Silence in Congress

after Orlando massacre

is a national disgrace

Rep. Jim Himes refuses to be silent on stricter gun safety laws.

More than a dozen times a sorrowful President Obama has sought to console America from the White House after yet another tragic mass shooting.
He did so again this week after the slaughter of innocents in Orlando.
The silence from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue has been deafening – and disgraceful.
There is no reason whatsoever that the deranged misfit in Orlando could have legally purchased the killing machine he used so ruthlessly.
With its stranglehold on the majority in Congress, the National Rifle Association is the most dangerous organization in the country today. It doesn’t have to be this way.

BERNIE SANDERS FOR VICE PRESIDENT!
With presumptive Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton’s place in the history books now assured, her focus must turn to preventing the disaster that would be a Republican victory in the general election.
Clinton has three major items on her to-do list in the six weeks before the Democratic National Convention: unite her party behind her candidacy; pick a running mate; and launch her strongest attack yet on her Republican opponent.
She can forthwith accomplish the first two by quickly picking Bernie Sanders as her vice-presidential running mate. She should waste no time; the choice is obvious.

TRUTH IS THE MAIN CASUALTY IN GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Donald Trump has succeeded in making ignorance a virtue. Those who support him clearly agree.
No one can convincingly predict anything about a Trump presidency; his major selling point is his unpredictability. Apparently this is OK with his supporters, who are oblivious to his frequent self-contradictions, outright lies and bogus claims about all sorts of settled issues.
It seems as if a sizable chunk of American voters has no problem with a presidential candidate who is such a proven liar. If it is OK to lie one’s way into the Oval Office, what possible assurance could we have that the president will tell the truth once there?
None at all

AFTER 100 YEARS, IT’S TIME TO REDRAW THE MAP
As the hundredth anniversary of the French-British-Russian pact that carved up the Middle East approaches, it is time to acknowledge that Sykes-Picot led to the creation of several failed states.
In most of them, partition has become a fact on the ground. The sooner this is politically recognized, the sooner we can find a way out of endless war costing hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
Redrawing the map will take statesmanship not seen in generations and serious goodwill from disparate parties. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that doing nothing is not an option. Realignment of national boundaries might be the best possible outcome.

GOP LOOKS INCREASINGLY LIKE HUMPTY DUMPTY
Just days from the first balloting in the 2016 presidential race, it is beginning to look increasingly possible that Donald Trump might destroy the Republican Party. There are several scenarios, perhaps the most likely being a brokered convention in which Trump loses, then runs as an independent a la Ross Perot.
If something like this does happen, it will take a generation for the party to recover – if it ever does – after handing the 2016 race to the Democrats.

PRESIDENT TAKES AIM AT GUN LOBBY WITH NEW SAFETY MEASURES
Choking back his tears, President Obama focused national attention on the need for improved gun control – an issue that has became a source of shame for all Americans.
While the new gun safety measures announced by the president are unlikely to have a major impact, they do have far greater symbolic value. At least he is willing to take on the gun lobby.
Perversely the president’s remarks sent stocks in the biggest purveyors of firearms soaring on US markets.

FRIGHTENING MASSACRES BOOST EXTREMIST IDEOLOGUES
As mass shootings pile on top of each other in the US, and the pathetic US Congress remains paralyzed like a deer caught in headlights, a growing number of Americans is flocking to extremist ideologues who prattle only meaningless drivel in response to genuine public outrage.
The root cause of the paralysis is the corrupting influence of big money in politics.
We will remain an outcast among civilized countries until campaign finance reform rises to the top of the political agenda in the US – an unlikely scenario given the current crop of candidates.

BIG MONEY BLOCKS ALL ATTEMPTS AT GUN SAFETY REFORM
The paralysis of America in the face of an epidemic of mass shootings is shameful and disgraceful.
It was best captured by the president in his reaction to the latest tragedy at a community college in Oregon. He was frustrated and angry at his inability to enact sensible gun safety laws.
It is a sad commentary on the state of US politics that one special interest group can exert such a stranglehold despite an overwhelming majority of Americans agreeing that something urgently needs to be done.
It will take a tidal wave of voter discontent to dislodge such big-money influence over Congress.

GOLD IS THE NEW GREEN AS WE LEARN TO LIVE WITH LESS WATER
Mother Nature’s paradoxical “gift” of record rainfall in mid-July is not going to alleviate the water shortage in California any time soon.
The recent storm was not only in the wrong place at the wrong time; its bounty was far too little to make a real difference.
A green front lawn is no longer a badge of pride here, however. In fact, it has become a downright embarrassment. Gold is the new green. We are having to learn to live with less water.

‘FAMILY VALUES’ ADVANCED BY SUPREME COURT RULING
With its historic decision on gay marriage, the Supreme Court has advanced the “family values” agenda in a big way. And, the US has become a “more perfect union.”
Even conservatives should join the celebration.
The Court’s finding of a constitutional protection for same sex marriage is an historic occasion at least on a par with its 1967 decision on interracial unions.
It moves the US into the modern era as a more egalitarian and tolerant society. It is not just for those directly affected.