Today is Monday, February 12, 2024.   Today marks the 215th birthday of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who was born on this day in 1809 and was assassinated on April 15, 1865.   As everyone should know, he was the president who led us through the calamitous Civil War.     Most American students are probably not aware that today marks the birthday of one of our more beloved presidents since they will celebrate a week off next week that is called the midwinter recess which used to be just known as Presidents’ Day.   On that day, which is next Monday, February 19, banks, schools, and nonessential government offices are closed.   Schools are closed an additional four days after that day to mark the midwinter recess.   

Today marked another gun shooting somewhere in these dis-United States, this time in the Lone Star State, and in a megachurch, no less.    The shooting, carried out by a disturbed woman who was killed in gunfire by officers protecting themselves, was at the megachurch founded by televangelist and pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church – roughly 6 miles from downtown Houston.    This breaking development appears in an online CNN article by Christina Maxouris, Lauren Mascarenhas, and John Miller entitled “Shooter at Houston megachurch had lengthy criminal history including weapons charges, police say.”

The woman walked into this sanctuary with a long gun and her 7-year-old son and opened fire before she was brought down by law enforcement officers on the scene.  The gunfire left the child in critical condition and another man injured, officials said.

In a Sunday afternoon press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Winner said that the woman who was identified as being 36 years old entered the church shortly before 2 p.m. wearing a trench coat and backpack and opened fire without warning. 

According to the search warrant released today by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, officers “shot and killed her in self-defense” after she pointed her weapon at them. 

The shooter’s son was shot in the head during the shooting and remains in the hospital in critical condition, the police chief said.  It’s unclear who fired the shot that injured the child. 

There are no additional details regarding a probable motive for the shooting.   The injured man was shot in the leg, sought treatment at a hospital, and was released.   Thank God there were no additional killings.   But there is the possibility that the killer’s young son will not survive his injuries, and why in God’s name would he have been brought to this church for his mother to shoot people at random.  The gunfire unfolded while the church was “in between services” and preparing to go into a Spanish service, Olsteen himself said in Sunday’s news conference.

Olsteen said, “I can only imagine if it would have happened during the 11 o’clock service,” meaning there would have been more people for this unhinged woman to kill. 

The shooting is just the latest instance of gun violence disrupting American life at places once considered safe.  “Others have been at schools, grocery stores, outlet malls, hospitals, college campuses, movie theaters [I added this one], and house parties.”    This latest violent outburst just illustrates the confounding issue of gun violence in this country that is devastatingly out of control and which no lawmakers, especially Republicans, want to do anything about it.  

Providing a slim clue as to motive is this fact about what was observed on the shooter’s legally purchased AR-15 that contained a “Palestine” sticker on it, according to police.  A federal law enforcement source previously told CNN “Free Palestine” was written on the gun.  She also had a .22-caliber weapon in her bag which was not used in the assault, according to a federal law enforcement source.  Investigators are trying to determine whether she was politically motivated or a disturbed individual, the source said. 

“Information from the woman’s social media accounts and local authorities paints a portrait of a single mother with a history of mental health challenges going through the ups and downs of trying to turn her life around and launch a business.”

The article goes on to say that the dead shooter had a string of arrests for minor offenses over the last two decades, including possession of marijuana, an assault, illegal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, and a forgery charge.  This changed when the woman reached her 30s where she described herself on social media as the founder of a real estate and financial services firm. 

No matter what this woman’s disjointed biographical history shows, it just boggles the mind how this woman was able to purchase a legal firearm, despite this history of minor arrests.   The stupid Republican governor there, Greg Abbott, reiterated the tired old refrain about he and his wife Cecilia “praying for his [Olsteen] community during this difficult time” without saying anything about toughening gun laws.   We should expect nothing from him and his administration and that’s all we’ll get in this terrible situation:  prayers and more empty prayers. 

Another story on the news radar is the disastrous comments made by the repugnican frontrunner about Russia and NATO, an organization this bastard knows nothing about.  A CNN online article about this alarming rant by a sick, demented old fool is written by Jim Sciutto entitled “Trump will pull US out of NATO if he wins election, ex-adviser warns.”

Here’s another damn reason to not elect this fool to the presidency.  In his comments, Drumpf said he encouraged Russia to attack European allies if they don’t meet NATO budget contribution goals, where multiple Dump advisers warn that the former president will seek to formally withdraw the United States from the NATO alliance if he – God forbid! – wins a second term.

John Bolton, Drumpf’s former national security adviser, agreed, saying, “NATO would be in real jeopardy.”   He adds, “I think he would try to get out.”

Another former Dump adviser, General John Kelly, who served as White House chief of staff to Chump, said that his boss “saw absolutely no point in NATO.”   Kelly adds, “He was just dead set against having troops in South Korea, again, a deterrent force, or having troops in Japan, a deterrent force.”

Kelly elaborates that Dump thought Putin was an okay guy and Kim Jong Un was an okay guy and that we were goading these guys.   Trump, he said, thought if we didn’t have NATO, then Putin wouldn’t be doing these things like invading Ukraine or some other vulnerable country. 

Not only would this Russian asset withdraw the country from NATO, other veterans of the Drumpf administration have a similar warning for Ukraine.   If Trump wins the election, these former advisers say that U.S. support for Ukraine would end.   It’s actually dwindling right now under MAGA Mike and his horrible minions.

Bolton said a likely scenario with Ukraine if Drumpf won the election is that he would cede Ukrainian territory to his strongman pal, Vladimir Putin – as long as it brought peace.

As for Taiwan, Drumpf would do the same thing by withdrawing from supporting the island nation against China.  He won’t care about the nation at all if it were invaded by China. 

When will the American people realize the thousand and one reasons not to vote for this man in November?    It better be apparent by then.

Hopefully, the weather won’t impede people from voting in tomorrow’s special congressional election to replace lying George Santos, with Tom Suozzi and Mazi Melesa Pilip on the ballot.    I’m hoping that Democrat Suozzi wins and this victory could reflect the overall picture of the upcoming presidential race.   Suozzi is a three-term congressman and polished political operator.    The Republican nominee is a nobody, it seems, who has a scant record and minimal political experience.   What should turn moderate voters off from Pilip is her inconsistent position on abortion, while Suozzi has come out supporting a woman’s right to choose.    Again, we need a Democratic win here badly and I’m praying we don’t elect another Republican like Santos in the third congressional district.   It would be so disappointing if this happens.    But we’ll see tomorrow.

Today I baked a marble cake and I was surprised Atticus didn’t get involved.   I think he slept through most of my baking.    He did try to seize some of my rump roast for dinner, though.  

Stay safe and be well.

This is the marble cake that I baked, with Elliot’s skillful assistance.