It seemed to be common knowledge that Nikolas Cruz was troubled to the point that he both needed mental therapy and at the very least ongoing close observation. He had been in trouble repeatedly at school and was known to torment animals and he regularly posted online about his quirky behavior. He came to the Snead household, where he lived when committing his atrocities, with a semi-arsenal of weapons including the AR-15 and two other rifles that James Snead said would be considered assault rifles, as well as knives, BB guns and pellet guns.

But this didn't impress Snead because...

"James, 48, a decorated Army veteran and military intelligence analyst who served in the Middle East, said he didn’t mind that Cruz had guns because he had plenty of weapons himself."

Supposedly Snead made Cruz lock up his weapons and took the key, not knowing the boy had kept a key for himself. Duh?

But apparently both he and his wife Kimberly were completely oblivious to Cruz's problems, as evidenced by this statement...
“Everything everybody seems to know, we didn’t know,” James Snead said. “It’s as simple as that.”

No, it isn't that simple since you, the Sneads, accepted the responsibility of this young man, knew he was obsessed with guns, and should have known more about his day-to-day activities. Not that it's a for-sure, but if this family had paid just a little more attention to what Nikolas Cruz was saying and doing, 17 people might still be alive today.

If I am correct in the above, and I believe I am, it illustrates a complete lack of responsibility by a gun owner and we have seen this kind of example before. Most notably with Adam Lanza, who killed 26 children and teachers at Sandy Hook in 2012 with his mother's AR-15. Nancy Lanza also ignored warnings about her son's mental problems and left the assault rifle unsecured. This is happening too often and banning all guns may be the only solution.

Nasty Jack Buzz

Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School does. That's the school in Parkland, Fla, where Nikolas Cruz fatally gunned down 17 students and teachers with an AR-15 he bought in Florida at age 18. The young people including Gonzalez and organizer junior Cameron Kasky announced they have banded together to compel lawmakers to pass gun control laws that will make their schools safer. They have planned "...a nationwide march on March 24th, dubbed the 'March For Our Lives.'" If I were politicians, or anybody, I wouldn't get in their way.

Esquire reported in Ft. Lauderdale Emma Gonzalez exclaimed to a cheering crowd, “...'shame on you' directed towards all politicians who take NRA money." They are serious and have made several exclamations that they hope to make this the "last" school massacre. You can see the full transcript of Gonzalez's Ft. Lauderdale speech on CNN. The older groups failed to get anything done, no doubt because many of them own guns and are members of the NRA. The younger group, 30s to 40s, have some advocates for gun control but apparently not willing to fully get behind the program.

But when it happens in your school, and you are a community like Parkland, Fla, you do something, and that's what is happening. Maybe it takes a group of late teens like these students who are not yet a part of the American gun culture that has literally ruined this country since the resurrection of the 2nd Amendment, and they simply don't give a damn about guns. I don't either, never have, and hope like hell they succeed.

Nasty Jack Buzz

Michael Tomasky of The Daily Best says it is because of its, "..."certifiably insane gun laws." All of them, of course, compliments of the National Rifle Assn. with its premiere gun lobbyist, Marion Hammer. Right now, Florida has 11 gun-related bills on the 2018 calendar. The ones that are pro-gun rights will pass. State Senator Greg Steube, R-Sarasota has filed five bills to make it easier to buy a gun. Can you believe that? Right now all you have to provide in Florida to purchase a weapon is a warm body. What could possibly make it easier.

These people are certifiably crazy, the epitome of gun nuts, and the ones behind the gun massacre in Parkland where 17 people were killed by an AR-15 assault rifle. They are totally responsible, along with lax restrictions on the mentally ill buying a gun, thanks to Donald Trump. Here's a quote from The Daily Beast...

"The gun laws of Florida are sick. Carry in vehicle? Yes. Must notify officer? No. Carry in state parks allowed? Of course. “No weapons” signs enforced? Nyet. Nearly 1.8 million Floridians have concealed carry permits, and 36 other states honor those permits."

This is the biggest problem in the U.S. today and if not dealt with soon, we could see schools close because the children's parents are afraid to let them attend. It's a threat worse than terrorism.

As late as January of this year, Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Assn.'s elite Florida lobbyist, was railing at the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times, "...
"...warning the sheriffs of Florida that they had no right to testify about pending firearm legislation. Not when their words conflicted with the positions of the National Rifle Association."
Can you believe this? And in the nation's bloodiest mass-shooting state where "...29-year-old Omar Mateen murdered 49 and wounded another 53 in a gun rampage at an Orlando nightclub." Followed by the encore last Wednesday at Parkland, Fla, where Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 students and teachers with an AR-15 assault rifle he bought at age 18. All of this compliments of Marion Hammer
making sure that Florida's gun laws allow anyone with a warm body to buy a gun. The woman has also spread her lunacy around the country promoting the NRA's gun rights.


Yet not one word from Hammer or the NRA's Wayne LaPierre on the Florida deaths. How long do we allow the NRA's killing machine this kind of power?

The Parkland, Florida gun massacre did it. An 18-year-old buys an AR-15 assault rifle after numerous warnings there were mental problems, he was violent and wanted to kill people, even two attempts to warn the FBI about Nikolas Cruz fell on dumb ears. Cruz kills 17 students and teachers in a quiet Florida town and not one member of Congress stands up to say...'We've had enough.' It has to end somewhere and the time is now!

And I just saw some dufus post on Facebook that we shouldn't blame guns nor the NRA, it's just a mental health problem. So, we also have the general public to thank for our gun violence. So, where do we turn? Someone please tell me before half the country is massacred.

I live in Arizona, but, being a Progressive, have never voted for John McCain. I have said repeatedly that he has outlived his usefulness in the U.S. Senate. I was wrong! Twice. Both times he saved Obamacare, the last time along with Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both of which will probably vote no again. Maybe McCain's no-vote wasn't even needed but being in the high visibility lane as he is, he gets the attention. For my money, Susan Collins is the most level-headed Senator we have in Congress, and just might be the woman to break the glass ceiling. And that coming from a Progressive.

If you listen carefully to the Bobbsey Twins, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Sen. Lindsey Graham of So. Carolina, re. their latest healthcare bill, you will come up with the conclusion that...you are confused. How many media events have you seen Cassidy in where a later fact-check has shot holes in his facts. Even late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said Cassidy lied right to his face during his show. Cassidy now quotes Thomas Jefferson and Federalism to sell his crap of a bill that would turn over a lot of the federal money and control to the states. Well, I wouldn't want the Governor of my state, Arizona, in charge of my healthcare. Doug Ducey has cut funding to education in this state to where we stand 43rd in the country. That's what he thinks of our kids.

Here's what the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says...

“…the Cassidy-Graham bill would have the same harmful consequences as those prior bills. IT WOULD CAUSE MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO LOSE COVERAGE, RADICALLY RESTRUCTURE AND DEEPLY CUT MEDICAID, AND INCREASE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS FOR INDIVIDUAL MARKET CONSUMERS. It would cause many millions of people to lose coverage, radically restructure and deeply cut Medicaid, eliminate or weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and increase out-of-pocket costs for individual market consumers.”

Basic coverage would be cut in to ways. First, "...by undoing the ACA’s major coverage expansions through a block grant." Second, "...by radically restructuring and cutting the entire Medicaid program." In other words, to hell with those who are really in need of healthcare coverage in order to please a group of Republicans that have been after Barack Obama and Obamacare since its inception in 2010. Conservatism is expanding in this country and it seems to me that the wealthy have finally convinced the middle class to share in their philosophy of tale care of yourself and let the others do the best they can. Pathetic!

Fox News remains the leader in news purveyors, regularly edging out CNN and MSNBC, which establishes the IQ, or the lack there of, for many TV viewers. But Kantt news says, "A conservative-based media company is putting political propaganda in your living room without you even knowing it." They refer to Sinclair Broadcast Group, founded in 1971 by Julian Sinclair Smith, the largest owner of television stations in the entire country. Their coverage is just under 40 percent of the population, and the goal is 72% for the near future. But apparently Donald Trump hasn't discovered it yet since Fox is still his primary source of information; Fox has "...presented misinformation and glorified propaganda to households across the country, which in turn has affected how people behave when they vote." Pathetic, since most of it is inaccurate, but illustrating just how Trump has put a ring in the noses of so many poor souls.

The following shows just how critical the dilemma is and questions how much confidence we should have in the local news stations owned by Sinclair across the country. Now they are after Tribune Media, which could turn Sinclair into a monopoly. This is how Kantt expresses it...

The conservative bias of Sinclair’s broadcasting is far worse than Fox News. Like a virus, it infiltrates our homes and spreads dangerous propaganda — and we might not even know it. A "2016 Pew Research Center study found that more people trust local news than national organizations."

Take the time to read the Kantt article. It is terrifying for Progressives!

Doug Ducey is fast on his way to replace former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer as the worst governor in the country. His latest is to support the worst healthcare plan that has come from the Republicans, the Cassidy-Graham Bill, calling it the best answer to replacing Obamacare. This dufus could care less about the average Arizonan, many of which I am sure voted for him. Ducey has shown his preference for the wealthy in how he runs Arizona. As an example, the state ranks 43rd in education nationwide. But the deuce Ducey is still cutting taxes for the rich and for corporations.

A group of 10 governors has argued against the Graham-Cassidy bill and wrote in a letter to Senate leaders that they prefer a bipartisan push. But ole dumb Doug still plows ahead with reasoning only a dead desert cactus would understand. This state has been controlled by Republicans for so long that many think it is too late to save it. But Progressives are working, and I just hope I live long enough to see the change. I am 85.

Let's see...how long did it take the Oval Office lunatic to get around to promoting himself in his first United Nations speech. Would you believe less than a minute? With but a smattering of appreciation for this esteemed body which allowed this maniac to even speak, he jumps right in to the following:

"Fortunately, the United States has done very well since Election Day last November 8th. The stock market is at an all-time high — a record. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 16 years, and because of our regulatory and other reforms, we have more people working in the United States today than ever before. Companies are moving back, creating job growth the likes of which our country has not seen in a very long time. And it has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense."

The above contains some flaws and inaccuracies but the real point here is the fact that it is either a re-election diatribe or just simply more adoration for Donald Trump. No reaction yet from the UN but if No. Korea and Iran don't collectively declare war on the United States, I'll be very surprised. Read the article here.