“Now is not the time to be silenced or intimidated. As long as children anywhere are being killed by gun violence, we will keep fighting for our kids—because they deserve leaders who stand up for them, stand up to the gun lobby, and fight for real change.” Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine

Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez (23 December 1993 - 23 May 2014) 

Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez (23 December 1993 - 23 May 2014)

“How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?”

Book: Bulleh Shah [Sufi poet] Avowed

Bulleh Shah (1680-1757) translated from the Punjabi by Alverston & Associates.

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

But if I speak the truth, it kindles the bonfire; if I do not speak the truth, it destroys all; my heart fears both circumstances, I speak with an utmost caution.

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

These courtyard aberrations are quite the slippery slope; walk with caution and grit in this pitch lightlessness.

First and foremost, look inside yourself and earnestly unearth that undiscovered mercy; why do people search for relevance outside their selves?

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

Those who accept nonconforming reservations with the secret self-restraints of an ascetic, they are the ones who build the pathways to that inner soul beyond credence.

They are the dwellers of happy dwellings; a world in which there are no upper or lower classes.

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

One indispensable stipulation is a respect for all; I know this fact alone today, but so must all people understand this law certainly before tomorrow.

Inside each and every one of our hearts, resides the face of a higher power; somewhere it is apparent, somewhere it is concealed.

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

This understanding is confirmatory of my learning, attendant there is truth and every word is true.

Apart from this, all the wrangling is superfluous, for no reason the rowdy brood and manufacture tumult.

How can this indisputable discourse clamoring upon my restraint tongue remain unspoken?

Bulleh-a! The Higher Power is not detached from us!

Without the Higher Power, we are just specks of dust, have eyes but no sight!

That is why you suffer separation from Him et al! He et al are undeniably you!

Book: Clinton, Hillary Rodham. Stronger Together. Simon & Shuster, Incorporated, 2016.

Pages 204-207: “End the epidemic of gun violence.”

Something is wrong in our country. There is too much gun violence, too much hate, too much senseless killing, and too many people dead who shouldn’t be. An average of ninety people a day are killed by guns in the United States. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young African American men—more than the next nine leading causes combined. It is time we do something about the gun violence epidemic that is sweeping across our communities and terrorizing our families.

The horrific tragedy in Orlando this year—the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history—shed a bright light on the deep flaws in our country’s gun laws. The Orlando gunman had previously been investigated by the FBI for having potential ties to terrorism—and yet he was able to legally purchase an assault rifle that he would later use to kill forty-nine people without the sale being so much as flagged for the FBI. Weapons of war like this one have no place on our streets, and we need comprehensive background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

People on the terror watch list have tried to buy guns more than 2,400 times since 2005—and 90 percent of those purchases were successful. This is because the federal government currently does not prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms. In 2007, the Bush administration proposed legislation to change that. The proposal—which has the support of more than two-thirds of gun owners—would allow the FBI to stop gun sales to known and suspected terrorists. And yet the NRA and its allies have blocked the bill in every Congress since it was first proposed. We will prioritize closing the “terror gap” once and for all.

We’re not here to repeal the Second Amendment. We’re not here to take away your guns.

We just don’t want you to be shot by somebody who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place.

Even if the FBI had the power to block gun sales to terror suspects, that alone would do little to stop terrorists from obtaining guns. That’s because under federal law, background checks are only required for gun sales at brick-and-mortar stores—not purchases at gun shows or online.

We are smart enough and strong enough as a nation to figure out how to protect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, gang members, other violent criminals, and the severely mentally ill. Despite all the political noise, Americans are actually united on this issue. The vast majority of Americans support comprehensive background checks. In fact, the conservative pollster Frank Luntz found that 82 percent of gun owners and 74 percent of NRA members support background checks for anyone buying a gun. Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly support them. As do leaders in law enforcement. So this isn’t a matter of building popular support. We already have it. This is a matter of making elected officials do their jobs to keep our communities safe.

A good first step is closing the “Charleston Loophole” in our gun laws, which enables a person who is otherwise prohibited from buying a gun, such as a domestic abuser or other violent criminal, to buy one if their background check isn’t completed within three business days. This loophole allowed the alleged shooter at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, to buy his gun despite his prior arrest record.

And we will stand up to the gun lobby. Under an immunity law passed by a Republican-controlled Congress in 2005, victims of gun violence cannot legally hold irresponsible gun dealers or manufacturers accountable in most cases where their actions endanger Americans. Since the law was passed, nearly every lawsuit filed against gun manufacturers has been dismissed. The executive vice president of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, has called the immunity law “the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in 20 years.” We will repeal this law entirely and hold the gun industry accountable.

Now is not the time to be silenced or intimidated. As long as children anywhere are being killed by gun violence, we will keep fighting for our kids—because they deserve leaders who stand up for them, stand up to the gun lobby, and fight for real change.

Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine