TheWiseOldFart

When I was a young boy, many years ago, I remember hearing the adults around me say: “Why do I bother reading the newspaper? It’s nothing but bad news.” When I was in high school, one of my teachers gave the entire class an assignment requiring us to read the entire first section of the local paper. It was the Los Angeles Times. As I expected, it was mostly bad news. However, what I read today and what is reported on television is far worse than it was in the 1960’s. First and foremost, I believe that most of what I read is filled with lies of omission. I find that the mainstream media is no longer trustworthy. When I fact check their stories, I discover that they seldom contain the complete truth. There is at least one mass shooting every day somewhere in America. Hate crimes have risen by nearly 1,000 percent from where it was in 2015. The greed of corporate America has angered most Americans to a level I once thought unthinkable. A man who shot and killed the CEO of a major healthca...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Red states are a freakin mess. Their priorities are completely wrong for America. Their focus is not on the important issues facing America in 2024. Instead, they spend all their efforts on the agenda of those who call themselves “Republicans” today. “Project 2025” contains a long list of “to dos,” none of which represent the needs and wishes of the majority. Their focus is on escalating racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, white power, and of course what they call “the protection of the Second Amendment.” REPUBLICANS SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM The moronic actions of right-wing extremists in red states include removing all rights for women to decide the mental and physical health of their own bodies, voter suppression, removing American history from our schools, attacks on the LGBTQ community, forcing Christianity on all Americans, and of course open display for the NRA Gun Lobby. Years ago, the FBI revealed that “domestic terrorism is the great...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The latest Gallup poll reveals that at least 56 percent of all Americans are in favor of strict controls over gun purchases, and banning assault rifles, high output magazines, and bump stocks. Several years ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray sat before congress and informed our elected officials that “domestic terrorism” is the greatest danger to the American people. The focus was on the growing number of mass shootings in America. A mass shooting is defined as ‘four or more individuals wounded or killed in a single incident involving the use of a gun.’ Over the last seven years, the number of mass shootings is greater than the number of days on the calendar. No place is a safe place in America. Shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, concerts, the workplace, churches, synagogues, mosques, and schools have been targets for deranged individuals armed with a weapon or weapons of mass destruction. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY AT THE...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The NRA and all right-wing politicians would like you to ignore this quote.   “Domestic terrorism is the greatest danger to the American people .” FBI Director Christopher Wray   No one can deny the facts. There are more mass shootings in the United States than days on the calendar. This has been true since 2017 . Another fact is that anyone can buy a weapon of mass destruction in America, including fo rmer felons, mentally challenged Americans, men and women on the “no fly’ list, and children under the age of 21. Fact: the NRA gun lobby bought and paid for the men and women who call themselves “Republicans” today. Fact: handguns and military style assault rifles have a single purpose: to kill other human beings. There is nothing in the Second Amendment which prevents banning these weapons of mass destruction. Fact: not only do right-wing politic i ans do nothing but offer “thoughts and prayers,” they celebrate mass shooting with multiple deaths...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart It’s not a big thing for those of us who know that domestic terrorism is the greatest danger to the American people, but it’s a bigger step than any of his predecessors were willing to take. President Biden, who values human life unlike his opposing party, signed an executive order requiring comprehensive background checks for all gun sales at Outdoor Sporting Conventions which previously allowed unrestricted sales of weapons of mass destruction. A POORLY WRITTEN AND AMBIGUOUS AMENDMENT Gun nuts and the NRA gun lobby will be screaming about “Second Amendment Rights.” Once again, I call bullshit. The safety and security of the many negate the complaints of the 10 percent of Americans who own 90 percent of all guns in America. The Second Amendment is the most ambiguous amendment in the Bill of Rights. Demands from slave owners forced several drafts of the amendment, and that fact is why it is so poorly written. The facts are clear: nothing in the S...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I have no idea how many articles I have written about mass shootings in America. It disgusts me to know that domestic terrorism is the greatest threat to life in my country in the 21 st century. Humans are expected to progress, not regress. I am especially upset at the fact that most of the violence would end immediately if our corrupt and incompetent federal government would get off their fat asses and do the jobs for which they were elected. More Than the Number of Days on the Calendar Mass shootings are defined as “a single incident in which four or more individuals were wounded or killed with the use of a gun” Since 2017, the year Trump became your illegitimate president, there have been more mass shootings than days on the calendar. The reality is clear: the United States is the most dangerous country in the world. It is no longer safe to shop in a grocery store, workout at a gym, eat at a restaurant, go to the movies, enjoy an evening with your friends at...