Last night I was treated to this heart-wrenching post from the Cult Coalition to Stop Gun Rights Violence.

I checked the website and this is what it says in the About Us page:

So I randomly checked one victim of gun violence:

Wait, what? Suspect? Killing girlfriend?

A high-speed chase on Interstate 5 early Saturday morning ended with 12 police officers opening fire on a homicide suspect near Tillicum, a Lakewood police spokesman said.

Marcos Perea, the homicide suspect, allegedly fired shots at police several times on the highway after killing his estranged girlfriend, Jessica Ortega, at her workplace in University Place.

Ortega on Friday had submitted a petition for a restraining order against Perea in Pierce County Superior Court. She wrote that she was leaving him and that he recently had threatened her by placing a gun to her head.

Source: Victim sought restraining order day before death; police shoot, kill suspect | The News Tribune

So the “poor victim of gun violence” was a cold-blooded killer that had to be taken down by police? Does that mean that the true heartless killers were the cops themselves?

Note to the CSGV Social Media Intern: Research the source before you post it. It may make you look stupider than usual if you don’t… like in this case.

Ewood “Buddy” Segeske III, age 60, former soccer player, tool and die maker, and David Bowie look-alike, ate his last Philadelphia soft pretzel on February 25th, 2016. His death followed a week-long battle with torso failure and the lasting effects of a 1992 alien abduction. He was preceded in death by his father Elwood Jr. his mother Margaret nee: Sumlktis. He leaves behind two sons, Kyle and Elwood IV, brothers Stephen and Kevin, sister Lucille (Louann Segeske ) Fleming, step-mother Mickey Segeske-Meister, life-partner Lisa Razzi, whom he met at the local psychiatric hospital, and a battery-operated cymbal-smashing monkey. Buddy was raised on the mean streets of Kensington, where he claimed the men were men, and so were half the women. He spoke fondly of his childhood friends and those who didn’t end up in prison went on to become carnies, bottle cleaners, master debaters and/or Republicans. Still, despite his neighborhood’s hardscrabble reputation, Buddy says he cried the first time he made love, although it was probably due to the pepper spray. An avid collector of safety glasses which he kept in the rear cargo compartment of his trusty Dodge Durango, Buddy also had a habit of hanging onto business cards, which made his wallet thicker than George Costanza’s and ultimately required him to undergo back surgery. And although he achieved many things in his life, he was most proud of his years playing soccer, his near-perfect recall of Beatles song lyrics and his ability to hit the urinal cake with pinpoint accuracy. To relieve stress, Buddy preferred smoking and drinking over yoga, although he did cut a fine figure in yoga pants according to his partner Lisa and an undisclosed number of female (and male) admirers. He also loved playing pool, fishing, stalking Jennifer Lawrence and looking at boobs. He will be remembered for his contagious smile, sparkling blue eyes, gentle heart and inappropriate sense of humor. A memorial Mass is scheduled for for Saturday at 10 am from the Holy Innocents Parish, 1337 E. Hunting Park Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124. Family and friends are invited to attend his visitation from 9:00 am until the time of Mass.

Source: Obituary of Elwood “Buddy” Segeske III – Cavanagh Family Funeral Home

(drop mike)

 
Hat Tip to Eddie C.

Bonus Question: Would they be missed?

Source: Google searches for “Move to Canada” spike after Trump Super Tuesday success

Do they allow a swarm of Syrian Refugees which probably will have terrorists among them who may cause unimaginable trouble and demand to be plunged into the 13th Century or let a bunch of Bernie Sanders whiners come in and suck the shit out of the resources of the country and demand to be plunged into communism?

See Canadians? Sometimes being polite does not pay.

From: Try and make this simple.

“This could’ve been stopped,” she said. “The Nashville Marriott could’ve just called me and said, ‘We’re putting this man who requested to be next to you, is this O.K.?’ And I would’ve called the cops and we would’ve gotten him. I’m so angry. I’m so mad.”

Source: Erin Andrews Says Hotel Could Have Prevented Stalker From Filming Her – The New York Times

Go read the article and then come back for my observations

If the Marriott Front Desk did place Ms. Andrew’s stalker in the room next door just on his word, they truly screwed up. That was lack of basic hotel security training or just plain irresponsibility. It may sound chauvinistic in this day and age, but hotels must take extra steps to protect female guests and do so with religious fervor since they are a favored target by sexual predators both from the outside the location and among the guests.  The response from the Front Desk should have been “I am sorry, but all the rooms in that floor are taken. Maybe tomorrow there will be something available and we will accommodate you.” followed immediately by a call to Security who would contact the possible victim and inquire if they are acquainted. If not, then there is the choice of calling the cops and evicting the person or just plain evicting. I personally favor the first just to put the fear of God into the bastard.

But… even the best hotels will screw up as this case shows. That means it is up to you to make sure you can avoid and ultimately defend yourself against attackers. I have no idea why normal and usually secure-conscious people just drop all precautions when they are away from home and leave their safety to the hands of people who are dealing with several hundred other guests. That is not smart.

We are in an era that everybody has a cell phone so, you can start by asking the Front Desk not to allow calls to your room. If you want to be even safer, do not use your regular cell but buy a cheap pre-paid phone and use it during the trip as contact phone for the hotel those not on your regular circle. The other thing you do is to also ask Front Desk not to send Housekeeping to clean your room during your stay. Let’s face it, you can do with fresh bed-sheets for a couple of three days and you can always call for fresh towels or if there is a Houskeeper in sight, trade your used ones for new ones. Same for toiletries and coffee and in fact, you should have spares in your luggage. In case of emergency at night, the Front Desk always has coffee even though they may not want to share it.

The door is the weakest link in your room. Don’t let yourself be fooled by how solid it looks: that is fireproofing, not security against human critters. Peephole? A simple piece of tape holding a business card will block the darn thing while allowing you to use it as you need. Use all the devices that come with the door and lock although frankly, they are not much of a stop for a determined criminal. Do tie the door handle to the door chain with a piece of para-cord and wedge a rolled towel in the gap at the bottom of the door as there is a cute little tool that will defeat the lock in seconds.  I go as far as placing the luggage and anything else not nailed down against the door as to give whomever breaks in a nice distraction or even trip while I go for other means of defense. And obviously, if you are alone, do not stay in a room with a connecting door to another room. If there is no other choice, make sure your side is locked and place a big piece of furniture in front of it.

Here is a link to other tips to stay safe at a hotel, you may even recognize the author.

Stay Safe Away From Home.

So some Australians travel to the US and decide that “visiting some of these gun-loving towns is like stepping onto another planet.”

I’m not going to fisk this article, because what would be the point.  I’m a little tired of point by point arguments against Australians, or Canadians, or Brits as to why Americans and non-Americans can’t see eye-to-eye on the issue of gun safety and how Americans just can’t seem to get with the rest of the world on this.

Here is the one thing that non-Americans (and even some Americans) need to understand.

The Deceleration of Independence was ratified on July 4, 1776.  At that moment, every resident of the Colonies with loyalty to America became a citizen of these United States.

Until 1949, there was not really such a thing as a “British Citizen,” every resident of the United Kingdom was a British Subject.  A Subject.  Let that sink in for a second… a Subject.  Even today in the UK, the British still haven’t figured out what they are.  Canadians and New Zealanders were Subjects of the Crown until 1977 with the passage of the Canadian and New Zealand Citizenship Acts.  Australians were Subjects of the Crown until 1984 with the passage of the Australian Citizenship Amendment Act.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word Subject as “Under the control or domination of (another ruler, country, or government),” the classical definition being “under the dominion of a monarch.”

Nearly 240 years of being citizens and not subjects have given most Americans a healthy disrespect for overbearing authority.  For the most part, we don’t like politicians trying to micromanage our lives.  We don’t like bullies in uniform.  We don’t like people telling us what to do, what to think, and how to live.  When some elected narcissistic tells us we can’t buy a 20 oz of our favorite sparkling beverage, we tell him to “get bent” and that said narcissist can stick his law someplace that wont be seen until his next colonoscopy.

And yes, there are plenty Americans who’d have no moral qualms against shooting a politician to preserve the sacred right of being able to deep fry a donut in trans fats.

You can take my deep fried Snickers bar when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

Americans’ favorite movies mostly involve some Regular Joe having to kill his way through an oppressive government for freedom.  We really don’t care what the contrived reason is – invasion by a totalitarian regime (Red Dawn), corrupt backwoods sheriff (First Blood), or space opera Planetary Alliance (Serenity) – nothing makes Americans stop stuffing their faces with popcorn and cheer like watching some nameless government stooge  get turned into pink mist by the patriotic hero’s bullet.

The growing gun rights movement is a direct result of the growing onerous and burdensome expansion of government power.  Every time some politician assumes a little more power, the people buy a few million more guns.

That is why they don’t “get” us.  There are a lot of Americans who grew up saying “this is a free country and I can do what I want” and still believe it.  Guns are a part of that.  The motto of this country is e pluribus unum only because F*ck you and get off my lawn wouldn’t look classy on the money.

The ability and the desire of the people to push back is ingrained in us in a way no one, one generation removed from being a subject, would understand.  Sure, we’d like it if there was less crime and fewer total nut jobs.  But were not going to give up our gun rights just because it’s what the historically oppressed think we should.  We are citizens, not subjects.