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"On Monday, Aug. 25, a gunman opened fire on clients in a library in Clovis, New Mexico, killing two and wounding four others. That marked the 244th mass shooting of 2017 <http://www.newsweek.com/there-have-been-more-mass-shootings-days-2017-656681>, and that was before the horror in Las Vegas in which, as of this writing, 58 people have been confirmed dead and over 500 wounded. This and many other such acts have caused uncountable heart ache, just as similar actions have all around the world. Whether it be the grieving families of those lost in Las Vegas, or of the Rohingya in Myanmar or the survivors of the 500,000 killed in Syria, suffering is suffering, and the country in which it occurs makes no difference. But in the case of the Las Vegas shooter, there are particular political ramifications, and if the “senseless” deaths are to mean anything, we must consider these politics. Just days before the Las Vegas terrorist act, Republicans introduced a bill in Congress legalizing gun silencers. The bill would also mean that a resident in a state where concealed carry is legal for (nearly) anybody could carry a concealed weapon into another state where it is illegal. This bill is in some ways the equivalent of the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision of 1857. In that case, the Supreme Court determined that a slave owner could bring his or her slaves into a state where slavery was outlawed and those slaves would remain in that status. *Hypocrisy*So where were all the hypocritical cries of “states’ rights” when that bill was introduced? Speaking of hypocrisy: On Monday, Trump went onto TV to “address the nation” on the massacre in Las Vegas. He used the massacre to reinforce his political agenda, first of all appealing to his religious base with is talk about “ask(ing) got to help see you through this very dark period.” This is a man who has never shown the slightest religious inclination until now, but that is completely ignored by all the hypocritical religious fanatics who are happy to rely on him to enforce their political agenda. Trump also used this massacre to prop up support for the police, but most hypocritical of all was such comments as “our (national) unity cannot be shattered by evil. Our bonds cannot be broken by violence…. it is our love that defines us today — and always will, forever.” Read more: https://oaklandsocialist.com/2017/10/02/las-vegas-massacre-some-thoughts-on-random-shootings-in-the-us/ -- "No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them." Asata Shakur Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com also on Facebook _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
