Media Black Out of Unspeakable Loss, Wounded Bodies, and Hearts Torn Out is Indefensible!

I'm not going to talk a lot.

I get the issue of common sense gun safety is multi-faceted.

I get the GOP is nullifying President Obama's presidency and by extension the 10's of millions of people who elected him.

I get Hillary bias in main stream media precludes their coverage of her presidential level commitment to the issue.

What I don't get is main stream media's choice to be complicit in blocking the issue as a critical issue in the lives of so many!

Rightly or wrongly, the losses at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook people more than previous losses.

 Rightly or wrongly, The “Mothers of the Movement” reminded people how often such losses take place. 

Rightly or wrongly, Hillary Clinton is reminding people how apathetic we are to it.

And, she is doing something about it!

People are dying; survivors are wounded, physically, mentally, spiritually; and our system of government can do something about it.

On paper we care but our election outcomes do not reflect it.

It is time to insist main stream media stop the blackout of the the victims of gun violence  and begin the conversation in the context of the 2016 General Election because the personal is political!

I have selected, for sharing, a handful of pieces that have impacted me the most, both via video and print.

 If you've missed them, I encourage you to take the time to read and or to watch/listen to them. Once you have, I further encourage you to share them, and similar stories that may have impacted you, with your favorite main stream media person and to ask them why we are not talking about unspeakable loss, wounded bodies, hearts torn out and strategies to limit the damage being done every single day.

(Most media types can be easily searched and reached via a variety of search engines and platforms.)

You can share my media blackout meme on Twitter here, if you'd like to!

Last week, Hillary went to Hartford, Connecticut where she attended a conversation on gun violence held at the Wilson-Gray YMCA. The discussion included families that have lost loved ones as a direct result of shootings or gun violence. During the 90-minute conversation, a number of the family members shared their stories and the group took questions from the audience, 

You can see the 90-minute video here

(Video, courtesy of U.S. Policy 2016!)

In early March, Hillary's campaign published “Mothers who lost children to gun violence & police actions stand with Hillary in a powerful new ( 3-minute) video

… Last year, Hillary Clinton met with mothers who have lost their children to gun violence, police, and racially charged incidents.

After that meeting, Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton; and Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, talked about how it felt to be in that room. … “

You can see the 3-minute video here

In late February, “These moms are turning grief into action—and reclaiming the narrative around their children’s deaths”

The mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Dontre Hamilton, and Jordan Davis share what it’s like fight for justice alongside one another. ... “

You can read the article here 

Also, in late February, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Capt. Mark Kelly shared a panel with Moms who lost their children to gun violence and police actions at the "Breaking Down Barriers Forum" at the Central Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C.

“We endorsed her because she endorsed us.”

You can read the story and you can watch the full video here

And, last but not least, Hillary recently released:

“Daughter Of Slain Sandy Hook Principal Supports Clinton In New Ad

“The daughter of the principal killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School is supporting Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton in a new television ad that began airing Wednesday.

"No one is fighting harder to reform our gun laws than Hillary," Erica Smegielski, the daughter of Dawn Hochsprung, says in. "She is the only candidate who has what it takes to take on the gun lobby. She reminds me of my mother: she isn't scared of anything." … “

You can read the story and you can see the ad here

Enough said...

Thank you for reading!

G., aka Partisan Democrat

( Please follow me at http://gkmtnblogs.blogspot.com/

where you can sign up for an e-mail notification when GKMTNblogs posts! You can also follow me at http://networkforhillary.blogspot.com/ for an opportunity to help Hillary win daily! )

It Feels Like a Great Time to Ponder: “Are You Biased against Women Leaders?" Or not?

As a woman who has reached some level of maturity I've often wondered if I harbor biases based on my experiences growing up in a particular environment, so I was excited, especially at a time when the election of a woman to the presidency of the U.S. might be imminent, to find an opportunity to explore biases I might have against women leaders through an online test from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Mind you, I've minimal grasp of how it all works and I recognize that one online test is not the end all be all but I trust the two collaborators I am somewhat familiar with ~ The AAUW and Harvard University to give me some insight into myself on the topic so I took the test!

Summary:  A brief introduction to the test; a copy of the thank you I received once I clicked in so you can take note of the fact that this is a real inquiry and your responses will be collected and my initial; a link to the test and my brief outcome follow.

***

“Are You Biased against Women Leaders?

February 10, 2016

If asked, most of us would say that discrimination against women in the workplace is wrong and unacceptable. Unfortunately, research shows that treating women and men equally in hiring decisions, job evaluations, and leadership positions is more of an ideal than a reality.

 So if we agree that sex discrimination is wrong, why is it still happening? One answer is that many of us harbor unconscious biases that can affect our judgment, even though we may be unaware of them. Uncovering these unconscious, or implicit, biases can be the first step to eliminating them.

So how do we uncover them? AAUW has collaborated with Project Implicit and Harvard University researchers to create a test that looks at the mental associations we make between gender and a variety of concepts, many of which affect our beliefs about women in positions of leadership. … “

***

Note: Per AAUW you will be taking the test and your data will be collected...

"Welcome! 

Thank you for coming to the AAUW Implicit Association Test web page. 

The AAUW Implicit Association Test (IAT) on gender and leadership and the brief informational survey that follows should take about 10-15 minutes. The AAUW IAT is designed for you to dedicate a few minutes to understanding the directions, and then, once you begin the test, push yourself to go as fast as you can. 

The AAUW IAT asks the test taker to sort words into expected categories as quickly as possible. Before you begin the task, you will see a list of the words organized by the expected category. 

After completing the AAUW IAT and brief survey items, you will receive an assessment of your performance on the AAUW IAT, a measure of the strength of your associations regarding women and leadership. 

Your AAUW IAT data and survey responses will be saved as anonymous data that may be used for AAUW research purposes that never identify the test taker. 

Please be aware you will need to use a desktop or laptop computer to complete the study. Tablet and phone users will be unable to complete the study on those devices. … “

You can take the test here

***

Fascinating: I am of the mind that I am highly biased toward women in leadership but the interpretation of my my test said: Maybe not!

"Thank you for contributing to the AAUW's research on the topic of gender and leadership. 

Below is the interpretation of your AAUW Implicit Association Test (IAT) performance

Your data suggest no automatic preference between Male and Female."

(One never knows what one is going to find, does one?)

Thank you for reading!

G., aka Partisan Democrat

( Please follow me at http://gkmtnblogs.blogspot.com/

where you can sign up for an e-mail notification when GKMTNblogs posts! You can also follow me at http://networkforhillary.blogspot.com/ for an opportunity to help Hillary win daily! )

Another Opportunity to Get Hillary's Back ~ Virtually ~ Throughout April 14 re a Democratic Debate Hosted by CNN & Held in Brooklyn! #ImWithHer #ShesWithUs

You can share the meme here if you'd like!

Join me in getting Hillary's back Thursday, April 14!  

All you need is a social media account on Twitter, Facebook, etc., to participate...

"CNN TO HOST DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN BROOKLYN 

... the network will host a presidential primary debate on Thursday, April 14 from 9 to 11 p.m. EST. Wolf Blitzer will moderate.The candidates will take questions from Blitzer, along with CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash and NY1 “Inside City Hall” Host and CNN Political Commentator Errol Louis.

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE, TOO, by informing social media followers about Hillary and her policies at a time when millions of eyes will be scanning every word across all social media platforms for the best comments and memes.

IT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY for Hillary supporters to share her message: 

~ To suggest questions directly by contacting Wolf Blitzer here

~ To promote Hillary as the best choice for President by posting across favorite social media platforms throughout the day and evening on Thursday, April 14th!

Personally, I'm a Tweeter and I like to schedule my Tweets throughout the day because it frees me up to do live response work leading up to and during the debate but if everyone, aside from taking action in real time, can just schedule something at a personally convenient time, that would be awesome. Hillary Time all day!!! And, remember hashtag #ImWithHer ! 

  You can sign on and let Hillary know you've got her back here 

You can find more information on the CNN event here

(Always confirm info as everything is subject to change.) 

* Here are my top five favorite posts (today!) to get you started ~ 

You can share the meme on Twitter here

You can share the meme on Twitter here

You can share the meme on Twitter here

You can share the meme on Twitter here 

You can share the meme on Twitter here

Thank you for reading!

G., aka Partisan Democrat

( Please follow me at http://gkmtnblogs.blogspot.com/

where you can sign up for an e-mail notification when GKMTNblogs posts! You can also follow me at http://networkforhillary.blogspot.com/ for an opportunity to help Hillary win daily! )

Ignorance: Not a Choice Anyone Should be Making when Deciding who will Represent in a 21st Century World...

Having said that ^^^

Please allow me to demonstrate how easy it is to go a known source and to be an informed voter by using my candidate for the 2016 Democratic Nomination for President as an example via “The Briefing,” which is one of my favorite sources!

(You know my candidate is Hillary, right?)

Here are my top 5 issues briefs from her camp (today!)

~ not from her opposition: Sanders, Media and/or GOP!:

" ... Harnessing the Strength of Manufacturing Nationwide, as she did in Upstate New York

Hillary believes that manufacturing matters because workers who build things here are the heart of our economy. Well-paying manufacturing jobs support families, and making things in America here is critical to our innovation and prosperity. Throughout her career and in this campaign, Hillary stood up for American manufacturing.

As Senator, Hillary fought for workers and manufacturers in New York. She stood up to China when they tried to put tariffs on New York’s exports. In communities across the state, from Buffalo to Rochester to Albany, Hillary brought together government at every level, workers, and businesses large and small to join and invest in good-paying jobs and production in the state. Today, in Syracuse, Hillary is providing more detail on her vision for American manufacturing, with a $10 billion investment in “Make it in America Partnerships” that will take her strategy to stand with manufacturers in upstate New York nationwide. This new proposal will be largely paid for based on revenues from Clinton’s previously announced “clawback” proposal that would rescind tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs abroad.

While too many politicians and experts in Washington gave up on American manufacturing, Hillary never did. That’s why she believes we need a comprehensive strategy to break down all the barriers to making things here, and ensure America’s global leadership in manufacturing. We need to buy what America makes: 100's of billions of dollars of investment in our nation’s infrastructure and making America the world’s clean energy superpower will drive demand for jobs, equipment, and production here. And she will oppose trade agreements, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that do not meet her high standards for creating good jobs, raising wages, and enhancing our national security.

Last Dec., Hillary put forward five principles for winning the global race for manufacturing jobs. Today, she is providing more detail on the principle of harnessing the strength of manufacturing communities nationwide through “Make it in America” partnerships, reiterating the principles she has already discussed throughout this campaign: ... "

You can read more here  

“... And it means we need to support our coal miners, their families, and their communities. Coal will remain a part of the energy mix for years to come, and we have a shared responsibility to ensure that coal communities receive the benefits they have earned—and can build the future they deserve. That’s what my plan does, by safeguarding retirement and healthcare benefits and school funding, creating good-paying jobs in infrastructure, reclaiming and repurposing abandoned mining sites, expanding broadband, and investing in hydropower and clean energy. And I will launch a Coal Communities Challenge Fund to support the locally-driven economic development in health care, housing, and small business that is happening by coal communities, for coal communities. ..."

You can read more here

" ... Senator Sanders is attacking Hillary Clinton over contributions from people who work in the financial industry – but here’s an important note: Despite taking more campaign contributions from Wall Street than any candidate in history, no donation stopped President Obama from enacting tough Wall Street reforms. The truth is progressives, analysts and reformers have praised her approach to tackling risk in our financial system while protecting financial reforms from Republican attack: ... "

You can read more here

This has to be a national priority. What happened in Flint is immoral. The children of Flint are just as precious as the children of any part of America.

– Hillary Clinton, House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, Flint, Michigan, February 7, 2016

Hillary Clinton knows that the children of Flint have waited too long for help. For nearly two years their parents spoke out about problems with the city’s water—only to be silenced and ignored. Later, scientists and pediatricians backed their concerns up with evidence—and yet they were told that they still did not have proof that there was a real problem.

We now know that the population of Flint has been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead in the water—and the children who have been exposed are most likely to suffer long-term consequences. Hillary Clinton has called on Governor Snyder to resign, but she knows that alone doesn’t solve the problem.

Enough is enough: Hillary Clinton is not going to wait to help the people of Flint. After visiting herself and sending her daughter and senior campaign officials to learn more from community leaders and experts on what the community needs most, she has announced that she would: ... "

You can read more here

" ... Hillary Clinton has a plan to help 40 million Americans with their debt by focusing on five key elements.  Sanders talks so much about free public college – But he doesn’t spend much time on the people who have debt right now.  Here are the five key elements of Hillary’s plan with a ✔ (Sanders’ plan covers it) or an X (Sanders’ plan doesn’t cover it). ... "

You can read more here

*

You can find more Hillary issues briefs here

And you can find more detailed information on all Hillary's issues here

Thank you for reading!

G., aka Partisan Democrat

( Please follow me at http://gkmtnblogs.blogspot.com/

where you can sign up for an e-mail notification when GKMTNblogs posts! You can also follow me at http://networkforhillary.blogspot.com/ for an opportunity to help Hillary win daily! )

( * The "ignorance is a choice" meme is courtesy of: http://quotesgram.com/information-age-quotes/ )