Your daily dose of political outrage.

[ellid]

Pace Robert Heinlein, an armed citizenry is NOT the basis of our democracy.

I personally have no problem with people owning guns, at least in rural areas,* but the current fad for bringing them to health care rallies and Presidential appearances is intimidation, pure and simple. As E.J. Dionne points out in his column, if someone had tried this at a Bush event, s/he would have been arrested at the very least.

Also, it seems that the "spontaneous, grassroots protests against evil socialized medicine" are indeed at least partially sponsored and staffed by health insurance company employees.

Disgusting.






*rifles and shotguns.

Comments

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

As for only owning rifles and shotguns in rural areas: There are some times when a pistol might be more handy for removing vermin (I really don't like firing a rifle at point blank range).

Interested outsider....

[meneathiel.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just me but guns and democracy really don't seem to be compatible. Aren't guns something often, though by no means always, historically necessary to GET democracy. Aren't you supposed to then use democracy to get things done after that? How are guns productive to the discussion you are trying to have about health care reform?

I don't think it is possible for me to understand this fascination with guns. I remember with a strange sense of horror a visit to a Texan friend. Her glee at sharing some of her collection of 23 (I think that was the number) guns of various types was really freaky. I think if I came across someone with a gun strapped to their thigh I'd run like hell.

As to showing up on the streets at these meeting I can't understand why the Secret Service isn't allowed to move these people away.... maybe they are? Maybe they wanted the Secret Service to do that very thing so they could turn this into *Obama is taking my gun*, which always seems to really rattle cages. So in that respect I guess they (the WH) were thinking ahead and probably aren't making a stink about it for that reason. It could all go so very wrong though, and that would worry me. You are right they are making some kind of point but to me all I'd see is listen to me or I'll shoot you.

Personally my pinko-commie-liberal-Canadian person considers being able to move about my country unarmed as progress from the pioneer days.

I can just see that guy at the meeting in Phoenix I think... okay wallet, keys, phone what am I forgetting... OHHHHH assault rifle. Fail.

Also, I know waaaay too many current event happenings from America.

*Races off to catch up with my own country*

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Agreed that they shouldn't have brought their guns, even if it is legal in that state.

Don't really understand the potshot at Heinlein though.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I used to have a book of Heinlein's private correspondence. I don't have it any more so can't provide exact quotes, but he had some really disquieting views on weapons, civil rights, and the role of the military. Probably much of it stemmed from his background as a Naval officer, but it still made some scary reading.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah. Okay, was curious.

Oh, L saw in a paper today that a protester got arrested outside one of the town halls. Guy had sign(s) that were saying that Obama and his wife and kids should all be killed. That of course is a federal offense.

Oh, and Barney Frank apparently took some of the protesters down a few pegs :D

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's just one of many. A Democratic Congressman had a swastika painted on the door to his office, another was hanged in effigy, right-wing bloggers are saying stuff like Malia and Sasha Obama are ghetto trash and will be pregnant before they're sixteen, several people have shown up with loaded guns and signs about watering the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants outside Presidential talks....

I have NEVER seen it this bad, not in my adult lifetime. The level of hatred directed toward Obama and liberals in general is terrifying. An otherwise nice, sane woman in my class this summer owned books by the likes of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, right alongside her Tolkien and her Harry Potter. I was glad I'd flown to Lincoln instead of driving because I don't want Sapphy trashed because of the "Yes We Did" bumpersticker.

OTOH, Barney Frank is my new hero. "What planet do you live on most of the time?" was PERFECT.