Political news bits

A gun violence epiphany! (finally): 

U.S. surgeon general declares firearm violence a public health crisis

Vivek H. Murthy called on the nation to address gun violence with the vigor used to reduce deaths and injuries from tobacco and motor vehicle crashes.

The surgeon general’s advisory marked the first time the nation’s leading voice on public health — the same office that in the 1960s highlighted the lethal consequences of cigarette smoking — had issued an urgent pronouncement on deaths related to firearms. The 39-page advisory underscores the significant physical and mental toll of gun violence on communities nationwide.

Despite growing public sentiment favoring stronger firearm laws, gun groups, including the National Rifle Association, have long opposed stricter gun measures. In 2021, the NRA launched a $2 million campaign opposing President Biden’s efforts to bolster gun-control measures. The surgeon general’s advisory also met with criticism from the NRA.

Perplexity on gun violence: Gun violence costs the U.S. approximately $557 billion annually, which is about 2.6% of the gross domestic product. Gun violence results in approximately 40,000 deaths and twice as many injuries each year in the U.S.. In 2020, there were 45,222 gun-related deaths, making it the leading cause of death for children and teens under 19.

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AARR (America's authoritarian radical right) blames Biden for massive federal debt. That is another massive AARR lie.

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Although it is sill too early to put much weight on it, recent polling suggests a sentiment shift among young voters: Young voters backing Biden over Trump by 23-point margin: Poll -- The CBS News/YouGov poll found 61 percent of likely voters younger than 30 surveyed support Biden while 38 percent support Trump. These voters are more likely to say abortion, climate change, and race and diversity issues would impact their vote than those older than 30.

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From the Brass Knuckles Capitalism Files: 

Last year, representatives of New Mexico’s oil industry met behind closed doors with the very groups with which they typically clash — state regulators and environmentalists — in search of an answer to the more than 70,000 wells sitting unplugged across the state. Many leak oil, brine and toxic or explosive gasses, and more than 1,700 have already been left to the public to clean up.

Oil companies had agreed to work with regulators to find a solution to the state’s more than 70,000 unplugged wells. After months of negotiations, the industry turned against the bill it helped write because it was unhappy with the bill’s final language. The influential New Mexico Oil and Gas Association told its supporters that HB 133 was “a radical and dangerous approach designed to strangle the oil and gas industry” and asked them to send their elected representatives a form letter opposing it.

Good 'ole oil lobbyists - a fine bunch scumbags,

mostly Trump supporters

Q: Why do lobbyists for major economic sectors and major corporations have so much power that they can and do routinely subvert and betray the public interest?

A: Because America has pay-to-play political systems and the lobbyists are backed by enough cash to buy politicians to subvert and betray the public interest.

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Republican tyranny and vengeance plans for 2025: 

Conservative-backed group is creating a list of federal workers 

it suspects could resist Trump plans 

Tom Jones and his American Accountability Foundation are digging into the backgrounds, social media posts and commentary of key high-ranking government employees, starting with the Department of Homeland Security. They’re relying in part on tips from his network of conservative contacts, including workers. In a move that alarms some, they’re preparing to publish the findings online. 

With a $100,000 grant from the Heritage Foundation, the goal is to post 100 names of government workers to a website this summer to show a potential new administration who might be standing in the way of a second-term Trump agenda — and ripe for scrutiny, reclassifications, reassignments or firings.

The concept of compiling and publicizing a list of government employees shows the lengths Trump’s allies are willing to go to ensure nothing or no one will block his plans in a potential second term. Jones’ Project Sovereignty 2025 comes as Heritage’s Project 2025 lays the groundwork, with policies, proposals and personnel ready for a possible new White House.

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DJT is looking for a way to weasel out of the debate in two days?: A non-paywalled source reports that DJT is getting worried about the debate. He keeps harping on wanting a drug test for Biden. If nothing else, he could downplay a good performance by Biden as due to performance-enhancing drugs. Or, just maybe he will use a lack of a drug test as a non-excuse excuse to avoid the debate.

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Israeli politics poisons American politics: AIPAC Unleashes a Record $14.5 Million Bid to Defeat a Critic of Israel -- The deluge in outside spending, which also includes another $1 million from another pro-Israel group, threatens to sink Representative Jamaal Bowman.

Although AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is a powerful foreign agent, it still has not been classified as the agent of a foreign power. Our congress is corrupt, incompetent and subverted by special interest money. AIPAC is currently registered with Congress as a lobbying group, not as an agent of a hostile foreign power. In my opinion, Israel is a hostile foreign power.

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Crackpot & poison tales from MAGAlandia: San Antonio U.S. Rep. Chip Roy says he wants to 'ethnic cleanse' white progressives -- In a tweet defending Donald Trump's plan to deport 20 million migrants, Roy said he wants to deport "white progressive Democrats - with a special bonus for rich ones with an Ivy League degree."