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News & ArtsTuesday, January 29, 2013
Guns / Politics Obama Should Be Attending This Funeral
Posted by Chicago Fan on Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 9:53 PM
As Newtown swirls down the memory hole and passion to implement sane gun control gets sidetracked by whatever the latest Congressional bullshit circus will be, President Obama should stand up and take advantage of a tragic opportunity to keep the anti-gun violence movement engaged.
Sixteen-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, a sophomore at the selective enrollment King College Prep, a young woman who performed in the King Band at Obama's Second Inauguration, was shot to death Tuesday afternoon in a South Side Chicago park.
From the National Mall in the District of Columbia to Harsh Park in the 4400 block of South Oakenwald Avenue. From the inauguration to the mortuary. In eight days.
President Obama and his entire family should attend her funeral. Pendleton died about a mile from their Kenwood home.
And then maybe America will pay some attention to the everyday, routine, one-at-a-time death toll wrought by guns in this nation, instead of waiting for the next mass shooting to sit up, notice, talk, and do nothing.
43
It shouldnt come down to hyping a problem via an innocents death, I'm really kind of wondering why it takes so long to have a solution that goes past spending time at an event such as this. I'm not saying attending the funeral is bad, im saying we need to utilize the people, not just the president. i had a theory that 55+ years of age individuals would be interested in volunteering in a special "karma police" scenario if you will in an effort to calm the storm of tyranny we create with teaching kids the best job to have is being a rock star etc.
The volunteers would know they have lived half their lives for starters, while at the same time they know what they have done to society and what society has done to them. The program would provide a final stage for retirement for people too old to hold a job or something as degenerating for a wise mind as bagging groceries. these volunteers would be equipped with a "black box" with blood pressure, heart rate, audio, video, and time recording. with todays technology this equipment isnt impossible.
The volunteers would know they have lived half their lives for starters, while at the same time they know what they have done to society and what society has done to them. The program would provide a final stage for retirement for people too old to hold a job or something as degenerating for a wise mind as bagging groceries. these volunteers would be equipped with a "black box" with blood pressure, heart rate, audio, video, and time recording. with todays technology this equipment isnt impossible.
42
Did I miss something? Are they not going to bury the young lady until the petition is signed by 100,000 people?
40
"Most of those who were in the park were gang members, and those in the group did not stay on scene to help after the shootings, according to police."
39
@38 no, it's because the newspaper and the police said this was gang related and she was hanging out with known gang members and that this park is a known gang hangout. These are call 'facts'.
The gangbangers she was hanging with. all took off of course. No snitchin' yo!
You think Obama will use political capital on what is a thug cultural problem?
The gangbangers she was hanging with. all took off of course. No snitchin' yo!
You think Obama will use political capital on what is a thug cultural problem?
38
@37, the victim was black, and therefore the perp was a gangbanger and the park was dangerous?
Is it you I should blame for being a racist? Or is it your parents' fault?
Is it you I should blame for being a racist? Or is it your parents' fault?
37
"@30, what sort of parent lets their kids spend an afternoon in a park"
A park where gang bangers gather everyday? A shitty parent.
A park where gang bangers gather everyday? A shitty parent.
36
again:
it appears that the current situation is both unacceptable and intractable. watered-down federal laws do nothing, well-intentioned local laws do nothing.
is the answer then for concerned citizens to throw up our hands and do nothing also, and just hope that one can run away from a shooter like a stranger writer? is the price of liberty, of a theoretical resistance against a theorectical tyranny this carnage of gang shootings, firearm familicides, firearm suicides, and rampage shootings, unequaled in the western world?
stop analyzing. start synthesizing.
it appears that the current situation is both unacceptable and intractable. watered-down federal laws do nothing, well-intentioned local laws do nothing.
is the answer then for concerned citizens to throw up our hands and do nothing also, and just hope that one can run away from a shooter like a stranger writer? is the price of liberty, of a theoretical resistance against a theorectical tyranny this carnage of gang shootings, firearm familicides, firearm suicides, and rampage shootings, unequaled in the western world?
stop analyzing. start synthesizing.
35
The base problem is the majority of Americans don't give a shit about some non-white teens getting shot. If they did we wouldn't be talking about an "assault weapons" ban. We'd be talking about more meaningful restrictions on handguns and we'd be talking about reducing gang violence.
Instead we're going to waste political capital on a feel-good AWB ban that is not going to have any effect on overall gun violence and then, in the following elections we're going to lose Democrat seats to Republicans, which will reduce social services and make the root problems even worse.
And with 10-20 million or more "assault weapons" out there, a ban that doesn't involve confiscating existing weapons, you're not even going to reduce the existing availability in any meaningful way, no matter how many "gun buybacks" you run.
And yes, I know that the gun-control-nuts want to do SOMETHING, but please, could we do something that has a net positive effect rather than a net negative one?
Instead we're going to waste political capital on a feel-good AWB ban that is not going to have any effect on overall gun violence and then, in the following elections we're going to lose Democrat seats to Republicans, which will reduce social services and make the root problems even worse.
And with 10-20 million or more "assault weapons" out there, a ban that doesn't involve confiscating existing weapons, you're not even going to reduce the existing availability in any meaningful way, no matter how many "gun buybacks" you run.
And yes, I know that the gun-control-nuts want to do SOMETHING, but please, could we do something that has a net positive effect rather than a net negative one?
34
@29 Ban Chicago??? You mean, I can't dance around in my kitchen in my underwear singing The Cell Block Tango anymore?
33
@30, what sort of parent lets their kids spend an afternoon in a park? Clearly they're the responsible party here. What were they thinking?
When will people learn that in order to solve the gun problem, we need to ban children and parks?
When will people learn that in order to solve the gun problem, we need to ban children and parks?
32
Hey, 5280's got a point. Chicago does have very strict gun control laws already.
Did this killer use an assault weapon?
Did this killer use a high capacity magazine?
All the current proposals for gun regulation are next to worthless. Propose something meaningful or just stfu.
"Ban assault weapons!" what a meaningless, pointless, emotional, feel-good, masturbatory waste of time.
Did this killer use an assault weapon?
Did this killer use a high capacity magazine?
All the current proposals for gun regulation are next to worthless. Propose something meaningful or just stfu.
"Ban assault weapons!" what a meaningless, pointless, emotional, feel-good, masturbatory waste of time.
30
He should give a speech. The same one he gave in 2008 on parental responsiblity:
"You should have a curfew in your house so your children aren't out in the streets all night. You should meet with the teacher and find out what the homework is and help that child with the homework. And if you don't know how to do the homework, don't be embarrassed, find someone to help you."
"Fathers, be fathers," he added. "Be a part of your child's life. Be a part of your child's life and try to make them proud.
"And the last thing is, if your child is misbehaving at school don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault that your child is misbehaving. That's some home training."
"You should have a curfew in your house so your children aren't out in the streets all night. You should meet with the teacher and find out what the homework is and help that child with the homework. And if you don't know how to do the homework, don't be embarrassed, find someone to help you."
"Fathers, be fathers," he added. "Be a part of your child's life. Be a part of your child's life and try to make them proud.
"And the last thing is, if your child is misbehaving at school don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault that your child is misbehaving. That's some home training."
29
Hows this for logic?: BAN CHICAGOs! Having a Chicago in the home increases your likelihood of getting killed. Chicagos are inherently evil and should be limited in size and shape. Bla-bla-bla...
@8 ChrisTampa, We can ban the NRA as soon as we can ban the ACLU. Mkay?
@8 ChrisTampa, We can ban the NRA as soon as we can ban the ACLU. Mkay?
28
@24 Oh, bullshit. He posed a question and a bunch of feebs hollered out non sequiturs. That's heckling.
Q: Why does anyone need these guns?
A: I CAN HAZ THEM!!!!#!!
Don't apologize for assholes: you'll spend your life apologizing.
Q: Why does anyone need these guns?
A: I CAN HAZ THEM!!!!#!!
Don't apologize for assholes: you'll spend your life apologizing.
27
Agree with you on this CF. Obama should attend the funeral and make a major speech. 7 murders alone occurred in Chicago on either Sat. or Sun. last weekend.
One woman, Shirley Chambers lost her 4th child to a gunshot murder.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/technolog…
This is a national tragedy.
One woman, Shirley Chambers lost her 4th child to a gunshot murder.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/technolog…
This is a national tragedy.
26
The definitions and lack of understanding of gun technology seem to be hurting rather than helping.
First off all "assault rifle". The AR-15 is modelled on the automatic M16, but it is not automatic because those are banned. It's semi automatic because it loads the bullets for you but you have to pull the trigger for each bullet fired..albeit some experts can do this very fast. The gun shoots .22 bullets, same as a baby pistol, the larger stock of the rifle increasing aim. However, the large size of a rifle means it cannot be concealed! So a .22 pistol with a clip and someone who can change clips is essentially the same weapon!!
First off all "assault rifle". The AR-15 is modelled on the automatic M16, but it is not automatic because those are banned. It's semi automatic because it loads the bullets for you but you have to pull the trigger for each bullet fired..albeit some experts can do this very fast. The gun shoots .22 bullets, same as a baby pistol, the larger stock of the rifle increasing aim. However, the large size of a rifle means it cannot be concealed! So a .22 pistol with a clip and someone who can change clips is essentially the same weapon!!
22
Chicago suffers from extreme gang violence, much like some parts of Mexico - where guns are illegal.
21
@3
Thanks for making the point that gun safety laws have to be national and not done on a state by state or a city by city basis.
Thanks for making the point that gun safety laws have to be national and not done on a state by state or a city by city basis.
19
If it was an illegal gun purchased without a background check that the individule who fired the gun would not have passed, then yes.
18
@10 - Adam Lanza and his mother are dead, so who do we hold personally accountable?
Accountability means jack shit if the shooter doesn't care what happens to them.
Accountability means jack shit if the shooter doesn't care what happens to them.
16
While I agree on the symbolic value, has the family expressed such a wish? I don't think I'd want the security presence and media circus at my daughter's funeral... But if they are ok with it, he should go.
15
Should Obama wear red or blue?
"Most of those who were in the park were gang members, and those in the group did not stay on scene to help after the shootings, according to police."
"Most of those who were in the park were gang members, and those in the group did not stay on scene to help after the shootings, according to police."
14
A petition is up on White House Petitions.
I need to hit 100 before it goes public.
http://wh.gov/VGDK
PS I lifted the text from the post with URL attribution.
I need to hit 100 before it goes public.
http://wh.gov/VGDK
PS I lifted the text from the post with URL attribution.
13
A Petition at White House Petitions is up.
http://wh.gov/VGDK
Please Sign.
PS I just lifted the text from the article with URL attribution.
http://wh.gov/VGDK
Please Sign.
PS I just lifted the text from the article with URL attribution.
11
... And like magic, after the guns were gone, the trash of the south side of Chicago all came together in a circle and sang "We Are The World".
When the bartender I asked directions from in Chicago said, 'Just don't go to the south side. Or you'll die.', she must've been talking about inanimate objects, not the monsters that live there killing each other. My bad.
When the bartender I asked directions from in Chicago said, 'Just don't go to the south side. Or you'll die.', she must've been talking about inanimate objects, not the monsters that live there killing each other. My bad.
9
@8 - Well, I think banning the NRA would be a bit of an overreach myself, but if you think it's for the best, let's try it.
8
Don't blame the criminal who did it, blame the tool. It was the tool's fault for sure...
How 'bout this, ban criminals and lunatics who are the REAL common denominator to all these problems.
How 'bout this, ban criminals and lunatics who are the REAL common denominator to all these problems.
7
I was just listening to a radio broadcast about the Newtown father who lost his son in the mass shooting getting interrupted by gun nuts during his testimony and I just realized that 5820 and his ilk are really just another version of the Westboro Churchies.
6
Very few murders are committed w/ the types of weapons that Obama and the Dems want to outlaw. A renewed AWB won't stop many shootings in Chicago.
5
@3 You blood thirsty vampire. You fight to maintain availability of firearms everywhere and the borders are porous, so a place like Chicago has a very limited number of options. Your sick desire to have guns and death everywhere so you can live in your paranoid tactical fantasy world has made it so it will be very hard to turn around or clean up. But having spread the guns for your sick gun manufacturer puppet masters, you now use the piles of guns spread around our society as an argument for MORE guns. Every death increases sales. That's how you and your masters see it and rejoice in it.
4
@1 that was a family of pieces of shit gang bangers. Good riddance to bad trash. I won't shed one tear over these worthless leeches. Mama was a welfare queen. This is the result.
Chicago demonstrates gun control is bullshit.
What this country desperately needs is thug control.
Chicago demonstrates gun control is bullshit.
What this country desperately needs is thug control.
3
Well, that's just silly. Everybody knows that Chicago has some of the tightest gun control laws in the country. People just can't possibly be getting shot there.
2
I saw a story the other day that there have been 40 homicides in Chicago this month. This would be at least the 41st. Fuck.
1
He should also visit with this poor woman. Impossible to imagine what it must be like to be in her skin. Horrible horrible horrible
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