On Gun Control by Christian Slayton, DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
On Gun Control
There's a lot of sickness in America... But there's a lot of sickness everywhere
America has another, parallel issue. An issue that enables the sick and the lost and the angry to inflict that desperation on others
Guns
Guns are poison
The older I get the more I grow to hate them
"But what about Switzerland?" Some ask
I've lived in Switzerland. I never saw a gun. They are locked up and highly regulated. Getting one requires qualifications. It also requires taking training courses
I'd be far happier with America's gun system if it followed the Swiss model
But as it is any Tom Dick or Henry can walk into a freaking Walmart and pop out with enough ammunition to outfight God and all His angels.
It is more that absurd. It is perverse. It is disgusting. It is wrong. And it poisons everything.
No wonder cops kill at exuberant rates! Everyone they talk to might end their lives in a heartbeat. They have every reason to walk the streets scared and panicking.
No wonder many emain disproportionately afraid of the poor, the minority, the young man on the street corner! The frightened have often never been hurt before, but the cost of being wrong, of making a misjudgement, is infinite.
Americans live in a constant state of having to make life or death snap judgements
Can this possibly be the best we can do? Can the benefits some gain from this social toxin possibly be high enough to warrant the cost?
No!
America has too many weapons to ban them or confiscate them.
But no one should have a gun until they have gone through a government-created educational course
Showing them how to properly use, store, keep, and clean their weaponry.
Showing them when it is not appropriate to flash their weapons. Showing them that guns are, above all, tools that kill, not playthings, not collectables. They kill. They were made to kill. People need to be constantly reminded of that.
And the US needs a proper gun register. Did you know the government still doesn't have an electronic register? It is more than absurd, more than Kafkaesque. It is vile.
Christian Slayton
DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
The Cynic by Christian Slayton, DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
The Cynic
The Cynic
Cynicism is the voice of the defeated who cry out that 'nothing matters anyway'. It is the cry of the coward who refuses to take up the fight. It is the argument of the privileged loser, he who knows that his body and his life and his livelihood will be safe when evil blows in.People who fight for what they believe in cannot be cynical: they know that who wins and who loses matters.
The cynic is not someone who looks at the battle and thinks "Fuck! It's rigged!" It is rigged. It has always been rigged. No, the cynic is someone who looks at the battle and says "Fuck it, it's rigged."The cynic thinks it doesn't matter. The cynic thinks it is all just a game, and one politician reigns much the same as any other. The cynic is not just wrong—the cynic is the good man who sits by while evil is committed. The cynic aids and abets the foe by doing nothing. The cynic who will not fight dooms us all!
Trump's supporters weren't cynical. They were fanatical. They know that politics isn't a game and it matters who sits in the president's chair. We lost 2016 for many reasons, but one reason was because too many of us thought that Clinton, with her decades of experience, was somehow the moral equivalent of Trump. Trump! Trump the fool, Trump the coward, Trump the megalomaniac! How bad must our cynicism have gotten if we could look at Clinton and think that she was somehow as ill-suited as Trump? How lost must we have been?
Death to cynicism, death to irony and to sarcasm, death to all that numbs the people of the world! The awake do not go meekly to the slaughterhouse, the alive do not succumb to paralysis, and we do not cede the field of battle while there is still a war to be fought!
Christian Slayton
DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
The Cynic by Christian Slayton, DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
The Cynic
Cynicism is the voice of the defeated who cry out that 'nothing matters anyway'. It is the cry of the coward who refuses to take up the fight. It is the argument of the privileged loser, he who knows that his body and his life and his livelihood will be safe when evil blows in.People who fight for what they believe in cannot be cynical: they know that who wins and who loses matters.
The cynic is not someone who looks at the battle and thinks "Fuck! It's rigged!" It is rigged. It has always been rigged. No, the cynic is someone who looks at the battle and says "Fuck it, it's rigged."The cynic thinks it doesn't matter. The cynic thinks it is all just a game, and one politician reigns much the same as any other. The cynic is not just wrong—the cynic is the good man who sits by while evil is committed. The cynic aids and abets the foe by doing nothing. The cynic who will not fight dooms us all!
Trump's supporters weren't cynical. They were fanatical. They know that politics isn't a game and it matters who sits in the president's chair. We lost 2016 for many reasons, but one reason was because too many of us thought that Clinton, with her decades of experience, was somehow the moral equivalent of Trump. Trump! Trump the fool, Trump the coward, Trump the megalomaniac! How bad must our cynicism have gotten if we could look at Clinton and think that she was somehow as ill-suited as Trump? How lost must we have been?
Death to cynicism, death to irony and to sarcasm, death to all that numbs the people of the world! The awake do not go meekly to the slaughterhouse, the alive do not succumb to paralysis, and we do not cede the field of battle while there is still a war to be fought!
Christian Slayton
DAI North/Milan Chapter Secretary
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Welcome to Democrats Abroad Northern Italy!
Join Dems Abroad | Register for your ballot: VoteFromAbroad.org
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DA Northern Italy is a chapter of Democrats Abroad Italy (DAI) the official country committee for U.S. Democrats living in Italy.
We are a 100% volunteer self-funded organization helping American citizens vote in U.S. elections through voter registration and keeping Americans informed on key issues.
We help some of the thousands of American citizens living in Northern Italy to register to vote and to stay informed on the latest information. Many American citizen volunteers across Italy are working to educate all eligible U.S. voters on their right to vote and how to get their ballots to vote in every election. Americans living in Italy CAN deliver and HAVE delivered the difference in close elections!
Please check our Events page and News pages for more information about upcoming meetings and events - we have events planned throughout the year, and encourage anyone interested in participating to get in touch. We also post voter and event information as well as current political news from the U.S. on our social media pages, be sure to follow us!
If you have questions or would like to help volunteer with Democrats Abroad Northern Italy, please contact us.
Democratically yours,
Mark Pendell - Chapter Chair
Democrats Abroad - Northern Italy
[email protected]
Join Dems Abroad | Register for your ballot: VoteFromAbroad.org
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DA Tax Team back in DC next week - Time to Call Congress!
The DA Tax Team is back in Washington DC next week for meetings on Capitol Hill - our fifth and probably final Congressional Door Knock of 2019. We appreciate the members of the Taxation Task Force and thank them for the hard work to support tax reform for Americans abroad. A Special thanks to the chair of the Taskforce, Carmelan Polce, for her remarkable support in driving this important issue forward!
We also want to thank all Democrats Abroad leaders who have supported the work of the Tax Task Force this year. Their help in pushing out Tax Team reports, updates and campaign guides is greatly valued and essential to our success in engaging Congress to enact the reforms so urgently needed by Americans abroad.
Democrats Abroad asks all members once again to support a DA grassroots Congressional outreach campaign happening in tandem with next week's meetings. PLEASE SHARE WITH ALL AMERICANS ABROAD THIS GUIDE FOR CALLING AND WRITING TO CONGRESS ABOUT TAX REFORM FOR AMERICANS ABROAD.
Questions or comments to [email protected].
Orange Weekend (June 7-9)
Friday, June 7th is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend is to show that Americans are unified in the effort to end gun violence. Wear Orange weekend starts on Friday by wearing orange and sharing online. Then, community events will be held throughout the weekend, all around the US.
The color orange has a long and proud history in the gun violence prevention movement. Whether it's worn by hunters, Moms, or students across the country, orange honors the 100 lives cut short and the hundreds more wounded by gun violence every day.
Don't forget to wear the color orange on June 7th!
“Trump policy for Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia… Does he have one?”
Journalist Viviana Mazza enthralled a crowd on February 28 when she spoke about the political morass of the Middle East to members and friends of DA-Milan at Meet Bar Niro in the city. Mazza is an expert on the subject, having been to the region many times, including Saudi Arabia recently and Syria in the last year. She explained that the complexities of the region stem, in part, from the antithetical interests of Sunni and Shia Muslims, the former represented by Saudi Arabia and the latter by Iran. Syria’s conflagration is compounded by Russian, Turkish, and (to some extent) US pressures, though she pointed out that the Trump administration essentially has no policy concerning the Middle East, other than "Israel good, Iran bad”. This policy vacuum is encouraging other political actors to rush in to fill the void, with unpredictable effects. After concluding her prepared remarks, Mazza generously remained for a lively Q & A discussion.
Mazza writes for Corriere della Sera and is the author or co-author of five books and the winner of six journalism awards. She studied at the American University of Cairo in 2005 after having received a master’s in journalism from Columbia University in NY. Her BA is from the University of Turin.
Thank you to Claudia Flisi, former Chair and Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad - Milan Chapter, for contributing this story.
March 23, 2018
TAX Talk in Milan - NOTES AND PDF PRESENTATIONS
PLEASE CONSULT OUR WEB SITE FOR MORE INFO AND WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU THINK THIS IS ALL UNFAIR! DEMOCRATS ABROAD IS FIGHTING FOR RESIDENCY BASED TAXATION BUT NEEDS YOUR HELP! http://www.democratsabroad.org/taxation
In today’s interconnected world where all data is shared, it’s so important to understand the complex system of dual reporting to both the American and Italian authorities.
Did you know …
- that all Americans citizens residing abroad must declare their foreign earnings and bank accounts to the US government even if they pay Italian taxes and do not work in the USA. Usually your Foreign-earned income exclusion, and Foreign Tax Credit from your Italian taxes covers your US taxes so you probably will not have to pay more, but you MUST declare.
- that the U.S. government has agreements with foreign financial institutions to disclose U.S. persons (FATCA) and there are new international disclosure treaties?
- that the new Streamlined Procedure offers the opportunity to report your earnings if you never have before to the U.S. government and return hopefully painlessly to the fold?
- what your responsibilities to the Italian government are? Aside from tax on Italian income you must also declare your American and foreign assets and income!
We highly recommend that all US citizens educate themselves about their choices and consult with informed fiscal professionals specialized in expat taxes for the US government and a professional specialized in understanding expat foreign assets to report to the Italian government .
Not all normal commercialiste have these capabilities.
OUR SPEAKERS AND THEIR TOPICS: LINKS TO PDF PRESENTATIONS
Andrew Fields, MBA, RTRP, Tax Manager of Price Waterhouse Cooper/TLS Milano, is specialized in U.S. Individual Tax Compliance issues. He has been with Pwc for the past 20 years.
Andrew Fields Email: [email protected] Direct: +39 02 91605303
PRESENTATION :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0eTDfmCls8Za1pqOEF2Y1d1WWM/view?usp=sharing
Colin Jamieson is a specialist in Italian, UK and international tax. He is dual qualified UK/Italian lawyer with over 25 years experience in helping investors in Italy manage their tax affairs. He is owner of Taxing.it - a resource center for Italian tax issues in the English language.
Avv. Colin Jamieson [email protected] Tel: + 39 02 488 3945 Cell: + 39 348 242 37 55
PRESENTATION :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0eTDfmCls8ZRTdfbFlwcnRISHM/view?usp=sharing
http://www.democratsabroad.org/join
INVITATION: MORE WINE - LESS TRUMP...This is NOT fake news!
REAL INVITE TO AN AMAZING DEMOCRATIC DAY - SAVE THE DATE MAY 27, 11 AM TIL SUNSET
Join us in the emerald hills of Piacenza, 1 hour 20 min. south of Milan.
Learn from the village ladies to make the famous Tortelli and then eat your creations! Be part of a tasting of award winning wines with Lily Ronney, a burgeoning winemaker who was initiated into the Italian wine world in the Colli Piacentini. She will offer her American insight on the history and culture of some of the region's finest and most interesting wines. Enjoy her political wine tasting games and have a relaxing, fun day in the pristine country side, filled with castles and vineyards, a veritable “little Tuscany”
Open to all Americans and their significant others.
EURO 25 A PERSON, under 12 free - we will help with car pools
RSVP - [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/events/123316968230275/
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