THESE senators showed they don't give a damn about victims of gun violence. Someday, they will suffer the horror and loss of someone in their family, or friends or someone they know because of gun violence, and I hope they are haunted by their vote for the rest of their lives. There will be blood on their hands they will never be able to wash off. Though this is from 2013 it is relevent to this weeks news because the US Senate rejected this legislation again, after mass shootings in San Bernardino, CA and Orlando, FL. From +Mother Jones .....

Meet the 45 Senators Who Blocked Background Checks

President Obama said that "there was no coherent argument for why we wouldn't do this. It came down to politics."

DANA LIEBELSONAPR. 17, 2013 8:25 PM

An amendment proposed by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to require background checks for commercial gun sales (but not for sales between "friends and neighbors") was shot down Wednesday afternoon in a 54-46 vote, failing to capture the 60 votes it needed to advance. The bill would have been a modest victory for gun control advocates, while ceding numerous concessions to the gun lobby (the NRA initially called it a "positive development.") Nevertheless, only four Republicans voted for the proposal, with 41 voting against it. Five Democrats rejected the proposal as well (Reid was a special case; see below). Standing with families of Sandy Hook victims, President Obama said that "there was no coherent argument for why we wouldn't do this. It came down to politics."

More MoJo coverage of the Senate's failed background check bill.

• Here's Why the NRA Won and Gabby Giffords and Mike Bloomberg Lost
• "Shame On You!": Senate Rejects Gun Background Check Compromise
• Why Did These 4 Democrats Vote No on Gun Background Checks?
• Have You Seen Mitch McConnell's Facebook Page?
• 10 Reasons the Background Check Bill Means Victory for the NRA
• Map: Most Americans Support Background Checks for All Gun Buyers

Also read our special report on gun laws and the rise of mass shootings.

Here's a list so you can see how your senator voted:

Republicans Who Voted for the Proposal

• Susan Collins (R-Maine)
• Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
• John McCain (R-Ariz.)
• Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)

Democrats Who Voted Against the Proposal

• Max Baucus (D-Mont.)    
• Mark Begich (D-Alaska)    
• Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)    
• Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)    
• Harry Reid (D-Nev.)  (Voted "no" as a procedural move to preserve option to reintroduce the bill.)

Republicans Who Voted Against the Proposal

• Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
• Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)
• John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
• Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
• John Boozman (R-Ark.)
• Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
• Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
• Dan Coats (R-Ind.)
• Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
• Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)
• Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
• John Cornyn (R-Texas)
• Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
• Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
• Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.)
• Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
• Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)
• Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
• Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
• Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
• Dean Heller (R-Nev.)
• John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
• Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)
• Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)
• Mike Johanns (R-Neb.)
• Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
• Mike Lee (R-Utah)
• Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
• Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
• Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
• Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
• James Risch (R-Idaho)
• Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
• Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
• Timothy Scott (R-S.C.)
• Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
• Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
• John Thune (R-S.D.)
• David Vitter (R-La.)
• Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

Democrats Who Voted for the Proposal

• Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
• Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
• Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
• Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
• Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
• Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
• Ben Cardin (D-Md.)
• Thomas Carper (D-Del.)
• Bob Casey (D-Pa.)
• Christopher Coons (D-Del.)
• William "Mo" Cowan (D-Mass.)
• Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)
• Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)
• Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
• Al Franken (D-Minn.)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
• Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)
• Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
• Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)
• Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
• Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)
• Timothy Kaine (D-Va.)
• Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
• Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
• Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
• Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
• Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
• Joe Manchin (D-W.V.)
• Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)
• Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
• Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
• Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
• Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.)
• Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
• Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
• John Reed (D-R.I.)
• Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.)
• Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
• Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
• Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
• Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
• Jon Tester (D-Mont.)
• Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
• Tom Udall (D-N.M.)
• Mark Warner (D-Va.)
• Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
• Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
• Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

Independents

• Angus King (I-Maine): Yea
• Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Yea

Front page image: Jay Mallin/ZUMA Press

President Obama on the Tragic Shooting in Orlando JUNE 12, 2016

verse of the day When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. - John 11:32-35

voice of the day We encounter God in the face of a stranger. That, I believe, is the Hebrew Bible’s single greatest and most counterintuitive contribution to ethics. God creates difference; therefore it is in one-who-is-different that we meet god. Abraham encounters God when he invites three strangers into his tent. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

prayer of the day Holy God, in our failure to love and protect our neighbors, we fail you. In response to that failure, you chose to come to us and suffer alongside all who mourn, all who weep, and to offer us a path out of oppression and hatred and hopelessness. We pray that we might take it.

PRES OBAMA'S comments on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida

President Obama on the Tragic Shooting in Orlando

JUNE 12, 2016 AT 12:23 PM ET BY MELANIE GARUNAY

Watch President Obama's remarks to the press on the shooting in Orlando:

Here's an excerpt of the President's remarks:

"First of all, our hearts go out to the families of those who have been killed. Our prayers go to those who have been wounded. This is a devastating attack on all Americans. It is one that is particularly painful for the people of Orlando, but I think we all recognize that this could have happened anywhere in this country. And we feel enormous solidarity and grief on behalf of the families that have been affected.

"The fact that it took place at a club frequented by the LGBT community I think is also relevant. We’re still looking at all the motivations of the killer. But it’s a reminder that regardless of race, religion, faith or sexual orientation, we’re all Americans, and we need to be looking after each other and protecting each other at all times in the face of this kind of terrible act.

"With respect to the killer, there’s been a lot of reporting that’s been done. It’s important to emphasize that we’re still at the preliminary stages of the investigation, and there’s a lot more that we have to learn. The one thing that we can say is that this is being treated as a terrorist investigation. It appears that the shooter was inspired by various extremist information that was disseminated over the Internet. All those materials are currently being searched, exploited so we will have a better sense of the pathway that the killer took in making the decision to launch this attack."

President Obama Delivers a Statement

Read the President's full remarks:

Today, as Americans, we grieve the brutal murder -- a horrific massacre -- of dozens of innocent people. We pray for their families, who are grasping for answers with broken hearts. We stand with the people of Orlando, who have endured a terrible attack on their city. Although it’s still early in the investigation, we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate. And as Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to defend our people.

I just finished a meeting with FBI Director Comey and my homeland security and national security advisors. The FBI is on the scene and leading the investigation, in partnership with local law enforcement. I’ve directed that the full resources of the federal government be made available for this investigation.

We are still learning all the facts. This is an open investigation. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terrorism. And I’ve directed that we must spare no effort to determine what -- if any -- inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups. What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred. Over the coming days, we’ll uncover why and how this happened, and we will go wherever the facts lead us.

This morning I spoke with my good friend, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and I conveyed the condolences of the entire American people. This could have been any one of our communities. So I told Mayor Dyer that whatever help he and the people of Orlando need -- they are going to get it. As a country, we will be there for the people of Orlando today, tomorrow and for all the days to come.

We also express our profound gratitude to all the police and first responders who rushed into harm’s way. Their courage and professionalism saved lives, and kept the carnage from being even worse. It’s the kind of sacrifice that our law enforcement professionals make every single day for all of us, and we can never thank them enough.

This is an especially heartbreaking day for all our friends -- our fellow Americans -- who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live. The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub -- it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds, and to advocate for their civil rights. 

So this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American -- regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation -- is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country. And no act of hate or terror will ever change who we are or the values that make us Americans.

Today marks the most deadly shooting in American history. The shooter was apparently armed with a handgun and a powerful assault rifle. This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.

In the coming hours and days, we’ll learn about the victims of this tragedy. Their names. Their faces. Who they were. The joy that they brought to families and to friends, and the difference that they made in this world. Say a prayer for them and say a prayer for their families -- that God give them the strength to bear the unbearable. And that He give us all the strength to be there for them, and the strength and courage to change. We need to demonstrate that we are defined more -- as a country -- by the way they lived their lives than by the hate of the man who took them from us.

As we go together, we will draw inspiration from heroic and selfless acts -- friends who helped friends, took care of each other and saved lives. In the face of hate and violence, we will love one another. We will not give in to fear or turn against each other. Instead, we will stand united, as Americans, to protect our people, and defend our nation, and to take action against those who threaten us. 

May God bless the Americans we lost this morning. May He comfort their families. May God continue to watch over this country that we love. Thank you.

---

The President ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the attack in Orlando.

Statement from Press Secretary Josh Earnest:

The President was briefed this morning by Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, on the tragic shooting in Orlando, Florida. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims. The President asked to receive regular updates as the FBI, and other federal officials, work with the Orlando Police to gather more information, and directed that the federal government provide any assistance necessary to pursue the investigation and support the community.

Statement from Vice President Joe Biden's spokesperson:

The Vice President was briefed this morning by his national security advisor on the heinous attack that took place overnight at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Vice President Biden offered his prayers for all those killed and injured in the shooting and sends his condolences to all the families and loved ones of the victims.  He is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to receive regular updates as we know more.

Mass Shootings In The United States During 2015 There must be a better way forward 2JUN16

THIS was part of the Weekly Wrap from +Sojourners for the week ending 10 JUN 16  and now we have the mass shooting in Orlando Fl on 12 JUN 16. Will Americans ever become so horrified and disgusted that we will DEMAND our government cut their financial ties to the nra and do something about gun violence?

Mass Shootings In The United States During 2015

There must be a better way forwardby Gabriel Reilich

Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and if you search the hashtag #wearorange on Twitter and Instagram you’ll find photo after photo of people sporting the color orange to raise awareness about defeating gun violence. Celebrities like Amy Schumer and Julianne Moore have vocal about promoting this day of apparel-based activism, and with number of gun-related deaths surpassing 5,000 this year, the call for change could not be more urgent. 

The video above tracks the mass shootings that took place in the United States during 2015. With more than 300 incidents on record in just one year, you start to wonder how many it will take before we are willing to make the changes necessary to curtail gun violence here at home.

Mass Shootings in the US During 2015 | Data Vizeo | GOOD

Data Source: http://www.shootingtracker.com

Produced by Gabriel Reilich
Graphics by Jake Infusino

Obama: In U.S., Nothing Prohibits Known ISIL Sympathizers From Buying As Many Guns As They Want

SLAM DUNK! Explain this nra. From +Sojourners .....
Obama: In U.S., Nothing Prohibits Known ISIL Sympathizers From Buying As Many Guns As They Want 

une 2 is Gun Violence Awareness Day, and when President Obama stuck around for audience questions after a taping at PBS NewsHour last night, he was challenged on his position on guns. The questioner asked why the president wants to control gun ownership among “good guys” instead of holding “bad guys” accountable for their actions — using Chicago, President Obama’s hometown, a city with “some of the strictest gun laws” yet an “outrageous murder rate,” as an example.

READ: Should Christians Own Guns?

President Obama’s answer:

"I just came from a meeting today in the Situation Room in which ... people who we know have been on ISIL websites, U.S. citizens, and we’re allowed to put them on the no-fly list when it comes to airlines but because of the National Rifle Association I cannot prohibit those people from buying a gun. This is somebody who is a known ISIL sympathizer, and if he wants to walk into a gun store or gun show right now and buy as many weapons and ammo as he can, nothing’s prohibiting him from doing that, even though the FBI knows who he is. So sir, I just have to say respectfully, that there is a way for us to have common sense gun laws. There is a way to make sure that lawful, responsible gun owners like yourself are able to use them for sporting, hunting, protecting yourself. But the only way we’re going to do that is if we don’t have a situation in which anything that is proposed is viewed as some tyrannical destruction of the Second Amendment."

The president also compares gun ownership laws to car safety features like seatbelts, which were implemented by law to help significantly reduce traffic fatalities.

Read more about President Obama’s push for gun violence prevention laws.

the Web Editors

- See more at: https://sojo.net/articles/obama-nothing-prohibits-known-isil-sympathizers-us-buying-many-guns-they-want#sthash.D81QvTVs.dpuf

Obama: Orlando Shooting 'An Act of Terror and an Act of Hate' & Sen. David Perdue and the Politics and Prayers of Death 12&10JUN16

THERE is no difference in the hatred and intolerance preached by "Islamic" fanatics and that of "Christian" fanatics (and Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and all other religious fanatics).  None are true to their faith, none represent the God they claim to worship and follow. They are apostates, guilty of perverting their faith and leading true believers away from God. Consider the perversion of Islam that led to the mass murder in Orlando early Sunday morning and the exhortations of Sen david perdue r GA to pray for the death of Pres Obama. It is time our religious, political, and social community leaders and most importantly parents and families together denounce the teachings and declarations of all religious fanatics.  From +Sojourners .....

Obama: Orlando Shooting 'An Act of Terror and an Act of Hate'

By the Web Editors 06-12-2016

Print

President Barack Obama called the deadly shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub "an act of terror and an act of hate" in remarks Sunday afternoon. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told reporters that 50 were killed and 53 injured in the early-morning shooting at Pulse Orlando, a gay club near the city's downtown. 

From the remarks: 

"The place place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub, it is a place of solidarity and empowerment, where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights. So this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation is an attack on all of us and fundamental values of dignity." 

Sen. David Perdue and the Politics and Prayers of Deathth

By Mark Lockard 06-10-2016

Print

Speaking at the Faith and Family Coalition’s Road to Majority conference this morning, Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.) referenced a psalm while speaking about President Obama. The beauty of the Book of Psalms is that it covers the broad range of human emotions, giving us words to hold close whether we’re angry, peaceful, grieving, scared, joyous, thankful, or any combination thereof. So it’s particularly troubling, then, that a powerful public official would use his platform to quote the particular verse he did. It’s especially troubling that it was directed at our highest civic leader. So what did he say, exactly?

Sarah Posner @sarahposner

Sen. David Perdue says that we should pray for Obama, like in Psalm 108:9 "let his days be few." #RTM2016 #christian

9:58 AM - 10 Jun 2016

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “Well that’s not so bad. Maybe he shouldn’t be using the Bible to express distaste for the president, or any person, but he wants the guy out of office and the verse was a way (albeit tacky) to say that.”

READ: Donald Trump Moves to Win Over Wavering Evangelical Christians

But that falls into the trap that I suspect Sen. Perdue fell into by using the verse in the first place: proof-texting. It’s an issue that MinistryMatters' regular contributor Zack Hunt speaks about often here and on his blog. The idea that you can pick out one verse from a sacred text, especially one as large and complex as the Bible, and ignore the context — either the words directly before and after it, the history of the passage, the cultural situation in which it was written, the identity of the writer, etc. — is, to put it bluntly, foolish. Which is why his use of this particular verse, Psalm 109:8, is especially disturbing. What follows in the King James Version, the version quoted, is this:

Sarah Posner @sarahposner

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner

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At the very least, Sen. Perdue is guilty of proof-texting, and the consequences are that he has used the words of the psalmist to inadvertently wish ruin and despair upon President Obama.

Sen. Perdue used the words of the psalmist to inadvertently wish ruin and despair upon President Obama.

At the very worst, he knew exactly what he was doing: wielding the Bible as a weapon; forgoing the grace and mercy of Christ in favor of the current political climate that seeks to use faith as a means of dealing death and separation; being glib about the downfall of his neighbor; and doing all this in the name of Christ by means of holy words.

I’d like to be generous and say that it’s most likely the first. Sen. Perdue probably just picked a verse that’s been circulating for a while as a way to talk about Obama using “Christian” language, and he didn’t really think about the rest of the passage just like so many biblically illiterate Christians unaware of the dangers of proof-texting tend to do.

But it’s hard to be generous when this approach, especially when talking about President Obama in conservative Christian circles (and ESPECIALLY when using this particular verse), is not new. We’ve been talking about the insidious implications of lobbing Psalm 109:8 about since 2009. At some point, you just have to set your jaw and accept that people know precisely what they’re doing, what they’re saying directly or indirectly, and what weight their words carry.

We in America have let our public sphere and the politics which govern it become defined by death.

I shouldn’t be surprised. We in America have let our public sphere and the politics which govern it become defined by death. Death in the physical sense, as we let political hemming and hawing overshadow the disproportionate death of minorities at the hands of the state. Death in the emotional/mental sense, as we collectively allow the demonization and marginalization of those who need our support most: the orphan; the widow; women who are told that their bodies are property to be assaulted, neglected, coldly discussed and decided upon without their consent; our LGBTQ sisters and brothers whose community suffers elevated suicide rates because of our society’s choice to hate and shun rather than be resolute in our presence, understanding, and love; those communities of color who are disproportionately subjugated to the racist systems that give rise to poverty-to-prison cycles. And death in the spiritual sense, as we allow politicians and politically infused, nationalist Christianity to tell us not only who our neighbors aren’t but how not to love them.

This is the political and spiritual tone we’ve set in modern America. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t life-giving, and it sure doesn’t feel like something Jesus-followers would want to have a hand in. So what are we to do? Well, for Christians there is a straight-forward answer that is often incredibly hard to implement: Love God with all your heart and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

That’s in the Bible, and I hope it’s a verse Sen. Perdue and any who took pleasure in his Scripture of choice would read and pray over. Because when Christians use our sacred text to make a point, the first thing we should be asking is “Does what I’m about to use Scripture for match what scripture is actually for?” We have the Word because the Word breathes life.

When we open the Word and speak it out, hearing it ourselves and imploring fellow Christians to hear it, we’re asking for Life and Love to infuse our meaning and our message. In that moment, the Spirit through the Word can work to change hearts and minds. All of which is pretty hard to claim if what you’re using a cherry-picked Bible verse for is to pray a curse upon a guy you’ve hated for eight years.

Editor's Note: This post also appeared at MinistryMatters.

Mark Lockard

Mark Lockard is an editor at Ministry Matters. He has a Master of Theological Studies degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School, writes and draws for the religion and culture blog  DisembodiedBeard.net, and lives in Nashville.