Monday, April 19, 2010
Kind of a blast.
Amongst the most common criticisms of President Barack Obama published in my local papers are that he has an "agenda" for taking away our guns. The few howlers offering any proof of this nefarious plan depend mostly on the fact that Obama is a Democrat and on redacted quotes from Rahm Emanuel or references to obviously incendiary articles with titles like "Rahm Emanuel to disarm America" and calling him things like "a Zionist gun-grabbing Communist." Even if we're to discount the Skinhead origin of much of this and ignore the supercharged, nitrous injected hyperbole so common to apoplectic extremists intent on portraying everyone else as extremely angry, we need to remember one thing: Rahm Emanuel is not the President of the United States, and has no authority in any way related to being able to do anything about Gun laws. That's the job of Congress and this congress seems unlikely to consider any such thing even if the President suggested it -- and he certainly hasn't. The Courts have ruled on the side of allowing private citizens to own and carry firearms, most of the legislators elected in the last election are pro-gun and that seems to be that.
Of course, just like the Tea people, out there howling about a tax increase they didn't get and death panels we've had all along and about taking back the country they never owned from the majority without any recognition of the blazing, neon lit irony -- my fellow gun owners and second amendment supporters are about, as I write this, to mount an armed protest against the gun-grabbing liberal commietyrantmarxistafrican, are unaware or are unwilling to be aware that Obama signed into law last year a bill making that demonstration legal by finally allowing firearms to be carried in National Parks. Thanks, Pres. As a Liberal, I approve of that.
I don't know whether it's too much of a strain on people from Stormfront to pass beyond the shoddy "democrats grab guns, Obama is a Democrat, he will grab guns" syllogism and into the world of real events. It doesn't matter however, since the supply of things real and imagined will always allow the kind of Storm and Stress they need. indeed, anything you can say about Obama becomes a credo despite, or perhaps because it's demonstrably wrong and without factual support. For those of us able do discern elitist things like irony however, it's a blast.
Facts and figures do not matter when it comes to Obamamania. If nutjobs believe he is commie-evil, out to get their guns and health care, that's good enough. Facts could only upset them.
ReplyDeleteBesides, it's fun to show up in D.C. and parade around in silly costumes, pretending you're a patriot and being surrounded by like-minded "patriots." It gives people something to do on a Monday in April.
P.S. Storm and Stress -- LOL!
People are unhinged. Remember Warren "Gator" Taylor, a 53-year-old wheelchair bound nutball who took people hostage at a Virginia post office. His motivation? Anger at the government, fear they'd "take away his guns."
ReplyDeleteHe lived in Tennessee, a state which has loosened a whole barrel of gun laws. Gun laws are being loosened all around the country yet these folks are thinking Barack wants to take their guns. Why? Because they live in a closed-information loop. They listen to Fox News, they read e-mails full of lies and conspiracies sent by Patriot Depot, their days are spent glued to Rush and Hannity and Beck.
This is exactly the predictable result.
Well at least they exercised good judgment by not waiting until today which is you know who's birthday.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, indeed the only information these poor sods have is disinformation. They're usually astonished when I express doubts as the authority of Fox or World News Daily - they trust no one else.
And so they can look at the cartoon and think - yes, Obama has take away our freedom of speech without their heads exploding.
Can you understand my despair?