School’s Out
CNN reports that students across Florida have walked out of class in support of the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who are lobbying in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital.
Someone should explain social media and cell phones to the rightwingers, because they don’t seem to understand the ability of students to organize. There are state-wide student organizations that reach from Key West to Jacksonville to Pensacola at the speed of light.
Update: Florida Republicans think that they can placate the MSD students by wearing a colored ribbon rather than doing anything about guns. Neither the students or parents are buying it.
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I continue to be astounded at the Republican’s surprise that high school kids don’t like being shot at and rightfully demand that something be done about it. What’s most amazing is that the only response they can think of is to demean and defame the kids, rather than come up with some seemingly relevant but meaningless program to “secure schools” or whatever.
I mean, this might have worked back in the days when it was easy to turn out a few thousand Floridians to lynch a few dozen uppity Negroes by just whispering lies and innuendos that they was rapin’ our white wimmins down on that thare piece of land that we want for our new sugar plantation, y’all, but do they really think that’s going to work today? I guess they think so, because they’re doing it. But that’s so… early 20th century… of them.
Agree Badtux, somewhat. I’m not at all astounded. I’ve dealt with too many like these to ever be surprised, quite the opposite in fact. But I do understand your sentiment! It shouldn’t be this way…
What do you think of this Bryan? I as because you served, though not in the Army branch as I did. I buried a few friends with Honors & had to give the Eulogy for two from my Unit.
Army honors three students killed in Parkland shooting
Personally, I believe West Point has done the right thing honoring these three Junior ROTC brave fallen children as far as they have & hope they continue to help & support the families. The part I am conflicted about is the Call for a full Military Honor burial. There are very strict rules & these three, whilst they dies with honor & courage, did not officially serve in a Military combat unit. I don’t think that should happen. But… It’s not an easy decision for me at all.
It would be easy to call this a political stunt by the Army, and perhaps in a way it is. But I don’t believe that is the main focus. I’d like to believe they are remembering & upholding their core values.
If one of the murdered kid’s was mine, there would be several dead politicians now.
This is multilayered, Kryten. The US Military Academy at West Point made the decision to to appoint Cadet Wang to the Academy class of 2025, something the Academy has done in the past. The Reserve Officer Training Corps of the US Army made the decision to award the JROTC Medal for Heroism to the three Cadets who died at Parkland. Finally Florida governor Rick Scott made the decision that the Florida National Guard would provide full military funerals to the Cadets if their parents wanted them. The National Guard is under the control of the states.
What the Cadets cannot receive is internment at a National Cemetery. The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs are conducted by the US Military, and participation results in advancement if a Cadet decides to enter the regular military. Participation is not the same as attending a private military academy, the JROTC program is on the Army Table of Organization.
There was a groundswell of support for the Cadets with over 60,000 people signing petitions to honor them. The Academy, Army, and Rick Scott weren’t grandstanding, they were avoiding the field of fire from the MSD students. The “children” aren’t taking prisoners or putting up with political bullshit.
Thanks for clearing that up. 😀 I suspected, but haven’t really had much to do with West Point, other than working with a few graduates. And at the times, there wasn’t much time to exchange those kinds of details. 😉
Yeah! The kids are really showing up the Adults! I’m really quite proud of them! There are a some real leaders in their ranks too!
The US had/has a certain distrust of standing armies based on the actions of the British under King George III, so we have this ‘troika’ of the regular Federal military, the Federal Reserves, and the state-based National Guard. The chain of command is not always clear and obvious. The US restricts where you can be buried, not the ceremony. Law enforcement tends to use a version of the military funeral for its services.
I am certain the National Guard did a fine job, but they cannot match a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.
Neither the students or parents are buying it.
good for them.
I hadn’t originally planned to watch that cnn town hall but got talked into it. I’m glad I did – the kids did a good job taking on marco Rubio and dana loesch.
The ‘kids’ are more than alright. The raison d’être for teenagers is to piss off adults , and the Parkland teenagers have it down to fine art. They aren’t going to be polite and quiet.
Loesch is as bad, or even worse, than Sanders, Conway & Hicks! She will laterally do & say anything for money! Incapable of any rational thought. We’ve been tweeting a lot about her latest garbage and several complaints have been sent to Twitter. After the Shooting and the kids started speaking against the NRA, she tweeted “I hate teen’s!”
Here’s another insane GOP retarded cretin:
GOP Congresswoman Claims Many Mass Shooters ‘End Up Being Democrats’
Oh! And since many anti-NRA people in the USA seem to think Aussie gun laws are the way to go! Yes, once they were! Remember, out neo-con LNP Coalition loves to do whatever stupid crap the USA does.
As The U.S. Looks To Australia For Hope On Guns, Our Laws Are Being Quietly Pulled Back
The NRA claims a total membership of 7 million. Some say that that number includes life members who have died. [Life members pay a lump sum, and don’t have annual dues, so there is no check on their living/dead status.] That’s not a lot of people even if you limit the pool to just gun owners. The power comes from being able to generate a half billion dollars of revenue and spending much of it on lobbying.
Loesch is only speaking to rabid gun owners, and trying to convince them to buy more guns and ammo before the Democrats & teens come for them. She is acting a role and her employers are pleased with her efforts.
That Congresswoman spends too much time listening to Loesch, Limbaugh, Alex Jones, and watching Fox News. The best way of dealing with her is to ask for names of these supposed Democrats.
Update: Cadet Wang’s JROTC mates performed the service rather than the Florida National Guard. That’s as it should be.
On the Sunday talk shows Loesch is now stating the NRA membership as 5 not 7 million, which sounds like they have had their membership audited.