Today is Friday, October 27, 2023. Today the White House slammed the disingenuous words of the new Speaker of the House, far-right Christian conservative Mike Johnson (R-LA) who commented immediately after the Lewiston, Maine, massacre two days ago when he suggested that the “human heart” is to blame for mass shootings, not the easy availability of powerful weapons of war. An article in The Hill reports on the empty message provided by the new House speaker who is in opposition to a majority of Americans who favor stricter gun control measures pronto. The article, written by Brett Samuels, is entitled “White House slams Speaker Johnson’s ‘offensive accusation’ that the ‘human heart’ is to blame for mass shootings.”

Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates pushed back against Johnson’s ineffectual comments after yet another mass murder episode in America occurred in Lewiston, Maine, by saying, “We absolutely reject the offensive accusation that gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because of Americans’ ‘hearts.'” He added, “Gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because congressional Republicans have spent decades choosing the gun industry lobbyists over the lives of innocent Americans.” He added a powerful coda, “Gun violence is now the main reason that American children’s hearts stop beating. Not cancer, not car accidents – gun violence.”

Bates went on to say that a root cause of gun violence stems from Republican lawmakers’ unwillingness to act to prevent “weapons of war” from being used by civilians, calling the shooting in Lewiston “the latest proof point that gun crime is an urgent national security crisis.”

It’s not the result of an imagined deficiency in the hearts of the American people, nor is it because women have the right to make their own health care decisions, as the Speaker once claimed,” Bates said.

Bates’ “comments mark one of the White House’s most direct criticisms of Johnson since he was elected speaker this week following a roughly three-week scramble by Republicans in the House to replace Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).”

This response by the White House to remarks made by Johnson in an interview Thursday with Fox News host Sean Hannity is a follow-up to remarks he made with the lunatic anchor in which he responded to calls made by the Biden administration and Democrats for action on gun laws proceeding from the Maine massacre.

The soft-spoken fascist stupidly said in his remarks to Hannity,” At the end of the day, the problem is with the human heart. It’s not guns [my italics]. It’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves, and that’s the Second Amendment [gag me with a spoon]. And that’s why our party stands so strongly for that. I agree with the comments of your guests there. This is not the time to be talking about legislation.” This horrible party of inaction would never think it was time for legislation, as long as their own children, wives, lovers, fathers, mothers, nieces, nephews, etc. were not blown to smithereens by assault rifles.

President Biden has repeatedly advocated for lawmakers to reinstate an assault weapons ban in a bid to stem the alarming rate of mass shootings in the country, and the White House repeated those calls following the Maine shooting.

In the meantime, the victims of this latest mass shooting have been sadly identified. The oldest killed in the shooting was a 76-year-old man and the youngest was a 14-year-old boy bowling with his father. All the victims were identified today by officials. All of the victims were killed while engaging in ordinary activities like bowling and playing cornhole or just hanging out with friends.

One of the many victims was Tommy Conrad, 34, who was the manager of the bowling alley where the suspect carried out his deadly attack. Another victim, Michael Deslauriers II, 51, was killed while attempting to charge at the shooter at the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation. One other victim, Tricia Asselin, 54, was a part-time employee at the bowling alley who was waylaid by the gunman as she tried to call 911 at the counter. Another of those killed, Peyton Brewer-Rose, 39, was participating in a cornhole (I had to look up what this is on Google – it’s like sack toss, or bags, when you toss corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points) tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant when he was murdered. Another participant in the cornhole tournament, Bryan Macfarlane, 40, was also killed and was a member of the local deaf community as well. A young victim of the mass shooting, Arthur “Artie” Strout, 42, was also at the restaurant; he leaves behind five children. Other victims were identified as cornhole players and as members of the deaf community. One other casualty was beloved American Sign Language interpreter Joshua Seal who had been taking part in the cornhole tournament for deaf athletes at Schemengees when he was killed Wednesday. He was only 36 and leaves behind a loving wife, Elizabeth, and four children. The rampage Wednesday night claimed the lives of a married couple, Robert “Bob” Violette and his wife, Lucille. Bob, 76, was teaching a youth bowling league at Just-In-Time Recreation when the gunfire broke out. His loved ones believe Violette died protecting his students from the bullets, according to CNN affiliate WBZ.

As you read over the partial list of the 18 victims from that deranged gunman in Lewiston, Maine, recall Speaker Johnson’s ridiculous assertion that there is no gun crisis here in the United States, only a crisis of the “human heart,” whatever the fuck that means. If you assume Johnson is referring to mental illness here, just remember that many other countries have mental illness issues (and human hearts) and don’t have mass shootings like we do. This is a claim that is so false, it’s insulting. But Republicans persist with leading with it. Also, if repugnicans wanted to fully fund a national mental health system available to everyone at low or no cost, that would be wonderful! It still wouldn’t end mass shootings, but it would be a fantastic thing. But they wouldn’t even do this – though they talk about it all the time.

There was another silly aspect to Johnson’s remarks to Hannity of Fox “Infotainment” in which the bespectacled House speaker talked about using vehicles to “mow down crowds at parades” and that it’s done here in the United States as well. Here the speaker again said that it’s not the weapon that’s the underlying problem. He said, “I believe we have to address the root problems of these things and mental health obviously, as in this case, is a big issue, and we’ve got to seriously address that as a society and as a government, and there’s lots of measures pending on that as well.” Sure, let’s see if any of these “pending measures” will be ever be written into legislation by these pusillanimous repugnicans. They’re all just talk, I dare say.

Laura Clawson of the Daily Kos analyzed Johnson’s speaking style in the interview as she states that Johnson employs a smooth, condescending style as he makes one false statement after another. I like her final assessment of him, when she says, “He truly is Jim Jordan in a less shouty package.”

Breaking news: I just heard on MSNBC that the suspect is now confirmed dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I had expected this unfortunate outcome myself since he evaded capture by law enforcement authorities for two long days. His body was found in a wooded area, officials said. He was found between Lewiston and Bowdoin, Maine. At least the citizens of Lewiston can breathe a small sigh of relief now knowing that this mass killer has been found dead. However, we will never know his motivation for his rampage.

With this latest atrocity, I hate to say that now that the killer has been found deceased, we will eventually forget the details of this newest mass killing and go about our business until the next horror occurs. Until our politicians do something about it. If not, the pattern will repeat itself ad nauseam.

Have a good weekend.

Stay safe and be well.