Because this is Missouri and there’s no shortage of racism, I also want you all to know about one of the worst bills I have ever seen in Missouri General Assembly.
Senate Bill 666 makes Missouri a safe haven for the lynching of black men.
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That this bill is in direct response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the reckless actions of the McClosky’s + the sham that was the Rittenhouse trial there is no doubt.
But before delving into the new law, let’s recap where Missouri is currently in terms of crime law.
Recall, that Missouri is now a safe haven for criminals using guns.
In 2021, it became illegal for local law enforcement to work with federal law officials if the crime involved the use of a firearm.
In fact, local authorities have let fugitives go for fear of violating that law and being fined $50,000.
America’s foremost breeding ground for domestic terrorism—with local law enforcement unable to work with the feds or stop gun crime.
And now, we have SB 666 sitting in the Missouri Senate.
This new piece of legislation would shield those claiming they acted in self-defense from having to prove that their fear was reasonable.
Let’s break that down for anyone not wasting away in law school debt.
Under current law, and the law of the entire country, to prove you acted in self-defense you have the burden of proving you reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to defend yourself or others.
No one has a right to inflict harm upon another—but as a society we recognize that if your life is out into jeopardy by another you have a right to defend yourself.
However, you then have to justify why you believed your life was in jeopardy.
SB 666 would change that.
It would grant anyone who claims self-defense the benefit of believing they were acting reasonably. No proof necessary. Just the presumption the person acted in good faith.
That’s right.
If you kill someone in the street, and claim it was self-defense, you are “immune from criminal prosecution” and the police “may not arrest” you, unless they think your use of force was unlawful.
And you can only be prosecuted if the state can prove by “clear and convincing evidence” that you didn’t act reasonably.
This shifts the burden completely off of the individual who has already—by virtue of claiming self-defense—admitted committing a violent act.
It means that person doesn’t have to justify their actions or explain to a jury’s satisfaction that they reasonably feared for their life.
This law makes the presumption that anyone claiming self-defense is telling the truth.
Combine that with the fact local law enforcement can’t investigate federal gun crimes any longer and what you’re creating in Missouri is a legal framework that makes the state a safe haven for criminal activity.
A place where murder + lynching is self-defense.
Never forget that when far too many view blackness as a deadly weapon, there will always be people who feel justified in “protecting” themselves from it.
So they legalize murder.
SB 666 is that law.
BONUS TWEET:
SB666 was given a hearing this morning.
@CoMo_Kristin provided this thread capturing the testimony for and against the bill.
Check it out to learn more about how this is advancing in Missouri.
Billion dollar corporations over here using the second amendment as cover while they prey on every parent's worst nightmare.
Why can't we pass gun safety reforms?
Time to talk about the $3B school security industry and the rising school security industrial complex.
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During his farewell address President Eisenhower warned government "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists + will persist."
Such an unwarranted influence increasingly exists as school security industry leaders advise legislators and superintendants to protect their schools with the products they sell.
This misplaced power and influence has given rise to the school security industrial complex.
When I was twelve, I came home from school early + turned on the television. I planned to watch MTV, but there was breaking news--students killed at Columbine High School.
Eight years later, I sat in horror as college students like myself jumped out of windows at VA Tech.
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Eleven months later SWAT busted into my Renaissance Literature class looking for a gunman.
To this day, every single time I learn of a mass shooting my brain returns to that moment when a barrell of a gun was pointed at my face and all I could think about was death.
Four years later, I finished my Torts final as a first year law student and less than 150 miles away 20 first graders were violently murdered in Newtown, Connecticut.
You know how less than 3 weeks ago the Alito opinion was leaked + suddenly Republican politicians noticed a baby formula shortage that’s been an issue since February—but 192 of them voted against solving that problem?
Yeah. So.
Reminder of how the 1/6 investigation is going.
Sunday, May 1st, the January 6th Committee formally requested information and cooperation from three Members of Congress: Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Mo Brooks, and Rep. Ronny Jackson.
Meanwhile, in Missouri, HB 2149 was truly agreed to and finally passed.
It’s a bill on physical therapist licensure, so you may have missed the provision where pharmacists have a gag order prohibiting them from telling patients about dangers related to certain medications.
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Specifically, “a pharmacist shall not contact the prescribing physician or the patient to dispute the efficacy of ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets for human use…” unless the doctor or patient specifically asks.
This is, of course, at odds with the standard practice + responsibilities of pharmacists.
Consulting with patients about the “safe and effective use” of medications is literally the first activity the Missouri Board of Pharmacy recognizes as a pharmacist’s responsibility.
I’m sorry, but this is quite misleading to most folks who aren’t used to deciphering poll data. And it most certainly does not show that Lucas is the “only” campaign that can stop Greitens.
He believes that American "[g]overnment serves Christ’s kingdom rule; this is its purpose. And Christians’ purpose in politics should be to advance the kingdom of God—to make it more real, more tangible, more present. Or should I say, to immanentize the eschaton."