The media and some Democrat won't accept Biden saying he is not dropping out of the race

UPDATE: For the good of America, according to 81-year-old President Joe Biden, he decided to step away from his 2025 bid for re-election. On Sunday, July 21, 2024, he made the announcement, handing over his 3,900 delegates to VP Kamala Harris. It is not yet known how many Democrats will run against her, but the big show down is expected to take place during the Democrats National Convention in a couple of months. Despite a tear-her-down smear campaign against her, as initiated by Donald Trump, Harris has hit the ground running, making herself known to more voters.

VP Kamala Harris, presidential nominee for 2025

   By Harris stepping up without hesitation, she is proving that from day one, she was ready to become president designate until voters decide if they want her or another Democrat in the White House. So far acceptance of her pending promotion has been received with open arm approval. Thousands of volunteers said they want to campaign for her. Harris campaign has received millions up on millions of dollars in donations. 

After thousands of Black women conducted a hook up via cell phones nationwide, they raised over a million dollars within an hour. Black men followed suit a few days later, as did White women supporting Harris's candidacy. Donald Trump is at a loss on how to effectively attack VP Harris or stop her momentum. He has resorted to calling her hateful names, a trick that worked with weaker candidates that ran against him in 2016. Kamala Harris is tough, and is ready take him on, beginning with a debate. Trump has to agree to a date. He was sure he would be campaigning against President Biden. He said he is going to wait and make sure Harris gets the nomination.

    Last week, on Sunday, June 27, 2024, President Joe Biden debated presidential candidate and convicted felon Donald Trump. Biden defeated him in 2020 but Trump has never accepted the defeat. Because he could not handle a peaceful turn over, Trump initiated a January 6, 2021, insurrection to overturn the Electoral College final count that reveals the winner after  votes have been counted and verified. If Trump could not win the election fair and square, he would thwart Joe Biden’s victory through an insurrection that was wild, deadly and loose but unsuccessful in achieving Trump's goal. Congressional men and women the Senate chamber that day were in serious and deadly danger. Their lives were saved by brave Capital police, who rushed them to safe places to hide.

    I have to honestly admit that President Biden seemed lost and slow Thursday night, whereas Trump spit out lies about accomplishments that he had not achieved. In fact, he took credit for President Biden’s achievements. Because Biden was not atop his A-game, the media and wishful Democrats are going crazy! They are demanding that President Biden drop out of the race so that another Democrat can beat Trump in 2024. Democrats disapproving of the President are weakly supporting VP Kamala Harris in public but not so much in private.

    Democrats, who have always wanted to run for president did not have the courage or skills to run when candidate Joe Biden was at his lowest, when pundits and the print media declared him a lost cause. The media encouraged Joe Biden to step out of the race, just like they are doing today. South Carolina’s Rep. James Clyburn, an African American, saved Biden from falling into the cockpit of obscurity. He rallied the Black community to vote for Biden.

Media refuses to attack candidate Donald 

Trump for repeatedly lying during debate, 

pounce on Biden instead

     As expected, the media are not talking about the lies Trump told during the debate. Republicans have zipped their lips, realizing that Trump also performed poorly. He promised to stop migrants from taking “Black jobs.” I take that to mean that “Black jobs” are low paying jobs that White folks refused to do. Oddly, that tidbit of news flew over the heads of the media. He said more African Americans will vote for him in 2024 because they now identify with him. The brag is he has an official mug shot, a court declared rapist, is a 34-count jury-certified felon, with more cases pending. Black folks identify with criminals, white collar crimes and thugs.  That appears to be the assumption.

President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Donald Trump

    At a couple of recent rallies, Trump told folks to vote for him. And then Trump said he really did not care about them; he only wanted their votes! At a different rally he made a similar statement without fear of negative feedback. He told them after they vote in November they will not have to vote again. Does this mean America will become a dictatorship run country if Trump wins in 2025?

    The assumption (this is me speculating) is Donald Trump is going to set himself up as a dictator, making sure there will be no more presidential elections in America. Folks attending the rallies did not appear embarrassed or shaken by Trump’s hostile confessions that he cares nothing about them. Where was the media? No media stink was made about these harsh words uttered by Trump. President Biden would not have gotten the same treatment had he said anything remotely close to what Trump said.

    Unlike Democrats, Republicans have never demanded that Trump step aside, even though he is a felon. Had fearful Republicans agreed to the first and second impeachments initiated by Democrats, Trump would not be a criminal candidate in the presidential race. He would be history; even though he would never go away. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that Trump is fighting to keep his rearend out of prison.

President Barack Obama debates hopeful 

candidate Mitt Romney in 2012

    When President Barack Obama debated Mitt Romney in 1012, he did not look lost; he looked puzzled. The media could not stop praising Romney for making the President Obama look like a lost sheep. Romney was sure he had the presidency in the bag. The media and Republicans told him not to sweat the election. He relaxed and went sea surfing, participating in fun activities. His wife proclaimed, “It’s our time!” She desperately wanted the presidency and her chance to be First Lady.

    Whereas the media still reminds us of President Obama “losing” the first debate to Mitt Romney, they backed off broadcasting that President Obama returned to the last two debates with a vengeance. This time Romney was looking lost and wondering what he had gotten himself into. In the midst of answering a question, he looked over at President Obama, who cooly and calmly said, “Carry on governor.” That shook Romney. His wife did not think it fair that President Barack Obama was on his way to winning a second term in office.

Ironically, some Democrats did not think Barack Obama deserved a first or second chance to be president. It was not the right time for a Black man to be the most powerful man in world. Even Black politicians were not sure the time was right. The presidential spot has always been reserved for White males, no matter their intelligence or political skills or association.

    And now President Biden is getting the same harsh rebuke reserved for Democrats. Trump is kicking back, feeling that the election is his to win. He has been told the election will be a “blowout” in his favor. Biden, who achieved a great deal while in office, has refused to step down, leaving the door open for Donald Trump’s blowout. He remembers Trump saying he would he a dictator for one day! President Biden knows better. He has dealt with too many dictators during his political career. He knows that is not how a dictator handles his dominance.

    When a dictator is elected, he fights to retain power through fear, imprisonment, wipes out the media, murder and intimidation. Ironically, the United Supreme Court (Republicans majority) have given Trump the right to do whatever he wants while acting as president. Assassinate or jail an opponent that challenges him during an election? No problem. He gets immunity so long as the crime appears to be an “official act”. President Biden disagrees with that decision. He vows not to use it.

    Like Obama, President Biden has never been a favorite of the media. About two weeks or less after he won the 2020 election, they began posting polls that showed Trump miles ahead of him! Joe Scarborough and Mika started “Morning Joe” with polls that showed President Biden “under water.” They preached he was “too old.” The newly minted president was wading deep in the mud, MSNBC talkers declared. They postured that there was no way he could dig himself out of the mud before the election. Trump took the polls to mean a 2020 victory. Almost four years later the attitudes have not changed.

    The media, acting as Trump’s agents, unofficial campaign managers and advisors, are giving him millions of dollars of free advertising 24/7, whereas President Biden is lucky to get media attention at all. As a candidate Trump said he was going to use the media to get elected. He learned the trick from the late attorney, Roy Cohn, who told him to never accept a loss. Cohn told Trump to blame and fight the media while using it simultaneously to achieve his goal.

   The media says President Biden is not out campaigning like Donald Trump. Never mind that as president he has loads of responsibilities on his shoulders. The media said the same thing about President Obama. The media and critics wanted him to hold press conferences constantly. They wanted him to brag about his achievements and then they could say he brags too much; that he wastes too much time hosting press conferences.

    Remember when the SEALS Team took out Osama bin Laden? The raid was meticulously planned and executed. Remember how angry the media. critics and TV talking heads got because President Obama did not mention former President George Bush’s name? Remember his performance at the Correspondence Dinner? He was the best comedian in the house that night. As he told jokes about his birth, he was also cognizant of what was happening with bin Laden. He delivered the news of Osama bin Laden’s demise the next day.

    The media demanded that President Obama give George Bush half the credit for taking down the renowned terrorist. They forgot that Bush, during a press conference, said that he “does not worry about” bin Laden anymore. He had put a high reward on capturing bin Laden. Terrorist faces were displayed on a stack of cards, all having a dollar mount for their capture.

    Bush was quiet during the media demands. However, Republicans needed and wanted to be associated with the killing of Osama bin Laden. They, along with the media, demanded that President Obama produce photos of the slain terrorist, proving that he was truly dead. The President said the photos were too gruesome for public consumption. Donald Trump promised to release the files and photos if he was elected president. He backed off the promise.

    It appears that President Biden’s one bad night during a debate was also too gruesome for public consumption. The media and Democrats are now on a roll, informing voters that President Biden is “too old” and should not have a second term in office. The “too old” debates have been around since early 2020, soon after Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Who often boasted that Joe Biden was wondering around in his basement, not knowing where is. 

'Wannabes' are slow to step into the ring, 

waiting to get the nomination by default 

    Wannabe candidates are slow to come forward and announce that he/she is better suited to replace Biden. All the complainers, hiding behind an invisible shield, are highlighting VP Harris as the candidate to beat if push comes to shoving President Biden out the door. The complaining wannabe candidates want the President to step aside so that he or she can win cherished spot by default. They have no record to run on, so he or she will have to take credit for all that President Biden achieved. We will suddenly a lot of “what we achieved” and how instrumental he or she was helping the President achieve his agenda.

    Democrats will host its nomination convention next month. What are they going to do if this debate debacle has not been settled? Will they rally behind President Biden like Republicans are rallying behind felon and frequent liar Donald Trump? Without the consent of President Biden, VP Harris will not become their backstabber. With fever pitch racism so high in America, it would be a hard road to travel for another African American to get elected president, especially a Black woman. Not sure the VP wants the position by default.

    The media, TV talking heads and Democrats are not talking to the people who will vote in November. Their opinions are extremely important because they will be the individuals that will keep America’s democracy and freedom out of the hands of wannabe dictator Donald Trump who will be a second-term disaster for America. President Biden told his Democratic defectors to bring it on. “I’m not going anywhere!”

Democrats can vote to impeach Donald Trump, but adoring Republicans will not prosecute him

Before Barack Obama was inaugurated as president of the United States, January 20, 2009, Tea Party patriots and Republicans were ready to impeach him. They wanted to impeach him for not proving that he was born in America. They wanted Obama to admit that he is Kenyan, not American, as pushed by birthers and wannabe politician Donald Trump. 

A Texas Republican wanted to impeach Obama to stop his agenda that had not been proposed, therefore, impossible to make public. However, they wanted to impeach him over his immigration policies, and the attack of the American compound in Benghazi, Libya.  

At a 2014 campaign town hall meeting, Republican candidate Joni Ernst told the crowd she believed President Obama had become a dictator. She said he needed to face the consequences for his actions, which she did not name. Ernst said President Obama should be impeached and removed from office. Again, she cited no reason. But the same Joni Ernst is defending Donald Trump. Maybe her fondness of him runs deep because Trump wanted her to be his VP. Family issues forced her to turn down the offer. 

Reasons to impeach President Obama were endless. The rise of the Tea Party quickly took hold, immediately co-opting Republicans, none of whom wanted the wrath of the Tea Party raining down on them. Despite all the complaints and threats to oust the President, not one of the wish-he-was-gone politicians was brave enough to begin the impeachment process. Not even the Tea Party could back Republicans into that corner.

Wandering into valley of impeachment, Democrats and Republicans cannot be willy-nilly. They have to weigh the good vs the bad; the benefits vs alienation of voters who may not agree with their decision. The party that’s in control of the Senate may not be willing to prosecute. But there is another choice: Censure. This is a formal statement of disapproval or public reprimand. 

There was no hesitation to impeach President Bill Clinton, December 19, 1998. Ken Starr, a Republican, was appointed special counselor in the Clinton sex scandal. He was thorough in his documentation regarding what he learned about the affair.

Fifty Republicans voted to remove Clinton from office on obstruction of justice; 45 voted to remove him for perjury. No Democrats voted to remove him from office, but 31 of them supported the proposal to investigate him. Republicans voted for the resolution to impeach Clinton. The resolution was presented to Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Harley Hyde of Illinois.

“Barely six weeks after the American people had plainly sent them a message against impeachment, the House passed two of the four articles of impeachment approved by the Hyde Committee. The first, accusing me of lying to the grand jury, passed 228-206, with five Republicans voting against it. The second, alleging that I had obstructed justice by suborning perjury and hiding gifts, passed 221-212, twelve Republicans voting no. The two charges were inconsistent.  . . . Five Democrats voted for impeachment. Four of them came from conservative districts. The fifth said he wanted to vote for censure then brought the argument that he was doing the next best thing.

“Peter King, with whom I had worked on Northern Island, withstood weeks of enormous pressure, including threats to destroy him politically if he did not vote for impeachment. In several television interviews, King made a simple argument to his fellow Republicans: ‘I’m against impeachment because if President Clinton were a Republican, you’d be against it, too. The pro-impeachment Republicans who appeared on the programs with him never had a good response to that’”. My Life Bill Clinton.

Andrew Johnson was selected by Abraham Lincoln to be his VP in 1864. He stepped into the presidency after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. Johnson was impeached in 1868 for dismissing Edwin M. Staton, Secretary of War. Johnson ignored the Tenure of Office Act, passed in 1867, which curtailed his presidential power. He was not authorized to remove Staton on his own. The House voted to impeach Johnson, making him the first U. S. president to be impeached. The vote was 35 for, 19 against. Senator Edmund G. Ross’s no vote kept Johnson in office to complete his term. He dodged a Senate trial.

In 1974 Richard Nixon avoided impeachment by resigning after the Watergate burglary scandal was exposed. On February 6, 1974 the House of Representatives approved H. Res. 803, giving the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate Nixon. Weeks later, July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment. A couple of days later two more articles were added: obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress.

A number of Democrats got angry at Speaker Nancy Pelosi because she would not agree to impeach President George Bush and VP Dick Cheney for initiating the war with Iraq. Democrats wanted to charge them with war crimes for the bombing innocent Iraqis. In 2008, Joy Behar of The View, scolded Pelosi on national TV. The talk show host wanted her to launch impeachment against the pair.

Behar said to Pelosi, “You’ve ruled against impeaching George Bush and Dick Cheney. And now Kucinich is trying to pass that. Why do you . . . why do you insist on not impeaching these people, so that the world and America can see the crimes that they’ve committed”?

In 2014 the Tea Party balked at impeaching President Obama because the 2016 presidential election was too close. They hated Obama with a purple passion, but they did not want to help candidate Hillary Clinton realize a victory.

“But while there are a plethora of reasons to impeach Obama, is the Republican leadership—are the RINOs—really likely to get behind it? Not in a million years. Why? Because it would hugely increase Hillary Clinton’s chances of victory in the 2016 presidential election. While impeaching Obama would undoubtedly be bad for the Republican Party going into 2016, it could be one of the only actions that will save America from collapse in the long term”. The Tea Party

The print media and TV talking heads have gone batshit crazy because Pelosi is refusing to jump headfirst into the impeachment pool before seeing how deep the water is.  With the release of the Robert Mueller report on Donald Trump and his connection to Russia, more and more Democrats are now demanding that he be impeached. Pelosi and committee chairs are not nibbling at the bait. They are conducting their own investigations, putting together separate cases. Democratic chairmen are subpoenaing current and former employees of the Trump Administration. Not surprisingly, he warned Congress that he will not allow anyone in his administration to cooperate with them or submit requested documents.

Despite sitting in the hot seat, Trump is acting as if the heat is not bothering him. For three years he has been screaming about a “witch hunt” specifically created to bring down his presidency. He has been telling the world that he is innocent of “collusion and obstruction of justice.” He has refused to show his tax returns, saying he is under audit. He has refused to produce an IRS letter to back his excuse. The Constitution does not require that presidential candidates or presidents show their income tax returns. 

Trump refused to participate in a live interview with Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor hired to investigate the firing of James Comey, former FBI director. Trump had previously declared that he would be glad to talk to Mueller when asked by the media. His attorneys were way past too scared to let Trump be questioned by Mueller and his team of investigators. Trump has a problem telling the truth.  

Subsequently, Trump filled out a questionnaire sent to him by Mueller. Reponses to the questions were sketchy and incomplete. Despite saying he has the best memory in the world, Trump appeared to have lost all memories. His attorneys answered the questions for him. Robert Mueller’s report, after a two years investigation, concluded that Trump had committed 10 acts of obstruction. Unable to prosecute a sitting president, Mueller left it to Congress to make a decision about Trump.

Using his usual mode of communication, Twitter, Trump attempted to intimidate Michael Cohen, his “fixer” and his attorney for 10 years. When he talked to Mueller, Trump called him a “rat”. He promised a pardon to those who did not/would not cooperate with Mueller. Cohen not only cooperated, but he also offered Mueller audio tapes and documents. Despite cooperating with Mueller, Cohen is going to prison for the three years.

Trump was incensed when Cohen testified in front of Congress, basically retelling his story to the public. Trump hosted a Twitter bitchfest, in which he threw all kinds of shade and accusations at Cohen. He tweeted that Mueller should look into the finances of Cohen’s father. This caused Cohen to fear for the safety of his family and himself. Congress had to assure him that his family would not face any danger if he testified publicly.

Donald Trump said if Congress tries to impeach him, he will go straight to the Supreme Court. Given that he does not believe rules or the Constitution applies to him, Trump intends to push aside steps that may lead to his impeachment. He thinks the majority of conservative judges on the court will save him. He is assuming that the Supreme Court justices will admonish Congress for daring to impeach him.

“Impeachment, in law, is a criminal proceeding instituted against a public official by a legislative body. In the federal government of the U.S. the House of Representatives initiates the impeachment proceedings, and the Senate as judge. The impeachment process has rarely been employed, largely because it is cumbersome. It can occupy Congress for a lengthy period of time, fill thousands of pages of testimony, and involve conflicting and troublesome political pressures. Repeated attempts in the U.S. Congress to amend the procedure, however, have been unsuccessful, partly because impeachment is regarded as an integral part of the system of checks and balances”. Encyclopedia Britannia

The United States Constitution says that a sitting president can be impeached with due cause. That being: 1.) Treason, 2.) Bribery, 3.) High Crimes and Misdemeanors.  Impeachment of a president was initially suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1787 at the Constitution Convention. It was a good idea and common sense to suggest impeachment instead of the alternative, which was assassination. Franklin reasoned that a president  could not clear his name if he was shot dead.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unleashed a stern warning to Democrats after their 2018 blowout mid-term victories. He told them to go light on thoughts of impeaching Donald Trump. “ . . . the business of presidential harassment might not work out for you too well”.  

McConnell reminded Democrats that when Republicans impeached Bill Clinton it did not work out well. Clinton’s approval ratings went up; Republicans went down. Speaker Pelosi is now weighing the best route to take regarding Donald Trump. Impeachment is not an emotional strategy. It is pure politics spurred by revenge and power. Republicans are better at the game than Democrats, who endeavor to steer clear of knee jerk reactions.

Some framers of the Constitution opposed the impeachment clause. They did not want to endow a legislative body with the power to stand in judgement against the executive branch. They were of the notion that such a clause might compromise the separation of powers.

Not until Trump was elected president did the three branches of the U. S. government get fused into one. A crew of old White Congressmen and Senators have been feigning ignorance for almost three years, blindly allowing Trump to run over the Constitution. They have allowed him to think that all government employees are his personal hires; their salaries paid by taxpayers. 

Massachusetts’s Elbridge Gerry, who served in the House of Representatives, and was VP under James Madison, said: “A good magistrate will not fear [impeachment]. A bad one ought to be kept in fear of them”. History.com

“Individual members of the House can introduce impeachment resolutions like ordinary bills, or the House could initiate proceedings by passing a resolution authorizing an inquiry. The committee on the judiciary ordinarily has jurisdiction over impeachments, but special committees investigated charges before the Judicial Committee was created in 1813. 

"The committee then chooses whether to pursue articles of impeachment against the accused official and report them to the full House. If the articles are adopted (by simple majority vote), the House appoints members of resolution to manage the ensuing Senate trial on its behalf. These managers act as prosecutors in the Senate and are usually members of the Judiciary Committee. The number of managers has varied across impeachment trials  . . . The partisan composition of managers have also varied depending on the nature of the impeachment. The managers, by definition, always support the House’s impeachment action”. History, Art and Archives

House members act as the managers during the course of the trial. Just as any case where guilt or innocence must be proven, the president has the right to have an attorney or attorneys to litigate his defense. In the event the Senate concurs with impeachment, the Supreme Court Justice presides over the trial in the Senate chamber. At its conclusion of Senators deliberates in private. After a decision is render a copy of the judgement is filed with the Secretary of State. If guilty, the impeached president is removed from office, and barred from holding office in the future. Bill Clinton was disbarred.

Fifteen Republicans were designated managers during Clinton's impeachment. One of them is a Trump spokesman: Lindsey Graham. He has changed his stance on impeachment now that a Republican president might get impeached. In a January 23, 1999 video, then Congressman Graham said a president can be removed “if this body [Congress] determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role  . . . because impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office”.

Speaker of the House designate Bob Livingston, asked President Clinton to resign.  Some of the more vociferous complainers against Clinton were later run out of Congress for making the same mistake as Clinton: committing adultery. Livingston, Newt Gingrich, Helen Chenoweth, Henry Hyde. Gingrich is perhaps the worst of all the adulterers. 

Charles Ruff, White House counsel Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial, said, “Impeachment is not a remedy for private wrongs. It’s a method of removing someone whose continued presence in office would cause grave danger to the nation”.

American schools have become combat zones

“I’ve had to make statements like this too many times”. President Barack Obama made this statement after the merciless murders of nine African American members of the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, June 17, 2015. By this time President Obama and Americans had witnessed many mass shootings, resulting in deaths and injuries. President Obama did not let himself or Americans evolve into bitter cynics, becoming immune to catastrophic acts of murder. He looked forward, believing that people will avail themselves to their better nature.

Antoinette Tuff, Michael Hill, 22

 
Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper at Atlanta, Georgia’s Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, averted a possible massacre August 20, 2013. Michael Hill, a 20-year-old White male, dawning a black outfit, accessorized with an AK-47, broke into the school ready to perpetuate vast acts of terror, mayhem and murder. 

Tuff, mother of a 22-year-old partially blind son, and a woman of faith, has a soft edge. But she was “tuff” August 20 in her determination to saves lives. Her better nature and faith in this troubled would-be killer guided her words and actions. Without realizing it Tuff summoned her motherly instincts. She took a big chance on calling out the better side of Hill. He could have quickly flipped the script, becoming her worst nightmare. 

Tuff can be heard on the 911 call telling Michael Hill, a deadly weapon still in Hill's hand. “It’s going to all right, sweetie. I just want you to know that I love you . . . Okay”? Tuff tells Hill, who has her life in his hands.

No one at the Academy died that day thanks to the cool headed African American mother. Tuff calmed the young man, verbally disarming his deadly intent. Hill was arrested without incident. I do not know Antoinette Tuff, but I wager she did not go to work that morning thinking she was going to be a hero. 

On the other hand, Michael Hill woke up knowing that he was going to commit a horrible crime in a matter of minutes when he reached his destiny. The biggest surprise for Tuff was she did not know that President Barack Obama was going to call to compliment her bravery. He applauded her for being brave and calm, cooly appealing to a potential killer's worse instinct.

Brenda Spencer, 16

Historically, young White males have been profiled as school shooters. Out of curiosity I researched the gender of past school shooters. I learned there was a 16-year-old shooter named Brenda Spencer of San Diego, California. Spencer, a high school junior, did like Mondays. She “livened up” one Monday by shooting at students lingering in the parking lot of Grover Cleveland Elementary, January 29, 1979. They were waiting to be let inside the school. Spencer lived across the street from the school. The weapon she used was a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle with a scope, a Christmas present from her father. That January morning Spencer had 500 rounds of ammunition. 

A child of divorced parents, Spencer lived with her father. On the day of the shootings she told him that she was sick, an excuse to skip school.

Standing at her gate, Spencer fired 30 rounds of bullets from her rifle, taking the lives of the school’s principal and custodian; wounding a police officer and eight children. Spencer had bragged to classmates a week earlier that she was going to “do something big to get on TV”.

During a telephone interview with a San Diego Tribune reporter, Spencer said after the first round of shootings: “I have to go now. I shot a pig, I think, and I want to shoot more”. Her deadly assault  lasted 15 minutes. After a police officer and security guard parked a garbage truck in front of her house, blocking her view, it took a SWAT team seven hours to coax the teenager to surrender. Brenda Spencer was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Her first hearing was in 2009. She was denied parole. She will have another hearing in 2019. (Timeline, March 14, 2017)

Dylann Roof, 22

When Dylann Roof, a 22-year-old White male, committed his murderous act he was a follower of the KKK. He admitted that he wanted to start a race war between Blacks and Whites. His targets and location were planned in advance. He prepared to commit mass murder. He purchased ammunition and did some target practice. He chose Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church for its location (downtown) and because it was the oldest Black church in South Carolina. The massacre would attract worldwide attention. That's what he wanted to happen.

On June 17, 2015 several church members were partaking in a Bible and prayer study. When Roof entered the church through an open door, he was welcomed with open arms. After sitting with the members for 40 minutes Roof pulled out a .45 caliber Glock. He fired 75 bullets, shooting the victims repeatedly, reloading the gun seven times. Roof shot down the parishioners like they were dangerous criminals hiding out in a community church. He believed that Black men were raping White women, and Black people were taking over the world. 

President Obama delivers a stirring eulogy and message

Two women survived. Roof told Polly Sheppard to tell what she had witnessed. He wanted his evilness to be recorded for the world to see. Roof was arrested several days later without incident. He was leaving South Carolina. In fact, the arresting officer bought him a hamburger and fries. He assumed that Rood was hungry. 

Dylann Roof is sitting on death row, awaiting to die by lethal injection for the lives he took.

June 29 President Obama delivered a heart-tugging eulogy for Emanuel’s pastor Clementa Pickney, also a state senator. Although this was not a school shooting, the impact of the massacre was a tear-jerker, racked by more disbelief and drama. President Obama, employing the cadence of a seasoned preacher, brought home the tragedy in an unexpected way. He sang a short version of “Amazing Grace” and called out the names of the victims.
 

President Obama is overcome with emotions

President Obama’s message, after these kinds of tragedies, was never one of hate and division. He made a speech January 5, 2016, remembering the day 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. The massacre was still fresh on his mind. That was the first time Americans and the world had seen President Obama react emotionally in public. 

“Every time I think about those kids, I get mad”, he said. He wiped away tears when he talked the senseless massacre. He reminded everyone that gun violence happened every day on the streets of Chicago.

On the day of confessed love, roses, chocolates and Valentine cards--February 14, 2018—a deadly ambush occurred in America that left lifeless and wounded bodies in the hallways and classrooms of another American school. Nikolas Cruz, 19, erased the lives of 17 students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where he was a former student.
 

Mitchell Johnson, 13; Andrew Golden, 11

Nikolas Cruz, 19

In addition to the deceased, 14 other students and faculty were injured enough to be hospitalized. It took Nikolas Cruz less than 10 minutes to carry out the murders. His anger demanded that he act; that he commit wholesale slaughter to satisfy its aggression. Cruz was methodical as he fired bullets at fleeing victims, all of whom were caught off guard. 

His carefully plotted plan turned the victims into easy targets. Cruz triggered the school’s fire alarm, and as students scrambled out of classrooms, he used the hallways for his personal shooting gallery.

In a small community in Jonesboro, Arkansas two boys Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 11, both students at Westside Middle School, planned and executed a mass shooting at their school. A March 18, 1998 issue of the Los Angeles Times reported: “The boys lured their classmates to the parking lot with a false fire alarm, then wielded stolen weapons, and for five minutes rained bullets upon the trapped teachers and students".

At the funeral of a fallen teacher her pastor sent a message of encouragement to surviving teachers: “Do your job. Be the teacher you are to be. There is going to be pain and there is going to be struggle. But you will honor the memory of Shannon Wright if you enter that classroom Monday, carrying with you a reaffirmation passion to teach”. Wright was shielding children from gun fire when she met her death at the hands of  two murderous children.

Had Barack Obama been president in 2018 guns and ammunition sales would have immediately swell like in his early presidency. He was good for business. The NRA would have repeated its rallying meme to increase gun sales: "Obama is trying to take away our Second Amendment rights to own guns to protect our families. He wants to take our guns." Throwing this panic bomb to the gullible led to panic buying.

Parents of Sandy Hook victims sued Remington, but they lost the lawsuit. The shooter used a Bushmaster to mow down a combined 26 children and staff.  After the lawsuit Remington Outdoors Corp filed a prepackaged reorganization plan with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court pf Delaware under the Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. Reportedly, gun sales have gone down since Trump was elected president.

“Last year marked a record year for gun sales. The surge was driven by fears that then President Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton would implement gun controls amid a series of deadly mass shootings. Sales dropped industry-wide after the unexpected victory of Donald Trump, a Republican endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

"The firearms industry is still suffering from continued malaise in retail sell-through due to the Trump slump," said Rommel Dionisio, a gun industry analyst for Aegis Capital Corp. He said manufacturers and retailers are still dealing with an inventory backlog, because they stocked up prior to the election expecting stronger sales”. (CNN Money 2017)

After each public school massacre Republicans and red state Democrats zipped their mouths and sat on their brains; but their hands were open to receive hefty donations from the NRA and special interest groups. Their inaction suggested, and still suggests today that they are not ready to slap the hands that feeds their campaigns. Their political careers are more important than saving the lives of teenagers and children. 

Since 1999 American schools have been elevated to combat zones, replete with “just in case of a shooting” drills as revealed February 14 by students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

There are no laws, policies or legislation to stop an individual or individuals bent on effectuating a fatal bloodbath in their homes or in public places. These troubled adults and teenagers will get the weapons they need to wreak havoc and grief. Teenagers have access to guns and ammunition in their parents’ homes. In Florida an 18 year old can legally purchase an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, but cannot frequent a bar, purchase alcohol or hand guns. The FBI received a number of warning calls about Cruz. Local police had calls to his mother’s home more than30 times; students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas complained about Cruz and the potential danger he presented.
 
President Obama was tireless in his effort to curb gun violence. He was especially angered when the wanton massacres involved children. He and First Lady Michelle Obama are the parents of two  daughters still in school. But not enough Washington politicians shared Obama’s heartache, anger and concern. The NRA was, and remains their boss.

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother in their home before heading to Sandy

Adam Lanza in 2005

Hook Elementary. The school’s security system had been recently upgraded. Doors were locked by 9:30 a.m. after all staff and students were inside the building. Visitors were required to show a picture ID that was viewed via a monitor in the principal's office. 

Lanza shot out a glass panel to grain entrance into the school. He had a Bushmaster XM15-E2S, a variant of the AR-15, and two handguns. It was 9:35 a.m.  Lanza massacred 20 children and six educators. After the bloody slaughter Lanza committed suicide, acting as his own judge, jury and executioner. All the guns he had with him was purchased by his mother.
  
Grieving parents assumed that children getting slaughtered in classrooms would soften the hearts of the hardest politicians. They went to Capitol Hill to ask politicians to author sensible gun legislation that included stricter background checks. None of them demanded that gun owners relinquish their guns, or their right to buy guns. 

Washington politicians played their roles to the hilt. TV cameras rolled, recording their hypocrisy and pretentiousness. The press savvy politicians looked grieving parents in their eyes, even held their hands, and promised they would do whatever they could. The promises were shelved soon as the parents left the offices.

Eric Harris, 18; Dylan Klebol, 17

There have been other school shootings this year that did not attract media attention because they were not on the scale of wholesale slaughter. The Parkland, Florida shooting has been compared to the Columbine High School massacre that occurred April 20, 1999. The teenage shooters, Eric Harris, 18 and Dylan Klebold, 17, were seniors at the school. They killed 15 students, teachers and administrators, injuring 24, three of whom injured themselves when they climbed out windows to escape the carnage. The boys committed suicide amid a shootout with police. It was not their intention to be taken alive.  

Conspirators of the worst kind said the 2012 mas shooting at Sandy Hook was a hoax perpetrated by Democrats. They said the massacre was staged by child actors. Alex Jones, mad dog host of Infowars, spearheaded the rumor. Like a snowball rolling downhill the Republican mouthpiece gathered human moss. Conspiracy-minded folks maliciously attacked Sandy Hook parents online, and offline. They suggested the parents had their own children killed; or sold them to sex traffickers; or they had no children.

The same kinds of folks have begun attacking surviving Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, staff and parents. Outspoken students are demanding that politicians make changes to gun laws. They were labeled “crisis actors.” The articulate, politically astute students say they are not interested in yapping politicians, shade throwing and front row critics. They want action, not bullshit. These grew up in an age of school shootings. They do not want to see more of this wanton carnage.

President Obama did not stop trying to work with Republicans and Democrats to create sensible gun control, and tougher background checks. As usual, he was rebuffed by both parties. He vowed to continue his fight for changes, which he did until he left office. The President supported the 2013 Manchin-Toomer bill aimed at expanding background checks for those who purchase guns. The bill did not survive the Senate.

“President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the White House would submit new gun control proposals to Congress next month and pledged to use all the powers of this office to identify and promote new policies to address the scourge of gun violence. Obama tapped Vice President Joe Biden to head up a task force of cabinet members of Congress and outside organizations, which will comb through existing gun control proposals, devise news ones and submit a specific set of proposals to Congress in January”. (Time, 12/19/2012)

According to a January 4, 2016 White House press release President Obama “revealed a plan to address gun violence. The initiative consists of 23 executive orders and three presidential memoranda, most of which will require Congressional approval. Many parts of the plan may have significant effects on states”.  

Keep guns out of the wrong hands through background checks (excerpt)

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is making clear that it doesn’t matter where you conduct your business—from a store, at gun shows, or over the Internet: If you’re in the business of selling firearms, you must get a license and conduct background checks.

ATF is finalizing a rule to require background checks for people trying to buy some of the most dangerous weapons and other items through a trust, corporation, or other legal entity. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has sent a letter to States highlighting the importance of receiving complete criminal history records and criminal dispositions, information on persons disqualified because of a mental illness, and qualifying crimes of domestic violence.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is overhauling the background check system to make it more effective and efficient. The envisioned improvements include processing background checks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and improving notification of local authorities when certain prohibited persons unlawfully attempt to buy a gun. The FBI will hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process these background checks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is overhauling the background check system to make it more effective and efficient. The envisioned improvements include processing background checks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and improving notification of local authorities when certain prohibited persons unlawfully attempt to buy a gun. The FBI will hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process these background checks.

Other proposals included: Make our communities safer from gun violence; Increase mental health treatment and reporting to the background check system; Shape the future of gun safety technology.

“The Administration is proposing a new $500 million investment to increase access to mental health care. The Social Security Administration has indicated that it will began the rule making process to include information in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from processing a firearm for mental health reasons.

“The Department of Health and Human Services is finalizing a rule to remove unnecessary legal barriers preventing states from reporting relevant information about people prohibited from processing a gun for specific mental health issues”.  
When Donald Trump won the presidency he immediately uprooted executive orders initiated and signed by President Obama. One of executive order related to Obama’s goal to curb gun violence.

“President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. The rule, which was finalized in December, added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background check database. Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database.

“President Barack Obama recommended the now-nullified regulation in a 2013 memo following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six others dead. The measure sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns”. (NBC News, 2/28/2017)

Republicans in both Houses—14 of whom vowed January 20, 2009 they would never deliver President Obama a victory--signed onto negating all proposed legislation. They kept the promise for eight years. The NRA was happy to see that its multi-million dollar investments in Trump, the Senate and Congress paid off. Oddly, Trump did not sign the Obama-era executive order with his usual made for TV flair. He signed it behind closed doors.

Despite the massive shootings under his watch Trump has not addressed sensible gun control, tougher background checks, appropriate age to buy guns, or how to curtail gun violence. Hosting a meeting at the White House on February 28, 2018 Trump called together Democrats and Republicans to brainstorm, and to share solutions they have regarding school and other kinds of gun violence.

Trump was not on the same page as the bipartisan group 25-30. He declared that anyone deemed mentally ill should have their guns taken from them by police without question. He said due process comes in second. Trump was saying to these politicians--many of whom are attorneys--that police have the right to overlook the Constitution. He talked more about mental illness than sensible gun control and background checks. He implied that no president before him had made an effort to curb gun violence. It is no secret that he was talking about President Obama.

Had Trump’s staff prepared him for the meeting he would have been informed about President Obama’s proposals, and red flag laws first implemented in California. Four other states adopted the law: Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Connecticut. Eighteen more states are thinking of jumping aboard. There are lawful rules that states have to follow before confiscating an individual’s weapons due to mental illness.

“In 2014, California became the first state to let family members ask a judge to remove firearms from a relative who appears to pose a threat. Its legislature took action after a mentally ill man, Elliot Rodger, killed six students and wounded 13 others near the University of California, Santa Barbara, before killing himself.

“California's law also empowers police to petition for the protective orders, which can require authorities to remove firearms for up to one year. Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington also have some version of a red flag law”. (ABC News, 21/2018)

Republicans Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan said there will be no debates about gun control; no up and down voting. Nothing. Nothing. Noting. Promises that Donald Trump made at the meeting were deleted from his mind after he invited a few NRA members to the White House the next day. He walked back some of the things he said in the meeting. In the meeting he said he was going to write an executive order regarding bump stocks.; therefore, they should not concern themselves with that issue.  Republicans and Democrats are left empty handed, wondering what happened.

President Donald Trump

Donald Trump wants teachers to be armed when they enter classrooms. He called it “hardening schools”. No more of those “gun free zones.” He thinks that in addition to teaching, being  disciplinarians, counselors,  controlling classrooms, and unruly students--teachers should be able to stop shooters before they kill students and faculty. He has not thought of the consequences, or the added danger that can occur.

When cops enter a school where there is frantic movement and chaos, and they see individuals with guns, they won’t know who the bad guy is; who the good guy is. Police won’t have time to pick and choose who to take out. A Marjory Stoneman student said on February 14 he was so scared he attempted to run down a flight of stairs to escape danger. He was stopped on the stairs by a SWAT team. He said all five pointed their weapons at him. He was wearing a sweater the same color as Cruz. Police said he fit the description of the shooter. The student said had he made a move they would have shot him. To escape undetected Cruz abandoned his weapons, blended with the students, and walked out of the building. He was caught hours later.

Trump said he has no doubt he would have gone into the building to take out the shooter. No weapon verses a semi-automatic weapon? Trump convinced himself that he would come out the winner.

“I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon. And I think most of the people in this room would have done that too”. Trump was holding as meeting at the White House with 39 governors when he made this statement. He chided the deputy sheriffs at the scene for not entering the building to save lives.