Oakland Shootings.

[BIAD]

Mushrooms... Friend or Foe?

Half Moon Bay: Seven dead in another California mass shooting

'The US state of California is reeling from its third mass shooting in eight days after a man shot dead
seven former co-workers south of San Francisco. The attacks took place in the coastal city of Half Moon
Bay. Some of the victims were Chinese-American.


Suspect Chunli Zhao, 66, was arrested after driving to a police station.

It comes as the state mourns the deaths of 11 people in Monterey Park - about six hours south-east of
Half Moon Bay - during Lunar New Year celebrations. And just over a week ago, six people including a
teenage mother and baby were killed at a property in Goshen, central California.

In emotional remarks at a news conference in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday afternoon, California Governor
Gavin Newsom said he's grown weary of having to "say the same things we hear again and again" in the
wake of mass shootings.

"What the hell is wrong with us that we allow these weapons of war and large capacity magazines out on
the streets and sidewalks?" he asked. "Why have we allowed this culture, this pattern, to continue?"
"Only in America do we see this kind of carnage," he added.

The latest bloodshed to hit the state took place at two farms around the Half Moon Bay community in what
officials have described as instances of workplace violence. Four victims were discovered at a mushroom farm,
while the other three were later found at a nearby trucking business. An eighth victim who was transported to
hospital is out of surgery and in a stable condition, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said at a
news conference on Tuesday.

The victims were five adult men and two women, Sheriff Corpus said. All of them were agricultural workers,
Half Moon Bay Mayor Deborah Penrose told CNN on Tuesday. The suspect was a resident of Half Moon Bay
and employed at the Mountain Mushroom Farm, Sheriff Corpus said.

"The only connection between the suspects and the victims is that they may have been co-workers," Sheriff
Corpus said. "All of the evidence we have points to this being an instance of workplace violence." The operator
of the farm - California Terra Garden - later confirmed that the suspect lived at one of the two locations where
people were killed.

The suspect is due to be arraigned on Wednesday in Redwood City, California, according to local US media
outlets. Alicia Ortega said her partner, Martin Martinez, a manager of the mushroom farm, was shot and killed
in the attack.

The last time she spoke to him was in "the morning, when he [went] to work", she told KPIX, a local affiliate o
CBS News, the BBC's US partner. A number of children who had recently been let out of school and lived on
the rural property saw the attack take place, Sheriff Corpus said.

"For children to witness this is unspeakable," the sheriff's office said.
After carrying out the killings, the suspect drove to a local police station where his arrest was caught on camera.
US news channels showed the suspect being pinned to the ground and arrested by police. He used a legally
purchased semi-automatic pistol, Sheriff Corpus said.

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine told the Associated Press news agency that the
attacks were committed by a "disgruntled worker". In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was praying for
the victims and called on Congress to pass legislation reintroduced this week by Democratic senators that would
raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons in the US to 21.

Just hours after the attack, seven people were injured and one person was killed in a shooting in Oakland - about
40 miles (64 km) north-east of Half Moon Bay. The Half Moon Bay attack is the 37th mass shooting in just 24 days,
according to Gun Violence Archive.

Even as details of the deadly attack in Half Moon Bay were coming in, detectives in the south of the state were
still hunting for a motive for the killings in Monterey Park. There, an elderly Asian immigrant murdered 11 people
in a suburban dance hall, before killing himself as police closed in...'

BBC:

"... called on Congress to pass legislation reintroduced this week by Democratic senators
that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons in the US to 21. "

Killer Suspect: 66 years old.


(Missing from the BBC article: "...The shooting happened during the recording of a music video
in the area, according to an independent journalist at the scene who provided video images to
CBS News Bay Area...") -CBS:

[Ninurta]

Mushrooms... Friend or Foe?

Half Moon Bay: Seven dead in another California mass shooting


...

In emotional remarks at a news conference in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday afternoon, California Governor
Gavin Newsom said he's grown weary of having to "say the same things we hear again and again" in the
wake of mass shootings.

"What the hell is wrong with us that we allow these weapons of war and large capacity magazines out on
the streets and sidewalks?" he asked. "Why have we allowed this culture, this pattern, to continue?"
"Only in America do we see this kind of carnage," he added.

...

US news channels showed the suspect being pinned to the ground and arrested by police. He used a legally purchased semi-automatic pistol, Sheriff Corpus said.

...

In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was praying for the victims and called on Congress to pass legislation reintroduced this week by Democratic senators that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons in the US to 21.

Just hours after the attack, seven people were injured and one person was killed in a shooting in Oakland - about 40 miles (64 km) north-east of Half Moon Bay. The Half Moon Bay attack is the 37th mass shooting in just 24 days, according to Gun Violence Archive.

...

BBC:

"... called on Congress to pass legislation reintroduced this week by Democratic senators
that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons in the US to 21. "

Killer Suspect: 66 years old.


(Missing from the BBC article: "...The shooting happened during the recording of a music video
in the area, according to an independent journalist at the scene who provided video images to
CBS News Bay Area...") -CBS:

Wow.

"Never let a perfectly good crisis go to waste" - Rahm Emmanuel

I've yet to discover why Newsome and BidenHarris are carrying on about "assault weapons" in these shootings. As this article plainly states, this shooter used a "legally purchased semi-automatic pistol". In Monterey Park, the shooter ALSO used a pistol which the local Keystone Kops described as a "semi-automatic assault pistol"  and were uncertain if it was "legal in California" (isn't it a cops JOB to know what is legal and what isn't? Like I said, Keystone Kops there) which "semi-auto assault weapons" ain't even a thing. No such thing exists. It took a few days of intensive research to discover what was actually used in that shooting, which was a Cobray M11, which is a large, clunky pistol intended to simulate a submachine gun version, but without all the wholesome goodness, fun, and actual usability of submachineguns.  They are made solely for wannabes who want to simulate being a "badass" without having to put in the hard work to really BE one - sort of like those dumbassed "AR pistols" which are neither an AR nor a pistol, but combine the worst of both into one unuseable package . No word yet on the sort of weapons used in the family massacre by drug cartels in Goshen, California from last week.

So I just don't know why in the world they're trying to connect any of these shootings to "assault weapons" for legislative purposes other than the quote from Rahm Emmanuel that I opened this post with. What they are doing instead is akin to trying to outlaw Ferraris by banning horses and carriages by simply calling a horse and buggy a "Ferrari". When neither Ferraris nor horse carts are being used in the average shooting incident. I doubt that will ever work for them. It won't have an impact on crime at all other than creating a criminal class from formerly law-abiding folks. Criminals ain't gonna care at all.

And, as you point out, this shooter (as well as the 72 year old Monterey Park shooter) was several decades beyond their proposed legislative "fix", and that would not have fixed anything at all in these cases - so why the disconnect? Earth calling politicians - get with the program and start thinking things through! These band-aid "fixes" you are proposing aren't going to do anything at all beyond lulling the public into thinking "something is being done" when clearly it isn't. California in particular has the strictest gun laws in America, but clearly those laws are not doing a damned thing to alleviate the problem... so how is it that more laws are the answer when the laws already there are not working at all?

The family massacre in Goshen last week, and this Half Moon Bay shooting have another thing in common beyond bullets - they are both drug related. Last week's massacre was by Mexican Drug cartels, and the Half Moon Bay shooting is drug-linked because reports are that the mushrooms being grown are "magic" mushrooms, and that cannabis was also being grown at that location for the "medical marijuana" trade, which is sure to draw attention from the cartels in their never-ending effort to eliminate competition.

"Butbutbut" you might say, "this shooting was done by an old Chinese guy!" It seems unconnected until one realizes the fact that drug cartels are hiring locals, usually gang members but not always, to do their dirty-work and distribution. In Virginia, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel recruited a bunch of locals to do all the work in rural Axton, Va, and more urban Winchester, Va, among other places. The Sinaloa Cartel has recruited locals to do the work at their London, KY, distribution center. It's a pattern that repeats at every cartel distribution center across America. It's not beyond the pale to speculate that this or these Old Guys were recruited by cartels to fight their battles in the drug wars. Not confirmed, mind you, but certainly a possibility.

About a yer ago, I saw a couple cartel guys visiting a neighbor (who is no longer a neighbor these days), even here in the boonies. Not much to do about it but kit up and wait for them to try coming to my house. They'd have been gone, leaving only a bull's-eye on my back, before the cops could get here had I called the cops on them. Several years ago, the county Sherriff's Office busted a cartel ring here in this county, too, but as is well know, the cartels keep backups, and were likely back in operation within 48 to 72 hours of the bust.

So perhaps Newsome and BidenHarris should make it illegal for Mexican Cartels to operate in the US rather than facilitating their operations and drug smuggling acrosss the border. Just a thought, but a thought that might have more impact on the local shooter landscape than, I dunno, relabeling horse carts as "Ferraris" and then banning the horse carts in an attempt to fool the public into thinking they are doing something about actual Ferraris... or actual drug cartels, for that matter.

.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

That is the second shooting where a music vid was being filmed. At Miami Gardens, Florida

48 mass shootings so far in 2023 (4 or more people shot, including the perpetrator when applicable) though that number may have changed by the time you read this. https://massshootingtracker.site/




The two states that have the strictest gun laws just so happen to have the most amount of gun violence...or at least it appears that way.

The most gun toting state I've ever seen is Nebraska (more so than Nevada) and you never hear about any gun violence.

You cannot see these two locations via Google street view and no signs either off the main highway. Amazing how fast the media arrived on scene.



Calif Senate Bill 58 if passed will legalize magic mushrooms.

[Ninurta]

...

48 mass shootings so far in 2023 (4 or more people shot, including the perpetrator when applicable) though that number may have changed by the time you read this. https://massshootingtracker.site/

The  problem there is that there is really no standard definition for "mass shooting", so the estiamtes are all over the map. During this spate of violence, I have seen estimates ranging between 4 and 48, all in articles about the same shootings. it depends on who is doing the counting, and how badly they want to tweak emotions, just how they define "mass shooting".

The two states that have the strictest gun laws just so happen to have the most amount of gun violence...or at least it appears that way.

The most gun toting state I've ever seen is Nebraska (more so than Nevada) and you never hear about any gun violence.

Funny how that works, ain't it? I recall a fella telling me once upon a time that "an armed society is a polite society". Few people WANT to get shot, so the proportion fo them cutting up has an inverse relationship with the probablility that a bystander is likely to ventilate their own one and only carcass in the attempt.

Calif Senate Bill 58 if passed will legalize magic mushrooms.

Well, to be honest, they DO have some application in psychiatric medicine, but California is going about it all wrong in their charge to legalize everything. THEY are the ones leaving the door open to Cartels and Black Market drug sales by the way they haphazardly invoke and administrate their laws. They charge far too much tax on their legal drug sales, which leaves the door open for cartels to undercut legal outlets price-wise. The net result of that is that a black market is flourishing in California, one they cannot get under control. 

Virginia is following the same track. There is a whopping 24% tax on legal marijuana here, which is also going to leave the door open for "entrepreneurs" to undercut weed prices of legal sales. To make it even worse, they have legalized both medical and recreational use, but have granted NO legal retail outlet for recreational cannabis, meaning that you can posses up to an ounce in public, but there is no legal way to get that ounce into your possession. That is a recipe for creating black markets. You can legally grow up to 4 plants here, but there is no legal avenue for buying seed to grow it.

Laws are just all over the board almost everywhere, and make no logical sense. They are frequently contradictory, and there is no provision for legally doing what they make legal, which is a paradox that leads to a thriving black market.

I think Missouri, of all states, has made the most logical sense of their cannabis laws. They ratified an amendment to their state constitution making it legal, and are keeping taxation on it at a reasonable rate of 6%. I'd bet dollars against donuts that Missouri makes more tax revenue in their first 6 months of sales than either Virginia or California have made in the entire time since they legalized.  You can't collect taxes - neither high taxes nor low ones - on illegal sales, and they are screwing the pooch on legal sales.

What will you bet that they do the same haphazard crap to magic mushroom sales as they did to cannabis sales?

It's like they aren't even trying, and are just giving gifts to black marketeers, cartel and otherwise. The cartels will of course step in with their own "enforcement" where the state fails to do so. it's just good business, eh?

.

[ABNARTY]

OK. I cannot stay away from this one. 

40-some mass shootings this year so far. I would say that is not true but since the definition of "mass shooting" and "shooting" are subjective to whomever is discussing the matter, we can claim anything. There have been indeed 40+ incidents recorded at the link below. 

HOWEVER, this list includes what the media wants you to imagine as a "mass" shooting (there are two of those) and then a lot of shootings in urban areas. They all get lumped together. 

The only time the media cares about young people getting killed in urban areas is when they need an attention grabbing headline. Other than that, you will never hear about it. I wonder what we call it when the media ignores brown people because they think they are not important? 

Make it sensational and scary. Never address root causes. Emphasize victims who are relatable and tragic. Ignore everybody else. Always make the appeal for more governmental control. Never address that governmental control is already in heavy affect in many of these areas. Always have politicians on instant standby for sound bite pseudo-outrage. Do not ask them questions, only offer pre-approved leading statements. Make the sure news anchors appear genuinely shocked and saddened.     

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

[EndtheMadnessNow]

...

48 mass shootings so far in 2023 (4 or more people shot, including the perpetrator when applicable) though that number may have changed by the time you read this. https://massshootingtracker.site/

The  problem there is that there is really no standard definition for "mass shooting", so the estiamtes are all over the map. During this spate of violence, I have seen estimates ranging between 4 and 48, all in articles about the same shootings. it depends on who is doing the counting, and how badly they want to tweak emotions, just how they define "mass shooting".

True, but at least that site conforms to their own definition that AFAIK all shootings they list conform to it. Not even the FBI has a clear definition, I looked and it varies, alot. 

Calif Senate Bill 58 if passed will legalize magic mushrooms.

Well, to be honest, they DO have some application in psychiatric medicine, but California is going about it all wrong in their charge to legalize everything. THEY are the ones leaving the door open to Cartels and Black Market drug sales by the way they haphazardly invoke and administrate their laws. They charge far too much tax on their legal drug sales, which leaves the door open for cartels to undercut legal outlets price-wise. The net result of that is that a black market is flourishing in California, one they cannot get under control. 

Virginia is following the same track. There is a whopping 24% tax on legal marijuana here, which is also going to leave the door open for "entrepreneurs" to undercut weed prices of legal sales. To make it even worse, they have legalized both medical and recreational use, but have granted NO legal retail outlet for recreational cannabis, meaning that you can posses up to an ounce in public, but there is no legal way to get that ounce into your possession. That is a recipe for creating black markets. You can legally grow up to 4 plants here, but there is no legal avenue for buying seed to grow it.

Laws are just all over the board almost everywhere, and make no logical sense. They are frequently contradictory, and there is no provision for legally doing what they make legal, which is a paradox that leads to a thriving black market.

I think Missouri, of all states, has made the most logical sense of their cannabis laws. They ratified an amendment to their state constitution making it legal, and are keeping taxation on it at a reasonable rate of 6%. I'd bet dollars against donuts that Missouri makes more tax revenue in their first 6 months of sales than either Virginia or California have made in the entire time since they legalized.  You can't collect taxes - neither high taxes nor low ones - on illegal sales, and they are screwing the pooch on legal sales.

What will you bet that they do the same haphazard crap to magic mushroom sales as they did to cannabis sales?

It's like they aren't even trying, and are just giving gifts to black marketeers, cartel and otherwise. The cartels will of course step in with their own "enforcement" where the state fails to do so. it's just good business, eh?

.

Agree certain shrooms have positive medicinal benefits, but like you mentioned above plus the growing black market & in this woke society coupled with the big business political parasites that see nothing but $$$ it will of course usher in all kinds of new problems. The same with Oregon. Hell the whole West coast might as well carve itself off into the deep sea, but everyone will be fully sedated and not even notice they're drowning.