Insanity: Looser Gun Restrictions Went into Effect in Texas Today

Anderson Davis, a 17 month old wounded in the Odessa shootings. 

Two mass shootings have occurred in Texas recently - both involving assault rifles - yet thanks to the Texas Republican Party, as of today laws went into effect today that loosen restrictions on guns and even make it impossible for property owners to restrict invitees and tenants from bringing guns onto their property. Likewise, gun fanatics can now bring guns onto school and church properties.  The Washington Post looks at some of yesterday's victims:

A former math teacher was shot while sitting at a traffic light with his wife and children. A beloved uncle was hit outside the home he had just moved out of. A high school student bled out after leaving a dealership where her brother had just picked up the keys to his new car. . . . The dead ranged from 57 years old to as young as 15, officials said.

The lives of these victims (including the little girl pictured above who was wounded) seemingly means nothing to Republicans despite nauseating and disingenuous statements about "thoughts and prayers." Instead, to these politicians all that matters is pleasing the NRA and the gun manufacturers fro which it is a front organization.  Public safety and the lives of everyday citizens simply do not matter.  One can only wonder when sane Texans are going to say "no more" and vote Republicans out of office.  The Hill looks at this utter insanity that is part of the GOP agenda not only in Texas but across America (the Virginia GOP killed a special session of the Virginia General Assembly in the wake of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach and would not even allow any debate).  Here are article highlights: 

A slate of new Texas laws that loosen regulations for firearms went into effect Sunday after a month in which the state experienced multiple mass shootings. 

The bills, which were passed during the 86th Texas Legislature, ease restrictions surrounding access to guns on school grounds and churches, among other provisions. 

House Bill 1143 says that the Texas Education Code will be updated to "prevent school districts from regulating the manner in which a licensed person's handgun, firearm, or ammunition is stored in their vehicle in a school parking area."

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 535 clarifies that licensed handgun owners will be permitted to carry firearms in places of worship. 

Other legislation loosens restrictions on how many armed school marshals a school district can appoint. House Bill 2363 makes it legal for some foster homes to store firearms and ammunition in a secure place. CNN noted that House Bill 302 also bars homeowners or landlords from preventing tenants from possessing, carrying, transporting or storing a gun on their property.  The National Rifle Association has praised the legislation as "highly successful," local ABC affiliate KSAT 12 reported.   

People Over 50 Are the Fastest-Growing Group of Cannabis Users

Illustration: George Wylesol for the Guardian.

The push to decriminalize marijuana and expand its medical uses is sweeping the country - even in Virginia.  I support decriminalization since, having been a teen in the 1960's, I am no stranger to marijuana and, in my view, the claim that it is a "gateway drug" is bullshit (pardon my "French"). If someone is trying to lose themselves in drugs, the real solution is decent mental health care that addresses the underlying issues.  Moreover, in my experience, the marijuana laws (especially in Virginia) seem to be aimed at criminalizing blacks with a goal of disenfranchising them.  Hence why the Virginia Republican Party is killing decriminalization efforts in this year's session of the Virginia General Assembly. With the Virginia GOP not being able to win a statewide election in a decade, the desperation to minimize "those people" on the voter rolls has reached new levels of desperation. As a piece in The Guardian indirectly notes, however, the GOP may be about to hit a brick fall in its efforts to retain this tool for criminalizing blacks.  The fastest growing cohort of marijuana users is the older 50 crowd, a key GOP demographic.  Here are article highlights (note the drop in opioid usage where marijuana has been decriminalized): 

As attitudes towards cannabis shift, the fastest-growing group of users is over 50 – and marijuana’s popularity among seniors is beginning to change the American experience of old age.

Why are more seniors getting high? It might make more sense to ask: “Why not?” As adults reach retirement, they age out of drug tests and have far more time on their hands. Some feel liberated to abandon long-held proprieties.

Elegant vape pens and other attractive, discreet products have helped de stigmatize the drug among older Americans. “Legalization seems to make non-users seem a little less scared of it, and perhaps less judgmental,” says Jo, a 56-year-old cannabis user who preferred not to use her real name.

The seniors using cannabis today aren’t your parents’ grandparents. The generation that camped out at Woodstock is now in its seventies. They’ve been around grass long enough to realize it’s not going to kill them, and are more open to the possibility it will come with health benefits.

Seniors’ affinity for weed is beginning to ripple across the US healthcare system. A 2016 study found that in states with access to medical marijuana, those using Medicare part D – a benefit primarily for seniors – received fewer prescriptions for other drugs to treat depression, anxiety, pain, and other chronic issues.

[P]roven or not, a number of seniors evidently prefer it to the medications they would otherwise be taking. A study published last year in in the Journal of the American Medical Association found opioid prescriptions for Medicare part D recipients dropped 14% after a state legalized medical marijuana – a hopeful sign amid the opioids crisis.

While some doctors have expressed concerns about seniors self-medicating with weed, virtually everyone agrees the public health consequences of opioids are far worse. And the most serious health concerns associated with marijuana, such as impaired brain development, tend to affect younger people.

For the industry, seniors’ newfound interest in cannabis is a business opportunity. The Colorado edibles company Wana Brands, among many others, sells cannabis products reminiscent of medicines familiar to seniors. Wana sells extended release capsules as well as products with different ratios of THC and CBD, which intoxicate users to different degrees and can have a variety of effects on ailments.

For someone who hasn’t seen a joint in 40 years, the modern dispensary can be a dizzying experience replete with dozens of products – topicals (lotions), tinctures, sprays – all promising to help you feel better, but also to get you stoned. Whether or not marijuana helps seniors to alleviate their conditions, many may enjoy a sense of control over their own wellbeing. Meanwhile, dispensaries in California and elsewhere cater to older clientele with discounts and shuttle busses.

It hasn’t escaped the pharmaceutical industry that marijuana could soon be seen as a viable replacement for many of its products. Perhaps someday soon it will be normal for seniors to pass their last decades in a cannabis-induced haze.

For those who support decriminalization, there's an easy step to take: vote Democrat in every race possible in November 2019 and flip control of the General Assembly from the GOP. 

Will Virginia GOP Cause Northern Virginia to be Disqualified from Amazon’s HQ2 Selection?

The other day I noted how Indian Republicans seemly blew Indianapolis from consideration for Amazon's new Headquarters by refusing to approve protections for LGBT Indianans.   Seemly, prostituting themselves to the Christofascists in their state was deemed more important than landing 50,000 new jobs for the state.  Virginia Republicans have largely followed the wrongheaded behavior of their Indiana partmates so far in the 2018 by  session of the Virginia General Assembly.  Now, a number of activists are arguing that none of the 9 cities under consideration by Amazon in states without LGBT non-discrimination protections should be eliminated form consideration.  The activists' demand is, in fact, in keeping with Amazon's statement that it values "diversity and equality."  If Virginia loses out because of the GOP's love affair with bigots and bigotry, voters need to send them a message in both November 2018 and November 2019: vote Republicans at all levels out of office.  Meanwhile, call your representatives and state senators in the General Assembly and demand that the vote for passage of non-discrimination bills.  Here are story highlights on the issue: 

Should cities in states that don’t protect LGBT people from discrimination still be considered for Amazon’s second headquarters? Activists from across the nation are coming together to send a clear message to the e-retailer as they consider the options: “No Gay? No Way.”

The tech giant has been a leader in using corporate influence to benefit the LGBT community and has had a queer employee resource group for over a decade. So why are they considering locations that would take away the civil rights of any employees transferred out of the Seattle office?

“We were frankly just stunned that a company with such a great track record of equality and diversity had put all these states into the mix,” Conor Gaughan, the ad-hoc campaign’s manager told USA Today.

Nine out of the twenty finalists for Amazon’s HQ2 are in states that offer no protections for LGBT people. Some of the states are actively hostile to civil rights.

Austin and Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Miami, Raleigh, N.C., and the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia do not protect LGBT people from discrimination.

Indiana voted down a proposed hate crimes law this week because it included sexual orientation and gender identity.

Public schools in Texas are required to teach students that homosexuality is unnatural and unacceptable. Tennessee state law prohibits local governments from enacting nondiscrimination laws that include LGBT people.

Amazon’s requirements for the new location were clear, saying it requires “a compatible cultural and community environment” that includes “the presence and support of a diverse population.” Now advocates want them to comply with their own standards.

The coalition of activists plan a protest outside of Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle today, complete with a plane waving a “No Gay? No Way.” banner behind it. They will also be placing billboards on trucks to drive through Seattle streets with the logo emblazoned on them.

Call your senator and member of the House of Delegates today!

Staunton News Leader: Virginia Needs to Guarantee LGBT Rights

I often berate Southwest Virginia and rural areas of the Commonwealth which are struggling economically yet which through their embrace of bigotry and homophobia make themselves toxic to many new and progressive businesses. Hate and bigotry do carry a price even if the "godly folk" and those who prostitute themselves too them - typically Republican elected officials - close their eyes to reality.  Thus, it was pleasant surprise to see the editorial board of the Staunton News Leader come out advocating for the protection of LGBT rights under Virginia law.  Currently, there are no legal protections.  Here are excerpts from the editorial:

It’s time for the Commonwealth of Virginia to protect all citizens, including those who identify as gay, bisexual or transgender, from workplace and housing discrimination.

Currently, Virginia’s coveted right-to-work status means employees can be fired for almost any reason at any time — because they wear a red tie just as easily as for their same-sex relationship. The only grounds off limits are those of gender, age and ethnicity.
It’s well past time to provide the same workplace protections against discrimination to the LGBT community that have been previously assured to everyone based on age, gender and ethnicity.

It appears to be a simple concept. The fact that you may be gay or transgender has no relevance to whether you can perform your job. Employers should not be able to base hiring or termination decisions based on sexual orientation. It’s just wrong. On his first day in office, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an order prohibiting discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet, our legislature has yet to extend these basic legal protections to LGBT workers in the private sector. 

Let's be clear, LGBT Virginians have rights, and what we are demanding is for our government to affirm those rights and protect our citizens.

In order to make that happen, delegates and senators should begin by practicing this non-discrimination in their own offices. During the past legislative session, Equality Virginia asked state delegates and senators to sign a statement vowing not to discriminate against employees because of sexual orientation or gender identity in their own legislative offices.  Of the 40 Virginia State Senators, 21 signed the statement. Our local Sen. Emmett Hanger was not among those listed as a signee of the statement. Of the 100 delegates for the state, 33 signed the statement. Delegates Dickie Bell, Ben Cline and Steve Landes did not.

Hiring, firing or determining promotions by gender or ethnicity was always wrong and was finally outlawed decades ago. Now's make certain our laws contain similar protections for other groups that are too often discriminated against but who deserve equal protection under the law.

To my knowledge, no Republicans signed the non-discrimination statement.  To do so would have outraged the hate merchants at The Family Foundation, Virginia's leading hate group, which is the puppet master of the Virginia Republican Party.