June 15, 2016 4:42 AM

People continue dying...and Republicans offer only "thoughts and prayers"

In the wake of the Orlando massacre, some Democrats are fed up with only offering “thoughts and prayers” for victims and want to take concrete action to reduce the deadly toll of gun violence in the United States. After House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) led a brief moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando terror attack on Monday, House Democrats erupted in angry protest about the government’s lack of action on passing major gun control legislation. After Ryan banged the gavel to mark the end of the moment of silence, many Democrats began shouting “Where’s the bill?” and “No leadership!” Shortly after, Ryan yielded the floor to South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, who emphasized the need for Congress to move forward on three pieces of legislation that are designed to address gun violence in the United States. Ryan showed no willingness to commit to considering any such legislation and angry boos subsequently filled the chamber.

There comes a point where we’re forced to come to grips with the reality that monsters walk among us. In the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, it’s no longer possible to ignore the truth that among those monsters are Congressional Republicans, who’ve long since been purchased by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Regardless of the massacre or how many die at the hands of a crazed gunman, the problem is never the easy availability of guns. It has nothing to do with the truth that someone on the terrorist watch list can’t board an airplane but are more than welcome to buy guns. It has everything to do with Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) refusing to commit to taking any action that Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © or the gun lobby might interpret as infringing on the Divinely-ordained 2nd Amendment rights. He’s certainly willing to sit through another rote, pro forma chanting of “thoughts and prayers,” though. It beats the Hell out of actually DOING anything, right?

The intransigence of Congressional Republicans and their NRA masters is something that can only accurately be described as monstrous. More devoted to the rights of gun owners than to the lives (and rights) of innocent Americans, they’ve become complicit in the continuing, never-ending carnage. Sunday it was Orlando; who knows where it will happen next? The only sure thing is that it WILL happen, and yet more innocent people will die.

There’s nothing hyperbolic or overwrought about arguing that Speaker Ryan has the blood of innocent Americans on his hands- as do the other Republicans in Congress. Their refusal to even consider common-sense gun control is directly responsible for the ease with which madmen can obtain the firearms they use to sow carnage. The NRA, which predictably blamed the Orlando massacre (and the next one, and the next, etc.) on our nation’s lax gun laws, has no real interest in protecting human life. Their sole interest lies in protecting the profit margin of gun manufacturers…and they’ve purchased the best, most compliant Congress money can buy.

Yes, there are monsters walking among us. They inhabit the halls of Congress.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on June 15, 2016 4:42 AM.

The NRA: How monsters express their condolences was the previous entry in this blog.

Trump 2016: We'll keep tossing out campaign slogans until something sticks is the next entry in this blog.

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