Who Killed Charleston Hartfield?

by Michael Stevenson:

Charleston Hartfield died yesterday, at 34 years old. He was an off-duty Las Vegas police officer, gunned down by a madman in Las Vegas, one of 59 people murdered for no reason.

As well as being a son, a husband and a father, Hartfield was a military veteran. But there will be no outrage expressed by Republican politicians who typically fetishize U.S. war veterans.  There will be none of the anger these people displayed when football players protested racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.

More than 500 Americans were injured in the Las Vegas massacre. Most are still being treated in hospitals. In America, the victim’s medical care is not a “right” but a privilege. The person who brought 20 guns including military-style assault weapons into a Las Vegas hotel – he has “rights.”

Nevada law does not require firearms owners to have licenses or register their weapons, nor does it limit the number of firearms an individual posses. Automatic assault weapons and machine guns are also legal in the state.

President Trump and the NRA-controlled congress offer prayers, but not even a single proposal, nevermind solutions, to stop the insane gun violence in America.

Keep your prayers.

Who killed Charleston Hartfield? Who saw him die? Who caught his blood? Who’ll make the shroud? Who’ll dig his grave?

“I,” said the National Rifle Association.  Shares of gunmakers jumped more than 3% on Monday after the massacre.

 

New Releases: Le Semeur (The Sower)

Synopsis:

Violette is old enough to marry in 1852 when her mountain village is brutally deprived of all its men following the repression of the Republicans ordered by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. The women spend months in total isolation. Desperate to one day see their men again, they take an oath: if a man comes, he will be for everyone. Life must continue in the belly of each and every one of them.

Read more about this film at Unifrance | More Recent French Film Releases

 

The Joy of Sharing with Vin de France … for as little as $10!

Wines from Vin de France are ideal for sharing with friends and family. The variety of grapes, colors and styles means there’s always the right bottle for any occasion, from relaxed snacking to special celebrations. Whether you’re enjoying an impromptu picnic or a carefully-planned feast, Vin de France wines always make the moment special.

Happily, these exciting bottles are easy to spot: look for the Vin de France name on the label, along with details of grape varieties and vintage. Everything is crystal-clear, and thanks to wallet-friendly prices, wine lovers get more for their money. [ . . . ]

More at: The Joy of Sharing with Vin de France | Wine Enthusiast Magazine

The Stubborn Genius of Auguste Rodin

The hundredth anniversary of the death of Auguste Rodin prompts “Rodin at the Met,” a show of the Metropolitan Museum’s considerable holdings in works by the artist. But no occasion is really needed. Rodin is always with us, the greatest sculptor of the nearly four centuries since Gian Lorenzo Bernini perfected and exalted the Baroque. Matter made flesh and returned to matter, with clay cast in bronze: Rodin. (There are carvings in the show, too, but made by assistants whom he directed. He couldn’t feel stone.) You know he’s great even when you’re not in a mood for him [ . . . ]

Read Full Story: The Stubborn Genius of Auguste Rodin | The New Yorker

Is the Francis Era Ending the Catholic Bishops’ Cozy Ties to the GOP?

The severing of a relationship with a man who accused the pope of fostering “darkness” in the church prompted the USCCB to take the extraordinary step of issuing a statement confirming that the U.S. bishops “always stand in strong unity with and loyalty to the Holy Father, Pope Francis.” | More at: Is the Francis Era Ending the Catholic Bishops’ Cozy Ties to the GOP? | Religion Dispatches