It's only politicization when liberals do it...

Hmm...the freest, most prosperous, safest country on Earth? On Earth? I just...that's what Ted Cruz shot back with when a reporter questioned how it is that we have a mass shooting every single day in America while other countries, you know, don't. 

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. I'm wearing ear plugs while I play with
this military-grade firearm that anyone in Texas, age eighteen and up 
is free to purchase without a permit. Because safety is important."

-Senator Ted Cruz

Pictured: Cruz, not answering the question.

The reporter, Mark Stone, from Sky News asked Cruz--huh? Yeah, Sky News. That's right, Stone isn't even American. And coming from not America, is perhaps somewhat more aware of how fucked up it is that this happens all the time here. Anyway, he asked Cruz if maybe now it would be a good time to talk about some reforms and Cruz lost his ever-loving mind accusing Stone of making it about politics and oh how the media loves politics and can't you vultures just be satisfied with expressions of sadness and vague promises that something should be done?

Oh. I get it. Never. We're never supposed
to call for gun law reform. How clever...

Ok, I'm paraphrasing, but I'm not wrong.  Every time a mass shooting happens and someone dares ask a Republican about gun-laws, they immediately accuses them of politicizing a tragedy. But how is it political to ask elected officials to help prevent something terrible from happening again? Is there some amount of time after a shooting in which we can ask them to do something? How much time? And with mass shootings happening every day, when are we supposed to--oh...

Yeah. It's almost like they have a vested interest in not doing anything. 

Pictured: a vested interest.

Above: basically the entire
Republican Party.

Sure it's easy to paint the Republicans as mustache twirling villains who put political donations ahead of people's lives...huh? What? Oh, you thought there was a "but" coming. There's not. They are actually putting political donations ahead of people's lives. And it's not just guns. Look at their decades-long struggle to overturn Roe v. Wade. Or their love of LBGTQ+ erasure. Or climate change denial. Or shouting "back the blue" while people of color are being murdered by cops. Sorry, I'm being a drag but there isn't a plank in the GOP platform right now that isn't demonstrably lethal to someone.

Sure, it might have been a little rude, but bear
in mind that Greg Abbott is a tremendous asshole.

What I'm getting at is that Mark Stone's questioning of Ted Cruz was great. Like, an example of what journalists are supposed to be. I think it's about not being polite anymore. Beto O'Rourke interrupted Greg Abbott's press conference the other day to ask him why he isn't doing more, and the Republicans dismissed it a political stunt and called O'Rourke a disgrace and had him thrown out, but I'm wondering if they just don't know what to do when people call them on their shit.

I mean, these people stormed the Capitol because they didn't like the outcome of the election (yup, bringing that up again), so they don't get to accuse anyone of politicizing anything ever again. Nor do they get to silence descent by pretending to be outraged by someone having the temerity to question them. 

"How dare you, a lowly journalist, ask me, a U.S. Senator, what I'm going
to do in my capacity as an elected official to address a serious issue that has
been killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. The impertinence!"

-Ted Cruz, evidently unclear as to his own job description