walgreens Gaithersburg
Walgreens Germantown
Walgreens Olney
Walgreens Rockville (multiple locations)
Walgreens Potomac
Walgreens Silver Spring (multiple locations)
Walgreens Takoma Park

To subscribe to the e-newsletter go to https://trone.house.gov/covid-email-updates