MORE EVIDENCE

Maybe I should just limit myself to the Tucson area?

4 people shot at midtown strip club
7 hours ago • By Jamar Younger, Arizona Daily Star
TUCSON

Four people were shot early this morning at a midtown strip club, police said.

Tucson Police responded to Ten's Showclub, 5120 E. Speedway, at about 12:45 a.m. after a police officer who was nearby heard gunshots, said Sgt. Chris Widmer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

When the officer arrived at the club, multiple vehicles were leaving the parking lot, Widmer said.

The officer found four people suffering from gunshot wounds.

One of the injuries was potentially life-threatening, he said.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene and interviewed at least 10 witnesses.

MORE EVIDENCE

Just the local gun violence will take up a lot of space.

Man injured in shooting at 49er Country Club
By Jamar Younger, Arizona Daily Star
TUCSON

A 37-year-old man was arrested after authorities say he shot another man during an argument at a home in the 49er Country Club area.

Robert Wallace, of Glendale, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, said Deputy Tom Peine, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

The 30-year-old man who was shot suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Pima County Sheriff's deputies responded to a home in the 11900 block of East Barbary Coast Road just before 4 a.m., Peine said.

Witnesses told deputies the men began arguing during a party at the home.

During the argument, the suspect pulled a gun on the other man and shot him in the head, Peine said.

Wallace was booked into Pima County jail.

FRANK LUNTZ POLL ON GUN CONTROL

I don't know how accurate Luntz is when he isn't working for FAUX News so maybe his polling of gun owners is just as much BS as his strictly political stuff.  Nonetheless, it's worth mentioning that gun owners and even gun owners who are NRA members are nowhere near as krazy as Wayne LaPierre.

WILLFUL IGNORANCE

(h/t Kevin Drum)

Conservatives have been busy preventing research into gun violence.

Silencing the Science on Gun Research
Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH
JAMA. 2012;():1-2. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.208207
Published online December 21, 2012

But in 1996, pro-gun members of Congress mounted an all-out effort to eliminate the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although they failed to defund the center, the House of Representatives removed $2.6 million from the CDC's budget—precisely the amount the agency had spent on firearm injury research the previous year. Funding was restored in joint conference committee, but the money was earmarked for traumatic brain injury. The effect was sharply reduced support for firearm injury research.

To ensure that the CDC and its grantees got the message, the following language was added to the final appropriation: “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”

Even today, 17 years after this legislative action, the CDC's website lacks specific links to information about preventing firearm-related violence.

When other agencies funded high-quality research, similar action was taken. In 2009, Branas et al published the results of a case-control study that examined whether carrying a gun increases or decreases the risk of firearm assault. In contrast to earlier research, this particular study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Two years later, Congress extended the restrictive language it had previously applied to the CDC to all Department of Health and Human Services agencies, including the National Institutes of Health.

HOW MANY COPS DOES LaPIERRE'S PLAN REQUIRE?

According to the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, there are 98,817 operating public elementary/secondary schools in the 2010–11 school year and in the 2009-2010 Private School Universe Survey there were 33,366 private schools. The total is 132,270 schools.

At a minimum, Wayne LaPierre wants the Feds to hire 132,000 guards. If salary & benefits are $40,000 a year, the total cost would be $5,280,000,000.

INTERESTING SUGGESTION

I found this comment on a POLITICO thread:

woodlawners

Member Since: Mar. 12, 2012

Party: NA

#2

Dec. 21, 2012 - 11:46 AM EST

I think the guards should be paid for with a user tax on guns and bullets.  Same way we pay to fly.

MORE EVIDENCE

This one is local.

Boy, 6, takes gun to school, is now with CPS; dad held

13 hours ago • Carmen Duarte Arizona Daily Star
TUCSON

A 6-year-old boy who had a handgun in his backpack at Keeling Elementary School has been turned over to Child Protective Services.

He became ill shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday and was sent to the nurse's office at the Amphitheater district school, 2837 N. Los Altos Ave., said Tucson police Sgt. Chris Widmer.

Police also discovered the father had a felony warrant for a parole violation.

MORE EVIDENCE

Two dead in apparent murder-suicide
Posted: Dec 21, 2012 1:19 AM Updated: Dec 21, 2012 11:22 AM
By Ben Lawson

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -

Tucson Police are continuing an overnight investigation into a deadly shooting near Broadway and Pantano. Authorities say a woman was shot just before 10:30 p.m. Thursday at 160 N. Pantano Road.

Tucson Police have identified the victim as Ashley Hicks and the suspect, her ex-boyfriend, Joseph Leroy Francis, both were 23 years old.

Officers responded to this location in reference to shots heard in the area. Upon arrival, they located an Hicks suffering from gunshot trauma.

She was transported to a local area hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Police say the suspect, Joseph Leroy Francis, was located at his west side home on Curtis Rd. near Davis Ave. They say Francis is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators say the two had a relationship in the past and the victim had a restraining order against Francis.

MORE EVIDENCE

I'm going to post the gun murders as I come across them.

Four dead, three police hurt in Pennsylvania shooting
Reuters – 7 mins ago
(Reuters) - Four people died on a Pennsylvania highway on Friday when a gunman shot dead three people and later was killed in a shootout with police, authorities said.

Three state troopers were injured in the incident in Frankstown Township, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Investigators suspect the shooter might have been driving when he opened fire, shooting people for unknown reasons, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported, citing an official with the Blair County Emergency Management Agency.

"AN ARMED SOCIETY IS A POLITE SOCIETY"

((h/t Adam Gopnik)
That's one of the conservatives favorite slogans used to justify widespread gun ownership and as usual, it is FALSE.   In "Firearm availability and homicide: A review of the literature" by Lisa M Hepburn and David Hemenway, the authors come to this conclusion:

The available evidence is quite consistent. The few case control studies suggest that households with firearms are at higher risk for homicide, particularly firearm homicide. International cross-sectional studies of high-income countries find that in countries with more firearms, both men and women are at higher risk for homicide, particularly firearm homicide. This result is primarily due to the United States, which has the highest levels of household ownership of private firearms, the weakest gun control laws, and the highest homicide rates. Time series studies of particular cities and states, and for the United States as a whole, suggest a positive gun prevalence-homicide association. Finally, perhaps the strongest evidence comes from cross-sectional analyses of U.S. regions and states. Again, places with higher levels of gun ownership are places with higher homicide rates.

None of the studies can prove causation and none have completely eliminated the possibility that the association might be entirely due to reverse causation or omitted variables. But the available evidence is entirely inconsistent with the hypothesis that increased gun prevalence lowers the homicide rate. Instead, most studies, cross sectional or time series, international or domestic, are consistent with the hypothesis that higher levels of gun prevalence substantially increase the homicide rate.

You can find summaries of other research by David Hemenway here.

INDEFINITE DETENTION IS A SERIOUS ISSUE

The 2012 NDAA bill does nothing to prevent the indefinite detention of American citizens on only the President's say-so and reminds some people of the shameful WW II internment of Americans of Japanese descent.

So far, I haven't heard a peep from the talk radio gasbags about this (and I don't expect to) and only a few liberals seem concerned.

ARE THE BAGGERS GOING TO SCREW US AGAIN?

The last time the House Baggers acted out, America's credit rating was downgraded and now they seem to think that people who make over $1,000,000 a year can't possibly pay more taxes.

Boehner abandons fiscal cliff plan as Republicans balk
By Rachelle Younglai and Thomas Ferraro | Reuters – 1 hr 23 mins ago

SINCE NEWTOWN, MORE EVIDENCE

1) Waiting in line at a pizza joint, one guy shoots another guy.
2) Teenager murders another teenager with a shotgun.
3) Woman killed in road rage event.
4) Taking about the Newton Massacre in a barbershop, one man shoots at but does not hit another customer.

JUST ONE EXAMPLE?

Slots Bennett thinks having a lot more people carry a gun will greatly reduce the chance of another massacre but Mother Jones only found one (1) example of that happening:

Bar shooting in Winnemucca, Nevada
In 2008, a gunman who killed two and wounded two others was taken out by another patron in the bar, who was carrying with a valid permit. But this was no regular Joe with a concealed handgun: The vigilante, who was not charged after authorities determined he'd committed a justifiable homicide, was a US Marine.

TALK RADIO TIDBIT

Earlier this week, I heard Fats Limbaugh spew about appealing to more to women and then I read this:

TRN Launches “Andrea Tantaros Show”

Talk Radio Network Entertainment announced today that The Andrea Tantaros Show will debut on January 2nd, from 9am-noon (ET). Tantaros, co-host of FOX News Channel’s The Five, will be joined on the new syndicated talk show by bestselling author and WABC/New York weekend host Jason Mattera. The Washington Times called Tantaros “the most pragmatic personality on The Five” and added, “Andrea’s calm, yet reasoned personality, mixed with a quick tongue and a biting sense of humor make her a powerful presence.” Commenting on his network’s newest talk show, TRN CEO Mark Masters said, “Andrea and Jason will bridge the age and gender gap that challenges Talk radio today in ways no other show can. Their appeal to a bigger and broader audience, combined with an understanding of the actual radio business, is the best thing to happen to this new radio environment. Andrea knows that radio is a business first, and will work with stations and advertisers for mutual success.”

I except this to be another FAIL because it's not only the personalities, it's the message that's the problem.

WTF WAS PETRAEUS THINKING?

(h/t Atrios)

Fred Kagan and Kimberly Kagan are notorius neo-conservative FAILS yet Petraeus gave them special treatment for their advice on Afganistan.

A LITTLE BIT OF ACCOUNTABILITY

I don't know if these are the correct people but at least some people are gone because of the Benghazi attack.

State Dept security chief resigns after Benghazi
By By MATTHEW LEE | Associated Press – 33 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three State Department officials resigned under pressure Wednesday, less than a day after a damning report blamed management failures for a lack of security at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, where militants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans on Sept. 11.

An Obama administration official said Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security, and an unnamed official with the Bureau of Near East Affairs, had stepped down.

BIG PHARMA'S CRIMINAL SAGA CONTINUES

Someone should do an expose of all the fines Big Pharma has paid since 2000. The total amount of fines for 2012 alone is now over $7 Billion.

Amgen pleads guilty to improper marketing of anemia drug Aranesp

By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times

December 18, 2012, 4:46 p.m.

Biotech giant Amgen Inc. pleaded guilty in federal court to improper marketing of its anemia drug Aranesp and has agreed to pay $762 million in criminal fines and civil settlements to resolve complaints from company whistle-blowers.

Amgen agreed Tuesday to pay a $150-million criminal penalty and $612 million to resolve 11 related whistle-blower complaints. Ten of the complaints remain under seal until the court accepts the settlement.

3 MORE ARIZONA GOP CLOWNS

(h/t David Weigel)

These are the names of Arizona's Electoral College electors who are Birthers:

Tom Morrissey - The state Republican Party chairman
Don Ascoli -  recently finished serving as Republican Party chairman in Gila County
John D. Rhodes - no info given at the link above but he's the 2nd Vice-Chair of the Graham County GOP

ONE MORE SUGGESTION

If we really want to cut down on gun homicides, how about we prohibit Americans from owning a gun until they are over 25?  See the bottom 2 graphs here for why I made this proposal.

THE NRA STOPS HIDING...

It released a message about the Newtown Massacre that included this line:

"The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again."

Locally, Charles "The First Bagger" Heller was on John C. Scott's show and argued that we should have armed guards in all schools.

HERE'S ANOTHER WINGNUT LIE

Some are claiming that China also had a mass murder in a school but it was done with a knife so guns aren't the problem.

Watching Newtown from afar, China wrestles with its own tragedy
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2012
By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers

On that same Friday, 23 children were stabbed or slashed at a schoolhouse in central China’s Henan province. All of them survived – the attacker wielded a knife and not, as in Newtown, an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.

I CAN'T RECALL WHICH RADIO GASBAG...

claimed that Australia's decision in 1996 to clamp down on guns DIDN'T reduce gun violence but once again, that's only a "wingnut fact" -

Around world, massacres have spurred gun control
By BEN McCONVILLE and JILL LAWLESS
— Dec. 18 6:22 AM EST
Supporters of gun control often cite Australia's dramatic response to a 1996 shooting spree in the southern state of Tasmania that killed 35 people.

The slaughter sparked outrage across the country and within 12 days federal and state governments had agreed to impose strict new gun laws, including a ban on semi-automatic rifles like the Colt AR-15 used by the Tasmania killer. The Connecticut killer used a similar, rapid-firing weapon.

Gun ownership was restricted to people with genuine need or sporting shooters with gun club membership. Some 700,000 guns were bought back and destroyed by the federal government from owners who no longer qualified to possess them.

Did it work? In Australia's case, the change appears dramatic. There were a dozen mass shootings with at least five deaths in the country between 1981 and the Tasmania massacre; there have been none in the 16 years since.

JAMES DOBSON IS A REALLY SICK FUCKER

(h/t John Aravosis)

This is what Dr. Family Values thinks about the Newtown Massacre:

I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think he has allowed judgment to fall upon us. I think that’s what’s going on.

Also too, God hates little children.

THE NRA BLOWHARDS ARE SCARED

The Newtown massacre has made this organization go silent, to the point of deleting its Facebook page.

THE REAL QUESTION NEWTOWN RAISES

Pres. Obama stated it very well in his speech at Newtown:

Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?

NO DOUBT THE GASBAGS WILL BRING UP CHICAGO

If something bad happens in Chicago, I've noticed that the radio gasbags will try to link it to Pres. Obama so I have little doubt that on Monday they will mention the number of murders in Chicago when discussing the Newtown massacre.  Here are the raw facts about murders in Chicago from Wikipedia:

Homicides in Chicago 1990-2012

1990: 851^[6]

1991: 927^[7]

1992: 943^[7]

1993: 855^[7]

1994: 931^[7]

1995: 828^[7]

1996: 796^[7]

1997: 761^[7]

1998: 704^[7]

1999: 643^[7]

2000: 633^[7]

2001: 667^[7]

2002: 656^[7]

2003: 601^[7]

2004: 453^[7]

2005: 451^[7]

2006: 471^[7]

2007: 448^[7]

2008: 513^[7]

2009: 459^[7]

2010: 436^[7]

2011: 433^[7]

2012: 488(to date)^[8]

WHAT ARE THE TOTAL COSTS OF THE NRA?

I just finished reading The Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam and he touched upon the harm our minimally restrictive gun laws have on Americans.   It seems that we have at least another 9/11 every year because of guns involved in homicides, suicides, domestic violence and accidents.  We have taken enormous steps to prevent another 9/11 but have done almost nothing about gun violence.