The Senate voted on gun control and 'we' lost!
When the Senate reconvened after another 'vacation' one of the most important pieces of business was gun control -- especially the Manchin-Toomey expansion of background checks which had received so much press.
As the senators cast their votes it became obvious that the bill was not going to pass. Forty-six senators voted against it despite polls showing that as many as 90 percent of us wanted to at least expand background checks.
Dispassionate legislators,' who couldn't see the value in saving citizens' lives, and more specifically the lives of our children, voted against it, despite 4,000 gun-related deaths since the violence in Newtown.
These failed lawmakers, bound by an implied obligation to the National Rifle Association instead of their oath to the citizens of their states, are now in our sights. They should remain there until we've driven them out of office; until we find politicians who will listen to the will of 'the people' instead of subversive organizations like the NRA!
Many of the senators who voted no have already fallen from grace, unable to clearly explain their 'no' vote; their opposition to better gun control -- to a safer society. To fewer violent deaths. To greater freedom from senseless loss for all, young and old.
Some, like Senator Kelly Ayotte, (R-NH) had difficulty justifying her contrarian vote to the daughter of slain principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dawn Hochsprung, at one of her three town hall meetings. She was approached at the other two meetings by constituents equally upset by her cowardly vote.
Ayotte's only defense was to regurgitate Republican and NRA talking points which make little sense to the general public and expose the sordid reasoning behind #NRAlogic.
The new senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, was caught in a lie of his own hand and is now having trouble rationalizing his overt dishonesty to a constituent, Caren Teves, the mother of the young man killed while protecting his girlfriend in the Aurora theater, after implying he would vote for expanded background checks. The self-described pond scum is now the most unpopular senator in the country -- in his first 100 days! He's even less popular than Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who's held that distinction for some time.
Evidently NRA campaign money and an 'A' rating were of more import to the neophyte Senator than his integrity.
Though these two showed the greatest slide in popularity, they're not the only Senators who felt the backlash after their contemptuous vote. Senators' Murkowski (R-AK), Begich (D-AK), Portman (R-OH), and Heller (R-NV) approval ratings' fell -- some dramatically -- after their obvious misrepresentation of their citizens' wishes.
We need to look closer at Ayotte and Flake and the other senators who voted no to uncover their motivation and find out who they actually represent.
The Granite State, whose citizens amassed in protest in front of the Capitol on April 1st, 2011, opposing legislation passed in their State House, will not stand for any bullshit or rhetoric from a dispassionate representative like Senator Ayotte.
Arizona, not nearly as patriotic as New Hampshire, will likely forgive Flake his ignorance, and hypocrisy. The Grand Canyon State is a great void when it comes to gun laws -- especially curtailing gun trafficking.
Senator Flake represents the state with the worst gun laws in the country -- which was revealed in the investigative report by Fortune's Katherine Eban. It was Arizona's weak gun laws that were responsible for the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Flake also voted against Senator Leahy's gun trafficking amendment last month.
Arizona's motto, 'God Enriches' should be changed to 'What God Enriches, Man Destroys.'
But there were other men and women -- including four weak Democrats -- who failed 'the people' -- who failed the families of Newtown! A horrific failure.
Every senator who voted no on expanded background checks should always be in our sights and reminded every time a new tragedy of gun violence occurs in this country. They should remain in our sights if they also voted no on the assault weapons ban, the high capacity magazines ban or the gun trafficking law. And there are many who did just that: Alexander (R-TN); Cornyn (R-TX); Enzi (R-WY); War Monger Graham (R-SC); Inhofe (R-OK); Minority Leader Mcconnell (R-KY); Risch (R-ID); Sessions (R-AL) who are up for reelection in 2014. And there are many other Republicans who voted down all four Amendments.
Until we've eliminated this love affair with lethal weapons; until we've put common-sense gun laws in place; until we've destroyed the campaign money the NRA dangles in front of legislators' and their rating system and threats, we must keep these dispassionate Pols in our sights and take them down election by election.
Until we become smart enough to recognize what other civilized countries have found -- that stricter gun control saves lives -- we're destined to repeat the tragedies of Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, and Virginia Tech again and again and again.
Tell your legislator that this battle is not over, (202) 224-3121.
Hold these monsters in Congress responsible with your vote!