Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took actress and activist Alyssa Milano to task over remarks she made questioning Second Amendment rights.

On Sunday, Milano questioned the validity of the Second Amendment in a tweet following the news of a mass killing that took place Saturday in Texas.

A 36-year-old suspect shot and killed at least seven people on the streets of Odessa, Texas, in what appeared to be random attacks. The incident resulted in the injuries of nearly two dozen other people. The Midland Police Department announced that the suspect was killed in a police exchange of gunfire shortly after the suspect carried out the heinous attack.

What happened during the exchange between Cruz and Milano?

In a pointed tweet, Milano wrote, “Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun? This guy is unbelievable and is clearly owned by the gun lobby.”

She was responding to a tweet from Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Texas), who promised that he would not allow the mass killer’s acts put a damper on the Second Amendment rights of Texans.

Schaefer wrote, “I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent.”

Cruz noticed Milano’s complaints and responded in kind.

He wrote, “An excellent Q, worth considering carefully w/o the snark of Twitter. It is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-give [sic] but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty. Essential to that right to life is the right to DEFEND your life & your family.”

The Texas lawmaker continued, “The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: ‘If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.’ (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense).”

Cruz backs up his point

He went on to cite a passage from the Declaration of Independence to bolster his explanation.

“The Declaration of Independence acknowledges our rights thusly: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,'” he quoted. “And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.’ It wasn’t to protect people’s ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families.”

Cruz invoked the name of Texas resident Stephen Willeford, who risked his own life in an attempt to stop the Sutherland Springs, Texas, mass murderer.

“Stephen Willeford exercised that fundamental right when he risked his own life to stop the Sutherland Springs murderer, saving countless others as a result,” he added.

Cruz continued by pointing out the ideas of St. George Tucker as further reading for Milano.

“St. George Tucker, one of the most important scholars in early America, explained the reasons behind the Second Amendment as follows: ‘This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty. . . . The right of self-defense is the first law of nature … in most govts it has been the study of rulers to confine this right w/in the narrowest limits possible. Wherever…the right…to keep & bear arms is, under any…pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.'”

“That’s also why, post Civil War, disarming Black Americans was a critical objective of the KKK and was memorialized in countless Jim Crow laws — to strip African-Americans of their God-given right to self-defense from violence,” he reasoned. “I’m a Texan. What happened in Midland-Odessa — and El Paso, Santa Fe & Sutherland Springs — was sick, deranged & horrifying. We need to do MUCH more to stop violent criminals & those w/ dangerous mental illness BEFORE they murder & I’m leading the fight in the Senate to do so.”

He concluded that “playing politics” with such heinous crimes is not the way to carry out lasting change.

“Playing politics w/ these deranged crimes — and trying to use them as an excuse to violate the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens — won’t make anybody safer. Forcible gun confiscation (as some 2020 Dems urge) won’t prevent mass-murders. But it would weaken our self-defense.”

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

An excellent Q, worth considering carefully w/o the snark of Twitter. It is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-give but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty. Essential to that right to life is the right to DEFEND your life & your family. 1/x https://twitter.com/alyssa_milano/status/1168293913825693697 …

Alyssa Milano@Alyssa_Milano

Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun? This guy is unbelievable and is clearly owned by the gun lobby. #NoRA https://twitter.com/repmattschaefer/status/1167989249745899521 …

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Ted Cruz@tedcruz

An excellent Q, worth considering carefully w/o the snark of Twitter. It is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-give but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty. Essential to that right to life is the right to DEFEND your life & your family. 1/x https://twitter.com/alyssa_milano/status/1168293913825693697 …

Alyssa Milano@Alyssa_Milano

Can someone cite which passage of the Bible God states it is a god-given right to own a gun? This guy is unbelievable and is clearly owned by the gun lobby. #NoRA https://twitter.com/repmattschaefer/status/1167989249745899521 …

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

2/x The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: “If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.” (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense).

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

2/x The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: “If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.” (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense).

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

3/x The Declaration of Independence acknowledges our rights thusly: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

3/x The Declaration of Independence acknowledges our rights thusly: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

4/x And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.” It wasn’t to protect people’s ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families.

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

4/x And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.” It wasn’t to protect people’s ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families.

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

5/x Stephen Willeford exercised that fundamental right when he risked his own life to stop the Sutherland Springs murderer, saving countless others as a result.

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

5/x Stephen Willeford exercised that fundamental right when he risked his own life to stop the Sutherland Springs murderer, saving countless others as a result.

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

6/x St. George Tucker, one of the most important scholars in early America, explained the reasons behind the Second Amendment as follows: “This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty. . . . The right of self defence is the first law of nature….”

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

6/x St. George Tucker, one of the most important scholars in early America, explained the reasons behind the Second Amendment as follows: “This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty. . . . The right of self defence is the first law of nature….”

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

7/x “…in most govts it has been the study of rulers to confine this right w/in the narrowest limits possible. Wherever…the right…to keep & bear arms is, under any…pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.”

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

Replying to @tedcruz

7/x “…in most govts it has been the study of rulers to confine this right w/in the narrowest limits possible. Wherever…the right…to keep & bear arms is, under any…pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.”

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

8/x That’s also why, post Civil War, disarming Black Americans was a critical objective of the KKK, and was memorialized in countless Jim Crow laws—to strip African-Americans of their God-given right to self-defense from violence.

---

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

8/x That’s also why, post Civil War, disarming Black Americans was a critical objective of the KKK, and was memorialized in countless Jim Crow laws—to strip African-Americans of their God-given right to self-defense from violence.

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

9/x I’m a Texan. What happened in Midland-Odessa—and El Paso, Santa Fe & Sutherland Springs—was sick, deranged & horrifying. We need to do MUCH more to stop violent criminals & those w/ dangerous mental illness BEFORE they murder & I’m leading the fight in the Senate to do so.

---

Ted Cruz

@tedcruz

 · Sep 1, 2019

9/x I’m a Texan. What happened in Midland-Odessa—and El Paso, Santa Fe & Sutherland Springs—was sick, deranged & horrifying. We need to do MUCH more to stop violent criminals & those w/ dangerous mental illness BEFORE they murder & I’m leading the fight in the Senate to do so.

Ted Cruz@tedcruz

10/x Playing politics w/ these deranged crimes—and trying to use them as an excuse to violate the constl rights of law-abiding citizens—won’t make anybody safer. Forcible gun confiscation (as some 2020 Dems urge) won’t prevent mass-murders. But it would weaken our self-defense.

---

Source: click here

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The post Alyssa Milano complains about Second Amendment rights: first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

On Tuesday, the president made clear he was listening. He reversed course and backed away from potential new restrictions on gun sales that he had embraced days after the massacres in California, Texas and Ohio, suggesting less controversial responses like more money for mental health care and stiffer prosecution of federal gun crimes.

“A lot of the people that who put me where I am are strong believers in the Second Amendment, and I am also,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

US President Donald Trump has backed down over gun control.  ALEX BRANDON/AP

hen he argued that any efforts to restrict gun sales would inevitably lead to confiscation of privately owned weapons from law-abiding citizens, although no one has proposed that drastic remedy on Capitol Hill.

“They call it the slippery slope,” he said. “And all of a sudden everything gets taken away. We’re not going to let that happen.”

Trump also retreated from his previous call for more aggressive background checks of people who buy firearms.

“We have very, very strong background checks right now,” he said.

The about-face followed a familiar pattern for Trump, a native New Yorker who lacks a personal affinity for guns but has championed gun rights since entering politics. Before he ran for president in 2015, he supported restrictions championed by Democrats, but now he fears upsetting his hard-core Republican supporters – especially as he heads into what polls indicate will be a difficult reelection race.

Trump’s gun control back down comes amid pressure from pro-gun groups in the US.  – SUSAN WALSH/AP

“Donald Trump has looked into the abyss of destroying his base and decided that isn’t something he wants to do,” said Mike Hammond, legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America, an advocacy group based in Virginia.

Although presidents often are forced to disappoint their most loyal fans when cutting political deals in Washington, Trump has been particularly wary of alienating his base. His latest retreat reflects not only his desire for adulation from the crowds that pack his rallies but also a recognition that turning out his passionate supporters in 2020 may be a better route to a second term than trying to attract undecided voters.

“Without the support of gun owners, it’s unlikely that Donald Trump would ever have been elected,” said Adam Winkler, a University of California, Los Angeles law professor who researches politics and gun laws. “He needed those votes and he got them.”

Trump initially appeared open to strengthening gun laws after recent shootings echoed across the nation.

On July 28, three people were shot to death at a garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif. Then, on August 3, a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 people in an attack that investigators say targeted Mexicans. The next day, nine people were killed outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio.

As the horrors sunk in, Trump addressed the nation from the White House on August 5. He said he supported “red flag” laws that would allow law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from people who courts determine to be an imminent threat to themselves or others. More than a dozen states, including California, already have such laws.

“We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do those firearms can be taken through rapid due process,” Trump said.

Four days later, Trump went further, telling reporters that “we have to have very meaningful background checks” before gun sales. He even talked with Senator Christopher S Murphy, an outspoken advocate for universal background checks and other reforms since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in his state in 2012.

“He expressed support for working together with Republicans and Democrats to come up with a background checks bill that can pass the Senate and save lives,” Murphy said at the time.

After that, pro-gun groups began blanketing Capitol Hill and the White House with emails and phone calls, demanding lawmakers block any new restrictions. The National Rifle Association, which usually hunkers down after mass shootings, publicly criticized what it called a push for “sound-bite solutions,” and its chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, spoke to Trump on the phone.

Activists argued that while public opinion polls show background checks for gun sales are extremely popular, such restrictions won’t stop mass shootings, which typically are committed by people who buy guns legally. The NRA has tried to point the president toward policies that could satisfy his desire to take some action worthy of a Rose Garden ceremony, without upsetting his pro-gun supporters.

They also called for stricter enforcement of existing laws, pointing to a standoff in Philadelphia last week where six police officers were wounded with an assault-style rifle. The suspect was a felon and should not have had access to a gun. He was later charged with attempted murder.

Trump tweeted about the shooting, saying “must get much tougher on street crime!”

Lobbying the president has required navigating Trump family politics. Ivanka, the president’s older daughter, and a White House adviser, backs increased gun restrictions. So pro-gun groups turned to Donald Jr, the president’s eldest son, and an avid hunter, to push back.

“The president’s son has a lot stiffer spine on the gun issue than the president, and I think a better handle on it,” said Dudley Brown, president of the Colorado-based National Association for Gun Rights, another advocacy group.

Pro-gun groups were hesitant to declare victory this week since lawmakers still could take action when Congress returns from its August recess next month.

Senator Joe Manchin III, a Democrat, and Senator Patrick J Toomey, a Republican, have authored a bipartisan measure to expand background checks, and Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, is pushing “red flag” legislation.

But the momentum for such change seems to have dissipated. Trump said little about gun control Thursday in Manchester, New Hampshire, in his first political rally since the shootings.

“It’s not the gun that pulls the trigger, it’s the person holding the gun,” he told crowd, which gave a rapturous response.

Trump’s critics cited a similar cycle after a gunman killed 17 students and teachers at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018. During a televised round table with bipartisan lawmakers, Trump voiced support for new restrictions and insisted that the NRA had “less power over me.”

But no new gun laws were passed, and at this point, it’s hard to see Congress passing, or the president signing, any new legislation.

“These retreats from President Trump are not only disappointing but also heartbreaking, particularly for the families of the victims of gun violence,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement.

John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, which pushes for stiffer gun laws, said Trump should be more aggressive because the NRA, which has faced internal power struggles and a scandal over lavish spending by its leaders, “has never been weaker.”

“Voters across the political spectrum are demanding change – and politicians who ignore them today will suffer the consequences in 2020,” he said.

MCT

Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/donald-trumps-america/115185533/trump-retreats-from-gun-control-proposals-three-weeks-after-us-mass-shootings

The post Trump retreats from gun control proposals, three weeks after US mass shootings first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Go ahead.  Look at the headlines of the major “news” outlets.  Try tuning in to the mainstream news networks or cable channels, and you’ll know what full-blown insanity looks like.  Up to this point, the writers, anchors and their guests have been somewhat clever in their linking of millions of American citizens to mass shootings and white supremacy.  They couched their accusations in terms that stopped just short of saying that President Trump and all who support his agenda were directly guilty of heinous crimes, and of course, white supremacy.

That changed this week.  In the wake of the El Paso Walmart massacre, the socialist candidates and mainstream media decided to go all the way.  The Walmart shooter (or somebody) posted a lengthy manifesto just prior to his hideous rampage which killed and injured random shoppers who had no idea what was happening.  You won’t hear it on the news, but he wrote that his emotional fury about the out-of-control flood across America’s southern border predated the presidency of Donald Trump, but said the fake news would probably blame Trump anyway.  Interestingly enough, that’s not the part that’s being reported.

But then there was another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.  This guy was fascinated with “extreme violence” and was a big supporter of violent Antifa activities.  Somehow, the mainstream knows nothing about him.  Last night the butch Mayor of Chicago said, “We still don’t know anything about the Dayton shooter.”  We don’t?!?  In fact, we know quite a bit, and it doesn’t fit the mainstream narrative.  But the Mayor of Chicago claimed not to know, and the interviewer let the statement go by unchallenged.  Sure, “news” people have no inkling about information already published and known by millions of Americans.  It’s incredible what they don’t know, or pretend not to know.

It’s gotten to the point where you can’t even check the mainstream to see what they’re saying without having them directly accuse you and everybody else who loves the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence or the Bible of being a bunch of racist accomplices to mass murder. The gaggle of presidential hopefuls have spoken almost as if one voice.  “It’s Trump’s fault.  His rhetoric instigated the mass murder in El Paso.  He has blood on his hands.  His supporters are all accomplices.”  That’s an accurate paraphrasing of what they’re all saying.  The bug-eyed sputterer said, “Trump izth directly rethponthible,” trying to downplay his carefully crafted speech impediment.

This, they believe is the best way to defeat logic, common sense, and any who dare use either.  Declare everyone who doesn’t demand an all-pervading socialist, gay, “diverse” and GREEN authoritarian gun-confiscating federal government a bunch of racist murderers.  That ought to fix us!

The strategy of the elite, the mainstream, the global warming diversity movement is becoming clearer by the minute.  They’ll accuse whoever won’t go along guilty of the most vile, evil, dangerous thoughts and motives.  After the murderous events in El Paso, Dayton, and one narrowly prevented in Springfield, Missouri, we’re all wondering how safe it is to be anywhere there’s a crowd.  But the major papers and networks are busy declaring all patriotic Americans accomplices to murderous racism.

It seems that Venezuela may remain in the hands of the ruinous socialist regime longer than anticipated.  It has managed to stay afloat by doing business with Turkey, China, and Russia, successfully eluding the full effect of U. S. sanctions.  So the Trump administration has slapped sanctions on several top regime officials.  It might not bring the regime down, but it will have an impact, just as it has in Iran.  Maybe Venezuela will be the new Cuba, destined for long-term poverty under the brutal totalitarianism of a socialist/communist dictatorship.

Europe continues to live with the blight and ever-present threat of violent attack from the Middle Easterners and Northern Africans imported under the insistence of the pope and German Chancellor.  The fact that daily incidents don’t rate notice in American headlines doesn’t mean they’re not occurring.  They are, and it’s enough to make you cry.

We’ll see if any meaningful action is taken against the big tech conglomerates.  They are primarily responsible for shaping public opinion, and every one of these major outlets is sworn to re-define what is truth, and make sure no one with common sense ever rises to a position of leadership again.  This is the kind of deception foretold for the end time in the prophecies of the Bible, and we now see how they’re going to pull it off.

Mark

Source: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/fridayupdates.php

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 9 August 2013 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.