When Vegas happened, I wrote about it - naturally. It's a gesture of goodwill to be sure. Or maybe it's not, I'm not sure. Certainly, with social issues, a stand means a lot - friends being oppressed or persecuted know they can count on you. Debates and discussion can spark to change minds.
The thing is, after Texas' recent church shooting, this was the fifth time I'd find myself thinking what to write about our latest massacre. Usually, there's a sense of humanity to the whole proceeding, a cathartic expression of feeling human, but this time, it felt routine. Grim. Especially when inaction - though it was wonderful to see Republican senator John Cornyn begin to introduce a control bill - fills in the void after these events.
Honestly, there is nothing more I can say. I can offer condolences, but what uses are those when we recycle them every month because the NRA has their hand up the asses of half of Congress? How much longer until the only people we're concerned about is ourselves as we walk outside the door?
I'll take a different route. At least something might come out of it. And it's no less humane in its absence of eloquence and prose.
Here's a list of every Congress person who has fought against common sense legislation, opposed background checks, or received funding from the NRA. There are some links to their pages with contact info. I doubt they're checking our Facebook statuses or retweets - why don't we tell them directly? Because our writing's not going to do a damn thing. Our thoughts and reflections will do just as good as their thoughts and prayers for victims.
Courtesy of the NY Times, Imgur, and Jimmy Kimmel.
NRA Funding
https://www.burr.senate.govRichard Burr, North Carolina - $6,986,620
https://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/Roy Blunt, Missouri - $4,551,146 (Also a swell opposer of background checks!
https://www.tillis.senate.gov/public/Thom Tillis, North Carolina - $4,418,012
https://www.gardner.senate.govCory Gardner, Colorado - $3,879,064
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-1oW7n7XXAhUI42MKHfjZBGYQFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ernst.senate.gov%2F&usg=AOvVaw3tIBWo03SePKA_zbFlRxILJoni Ernst, Iowa - $3,124,273
https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/Rob Portman, Ohio - $3,061,941
https://www.young.senate.govTodd Young, Indiana - $2,896,732
https://www.cassidy.senate.govBill Cassidy, Lousiana - $2,861,047
And the others
https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota
https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/Johnny Isakson, Georgia
http://www.arkansashouse.org/district/53Dan Sullivan, Arkansas
Actually, you know what? Here's an image. Contact these folk, and ask them if their constituents are worth gun lobbyists and a culture of toxic masculinity clamping onto them.
