Shame, shame! Everybody knows your name.

One keeps thinking that the U.S. Senate cannot disgrace itself any further. Then it goes and defeats consideration of a very mild background check bill for people who are attempting to purchase guns. Even though a clear majority of senators voted for the bill, even though poll after poll show 90% of Americans want this to become law, a cowardly forty-five who are deep in the pockets of the National Rifle Association refused to let the bill proceed and so, under the arcane filibuster rules of the Senate, the bill was defeated.

Since the massacre of school children at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012, at least 3513 other Americans have died as a result of gun violence. Some 80 more will die today! But those forty-five senators don't give a damn, as long as the NRA continues to fill their coffers.

Here are the names of the disreputable forty-five, along with their Twitter handles, should you wish to send them a message regarding this vote. I certainly intend to.


  • Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) -- @SenAlexander
  • Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) -- @KellyAyotte
  • Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) -- @SenJohnBarrasso
  • Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- @MaxBaucus
  • Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) -- @SenatorBegich
  • Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) -- @RoyBlunt
  • Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) -- @JohnBoozeman
  • Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) -- @SenatorBurr
  • Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) -- @SaxbyChambliss
  • Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) -- @SenDanCoats
  • Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) -- @TomCoburn
  • Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) -- @SenThadCochran
  • Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) -- @SenBobCorker
  • Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) -- @JohnCornyn
  • Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) -- @MikeCrapo
  • Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) -- @SenTedCruz
  • Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) -- @SenatorEnzi
  • Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) -- @SenatorFischer
  • Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) -- @JeffFlake
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) -- @GrahamBlog
  • Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) -- @ChuckGrassley
  • Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- @SenOrrinHatch
  • Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) -- @SenatorHeitkamp
  • Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) -- @SenDeanHeller
  • Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) -- @SenJohnHoeven
  • Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) -- @jiminhofe
  • Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) -- @SenatorIsakson
  • Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) -- @Mike_Johanns
  • Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) -- @SenRonJohnson
  • Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) -- @SenMikeLee
  • Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) -- @McConnellPress
  • Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) -- @JerryMoran
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) -- @lisamurkowski
  • Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- @SenRandPaul
  • Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) -- @robportman
  • Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) -- @SenMarkPryor
  • Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) -- @SenatorRisch
  • Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) -- @SenPatRoberts
  • Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- @marcorubio
  • Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) -- @SenatorTimScott
  • Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) -- @SenatorSessions
  • Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) -- @SenShelbyPress
  • Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) -- @SenJohnThune
  • Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) -- @DavidVitter
  • Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) -- @SenatorWicker  

    • Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

    How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
    Read more

    The Investigator by John Sandford: A review

    Image
      I have read a few of John Sandford's books in the Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. This book is a literal offspring of that series. It's the first in a series featuring Davenport's adopted daughter Letty Davenport. Letty is in her mid-20s and a graduate of Stanford. She works for a U.S. senator named Christopher Colles in a desk job but she's bored with her assignments. Then the senator offers her a chance to go into the field as a liaison between his office and the Department of Homeland Security.  In her first assignment in that position, she is sent to Texas along with DHS investigator John Kaiser to try to find out what is happening in regard to thefts of crude oil. The senator is not so concerned about the lost oil but wants to know where the money from its sale is going. Who is selling the oil and what they are doing with the profits? The suspicion is that a particularly nasty militia group led by a woman is involved. Letty and Kaiser head out to Texas, de...
    Read more

    Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

    You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
    Read more