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HEROES

Unarmed Good Guy Wrestled Assault Weapon Away From Waffle House Killer: ‘I Had a Chance to Stop Him’

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James Shaw Jr. is being hailed as a hero who saved lives after he wrestled an assault weapon away from a man who had already killed four people at a Tennessee Waffle House early Sunday morning.

But Shaw, who is 29, says he doesn’t feel like a hero.

“I don’t really know, when everyone said that [of being a hero], it feels selfish,” Shaw Jr. told The Tennessean. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.”

Shaw Jr. was treated for a gunshot wound and has been released.

“I remember I was like ‘Dang, I’m basically in a barrel,’ ” Shaw Jr. said. “There is no place for me to go.”

He timed his attack on the gunman, who, in addition to killing four people, also wounded at least four others. Shaw Jr. says the gunman had to stop to reload, and that’s when he charged.

“When he came in, I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” Shaw Jr. said. “I had a chance to stop him and thankfully I stopped him.”

“I grabbed the gun and kept it down. He had one hand on it. I pulled it away and threw it over the bar.”

The suspect reportedly was entirely naked, except for a jacket. According to multiple reports he is white, also 29, and on the run.

Parkland student shooting victim and activist David Hogg weighed in with some snark focused at the NRA:

According to Heavy this is Shaw Jr.’s Facebook page. It includes a video showing a man dismantling his assault rifle, and a post in which he discusses the police killing of unarmed Stephon Clarke.

“Around Police BROWN Men please don’t wear hoodies, sell loose cigarettes, have a concealed gun permit, don’t have your hands in the air on your knees, don’t have a phone in your hand, don’t be too big, don’t run the opposite way from the cops, don’t do everything the cop instructs you to do, most importantly don’t be BROWN.”

More, via Twitter:


 

Image via KHOU/Twitter

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HEROES

Chairman Adam Schiff’s Speech Destroying House Republicans Ignites Popular #YouMightThinkItsOK Rallying Cry

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5 years ago

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March 29, 2019

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Many are cheering House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff‘s response to Republicans on his Committee calling for his resignation Thursday. Chastising his colleagues, Schiff delivered a powerful four-minute takedown of the GOP’s defense of what he called the President’s and his team’s “immoral,” “unethical,” “unpatriotic,” and “corrupt” behavior.

“My colleagues might think it’s okay that the Russians offered dirt on the Democratic candidate for president as part of what’s described as the Russian government’s effort to help the Trump campaign,” Chairman Schiff began (video below, full transcript here.) “You might think that’s okay. My colleagues might think it’s okay that when that was offered to the son of the president, who had a pivotal role in the campaign, that the president’s son did not call the FBI, he did not adamantly refuse that foreign help — no, instead that son said he would ‘love’ the help with the Russians.”

Schiff repeated his “you might think” mantra about 20 times in four minutes, and it’s ignited an explosion of people on social media who agree that regardless of what Attorney General William Barr would like America to believe, Trump and his team have committed “immoral,” “unethical,” “unpatriotic,” and “corrupt” acts.

They’ve turned it into a very popular hashtag on Twitter.

 has turned into a blistering attack on everything Trump, including all the bad acts his administration is perpetrating.

It is now a rallying cry.

Take a look:

 

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HEROES

Ellen Page Blames Mike Pence for Anti-LGBTQ Hate: ‘You Spend Your Career Trying to Cause Suffering’ (Video)

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6 years ago

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February 1, 2019

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‘Connect the Dots’

Ellen Page did not mince words and did not hold back in a powerful and strong attack on Vice President Mike Pence Thursday night. The 31-year old actress who married dancer Emma Portner last year appeared on “The Late Show” and blamed Pence for anti-LGBTQ hate and violence.

“Connect the dots,” she urged the audience, linking the Vice President’s staunch anti-LGBT agenda, including from when he was the governor of Indiana and a U.S. Congressman, to hate and violence.

“If you are in a position of power and you hate people, and you want to cause suffering to them, you go through the trouble, you spend your career trying to cause suffering,” Page charged.

“What do you think is going to happen? Kids are going to be abused, and they’re going to kill themselves. And people are going to be beaten on the street. I have traveled the world and I have met the most marginalized people you can meet. I am lucky to have this time and this privilege to say this. This needs to fucking stop.”

Page was referring to her VICELAND show “Gaycation,” during which she traveled to several countries around the world and interviewed anti-LGBTQ extremists.

“Sorry, I’m really fired up tonight, but it feels impossible to not feel this way right now with the President and Vice President Mike Pence, who wishes I couldn’t be married, let’s just be clear. The Vice President of America wishes I didn’t have the love with my wife. He wanted to ban that in Indiana. He believes in conversion therapy,” Page told Colbert.

Page said Pence “has hurt LGBTQ people so badly as the governor of Indiana, and I think the thing we need to know, and I hope my show ‘Gaycation’ did this in terms of connecting the dots, in terms of what happened the other day to Jussie [Smollett], I don’t know him personally, I send all of my love, connect the dots.”

Watch:

Full interview:

RELATED STORIES:

ELLEN PAGE DESCRIBES SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY BRETT RATNER IN POWERFUL CONDEMNATION OF ABUSERS WHO ‘MAKE US FEEL POWERLESS’

THIS VIDEO OF ELLEN PAGE TALKING WITH ELLEN DEGENERES ABOUT COMING OUT IS BEAUTIFUL

 

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HEROES

Ocasio-Cortez speaks on justice at Women’s March

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6 years ago

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January 20, 2019

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Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the Women's March

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the New York edition of the Women’s March yesterday, presenting a message of inclusion and intersectionality.

Evoking the civil rights movement on the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ocasio-Cortez spoke of the Women’s March being a continuation of that movement’s fight for justice. 

“Justice is not a concept we read about in a book,” said Ocasio-Cortez . “Justice is about the water that we drink. Justice is about the air that we breathe. Justice is about how easy it is to vote. Justice is about how much ladies get paid. Justice is about if we can stay with our children after have them for a just amount of time: mothers, fathers, and all parents. Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet.” 

“In fact, sometimes the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table,” she added. 

As she spoke, Ocasio-Cortez was wearing a pin on her jacket that featured both a traditional LGBTQ rainbow flag alongside a transgender flag.

“Let us remember that a fight means no person left behind,” said Ocasio-Cortez . “So, when people want to stop talking about the issues black women face, when people want to stop talking about the issues that trans women or immigrant women face, we’ve got to ask them, Why does that make you so uncomfortable? 

“This is not just about identity, this is about justice and this is about the America we are going to bring into this world,” Ocasio-Cortez added.

The March was not without its own controversies, as some in the leadership of Women’s March Inc., located primarily in Washington, DC, have had associations with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a man known for anti-Semitic views as well as anti-LGBTQ and even anti-woman stances.  

This led to many events remaining independent from Women’s March Inc. leadership, even as that leadership seeks to repudiate messages of hate.

Ocasio-Cortez spoke at both the “Unity” event affiliated with the Women’s March Inc., as well as the independent NYC Women’s March. This speech was presented at the affiliated event, even though she spoke at both, and received the aforementioned lapel pin at the NYC Women’s March event.

View the whole speech below:

Image via screen capture from video source.

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