EOC400.3011-- Rationalizing Mass Homicide--THE "TELEFON" SYNDROME & QUEEN RIHANNA

EOC400.3011
J. L'Angelle
Univ of Nevada, Reno
Fall 2019

     (The Target Range)-- Brainwashed Cold War stooges acting out assassination and sabotage across America  transformed into millennials with AK-47s, stoned on video games and out to kill at mass gatherings. At least that's what the politicians would have us think to explain random acts of domestic terror lately that seem to follow no pattern other than the casualty rate keeps climbing. There is no end to the absurd explanations given by the rank and file to account for the killings;

     " 'The idea that these video games that dehumanize individuals to have a game of shooting individuals,' continued McCarthy, 'I've always felt that it's a problem for future generations and others. We've watched studies show what it does to individuals...' " (Nicholas Wu, USA Today)
    That's Kevin McCarthy of California, a normally sane Republican who could be deflecting away from the SOP criticism of lack of gun control and the NRA as responsible. The Governor of Texas agrees with him, even if the jury is still out on whether violent video games have anything at all to do with mass homicide. (CA Anderson, APA)
     Certainly the opportunity to politicize every act of "multiple people" killed by some homicidal maniac is never lost on the Democrats either, as with 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke;
     "Again, there are still details that we are waiting on, but I'm just following the lead that I've heard from the El Paso police department where they say there are strong indications that this shooter wrote that manifesto." (Dartunorro Clark, NBC )
Pure rubbish , O'Rourke feeds on hysteria of the moment by citing the local cops without giving any specific details as to who told him that. Just another politician adding self-serving confusion to the tragedy. Using the El Paso episode as a forum for promoting his status, the candidate even goes so far as calling the President a "white nationalist." Has Beto also been a victim of the dehumanization that Kev the Repub sees as result of staring at the video game screen too long?

     Not to be left out of the outrage, Hollywood "celebs" also have no kind words for the President:
     "Needless to say, many were not happy with Trump and McConnell’s words. (Queen) Rihanna took to Instagram and directed a comment to Trump: 'Your country had 2 terrorist attacks back to back hours apart leaving almost 30 innocent people dead. ' " (Dino-Ray, Deadline)
It's quite easy for someone who has reaped all the benefits from the United States including fame and fortune, such as the bland female singer, to condemn in denial that it's not "her" country, telling the President it's his country. The best she could do is use her bland messaging network full of mindless followers to emphasize her harsh words.

Sources
Wu, N., https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/04/el-paso-dayton-mass-shootings-kevin-mccarthy-says-video-games-partly-blame/1915061001/
Anderson, CA, https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/10/anderson
Clark, D., https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/beto-o-rourke-says-trump-blame-el-paso-shooting-because-n1039071
"Telefon" photo, https://rarecultcinema.com/post/173173523103/charles-bronson-and-lee-remick-in-telefon-1977
Ramos, DR, https://deadline.com/2019/08/el-paso-dayton-mass-shooting-terrorism-hollywood-reactions-donald-trump-mitch-mcconell-gun-control-rihanna-andy-richter-julianne-moore-adam-scott-1202661011/
"Telefon" (1977) the movie, https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x25rpa6

EOC400.3010--California a "Disgrace"--(THE PARADISE FIRE & GDP THE EXCEPTIONS)

EOC400.3010
J. L'Angelle
Univ of Nevada, Reno
Fall 2019

(KB, Lake Tahoe)-- Gavin Newsom, the new California governor, just signed legislation that requires candidates for US president to release tax forms, which the current President has steadfastly refused to do;
     “ 'As one of the largest economies in the world and home to one in nine Americans eligible to vote, California has a special responsibility to require this information of presidential and gubernatorial candidates,' Newsom said." (The Guardian)
In retaliation, the President followed a predictable pattern of reprisal by hurling insults, this time not at a "squad" of newcomer congresswomen, not at an eastern seaboard city, but at an entire state, California;
     “Look at Los Angeles with the tents, and the horrible, horrible disgusting conditions. Look at San Francisco, look at some of your other cities.” (SJ Mercury)

  Other cities the President must be referring to are ones like Paradise, that went up in a fireball late last summer, forcing thousands to live in tents at nearby Wal Marts, having lost everything, many including their pets. (USA Today) As he calls it, a "disgrace."



Just a few weeks ago, the President offered aid in the aftershock of a series of earthquakes that struck the central eastern part of the state;
     "LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on earthquakes in Southern California (all times local):
8:15 p.m.   President Donald Trump has declared an emergency for California after two major earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks.
Monday’s declaration paves the way for federal aid to help those hard-hit by the quakes.
The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in Kern and San Bernardino counties. " (KUSI/SD)
Policy seems to shift with the sands out on the desert at Ridgecrest but one thing remains for certain, the economic contribution to the Gross Domestic Product by the state of California.

     The official Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) report for 2019 ranks the Golden State as the number one contributor to the economy;
     "SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California’s economy has surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth largest, according to new federal data made public Friday.
California’s gross domestic product rose by $127 billion from 2016 to 2017, surpassing $2.7 trillion, the data said. Meanwhile, the UK’s economic output slightly shrunk over that time when measured in U.S. dollars, due in part to exchange rate fluctuations." (Jonathan Cooper, AP/USA Today)
Political capital might mean a great deal to the President when he badmouths the Left Coast at a Cincinnati rally, but economic capital is what runs the federal budget although it doesn't seem to matter much if he has the opportunity to trash yet another American icon, whether it be a congressional rep, a city, or now, a state.


Works Cited
Taxes, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/30/california-governor-signs-law-that-would-require-trump-to-release-tax-returns
Diamond, J., CNN via SJ Merc, Tents, https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/08/02/trump-california-a-disgrace-to-our-country/
Fireball, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/11/paradise-california-population-camp-fire-california-wildfire-fund/1710525001/
Tent city photo, Sacramento Bee.
Quake, https://www.kusi.com/president-trump-declares-emergency-for-ca-after-recent-earthquakes/
Cooper, J., Economy, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/05/california-now-worlds-5th-largest-economy-beating-out-uk/583508002/
GDP, https://apps.bea.gov/itable/drilldown.cfm?reqid=70&stepnum=40&Major_Area=3&State=06000&Area=XX&TableId=526&Statistic=2&Year=2019:Q1&YearBegin=-1&Year_End=-1&Unit_Of_Measure=Levels&Rank=1&Drill=1&nRange=5