Green High-Top Converse With a Heart She Had Hand Drawn on the Right Toe
It was the only way to identify the body of Uvalde massacre victim Maite Rodriguez
Actor Matthew McConaughey spoke at the White House today on gun violence and last month’s elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.
A visibly upset McConaughey told the press about Maite Rodriguez, a 10-year-old whose body was so mangled by the shots that killed her that she was only able to be positively identified by her shoes.
“Maite wore green high top Converse with a heart she had hand drawn on the right toe because it represented her love of nature,” McConaughey said, adding, “These are the same green Converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting.”
Uvalde has fallen out of the news somewhat in the weeks since the massacre. Lawmakers went on a 10-day vacation days after the shooting, effectively defanging anger over gun violence that might have forced political change. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) took charge of the Democratic response, convening a group of Democrats and Republicans to reach a compromise after Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) made clear they wouldn’t allow the upper chamber to bypass the filibuster.
The results were predictable. Now Murphy says that the only legislation he’s hoping to get through the Senate won’t even address the core issues at hand.
“We are not going to put a piece of legislation on the table that's going to ban assault weapons or we're not gonna pass comprehensive background checks,” Murphy told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday. “Right now people in this country want us to make progress.”
No matter what your position is on guns, this should be a clearly defining moment for the limits of American politics. The iron law of institutions—a phrase popularized by Jon Schwarz describing how institutions function first to protect themselves and resist change to the status quo—is in full effect. Democrats are unable or unwilling to make the kind of legislative change that’s necessary for a better world. Republicans, meanwhile, are only offering fixes like “one door” and “more cops in schools.” It looks likely that once again nothing will get done and nothing will change.
I discussed the lack of response to this moment and the empty solutions on offer with Aaron Thorpe on my Callin show today.
We were joined by a number of callers, including one teacher, who expressed outrage and apathy in equal measure.
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