Gun Culture in one perfect headline

"'Your Dead Kids Don't Trump My Constitutional Rights' To Have Guns"

Just tired of the gun people. Tired of school shootings. Tired.

Post by Teabonics.

And then I saw this:

I think what gets to me is that the "constitutional right" here seems to be incredibly muddy.  It has become the right to have whatever gun you want, when you want it, and in the amounts you want, without question.  It has become the right to own what are absolutely anti-personnel weapons that you need because government is coming for you.  And no dead children or teachers or just people on the street can possibly infringe on your entertainment.  That is what this is for most people.  Their constitutional right is to be entertained owning and shooting guns. 

Never mind that a good bunch of the gun rights people are rabidly anti-government.  And nevermind that the loudest mouthpiece for guns is a torture-endorsing GOP machine.  We will not possibly infringe on your right to be a crazy, anti-government nutjob for one instance.  Because your convenience and your right to play army is your constitutional right, and any other rights are beneath that.  Including the right to life, it seems.  

We should never mind that a good part of this is anti-tax conservatism trying to privatize security.  You want to be safe in your home?  Better buy a gun, because we aren't going to pay for good police, or for good community.  Better move to a gated community where your gun safe can keep you from the undesirables.  

One map that puts America's gun violence epidemic in perspective - Vox

One map that puts America's gun violence epidemic in perspective - Vox

So we won't limit guns or clips or ammunition

No, we will design bull's eye-like blankets for the kids to hide behind.  Oh, and we won't build tornado shelters for our kids either.  Because that would cost money and that means raising taxes.  Even when it is for children, Republicans won't raise taxes.  Because they are pro-life.



A Company Has Designed A Bulletproof Blanket To Protect Kids During School Shootings

Since when did "Biblical values" mean eliminating the minimum wage?

T.W. Shannon advocates eliminating minimum wage - Tulsa World: 2014 Elections

NRA supports Open Carry

Unless this video has been doctored, the NRA dude says this explicitly.

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Template change

I found that dynamic template a little frustrating, so decided to change back to something a little more traditional.

Bergdahl and the American right

I avoided this story for the first few days, but decided to do a little reading.  I have been a little amazed at how quickly the right has already jumped to "impeachment" for Obama over this.  As Sullivan notes,

The contradictions are, of course, bleeding obvious. Obama is to be excoriated for abandoning Americans in the line of fire in Benghazi and then excoriated for rescuing a service member in enemy captivity in the matter of Bowe Bergdahl. You’ll see that, not for the first time, the president cannot win. 

The details are still a little hazy.  Perhaps Bergdahl deserted, and if so, he will be prosecuted for that.  I think Sullivan is correct as well to note that if we decide about retrieving American soldiers based on their political beliefs, we head down a pretty dark and un American path.  From the other side, the right jumps on the swap for Taliban soldiers, but again, Sully points to a glaring contradiction:

You’ll also note that one of the American right’s heroes, Bibi Netanyahu, released more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners, some of whom had actually murdered Israeli civilians, in order to retrieve Gilad Shalit. Somehow Netanyahu is not regarded as a terrorist-sympathizer by the Tea Party.

I have long since lost my ability to be surprised at how people like Palin respond to this President.  Their patriotism is really only reserved for people they like.  But I am also thinking about how consumed the right has become with conspiracy, yet they don't seem to think it through.  Conspiracies usually involve some kind of up-side for the conspirators.  I struggled to find that for Benghazi, or the IRS scandal, and failed.  I understand that cover-ups can be the upside, but am not sure that is what happened in either of those cases.  Fast-forward to Bergdahl, and I am still wondering what possible conspiracy up-side there is for Obama?  I think Sully is right here as well--it only works as conspiracy if you are convinced that this President is not really American.  Sure, he got bin Laden when Bush had failed.  And he killed al-Awlaki as well.   His use of drones is of great concern, but those drones have been used to kill suspected muslim terrorists.  Yet, for the right, he is actually still on the side of the terrorists and trying to undermine our country.  You know, by getting people health insurance.



Sigh.

NRA Apologizes For Calling Guns-In-Restaurants Crowd 'Weird'

Just when I was almost going to consider respect.  Yeah, but the power of guns in more places is more powerful than reason or common sense.  When you have a board with Ted Nugent, I am stunned it took this long to correct the reasonable first response.



NRA Apologizes For Calling Guns-In-Restaurants Crowd 'Weird'

NRA Calls Texas Open Carry Protests "Downright Weird" and "Just Not Neighborly" | Dallas Observer

Fair enough.  They don't mind Sarah Palin joking about torture, and they don't mind Ted Nugent saying racist and sexist things about Democratic leaders.  But at least they stand up to this.  Perhaps they fear that Americans might just change their minds about them if enough wackjobs wander the streets with AKs.



NRA Calls Texas Open Carry Protests "Downright Weird" and "Just Not Neighborly" | Dallas Observer



Good job.  Now stand up to the evil in your own leadership and I will actually respect you.  Hell, I might even join.