March 7, 2013
By Allie Gregory
GABBY GIFFORDS: Be bold. Be courageous. Please support background checks.
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Astronaut Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords continue their fight against gun violence today in the place where Giffords was shot just two years ago. The couple has vowed not to stop or slow down their efforts till something is done. They have met with many members of Congress and the Senate. They have visited the White House—including the State of the Union. They have formed a political action group and have continued to put forth powerful ads. Even 'A rated' NRA politicians can agree, background checks will definitely make an impact and help fight for gun safety. In the video, Kelly responds that he and Gabby have both spoken with their Senator in Arizona, John McCain and are confident he will lead and do the right thing.
The National Rifle Association has blocked research for too long. We must continue to push effort for better prevention against gun violence now. Congress needs to act today. Join DFA and call upon our representatives to take action.
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Guns
March 6, 2013
By Allie Gregory
In a world of Sequester turned Snowquester, Republicans are outraged that the Obama administration would cancel all White House tours indefinitely (beginning March 9th). Former NYC Mayor called the closing "absurd." Yet for the majority of American families there are greater problems to be addressed than White House tours temporarily ending. What we find to truly be absurd is that it's March 6th--5 days after the sequester-- and Congress still hasn't remedied cuts.
Here’s 7 cuts under sequester that make Democrats outraged:
1. Education
· Head Start will be cut by $406 million, kicking 70,000 children out of the program.
· Special education is cut by $840 million.
2. Medicare
· $9.9 billion (yes Billion!) will be cut from Medicare
3. Health Care
· National Institutes of Health is cut by $1.6 billion.
· Eliminates care for more than 373,000 ‘seriously mentally ill’ people, according to the White House.
· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut by $323 million.
· Global health programs are cut by $433 million.
i. Millenium Challenge Corp $46 million cut.
ii. USAID $291 million cut.
· Up to 424,000 HIV Tests would cut—thousands of people with HIV would lose access to life-saving medications.
4. Natural disaster relief
· FEMA’s Disaster Relief budget is cut by $375 million.
· Funding for the government’s emergency response system will be significantly slashed.
5. Energy, Scientific research, and Environmental protection
· NASA cut by $970 million.
· The National Science Foundation gets cut by $388 million.
· Energy Department’s program for securing our nukes is cut by $650 million.
· Nuclear Regulatory Commission is cut by $55 million.
6. American Programs for the Poor
· Public Housing support is cut by $1.94 billion.
· More than 100,000 formerly homeless people would lose their current housing as a result of sequestration.
· 125,000 low-income families would be at risk of losing their housing cause of rental assistance cuts.
7. Over 700,000 jobs lost under sequestration - harmful budget cuts could hit everyone from teachers to medical researchers.
(More Sequester content and figures from the Washington Post)
So while the GOP Congressman are introducing legislation to prevent the President from playing golf—yes, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) did indeed bring such an absurd amendment to Congress—Democrats are looking for solutions. Tonight the President has invited about a dozen Republican Senators to dinner in an effort to reach a bipartisan agreement.
Democracy for America continues to strongly call for no cuts on Medicare. We would love to see the President strike a deal but only a deal we can proud of where education, health care, and American jobs and housing for families can be protected.
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February 27, 2013
By Allie Gregory
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee focused on assault weapons. The hearing was chaired by longtime gun advocate and author of the 1994 ban, Sen. Dianne Feinstein-CA and backed by President Obama’s administration. The committee discussed points about legislation to reinstate a new assault weapons ban.
The committee opened with emotional testimony from Newtown Dad, Neil Heslin, who spoke of his son, Jesse:
Neil's sincerity is impossible to deny. All of us can empathize with such an unspeakable loss of the person we love. He speaks of his son's final days and the simple moments of life-- to change so quickly and darkly at just 6 years old. Neil opens by saying how difficult it is to testify, but he does so in hopes that the laws will change and no one will ever have to make such testimony again.
"I'm hear to speak up for my son, because many things have to happen."
"It breaks my heart that something like this could happen in this country, at an elementary school..."
"Jesse grew up with guns, just like I did. I started skeet when I was 8 years old. My dad was a vice president for years at local gun club. He started taking me shooting when I was 8...He taught me respect guns, just like I taught Jesse..."
"Some guns just don't have any place in the hands of civilians. The assault weapons we're talking about today, their sole purpose is to put a lot of lead out in a battlefield quickly. That's what they do. That's what they did at Sandy Hook Elementary. That wasn't a killing' it was a massacre. Those guns and those clips let Adam Lanza massacre those kids. And my son was one of them."
"I've always thought it wasn't a real good idea for people to be walking around the streets with military weapons, but I probably wouldn't have said anything...But right now isn't about politics."
"Let me tell you, when you're sitting at a firehouse and it's one in the morning and you're hoping against hope that your son is still hiding somewhere in that school, you want any change that makes it one bit more likely that you'll see you boy again. If keeping those unnecessary weapons off the street would have let one more of those children leave that school building."
"I asked a question a month ago, what purpose those (assault weapons) served in civilian's hands or on the street. I never got an answer- but they did blurt the second amendment. It wasn't about the second amendment- I uphold the second amendment- I want to see that upheld and regulated and it hasn't been."
Jesse was killed along with 19 other elementary school children at Sandy Hook. As Sen. Dianne Feinstein opened the hearing, all the children's faces were displayed on a billboard just behind her head. If violence against our children will not cause Congress to end gun violence, nothing will. Please, stand with DFA and call on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban.
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Guns
February 26, 2013
By Allie Gregory
Last Night on the COLBERT REPORT, Stephen Colbert satirical take on the news focused in on the NRA and all the stories they have manufactured to show guns in a positive light and drive business.
WATCH and enjoy:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Colbert's use a comedic platform to get out real issues is seamless. Behind the great side lines like: "Newman!"Are truths that many American's aren't aware such as the NRA's power over CDC.
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