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Dale Hansen: “I Thought Guns Don’t Kill People – People Do. Is This The People We Are?”

As we’ve come to expect, Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen often brings clarity and common sense to the forefront regarding painful challenges in the U.S.

Today’s commentary addresses the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.

“And here I thought guns don’t kill…people do. Is this the people we are?”

Just watch my man Dale.

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New York State Will Investigate Claims That Insurance Companies Denied Healthy Gay Men Coverage

According to reports, some insurance companies appear to be denying insurance policies to gay men who admit to taking medication that protects them from HIV infection.

Wait – what? These are healthy guys who are taking preventative steps to avoid HIV infection and insurance companies are holding it against them?

Not only is that not cool, it’s also probably illegal.

From The New York Times:

Such denials would amount to illegal discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the companies doing so could be penalized, said Maria T. Vullo, the state’s superintendent of financial services.

The investigation was triggered by an article published Tuesday by The New York Times, she said.

The Times reported that various insurers around the country had denied policies to gay men after learning they took Truvada, a cocktail of two anti-AIDS drugs, to avoid catching H.I.V. through sex. To get insurance, some men even stopped taking the protective drugs.

The practice — known as “pre-exposure prophylaxis,” or PrEP — is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies have shown that people who take the drug every day have nearly a zero chance of becoming infected, even if they are in a long relationship with an H.I.V.-infected person or have sex with many strangers without condoms.

The investigation was prompted by another story in the NY Times about a doctor who couldn’t get disability insurance because he admitted to taking PrEP.

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News Round-Up: February 15, 2018

Danny Jones

Some news items you might have missed:

• “Tree Man” Danny Jones (above) – who has over 850K followers on Instagram thanks to his incredible body, handsome face and inspiring thoughts – has his own insecurities in life. Check out his post on overcoming perceived “weaknesses” on his Instagram here.

• Woofy openly gay Marine Neil Rafferty has announced he plans on running for the Alabama State House.

• Jeffrey Tambor, the Emmy-winning star of Transparent where he plays trans woman “Maura Pfefferman, will not be returning for the show’s upcoming fifth season after multiple claims of sexual misconduct have been raised against him.

• Out Hollywood wonder boy Ryan Murphy (American Crime Story, GLEE, American Horror Story, Feud) has inked a five-year, $300 million deal to create and produce for Netflix.

• Out Canadian figure skater Eric Radford, who became the first openly gay man to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics on this past Sunday, has announced he and partner Meagan Duhamel will retire immediately after these Winter Olympic Games. Radford and Duhamel won another medal, this time bronze, last night in the pairs competition.

• Bristol Palin, daughter of former half-term Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has publicly criticized US Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon for refusing to meet with virulently anti-LGBT Vice President Mike Pence. You know, the paid spokesperson for teen celibacy who gave birth to two children out of wedlock? Yeah, her.

• Out singer Calum Scott has recorded a duet version of his single, “You Are The Reason,” with 3-time Grammy nominee Leona Lewis. The solo version of the track has garnered over 50 million streams online and the music video has over 40 million views.

You can check out the talented Mr. Scott with Ms. Lewis below. The track comes from Scott’s debut album Only Human due out March 9th.

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Update On Florida High School Shooting

Accused Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz

The latest news regarding yesterday’s hideous gun massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.

That death toll could rise.

• The shooter, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

• According to Dr. Evan Boyer, Broward Health North received a total of nine patients, including the suspect who was treated and released to authorities. Two patients died, three have been discharged, while another three remain in the hospital.

• Doctor Menendez of Broward Health Emergency told reporters that out of the seven patients they received, two remain in critical but stable condition and the other five have been a released.

• Gov. Rick Scott of Florida told the press he plans to meet with state lawmakers to secure more funding for school safety and the treatment of mental illness. “If we have somebody that’s mentally ill, they can’t have access to a gun,” Mr. Scott said.

• A leader of a white nationalist group has confirmed Cruz was member of his organization and participated in organized drills. #VeryFinePeople

Nothing I can say about these tragedies can express the sheer pain and frustration as the words of this mother can:

And then there’s this:

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Trump Calls Out “Mentally Disturbed” Shooter, Fails To Mention He Revoked Gun Regulation For People With Mental Illness

In the painful aftermath of the high school gun shooting in Florida yesterday, Donald Trump took to Twitter today to shift the discussion from any meaningful gun control measures to the idea that the shooter was apparently mentally ill.

Trump wrote, “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

The Trumpster almost seems to be blaming the students and neighbors for not reporting the shooter.

According to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the shooter was “a client at a mental health clinic” though he had not been at the clinic in more than a year.

What Trump failed to include was that he signed a bill into law a year ago that rolled back Obama-era regulations that made it harder for those with a history of mental illness to obtain a gun.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters, “While people in this country with mental health issues are being treated they should not be able to buy, surround themselves, purchase or carry a hand gun. Those two things don’t mix.”

Sounds like a logical idea to me.

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Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy Would Not Accept An Invitation To The Trump White House

Gus Kenworthy says he would not accept an invitation to visit the Trump White House

Out US Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy told CBS This Morning he agrees with fellow Team USA athlete Adam Rippon in his opposition to Vice President Pence and the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT policies and positions.

Speaking to CBS News’ Don Dahler,” Kenworthy said he had “no patience” for the administration’s actions “attacking” the LGBT community.

From The Hill:

“When we have people elected into office that believe in conversion therapy and are trying to strip trans rights in the military and do these things that are directly attacking the LGBT community, I have no patience,” he said.

His comments appear to reference claims that Vice President Mike Pence supported “gay conversion therapy,” which Pence’s office has denied.

Kenworthy earlier this month called Pence a “bad fit” to lead the U.S. delegation to Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“I am so proud to be from the U.S. and to be from a country where you are able to voice your political opinions and stand up for what you believe in,” Kenworthy said on CBS on Thursday.

The woofy freestyle skier from Telluride, Colorado, added that he sees this moment as one of the first gay Americans to compete at a Winter Games as an opportunity to “shed people’s misconceptions” about LGBT athletes.

“I definitely carry a little bit of a burden with me, being a gay athlete going to the Olympics,” said Kenworthy. “I think that there’s pressure… and I think that it kind of gives us a chance to shed people’s misconceptions and just kind of like break down barriers.”

I love this guy.

You can watch Kenworthy’s comments below.

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Former FBI Agent Has Had Enough Of The Mass School Shootings

Just when you think we might grow immune to these mass shootings (like the GOP has), today we saw a tough, experienced former FBI agent break down in tears over today’s shooting in Florida.

Philip Mudd is about as tough as you can get. He’s interviewed terrorists without blinking.

“I have ten nieces and nephews,” Mudd said. “We’re talking about bump stocks, we’re talking about legislation. A child of god is dead. Can we not acknowledge in this country that we cannot accept this?”

“I can’t do it, Wolf,” he told CNN’s Wolff Blitzer. “I’m sorry, I can’t do it.” Blitzer mercifully moved on to another analyst.

I’ve never seen him get emotional in any way when explaining the whys and wherefores of terrorist events.

This is rough. America has had enough.

Thanks for the prayers and condolences, but can our lawmakers do SOMETHING?

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Florida: Numerous Fatalities Reported At Broward County High School

From The New York Times:

Numerous fatalities were reported in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon at a high school about an hour northwest of Miami.

The authorities said there were 14 victims, but did not say if they were injured or dead. The Broward County Public Schools confirmed fatalities, but would not say how many. Television images showed students running away from the school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and law enforcement officers around the building.

The Broward County sheriff’s office wrote on Twitter that the suspect is now in custody and the scene is still active.

“The shooter was not a current student,” Sheriff Scott Israel said on Twitter.

Senator Bill Nelson told MSNBC there were multiple fatalities. Two hospitals, Broward Health North in Pompano Beach and Broward Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, received multiple patients, according to Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the hospitals.

“There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation,” Robert W. Runcie, the Broward schools superintendent, told CNN. “It is a horrible day for us.”

Donald Trump and the Republicans have refused to take any consequential measures or enact any meaningful legislation in an effort to regulate guns, bullets, or accessories like “bump stocks” used in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting last year in Las Vegas.

This is the 19th school shooting this year.

The good news is Donald Trump just tweeted his “prayers and condolences” so everything should be just hunky dory. That’ll fix everything, right?