“I don’t care about your sympathy. I don’t give a s--- that you feel sorry for me”

[kpete]

We hear it after every mass shooting: politicians on both sides of the aisle intoning their deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We hear a lot about thoughts and prayers and sympathies. We especially hear it from politicians who kowtow to the NRA and the gun lobby, usually framed in the language of unnamed inexplicable evil that mere humans cannot control.

But the father of one of the victims of the Isla Vista shootings put it best when he said:

“I don’t care about your sympathy. I don’t give a s--- that you feel sorry for me,” Richard Martinez said during an extensive interview, his face flushed as tears rolled down. “Get to work and do something. I’ll tell the president the same thing if he calls me. Getting a call from a politician doesn’t impress me.”

Damn straight.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/politics/father-of-victim-in-santa-barbara-shootings-to-politicians-i-dont-care-about-your-sympathy/2014/05/27/8a030d10-e5ad-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/this-is-what-legislative-courage-on-gun.html

[daleanime]

1. K&R....

[Jefferson23]

2. I am glad he worded as he did. K&R.

[randys1]

3. On another board I am seeing righty attacking the father, already

They say how dare he use his sons death to attack their NRA

If I was that father I would not know if I could stop myself from reacting very badly to the assholes...

[barbtries]

4. that's nothing

i went to youtube to get the video of his first statement after his son died, and FIRST ON THE LIST after i searched (i think it was "victim's father speaks&quot , was a youtube video that characterized him as a fake victim reading from a script. top of the results. these people are so far gone they don't even think mass shootings really happen!

[randys1]

6. And it is mostly about Black president

While Black president is in power, they will react this way to everything.

They all of a sudden want their country back and they need guns to do it...

Yes, they were disgusting filthy pigs before Black President, but since then they have gone on pig steroids..

[TBF]

7. Thieves to the end -

it's not like it was "their country" to start with. And I include my own Puritan ancestor in this comment. The colonizing of this country was a European land grab. There were already indigenous folks living on the land. They have some nerve thinking anything is "theirs".

I swear it's like dealing with a 2-yr old whenever you have to talk to a republican - if they see something they think they own it.

[former9thward]

12. Right, like nothing bad was ever said about Clinton...

And please don't say "it was not as bad with Clinton." That is just a pathetic attempt to re-write history. Clinton was accused of being in a murder coverup (Vince Foster) and having one of his Cabinet secretaries (Ron Brown) killed. No one has accused Obama of that.

[onecaliberal]

16. Spare me the false equivalence.

No one in the Democratic Party has ever met on the night of a republican inauguration and vowed to make that President be a failure. NEVER has a party dragged down a country and made people suffer at the hands of those who have everything like the current batch of republicans. So spare me your false equivalence. I wish the full force of whatever Karma there is in this world be heaved on every single one of them in congress and those who vote for them. /rant

[former9thward]

19. I am not going to spare you history.

But you can run from it if you want.

[onecaliberal]

22. I'm well aware of history

I noticed you completely ignored my comment. Exactly what I expected.

[randys1]

23. They simply cant deal with the EXTREME Racism towards the Obama family from

almost every corner, including ours.

[former9thward]

25. How in the world did Obama get elected?

Since there is EXTREME racism towards him. How did Obama get the highest percentage of the white vote since LBJ? Does this racism just disappear every four years on election day?

[randys1]

26. Oh, so if 60 Million people practice extreme racism daily, but 61 million people dont

then there is no extreme racism

got it

[heaven05]

39. please refer to post

#38.

[onecaliberal]

28. I agree with that.

Have never ever seen anything like it.

[AllyCat]

33. I agree with onecaliberal. The gun insanity

Has hit new heights in the past 6 years. Never before do I remember walking into a coffee shop and seeing people just sitting around with their guns. Parking lot full of vehicles with bumper stickers with a "sight" on a caricature of Pres Obama.

[heaven05]

56. you have spoken truth about

about the prevalence of guns out in the open, because they want their country back and the open references to assassinating our POTUS. If any breathed a thought like that with bushco cabalists, they are still in Gitmo. If from the day of that first SOU address, that idiot that shouted out "liar" had been heavily criticized and irredeemably censured, we might have started out on the right footing in regard to this POTUS. But noooooooo! Ryan and bonehead promising to thwart EVERY initiative by Obama and bonehead screaming,, "one term President". Maybe, just maybe, the RW pundits, too numerous to name, but limppig and beckerhead and handjob come to mind, wouldn't have felt like they had legislators backing their racism. Those same RW pundits might not have had the ammunition to stir up their sheeple, bundy ranch, operation spring base. The reality of the last six years opened my eyes to how much scum lives under the rocks in this swamp of amerikkkan democracy and culture. I knew it was always here, but out of sight......not too worried. I'm glad these clowns came out and showed the truth that's always been the red- white and-blue.

[heaven05]

38. Clinton was never called

a n..... while being POTUS. Please yours and others type of BS is getting real old after listening to that word as a reference to the POTUS for THE LAST SIX YEARS!!!!!!!

[former9thward]

45. I have never heard that word referred to about Obama.

Maybe you hear it in your circle of friends. Have you seen the word on DU? Yes or No? Because that is what the poster was saying who I was replying to -- that there was extreme racism on DU to Obama. Please link to it on DU.

[heaven05]

50. no, no links, no enabling your

inability to see or believe the reality of the last six years with Barack Obama as POTUS. No one ever shouted out "liar" to any modern 'other' color POTUS in my historical time frame. Maybe you haven't heard such in your circle of friends, but I just read where some 'police chief' got fired or had to resign in new hampshire or vermont, one of those live fee or die states because he was referring to my POTUS as such, and he is definitely not in my circle of friends and I do resent and am offended by your implication. No I won't link. But to make it easier for you, just google the occurances on whatever search engine or what ever. I can't believe that you could deny ever seeing or hearing about my POTUS being referred to as such. If that is true, sheltered much. Detached much. Maybe so.

[former9thward]

55. The poster said there was "Extreme racism" on DU towards Obama.

And YOU defended that. Where on DU is there "extreme racism"?

[heaven05]

58. well there has been and is

an intelligently applied racism on this site sometime in reference to our POTUS and toward black people and minorities in general. I don't know if they are trolls from elsewhere just trying to push a button. Doesn't matter, it's here and it will never go away...no doubt about it. But you know, some people just can't help it. I got that he was referring to extreme racism in amerikkkan culture toward our POTUS, which there is, and the instance(s) where racism could be inferred from some responses here. It how you want to spin it.

[riqster]

57. Which post calls out DU as racist?

Trying to follow you, but I don't see it.

[heaven05]

40. please refer to post

#38.

[whathehell]

41. Obama has received TWICE the number of death threats as other presidents,

including Clinton.

I know they beat up on Clinton, but Obama has really unhinged them.

[former9thward]

46. That story has been debunked by the Secret Service.

In August 2009, an author who’s written about the Secret Service estimated that the number of threats against Obama had increased by 400 percent in comparison with his White House predecessor, George W. Bush.

But that December, then-Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told a congressional committee that the number of threats against Obama had not -- again, had not -- increased by 400 percent.

"The threats right now ... is the same level as it has been for the previous two presidents at this point in their administrations," Sullivan said.

He told the committee he’d discuss specifics in private. The Secret Service doesn’t like to discuss threats against a president because it doesn’t want copycats to get any ideas.

Sullivan told U.S. News during an interview in March 2010 that the threat level had not increased since Obama became president. Sullivan retired last month.

http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2013/mar/18/julian-bond/no-concrete-evidence-support-claim/

[heaven05]

59. 2009-10???

are you really not understanding the truth or just won't? Huge amount of death threats against Obama and family.

[former9thward]

60. Do you have actual figures?

Or just speculation?

[heaven05]

61. I will not

waste any more of my precious time with you. You don't want to believe what people on here say and know without doubt, it's your right. I not going to put up with your reluctance in accepting truth. good bye.

[heaven05]

36. yeah and someone left the gate

to the pen open and they are running wild all over the countryside, destroying everything in their path. Disgusting little creatures

[Ikonoklast]

8. Because they can never put themselves in another's shoes. No empathy whatsoever.

If you ask them how they'd feel if it was one of their family members shot dead by another legal gun owner, all they do is get pissed off at you.

[LadyHawkAZ]

11. When asked that, they always say some variation on what Todd Kincannon said

"MY kid would return fire, heh heh heh" because it would NEVER EVER happen to their heavily armed child/spouse.

[SCVDem]

13. is that a challenge Todd?

Cause That's what it sounds like.

How does your kid feel about you painting a target on him?

[Ikonoklast]

14. Says every person that's never been shot at. Trust me on this, the first thing everyone does is

run away or look for a place to hide.

The first guy coming out guns blazing thinking he's the hero ends up dead.


Kincannon is your typical asshat who lives in a fantasyland where wearing a gun automatically turns one into Dirty Harry.

Not connected to real life in any way.

[Half-Century Man]

15. If your son came from a home where he was raised to be so scared

he needs to carry all the time. He very well could be the one doing a mass shooting someday.

Tokurode, nice shout out to all your female constituents, "cowering like a bitch"...up for election this year?

Fuck off dippy

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Oh, man, that is ugly as all get-out.

Why does this issue bring out such ugliness in people...

[pacalo]

30. Ugh -- just when I thought I'd heard all the callousness I could stomach, Todd Kincannon speaks up.

[heaven05]

37. JESUS!!!!!!!!!!

what a sick, sick idiot.!!!!!!!!

[whathehell]

42. "It won't be cowering like a 'bitch' at UC Santa Barbara"

No doubt they forget all the soldier "bitches" who died in Iraq and Afghanistan,

not to mention in countless other times of crisis. They always reveal their utter

contempt and raw hatred of women like this.

To them, being a 'bitch' or a 'pussy' is the ultimate LOW.

One always wonders what they can think of their wives, their daughters,

their sisters and their mothers?

[GusBob]

47. Is that for real?

that's some fucked up shit right there. shake my fucking head

[Initech]

48. Ah the old "good guy with a gun" argument.

Hey Todd, a guy with a gun is still, no matter which way you look at it, is a guy with a gun!

[CrispyQ]

51. What a mean spirited fuck.

I hate these people. I do. I try not to, but they're so fucking vile.

[3catwoman3]

54. I try not to also...

...but they make it really difficult to feel otherwise. It is not in me to understand such broadbrushed heartlessness.

[barbtries]

27. yep

no empathy, no compassion whatsoever. they are really sucky humans.

[Dorian Gray]

5. Sigh...

people are cold hearted and need to blame a father who tragically lost his child to make them feel better about their position. It's sad.

[hamsterjill]

9. Kudos to this father.

Kudos to this distraight father who still has the frame of mind to express his anger so well.

He's absolutely right! And they all know it!

[AverageJoe90]

10. I hear you, Mr. Martinez.

Long past time we did something about this problem.

[malaise]

18. Video here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025010486

[valerief]

20. I wish every victim's family member echoed his words. nt

[Hekate]

21. ~*~

I'm just about out of words, but wanted to kick this...

[Uncle Joe]

24. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[LibDemAlways]

29. At yesterday's memorial Richard Martinez

reiterated several times that not all of the families of the dead students agreed with him. How a parent in that situation could be anything other than outraged at do nothing politicians owned by the NRA is unbelievable.

[defacto7]

31. When I see what people are becoming

I can't help but have the distant thought that humanity would be better of starting over from scratch. Erase it all and start over...

Otherwise, how do we fix this chronic disease that is eradicating all sense of what is human? How do we vaccinate ignorance? With the technology that brought us such great possibilities, how have so many become insane?

We have a long hard century ahead.

[heaven05]

43. I can agree

+1000

[treestar]

32. Boner won't call him

Nor any member of the R majority in Congress. His fellow citizens in red states. Look at Joe the P's disgusting comments. How many other people are willing to say that?

[ananda]

34. Damned straight!

It's time we start standing up to gun nut bullies.

[heaven05]

35. yep

damn right.

[WinkyDink]

44. Plain, straight talk is my cup of tea.

[Leme]

49. sometimes words just are not enough nt

[CrispyQ]

52. "Craven" was certainly the correct word.

"Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA."

[steve2470]

53. kick and rec nt