Les Beastiables ("Les Bez"): Beasties say the darnedest things!
Today's Beastiable is Jeb Bushbaby. He's a bit dangerous because he seems to have prematurely announced he is running for President, a bit ridiculous because he seems to have prematurely announced he is running for President. He has made multiple beastly statements, so has more than earned his turn as one of Les Beastiables.
NOTE: This series features a new Les Beastiables cartoon every Wednesday about 1:30-1:45 PM Eastern. We indulge in a little Franglish because the French are tres classy. But I digresse.
For serious source information, please join me below the orange squirming of beasties on the hot seat. Then you'll be able to "cleanse your palate" with a cute photo before you leave.
According to Business Insider, murders committed by firearms across Florida spiked after passage of the Florida "stand your ground" bill signed into law by then-Governor Jeb Bush, and it was far from a one-year aberration. Florida murders by firearms reached a high of 873 in 1990, decreased steadily to a low of 460 in 1999, and bounced slightly up and down between 460 and 586 (521 in 2005) until 2006, when the "stand your ground" law went into effect. In 2006 there were 740 murders by firearms, an increase of 42% over the year before; in 2007 there were 825 murders by firearms. The numbers since have decreased somewhat but remain elevated over the numbers from the late 1990s and early 2000s, with 696 such murders in 2013 and 687 in 2014.
Furthermore, the "stand your ground" defense has made prosecutions in Florida a mess, as detailed in this investigation by the Tampa Bay Times. The law is vague, allowing similar crimes to result in widely different outcomes, from no charges filed to life in prison. Not surprisingly, 73% of defendants claiming "stand your ground" who killed a black person faced no penalty compared to 59% of those who killed a white person. And the number of cases claiming "stand your ground" is increasing. Clearly the "equal protection clause" of the 14th Amendment is strained to the breaking point.
Now here's Jeb at the NRA annual meeting in April of 2015:
For those who don't want to listen to the entire NRA-pandering speech, here's my transcription of the "stand your ground" part (7:27-8:24), bolding mine:
Florida was one of the first states to make the "castle doctrine" the law of the land. If someone enters your home and you fear for your safety, you shouldn't have to try to escape first. Before the law was passed, juries were being told that you were supposed to run away from your home rather than defend yourself and your family. So we fixed that. And we built on that concept with the principle that you can "stand your ground". In Florida, you can defend yourself anywhere you have a legal right to be if you reasonably believe you are in danger of death or injury or rape or kidnapping. This is a sensible law that other states have adopted, because you shouldn't have to choose between being attacked or going to jail. The only thing you should be worried about is keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.
Keep in mind that the statistics above are from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and are listed as "murders by firearms". So we're not talking about an increase in self defense statistics. We're talking about an increase in murders. Presumably because, given the "stand your ground" law, criminals think they are much more likely to be able to get away with murder. Not really so safe now, is it?
Beastliness remembered is beastliness held accountable. We will never forget. But we will have some laughs along the way. You may find other sayings by the same public figures equally as bad or worse compared to the beastly sayings I've chosen. In other words, your cringeage may vary. Please feel free to discuss.
As promised, just for fun is a photo of bushbabies just hanging out in the bush:
Please consider this an open thread. Feel free to comment below on this or other topics and post your own links.
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