Ready to learn? Isn't that how we want our children to feel when they go to school?
Try explaining that to Leonard Embody... Or maybe not. The Tennessee open carry activist says people who are offended by his carrying of an assault weapon just outside a Nashville school should "see a psychologist".
WSMV Channel 4
Actually, he may force some of the kids at that school to seek counseling. After all, wouldn't you be at least a little scared if you saw someone like Leonard Embody pack heat right outside your school?
There have been at least 79 school shootings since Newtown. One of those school shootings was right here in Nevada, at Sparks Middle School. Contrary to what open carry radicals like Leonard Embody say, this is no laughing matter.
Just so far this year, there have been 98 homicides in Las Vegas Metro Police's area of jurisdiction. Our homicide rate is the highest it's been since 2006.
Even Metro itself has been affected by this. In June, Las Vegas Metro Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were shot dead by extreme right-wing Patriot Movement figures Amanda & Jerad Miller. They also shot dead Joseph Robert Wilcox before they killed themselves.
Jerad Miller may have obtained a gun via Facebook. Even though he was not legally permitted to own any firearms (due to past felony convictions), Miller was able to evade this because of the lack of universal background checks for gun purchases.
All too often, the NRA and its favorite G-O-TEA politicians have been all too willing to play silly games with the serious issue of gun violence. They think it's cute to grandstand with a bunch of "outlaw cowboys" pointing guns at federal agents. They think it's great to see people open carry in front of schools. They think it's more important to discuss the "philosophy of gun rights" and explore theoretical language than to actually make any real policy changes that could save lives.
This is why Leonard Embody is allowed to roam outside a Nashville school packing heat. This is why Las Vegas' homicide rate continues to inch upward. This is why Alyn Beck, Igor Soldo, and Joseph Robert Wilcox are no longer on this earth. This is why Sparks Middle School will never be the same. And this is why we can't afford to ignore the fully loaded danger around us.
Showing posts with label Igor Soldo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Igor Soldo. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Another Bloody Tragedy
Another one? Already? Another one is happening? Already? How can this be so?
But alas, it's happening. Again. This time, it's at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon.
Just outside Portland, Troutdale has typically been known as a quiet and peaceful suburb. But today, that's no longer the case. Today, Troutdale became the latest in a string of armed battles on what was supposed to be civilian territory. Today, Troutdale became another notorious gun violence statistic.
It probably won't be long before we see the usual tweets of condolence from the usual politicians. It probably won't be long before the usual suspects in the "mainstream media" start bloviating on whether the shooter "had enough dates" and/or video games. And it probably won't be long before the NRA tries to "redefine" this latest "unfortunate accident".
In Troutdale, the shooter killed a student before killing oneself. And when the first flurry of media reports surfaced, parents throughout Greater Portland were scrambling to figure out whether it was their kids' school. For some unfortunate parents, it was.
Less than 48 hours ago, Metro Police Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were murdered. Shortly after they shot these officers dead at CiCi's Pizza in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley, Jerad & Amanda Miller moved to the nearby Walmart, where they shot Joseph Robert Wilcox dead before killing themselves.
Jerad Miller had felony convictions on his record. He had also made it clear for some time that he wanted "the start of the revolution". Yet somehow, he was able to obtain firearms anyway. All he had to do was rant on Facebook.
Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA), Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA), Rep. Joe Heck, and other G-O-TEA politicians have boasted about being "what stood in the way" of better gun safety laws. Just as the NRA has allowed the likes of Open Carry Texas to call the shots at its headquarters, far too many politicians have allowed the NRA to call the shots on Capitol Hill and in state capitols across the nation (including ours).
It's only a matter of time before someone else who obtained military grade weapons under suspicious circumstances opens fire in another public place and leaves a bloody trail behind. It's only a matter of time before the next tragedy occurs.
How many more of these must occur? What else must happen before our elected "leaders" stop being cowards and start taking action? When will we finally reach the day when we wake up without experiencing yet another bloody tragedy?
But alas, it's happening. Again. This time, it's at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon.
Just outside Portland, Troutdale has typically been known as a quiet and peaceful suburb. But today, that's no longer the case. Today, Troutdale became the latest in a string of armed battles on what was supposed to be civilian territory. Today, Troutdale became another notorious gun violence statistic.
It probably won't be long before we see the usual tweets of condolence from the usual politicians. It probably won't be long before the usual suspects in the "mainstream media" start bloviating on whether the shooter "had enough dates" and/or video games. And it probably won't be long before the NRA tries to "redefine" this latest "unfortunate accident".
In Troutdale, the shooter killed a student before killing oneself. And when the first flurry of media reports surfaced, parents throughout Greater Portland were scrambling to figure out whether it was their kids' school. For some unfortunate parents, it was.
Less than 48 hours ago, Metro Police Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were murdered. Shortly after they shot these officers dead at CiCi's Pizza in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley, Jerad & Amanda Miller moved to the nearby Walmart, where they shot Joseph Robert Wilcox dead before killing themselves.
Jerad Miller had felony convictions on his record. He had also made it clear for some time that he wanted "the start of the revolution". Yet somehow, he was able to obtain firearms anyway. All he had to do was rant on Facebook.
Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA), Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA), Rep. Joe Heck, and other G-O-TEA politicians have boasted about being "what stood in the way" of better gun safety laws. Just as the NRA has allowed the likes of Open Carry Texas to call the shots at its headquarters, far too many politicians have allowed the NRA to call the shots on Capitol Hill and in state capitols across the nation (including ours).
It's only a matter of time before someone else who obtained military grade weapons under suspicious circumstances opens fire in another public place and leaves a bloody trail behind. It's only a matter of time before the next tragedy occurs.
How many more of these must occur? What else must happen before our elected "leaders" stop being cowards and start taking action? When will we finally reach the day when we wake up without experiencing yet another bloody tragedy?
How Should a Patriot Act?
Remember this? Back in April, both of Nevada's US Senators appeared on KSNV/News 3's "What's Your Point?". Both were asked about #BundyRanch. Yet while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) refused to mince words regarding the Cliven Bundy fiasco. Senator Dean Heller (R), on the other hand, celebrated the Bundy Gang as "patriots".
Senator Heller was partially correct. They're anything but real patriots, since they seek to undermine the very foundation of this nation. However, many of the Bundy Crew happen to be part of the radical right, xenophobic, anti-government "Patriot Movement". We suspect this wasn't what Senator Heller intended to say...
But he ultimately, though accidentally, gave more credence to what Senator Reid was saying. We, Senator Reid, Rachel Maddow, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a few others tried to warn the #BundyRanch cheerleaders of what they were so eagerly jumping into. The "Patriot Movement" is anything but patriotic, and it's certainly anything but nonviolent and well-intentioned.
On Sunday, Metro Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were taking their lunch break at the CiCi's Pizza at Nellis & Stewart. It was supposed to be a normal Sunday on the beat. They didn't know this would be their last day on earth. They didn't know they were being targeted by "Patriot Movement" followers Jerad & Amanda Miller. They didn't know they were about to become bloody "sacrifices" for "the start of the revolution".
The Millers proclaimed their act of terror as "the start of the revolution". It's not as if they just thought this up on their own. It's not as if this originated from a vacuum. It's not as if no one noticed what they were saying on Facebook. And it's not as if they were the only "Patriot Movement" figures to threaten violence. (The Millers just happened to follow through on their threats.)
In April, Senator Heller proudly proclaimed all the #BundyRanch agitators to be "patriots". Even though his own staff had briefed him on the severity of what was going down in Bunkerville, he nonetheless endorsed their actions.
And now, two Metro officers and another victim are dead. They're dead because two "Patriot Movement" fans wanted "the start of the revolution". They're dead because Jerad & Amanda Miller had a very disgusting, distorted, and disturbing definition of "patriot". And they're dead because Jerad Miller was able to obtain firearms despite his felony convictions.
In April, the usual G-O-TEA suspects lambasted Senator Reid for daring to speak the truth about the dangerous characters swirling around #BundyRanch. And they cheered Senator Heller when he called them "patriots". What a difference two months can make.
Senator Heller was partially correct. They're anything but real patriots, since they seek to undermine the very foundation of this nation. However, many of the Bundy Crew happen to be part of the radical right, xenophobic, anti-government "Patriot Movement". We suspect this wasn't what Senator Heller intended to say...
But he ultimately, though accidentally, gave more credence to what Senator Reid was saying. We, Senator Reid, Rachel Maddow, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a few others tried to warn the #BundyRanch cheerleaders of what they were so eagerly jumping into. The "Patriot Movement" is anything but patriotic, and it's certainly anything but nonviolent and well-intentioned.
On Sunday, Metro Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo were taking their lunch break at the CiCi's Pizza at Nellis & Stewart. It was supposed to be a normal Sunday on the beat. They didn't know this would be their last day on earth. They didn't know they were being targeted by "Patriot Movement" followers Jerad & Amanda Miller. They didn't know they were about to become bloody "sacrifices" for "the start of the revolution".
The Millers proclaimed their act of terror as "the start of the revolution". It's not as if they just thought this up on their own. It's not as if this originated from a vacuum. It's not as if no one noticed what they were saying on Facebook. And it's not as if they were the only "Patriot Movement" figures to threaten violence. (The Millers just happened to follow through on their threats.)
In April, Senator Heller proudly proclaimed all the #BundyRanch agitators to be "patriots". Even though his own staff had briefed him on the severity of what was going down in Bunkerville, he nonetheless endorsed their actions.
And now, two Metro officers and another victim are dead. They're dead because two "Patriot Movement" fans wanted "the start of the revolution". They're dead because Jerad & Amanda Miller had a very disgusting, distorted, and disturbing definition of "patriot". And they're dead because Jerad Miller was able to obtain firearms despite his felony convictions.
In April, the usual G-O-TEA suspects lambasted Senator Reid for daring to speak the truth about the dangerous characters swirling around #BundyRanch. And they cheered Senator Heller when he called them "patriots". What a difference two months can make.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Too Close to Home
It happened. Again. And this time, it happened awfully close to home. And in fact, for those who live in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley, it did hit home.
It was supposed to be a normal Sunday at the CiCi's Pizza at Nellis & Stewart. Two Metro Police officers just happened to be eating lunch there. Then around 11:30 AM, everything changed.
Metro officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo were shot dead execution style. The two shooters then removed the officers' weapons & badges, covered their corpses with the Gadsden Flag (the yellow flag with a coiled snake that's become a "TEA Party" icon in recent years), and moved to a nearby Walmart. They then shot a customer dead near the front of the store. After causing quite the bloody scene at that Walmart, the shooters then turned the guns on themselves.
According to neighbors, the shooters often talked about their racist & anti-government ideology. They actually claimed they wanted to commit "the next Columbine". And they claimed they spent time with Cliven Bundy's crew earlier this year.
Five people are now dead, including the shooters. And once again, we're reminded that gun violence can indeed come too close to home. And once it hits home, tragedy all too often follows.
We've often heard certain Nevada Republicans boast about Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA), Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA), and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) being "what stood in the way" of better gun safety laws that could have prevented tragedies like this one. Are they ready to resume this boast today? Are they ready to join the NRA's fight to redefine "shooting"? Are they ready to join the NRA in singing the praises of Open Carry Texas' heat packing and Cliven Bundy's armed madness?
Already, they and other politicians are tweeting out condolences and making other somber gestures. That's what's to be expected. It would just be nice if we didn't have to constantly repeat this cycle, this perpetual "Groundhog Day" of gun violence.
We've said this before, yet we must say this again today: We need more than just words. We need more than just the usual "sympathetic" platitudes. We need more than just the usual 48 hours of somber social media messages followed by the "return to normal".
This hit too close to home. We should all take notice. And not only that, but we should take real action as well. Why must we relive this kind of tragedy yet again?
It was supposed to be a normal Sunday at the CiCi's Pizza at Nellis & Stewart. Two Metro Police officers just happened to be eating lunch there. Then around 11:30 AM, everything changed.
Metro officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo were shot dead execution style. The two shooters then removed the officers' weapons & badges, covered their corpses with the Gadsden Flag (the yellow flag with a coiled snake that's become a "TEA Party" icon in recent years), and moved to a nearby Walmart. They then shot a customer dead near the front of the store. After causing quite the bloody scene at that Walmart, the shooters then turned the guns on themselves.
According to neighbors, the shooters often talked about their racist & anti-government ideology. They actually claimed they wanted to commit "the next Columbine". And they claimed they spent time with Cliven Bundy's crew earlier this year.
Five people are now dead, including the shooters. And once again, we're reminded that gun violence can indeed come too close to home. And once it hits home, tragedy all too often follows.
We've often heard certain Nevada Republicans boast about Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA), Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA), and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) being "what stood in the way" of better gun safety laws that could have prevented tragedies like this one. Are they ready to resume this boast today? Are they ready to join the NRA's fight to redefine "shooting"? Are they ready to join the NRA in singing the praises of Open Carry Texas' heat packing and Cliven Bundy's armed madness?
Already, they and other politicians are tweeting out condolences and making other somber gestures. That's what's to be expected. It would just be nice if we didn't have to constantly repeat this cycle, this perpetual "Groundhog Day" of gun violence.
We've said this before, yet we must say this again today: We need more than just words. We need more than just the usual "sympathetic" platitudes. We need more than just the usual 48 hours of somber social media messages followed by the "return to normal".
This hit too close to home. We should all take notice. And not only that, but we should take real action as well. Why must we relive this kind of tragedy yet again?
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