aubiefifty

he attended seminary school and served as a youth minister for over a decade. He has a wife and a young child. why am i not surprised?

news.yahoo.com Texas lawmaker, who previously said drag queen story hours would sexualize children, should be expelled for sexual misconduct with a teenage intern, committee says Katie Balevic 3–4 minutes Texas State Capitol Dome and FlagsGetty Images A Texas legislative committee recommended a lawmaker be expelled for inappropriate conduct, per the Associated Press. The committee report said GOP Rep. Bryan Slaton, 45, had sex with a 19-year-old intern. The report also said he abused his position of power and engaged in harassment. A committee within the Texas legislature has recommended a lawmaker be expelled for his inappropriate sexual conduct with a teenage intern. The House General Investigative Committee unanimously recommended Republican Rep. Bryan Slaton, 45, be expelled after his sexual contact with a 19-year-old intern came to light, The Associated Press reported. Slaton and his attorney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Sunday, but his attorneys previously called the claims "outrageous" and "false," the AP reported. An investigation into the lawmaker's conduct began after two 19-year-old legislative aides and one 21-year-old intern filed complaints last month. Slaton's biography in the Texas House said he attended seminary school and served as a youth minister for over a decade. He has a wife and a young child. Slaton has also been among a cohort of Republicans pushing bans on access to gender-affirming healthcare and drag queen story hours for kids. "Children don't need to be focused on sex and sexualization," he said in an interview last year, the AP previously reported. "We need to let them just grow up to be children and let them do that as they're getting closer to being an adult." The investigation into Slaton's misconduct found that he gave alcohol to a teenage intern, as well as another young staffer, and then had sex with the intern once she was intoxicated, the AP reported. The intern was "really dizzy" and had "split vision," the committee report found. "Slaton's misconduct is grave and serious," the committee's report said, finding that the lawmaker had abused his position of power, given alcohol to a minor, violated employment laws, and engaged in harassment, according to the AP. The investigation's report also said Slaton showed the young intern a threatening email and told her everything would be fine if they kept their involvement under wraps, the AP reported. Slaton also asked a fellow lawmaker to keep his behavior a secret, the outlet reported. "The fact that Slaton has not expressed regret or remorse for his conduct is also egregious and unwarranted," the committee's report said, per the AP. "It is the Committee's unanimous recommendation that, considering the factors stated above, the only appropriate discipline in this matter is expulsion." Expelling a member requires a two-thirds vote from the 150 House members, and Committee Chairman Andrew Murr said he expects a resolution calling for Slaton's expulsion next week, the AP reported.

is he still hurt or can he play ball right now? i would love to know as i am kinda confused since he could not participate in spring ball at OSU?

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says she has no interest in becoming a Republican Kelly Garrity ~2 minutes Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is facing challenges from the right and from the left, should she run for reelection in 2024. But the threat has not yet pushed the Democrat-turned-independent into the arms of the GOP. Sinema is “absolutely” done with parties and will never join the Republican Party, she said Sunday during a pre-taped interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Now that you're an independent, you'll never become a Republican?” host Margaret Brennan asked. “No,” Sinema said, adding: “You don’t go from one broken party to another.” Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December 2022, has not said whether she plans to run for reelection in 2024. “I’m not here to talk about elections today,” she Sunday when pressed about her plans. If she does run, Sinema will, at the least, face challenges from Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County. But the senator has used her party transition to call for and end to the rise in the partisanship in Congress. “I would suggest that what I tried to do in the United States Senate right is to show that we have differences, differences which should be celebrated,” Sinema said Sunday. “That's an important part of a democracy. But those differences shouldn't stop us from getting things done.”

rollingstone.com Allen, Texas Mass Shooter Motivated by White Supremacist Beliefs: Feds Jana Winter 4–5 minutes Skip to main content Texas Mass Shooter Was Motivated by White Supremacist Beliefs: Feds The shooting suspect was wearing a “right wing death squad” patch, according to documents obtained by Rolling Stone Roberto Marquez of Dallas constructs a wooden cross memorial at the scene of a mass shooting a day earlier at Allen Premium Outlets on May 7, 2023 in Allen, Texas. Stewart F. House/Getty Images The man who shot multiple people at an Allen, Texas mall on Saturday, killing at least eight, served with the U.S. Army in 2008 and “was removed due to mental health concerns,” according to an FBI bulletin reviewed by Rolling Stone. The FBI’s “review and triage of the subject’s social media accounts revealed hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi materials and material espousing the supremacy of the white race.” Investigators believe the shooter was a neo-Nazi and incel, according to local and federal law enforcement emails. On Saturday, the man, identified as 33-year-old Dallas resident Mauricio Garcia in law enforcement documents, allegedly opened fire at a Allen Premium Outlets. The suspected shooter was killed by police at the scene, where several of the victims were found deceased. Nine additional victims were later transported to the hospital. Another two victims later died at the hospital. Garcia has no criminal history but is believed to have been associated with a local Neo-Nazi group. He previously reported a lost firearm to authorities, which police believe allowed him to then modify that same firearm in an attempt to make it harder to trace, according to the law enforcement documents reviewed by Rolling Stone. Garcia was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, according to law enforcement emails. He was also wearing a tactical vest with an “RWDS” patch — a reference to “right wing death squad,” which is a term used by white supremacists. He had 10 rifle magazines and six pistol magazines on his body. More handguns and rifles were found in his car, according to law enforcement emails. The investigation into the shooter’s motives is ongoing, but law enforcement emails circulated throughout North Texas and the federal government early Sunday morning say the shooter may have also been an incel who targeted the Allen Premium Outlets because he believed women would be present. It’s unclear if the shooter targeted anyone he knew at the mall. The suspect is a U.S. citizen who has never applied for a passport, the law enforcement documents also noted.

when you start telling some truths get back with me.

then why do you still do it?

maybe but since i think you are a shameless liar on most subjects you will never hurt me. lets make this very clear. plus YOU voted for trump............

.this means you disagree with titan and the board rules. i understand.

history will show us.

you would not know the truth if it punched you in the mouth. you do not get to call me and others out and still do it yourself. it shows what a richard you are.

politifact.com PolitiFact - Are Republicans trying to allow convicted felons to own guns? José Serrano stated on September 12, 2017 in a tweet: 4–5 minutes Rep. José Serrano, D-Bronx, said legislation he’s against would allow convicted felons to own guns. That’s not allowed under federal law for most people with a felony. Serrano said a proposed amendment could change that. "Now Republicans want to restore #gunrights to felons - something they lose after criminal conviction - CJS bills have prevented for 24 years," Serrano said in a tweet. Serrano was referring to a bill that allocates funds to the U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce and other agencies. He explained his position when the amendment came up for a vote in the House. "I rise in strong opposition to this very misguided amendment," Serrano said. "This amendment would allow felons and other dangerous individuals to try to regain the ability to own guns by sending an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote so there’s no record of who voted which way. The bill it’s tied to has passed the House, but not the Senate. Democrats and Republicans are typically divided when it comes to gun control. But would a Republican amendment allow felons to buy guns? The amendment Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colorado, sponsored the amendment. The amendment would give the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives funding to review applications from people who want to own a gun but legally can’t under federal law. People who have served more than a year in prison are among that group. A felony conviction typically comes with a minimum prison sentence of one year. Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge or received a dishonorable discharge from the military is also not allowed to own a gun. The ATF has the power to restore gun rights to those people. Federal statute says the bureau may do so if they believe the applicant "will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety and that the granting of the relief would not be contrary to the public interest." But Congress has denied the bureau the funding for such a program. Congress since 1993 has said no funds given to the agency "shall be available to investigate or act upon applications for relief from Federal firearms disabilities." That’s the legal term for someone who is not allowed to own a gun. The amendment would allow the agency to dip into federal funds to consider those applications. What it means The amendment does not give people with criminal convictions free access to firearms. Each person would be evaluated individually by the ATF. There’s no guarantee that an applicant would be granted gun rights. If someone was convicted of a violent crime, for example, the agency may consider the person to be dangerous to public safety and deny the request. Other criminal convictions may be seen as a lesser threat to public safety. Someone convicted of embezzlement in the past may be judged differently than someone with a violent felony conviction. "Congressman Buck’s amendment allows the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to once again process petitions from citizens for the restoration of their Second Amendment rights," said Kyle Huwa, Buck’s spokesperson. "This petition process is already established under federal statute. The amendment makes no determination on the substance of the petitions." Our ruling Serrano said Republicans want to restore gun rights to felons. An amendment proposed by a Republican congressman would allow people who have been stripped of their gun rights by the government to ask for them back. That’s not limited to people with a felony and it’s not guaranteed they will be approved. Serrano’s statement is accurate but needs clarification. We rate it Mostly True.

whataboutism sucks until you need it right?

Former Army officer and witness to Texas mall shooting who calls himself a 'gun lover' says mental health isn't the problem: 'We need more gun control' Katie Balevic ~3 minutes Emergency personnel work the scene of a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets on May 6, 2023 in Allen, Texas.Stewart F. House/Getty Images Former Army officer who rushed to scene of mass shooting in Allen, Texas says US needs gun control. Steven Spainhouer said he's a "gun lover" but that "this is going to keep happening" without stricter laws. He added that it was a gun, not mental health issues, that "killed these people." A witness to the deadly mass shooting at a Texas mall on Saturday said he's a "gun lover." Then he called for more gun control. Steven Spainhouer, who said he is both a former police officer and a former Army officer, rushed to the scene of the shooting on Saturday, arriving even before emergency responders. "When you get hit with an automatic weapon fire at close range, there is no opportunity for survival," Spainhouer told MSNBC. "I don't know what the gunman's problem was, but it wasn't mental health that killed these people. It was an automatic rifle with bullets." A gunman opened fire inside Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring seven others before a police officer who happened to be nearby shot and killed him. Police have not yet identified the gunman or his motivations. In a statement calling for stricter gun regulations, President Joe Biden said the gunman used an "AR-15 style assault weapon." The shooting in a town north of Dallas came about a week after five people were killed in a shooting in Cleveland, a Texas town north of Houston. Politicians resistant to gun control have blamed the prevalence and severity of American mass shootings on mental health – despite reports that only a small portion of violence is tied to mental illnesses. "I'm a gun lover. I have guns. I'm a former police officer. I'm a former Army officer. But these M-4s, AR-15s, they've got to get off the streets, or this is going to keep happening," Spainhouer said on Sunday. "We've got to stop that at some point." "All the politicians are going to make statements. They're going to offer prayers and condolences," Spainhouer said. "Prayers and condolences won't bring these people back. We need some action in our legislatures at the federal and state level for better gun control. And I'm saying that as someone who loves guns."

i said they brought it up. i did not say they did it. but a couple tried.

if you own a gun you should be responsible enough to make sure family or no one else can get access them without permission. ask anyone who has ever been in the military and around guns. people that leave weapons around for anyone to get their hands on should be liable for any deaths as well.

we had strong mental health care until ronnie raygun and his boys cleared out the mental hospitals and pretty much did away with mental health care. gun laws have no teeth and you know it. hell some on the right were debating on giving felons their gun rights back. i posted this back a few months ago. i doubt you read it.

Open in app or online nine more people are dead what's it going to take to end this insanity Jeff Tiedrich May 7 Share oh jesus. oh jesus. she had no face. no face. Upgrade to paid for the second weekend in a row, a charming story of mass gun death has come out of Texas. some deranged ****head decided it would be a cool thing to drive up to an outdoor mall in the town of Allen, step out of his car, point his assault rifle at a crowd of people and pull the trigger. eight dead. seven more sent to the hospital. and the gunman dead on the ground, killed by police. lovely. just ******* lovely. just another Saturday in Texas, a state that barely has any remaining gun laws at all. without a license. just about any dipshit can walk into a Texas gun store, slap their money down on the counter, and walk out with their spiffy new military-grade weapon of mass death. no questions asked. excuse me, but this is ******* insanity. who wants this? not even the hard core Fox News viewership wants this. I’ll ask it again: who, besides the gun lobby, the politicians owned by the gun lobby, and the gun-fetish psychopaths who worship the politicians owned by the gun lobby, wants this? the pro-gun minority is pretty much out of excuses and arguments. they know public sentiment is against them and they just want us to **** off and leave them alone. no, Megyn, we’re not going to **** off. oh, and while we’re on the subject, can I just say **** TED CRUZ. rest easy, everyone, the hugest, stinkiest, smelliest, most pungent pile of supporating s*** in the Senate is thinking and praying. oh joy, we’re saved. a weary nation owes you thanks, Ted. **** you. it’s Sunday. the so-called day of rest. Sunday, when here on our little substack, it’s supposed to be Open Chat day, where we all share something light and fun about what’s going on in our lives. but not today. I can’t. nine people in Texas aren’t even getting to have a Sunday. the girl with her face shot off isn’t getting to have a Sunday. what’s it going to take to end this insanity? everyone is entitled to my own opinion is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

it is simple. if idiots do not have a gun they cannot kill anyone with it. it used to take a village to get things done but now it is only the "ME" crowd. this is on you and your party. you guys allow no common sense gun laws. you guys pretty much do not care who owns a damn gun because it is a right.

no more people are killed in red state areas. i posted you an article. there were many. i suggest you go read a few.

but they ARE using guns. good grief. people have a right not to get their face blown off while shopping as well. this is so out of hand and you guys just say screw it let em die. what the hell else are you saying? let em die so i can keep my gun is what you are meaning even tho you try to soften the blow.

he is one that could care less who dies. he values weapons over deaths all day long. it is a bad look and he and i have had it out. he can claim he cares but to choose between the two he chooses weapons all day long. he has stated so more than once.

i have heard enough of that crap. you have spouted this crap off for years. here is a little truth for you: Republican-controlled states have higher murder rates than Democratic ones: study Ben Adler 7–9 minutes Republican politicians routinely claim that cities run by Democrats have been experiencing crime waves caused by failed governance, but a new study shows murder rates are actually higher in states and cities controlled by Republicans. “We’re seeing murders in our cities, all Democrat-run,” former President Donald Trump asserted at a March 26 rally in Georgia. “People are afraid to go out.” In February, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., blamed Democrats for a 2018 law that reduced some federal prison sentences — even though it was signed by Trump after passing a GOP-controlled Congress. “It’s your party who voted in lockstep for the First Step Act that let thousands of violent felons on the street who have now committed innumerable violent crimes,” Cotton said during a speech in the Senate. Last December, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, told Fox News viewers, “America’s most beautiful cities are indeed being ruined by liberal policies: There’s a direct line between death and decay and liberal policies.” Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at a rally on March 26 in Commerce, Ga. (Megan Varner/Getty Images) But a comparison of violent crime rates in jurisdictions controlled by Democrats and Republicans tells a very different story. In fact, a new study from the center-left think tank Third Way shows that states won by Trump in the 2020 election have higher murder rates than those carried by Joe Biden. The highest murder rates, the study found, are often in conservative, rural states. The study found that murder rates in the 25 states Trump carried in 2020 are 40% higher overall than in the states Biden won. (The report used 2020 data because 2021 data is not yet fully available.) The five states with the highest per capita murder rate — Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Missouri — all lean Republican and voted for Trump. There are some examples of states Biden won in 2020 that also have high per capita murder rates, including New Mexico and Georgia, which have the seventh- and eighth-highest murder rates, respectively. And there are Trump-supporting states with low murder rates, such as Idaho and Utah. Broadly speaking, the South, and to a lesser extent the Midwest, has more murders per capita than the Northeast, interior West and West Coast, the study found. Those findings are consistent with a pattern that has existed for decades, in which the South has had higher rates of violent crime than the nation as a whole. Demonstrators march in Atlanta on April 14, 2021, to protest the shooting death of Daunte Wright three days earlier. (Megan Varner/Getty Images) “We as criminologists have known this for quite some time,” Jennifer Ortiz, a professor of criminology at Indiana University Southeast, told Yahoo News. “States like Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have historically had high crime rates.” Criminologists say research shows higher rates of violent crime are found in areas that have low average education levels, high rates of poverty and relatively modest access to government assistance. Those conditions characterize some portions of the American South. “They are among the poorest states in our union,” Ortiz said of the Deep South. “They have among the highest rates of child poverty. They are among the least-educated states. They are among the states with the highest levels of substance abuse. All of those factors contribute to people engaging in criminal behavior.” “I thought that was a very good study,” Richard Rosenfeld, a professor of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and former president of the American Society of Criminology, told Yahoo News about the Third Way report. “In Republican states, states with Republican governors, crime rates tend to be higher. I’m not certain that’s related to the fact that the governor is a Republican, but it’s a fact nonetheless.” Police and emergency personnel work on a crime scene in Waukesha, Wis., in November 2021. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images) (While the Third Way study divided states by presidential vote in 2020, using gubernatorial party affiliation leads to similar results because most states have recently chosen the same party for governor and for president. Based on presidential vote, eight of the 10 states with the highest murder rates lean Republican, versus seven of the top 10 if one uses the governor’s party.) Although murder rates tend to be highest in the South, the biggest increases in 2020 were found in the Great Plains and Midwest, according to Third Way. The largest jumps were in Wyoming (91.7% higher than in 2019), South Dakota (69%), Wisconsin (63.2%), Nebraska (59.1%) and Minnesota (58.1%). Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska all voted for Trump and have Republican governors. Wisconsin and Minnesota voted for Biden and are led by Democrats. Few large cities are governed by Republicans — only 26 of the 100 largest U.S. cities have Republican mayors — making apples-to-apples comparisons difficult. But cities that do have Republican mayors do not have lower murder rates than similarly sized Democratic-led cities, the study found. Some experts warn against the impulse to use crime data to score quick political points. “Being a Republican or Democratic state or city is correlated with many other issues,” David Weisburd, a professor of criminology and executive director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University, wrote in an email to Yahoo News. “That means that the murder rate may be due to the state being Republican, or it may be due to the fact that Republican states have many other risk factors related to crime or murder rates. Even with a very comprehensive modeling of all of these factors, it is very difficult to get a valid causal result for explaining crime rates.” Police tape blocks a street where a person was shot in a drug-related incident in Philadelphia in 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) That argument cuts both ways, however. Weisburd also thinks the claims of Trump and other Republicans who say Democrats have caused a crime wave in the cities and states they govern are unfounded. “I don't think this argument can be supported no matter which way you go,” Weisburd said. Murder rates in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2020 from record lows, and the increases are similar across states — regardless of partisan preference. For homicides in 2020, Third Way found a 32.2% uptick in Trump-backing states versus a 30.8% rise in those that voted for Biden. Some states with large cities, such as New York and Pennsylvania, saw larger-than-average increases: New York went up 47% and Pennsylvania is up 39%. But the largest increases were in rural, Republican-led states, including Montana (+84%) and South Dakota (+81%). The higher national murder rate is naturally causing public concern, although violent crime does remain far below its early 1990s high point. “Using the FBI data, the violent crime rate fell 49% between 1993 and 2019,” from 757 incidents per 100,000 people to 379 per 100,000, the Pew Research Center noted last November. Between 2019 and 2020, the murder rate jumped from 6 homicides per 100,000 people to 7.8 homicides per 100,000, but that was still 22% below the rate in 1991 of 10 homicides per 100,000.

let me say that as much as we cuss,fuss, and argue i am truly glad you and yours are ok.

yahoo.com Texas congressman says people who think 'prayers aren't cutting it' as a solution to gun violence 'don't believe in an almighty god who is absolutely in control of our lives.' 9 people died in a mass shooting in his district today. Lloyd Lee 3–4 minutes GOP Rep. Keith Self in the House chamber on January 4, 2023.Alex Brandon/AP At least eight people were killed after a mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, mall on Saturday. WFAA-TV reported that some of the victims may include children. Rep. Keith Self told CNN that prayer is "powerful" for families devastated by mass shootings. A Republican congressman representing Allen, Texas — where a mass shooting killed at least eight people on Saturday — said people who don't believe in the power of prayer following a violent incident aren't believers of an "almighty god" after he was asked what his response would be to people who feel prayers are not the solution to mass shootings. Authorities responded to a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets — a mall near Dallas, Texas — around 3:40 p.m. Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd said in a press conference that seven people were found dead at the scene, while two more died after they were transported to area hospitals. Seven others were also injured, according to the fire chief. WFAA-TV reported that some of the victims could include children. During an interview with CNN, Rep. Keith Self called for prayer in light of the mass shooting, which included injured victims as young as 5 years old. When a CNN reporter asked what his response was to people who feel "prayers aren't cutting it," the congressman said, "Well, those are people that don't believe in an almighty god who is absolutely in control of our lives." "I'm a Christian. I believe that he is," Self said. Self also said he wanted to avoid making the tragic incident political but then pointed to the violence in "big cities" after being asked if he was concerned about the rise of violent incidents across the US. The congressman said he was "absolutely" concerned with increasing violence in the country and mentioned Chicago — a city with a population of 2.697 million where crime spiked in 2022 — as an example while stating Allen was a "very safe area." According to Census data, Allen, a suburb about 25 miles north of Dallas, has a population of 106,874 and had one reported homicide in 2020. "Any time there is violence, whether it be in one of the big cities — riots or trashing of stores in Chicago — or shootings like this. This is a very safe area. This is not usual. I know that we hear about the numbers of deaths in Chicago. This is not usual in this area," Self said. "So I'm certainly concerned about this." Republicans have repeatedly turned to crime in America as a platform talking point, framing it as an issue specific to large, Democratically-run cities. While overall homicides increased domestically in 2020, an analysis by Third Way, a public policy think tank, found that murder rates are higher in "Trump-voting red states" than "Biden-voting blue states." "In 2020, per capita murder rates were 40% higher in states won by Donald Trump than those won by Joe Biden," according to Third Way's report. A spokesperson for Rep. Self did not return a request for comment.