From Lawrence O’Donnell’s program from Wednesday night (16 minutes)

Like many of us I have not been sleeping well since the massacre in Uvalde. Perhaps one of the most heinous crimes in American history. Because it was so horrendous it seems like the kind of crime that would evoke a strong and immediate response from a congress answerable to an enraged public.

Or at least that was the way it used to be. In the video we see a Uvalde pediatrician describing bodies mutilated beyond recognition. We hear him describe children bodies that were decapitated by bullets. Surely such a horrendous crime would cause nearly 100% passage of a bill to restrict the use of the killing machines capable of such destruction. You would think.

But in American society today, loyalty to the gun is much greater than the obligation to our children to be able to go to safe schools and learn in a safe environment. While HR 7910 the “Protecting Our Kids Act” did pass, it passed with only five Republican votes. Of those I believe four are not running for office this fall.

How did Iowa’s Republican delegation vote? Of course they voted for the guns and against the children. The self-proclaimed ‘right to life  party’ voted en masse for killing machines in opposition to giving kids a little break that might keep them from being shot in school.

Marriannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra with no doubt some real mental gymnastics believe it more important for people to be able to walk around with killing machines than it is for your kids, your grandkids, your nieces and nephews, your neighbor kids to be able to go to school safely.

Next week we can be almost 100% assured that Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst will join the chorus of twisted logic that rates gun access higher than children’s lives.

This is an election year. This year you and I and all our relatives and friends and neighbors will have a chance to let our feelings be known. Do you value children’s lives more than giving some possibly demented person the ability to get a killing machine? Then vote that way on Election Day! 

This year, please vote as if your life depends on it. This year your life may really depend on your vote. And it is not too difficult to figure out who favors guns over life and who favors life over guns. Republicans bow to their masters at the NRA and vote for more and more guns to terrify our society. Democrats defend life.

And here is a little secret most people don’t know. When you vote your ballot, it is a secret ballot so nobody will know how you voted. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE SOCIETY. You can change the direction of this country. Just say no to these killing machines and the party that promotes them.

Resolve now that this year you will vote to turn this pandemic of violence around. That means voting for Michael Franken for senator, Randy Melton in Iowa-04, Cindy Axne in Iowa’s third district, Liz Mathis in Iowa’s revamped second district and Christina Bohannan in Iowa’s revamped 1st district.

Then you can be proud that your vote was the first step in securing a future for our children.

Tip of the hat to http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com