Know what’s funny, in a "hey, does this milk smell bad to you" kind of way? Watching the wingnut brain trust rationalize the behavior of their gun-toting brethren at Obama’s health care reform rallies. Take the Pantload, for example. Despite the fact that he was for censorship, now he’s sorta against it, advocating for the "squishy" middle (I’ll refrain from the obvious joke):
Nonetheless, the simple fact is there’s no epidemic and attempts by liberals to make this into a bigger deal than it is betray not only the usual anti-gun bias, but a bit of desperation as well. As far as I can tell, it has happened twice. Last week in New Hampshire, a gentleman had a gun strapped to his thigh. And yesterday a dozen gun-rights activists carried some weapons at an Arizona event. It was all perfectly legal and the Secret Service was hardly worked up about it.
I believe in gun rights, but I also think sporting guns at what are supposed to be peaceful, democratic protests sends the wrong message. But from what I’ve seen so far, I can’t get super worked up over it, either.
Ah, I see. These Second Amendment activists were merely exercising their right to bear arms as a form of political speech. It’s a Constitution twofer!
The First Amendment does protect other forms of "perfectly legal" political speech, like, say, a slogan on a tee-shirt. Remember how easy it was to wear one in the lions’ den of Wingnutopia?
Three Medford school teachers were threatened with arrest and thrown out of the President Bush rally at the Jackson County Fairgrounds Thursday night, after they showed up wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Protect our civil liberties."
. . .
All three women said they were carrying valid tickets for the event that they had received from Republican Party headquarters in Medford, which had been distributing event tickets to Bush supporters.
Thrown out for the menacing act of wearing tee shirts. Under Commander Bunnypants, these bullying tactics were hardly an isolated incident, either:
A former White House official who ordered three activists expelled from a 2005 Denver public forum with President Bush says it was White House policy to exclude potentially disruptive guests from Bush’s appearances nationwide.
. . .
The activists had done nothing to disrupt the forum. . . .
"Potentially disruptive guests" is a pretty broad description, n’est-ce pas? I’d even go so far as to say that angry people with loaded AR-15s marching around in crowds might be considered "potentially disruptive." But I’m weird that way.
And here’s a newsflash for Jonah: the Secret Service actually is pretty worked up about the loons with guns, no matter how he tries to spin it. According to Nice Polite Republicans:
Rick Sanchez of CNN interviewed a retired Secret Service agent today who lamented that the gun carriers distract the attention of the local police who could be better utilized by keeping their eyes peeled for higher level threats against the president. He opined that the presidential protection team might have to push back the perimeter around the events.
As an aside, the rest of this craptastic piece from NPR is a study in cognitive dissonance:
By openly carrying their weapons, the gun toters are at least easily identifiable to law enforcement, including Secret Service sharp shooters who, for all we know, are watching them intently through the cross hairs of their scopes.
So there’s an upside to the "open carry" types, even though they cause a lot of other people great unease. Since they can’t be prevented from appearing outside the events, the rest of us will just have to learn to live with them.
Tell ya what — I’ll "learn to live with" these batshit crazy tweezerheads when they learn to accept the fact that Reconstruction ended over 130 years ago, and that by parading around outside these events, armed to the teeth and undisturbed by law enforcement, they’re enjoying the very liberties they’ve been so quick to deny others.
I’m not holding my breath, though. Acceptance would decimate their collective "victim" status, and then what would they need their guns for?



157 Comments












Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
They sooo want to re-enact “Birth of a Nation” – but no tee shirts! Just those crazy loveable hoods.
With “Have a Nice Day” on the backs of their robes.
hey watertiger
i think they are trying to set up a lose lose situation – wherein they get to continue to claim victimhood if arrested or removed from the site.
“For my next impression: Jesse Owens!”
On the bright side, at least the wingnuts aren’t touting their right to bear nuclear arms… yet.
Unfuckingbelievable! Can you imagine what would have been done to the dems had they done this at a bush rally.
OMG…. its Ernie Hancock on KO….. until he said his last name ……. Ernie used to come to all progressive events. NEVER armed…….shocked just shocked….
Anyway, let’s forget the guns and focus on the real danger… out-of-staters “carrying youtubes” at Max Baucus events.
ATF would breathe a sigh of relief to finally get the goons out of their jurisdiction.
Stop oppressing the white man with a loaded gun!
If they were lucky after seven or eight years they might be tried by a military tribunal.
Hey, this is serious stuff. Next thing you know, some loon is bringing lolcats to a Grassley meetup, and then all hell will break loose.
‘xactly! they are publicity whores at the same time. multitasking to feed the ego.
*edit* in reply to w/t at 10
those youtubes aluminum, by any chance?
Now we know, Mad Max learned everything he knows from Ted Stevens.
That’s only if they’d have been lucky enough not to be disappeared.
Could be, probably en route to Iran. Better launch an invasion.
That would be the rumored new sequel, “Mad Max: Beyond Retirement Age.”
Those probably were constituents who tracked him down to an event in New York since he won’t meet us here. Max is afraid to come to Montana right now, except for carefully screened events. Given that everyone here is either pro-public plan or a virulent deather, maybe it makes sense.
I watched this interview!!All I can say is WTF!! I do agree that citizens do have a right to bear arms but at a presidential Town Hall is just fucking crazy!! IMHO anyone who shows up with a gun at any one of the Town halls should be immediately moved away at least 3 miles, their papers investigated and if legally carrying watched to make sure they don’t get any closer. These fuckers are very dangerous, with our history of assassinations’ it is crazy to let any of these gun toting nuts near any public meeting….. never know when they will go off and just start shooting randomly into the crowd or at the speaker!!
Hello…. I know this guy….. known him for years…… I knew he was libertarian but never thought he was a wacko. He is a local, used to work for a radio station. Two were progressive and he followed a DJ to a mix lineuup
He used to attend all progressive events
I have lived most of my 57 years in “gun country”, first in Oklahoma and now in Montana and I have NEVER seen anyone walking down the street openly displaying a weapon and it was legal in most places in Oklahoma until just before I left.
Nah. SS snipers had orders to shoot on sight.
A little alcohol, a little bigot-bragging and you have a tragedy. We Americans are crazy.
Wasn’t that guy in the stall next to Larry Craig holding a youtube?
well, to be fair, this is the emotional equivalent of letting their peens hang out of their pants.
Jeebus on a Ritz Cracker, we just got back home from our evening constitutional. There were flyers of a defaced Obama a la The Joker with fascist and or socialist on the bottom on them all over the neighborhood. We spent some time taking them down off of stop signs. Someone had to have had a ladder or were in the back of a pickup cause they were really high up on signs. Upsetting.
I am worried that violence will break out. I mean, really worried.
I miss Commander Bunnypants, though — not the man, just the phrase.
YUP!! Guns carry consequences if used on people and they are not pretty!! No one should ever be allowed to bring any weapon to any meeting period! And not just guns any weapon!
The bigger the gun the smaller the man (I’m guessing).
Shades of 1960’s. Did you read the Rich column?
watertiger…… please read my comments…… I know this man. Many of us know him here in Phoenix.
Any way we could arrest and torture them until they “confess” to an assassination plot? After all, they do support torture, right?
I sure hope not we sure don’t need any of that crap!!
Will be back later Dinner Time… Brine roasted chicken with Brussel sprouts and rice….
No. This is much, much worse than that. This really was a blatant threat and should be treated as such. Everyone of these asshats should spend a very uncomfortable day answering detailed questions from Secret Service agents about everybody they ever met, every organization they ever joined, and just exactly was going through their atrophied little brains when they decided to bring guns to such an event.
Why was he at progressive meetups? Was he “monitoring” you guys?
Agent provocateur.
He’s no progressive. He’s a Paulite.
Maybe they do, but I don’t.
I’ve read more than one report that the Secret Service is understaffed and overworked. I’m usually for transparency but that is something I don’t believe they should advertise.
Having the right to “keep and bear arms” far surpasses the right the “keep and wear t-shirts” as political speech I guess. If one of these wingnut-jobs gets out of control and is taken down by the Secret Service what’s the right wing media going to say?
And how the fuck is carrying weapons at an event about Health Care related to anything? Are they trying to open a discussion on Lead Poisoning?
Why didn’t they bring their guns to bush events? They wouldn’t have been breaking any laws…..
I don’t understand why law enforcement allows this. Look what happened to all those folks in New York during the Puke convention. None of those people had weapons they were peacefully protesting but were searched arrested and jailed nonetheless.
*gentle reminder*
let’s avoid the slippery slope of fantasy violence
thank you
I always leaned more to John and George, personally.
I saw one the other day that “headquarters” is turning down requests for more personnel from the presidential detail. That REALLY does not sound right to me.
I think they were inviting the Secret Service to put them in immediate need of health care.
Bastards.
I was thinking invisible…
Has a technical guy for the local progressive radio station….we are on our third…..He usually was a sidekick of a Libertarian talk show host….after our station closed for the 2nd time Ernie went with the DJ.
Actually from my contact with him he seemed very nice. This was back in 2006.
Anything is okay if you are Republican. If not, better watch you ass. Look at what the thugs did to peaceful protesters in St. Paul last year.
That’s Treasury -right?
Yep. Counterfeiting and the president are their basic beat.
Yeah, I’ve seen that mentioned elsewhere. I have no clue what SS HQ is thinking.
What about counterfeit presidents?
That they don’t like black Democratic presidents?
Well, they missed the boat on that one back in 2000.
They’d better figure it out because if something were to happen to POTUS there will be a shit storm of epic proportions.
And you know I bet if Bush’s thugs hadn’t thrown the tee-shirters out the Secret Service wouldn’t think it was such a big deal either.
Since they are so short-handed, I think I’ll start making my own money. It’s only fair – they’ve taken all of mine.
Obama extended Cheney’s allotted six months of SS protection. Time to reassign those agents in my opinion. Not like the bastard can’t afford his own security detail.
I didn’t want to say that. But the thought had occurred to me.
Sounds like a plan to me. Might also publish Cheney’s address. On Al Jeera.
The only “security detail” Cheney should have is the guards on his cellblock.
hopefuly this will highlight for all the difference between a law-abiding president, like the one we have now, as opposed to one who made up his own laws at will – such as -arbitrarily and capriciously arrogating the right to arrest t-shirt wearers.
I do think that Congress needs to censure or impeach those of their own members who publicly endorse the seditious incitement and other nonsense. We might not be able to stop Rush & co from spewing forth this trashtalk, but we can at least punish those of our elected rethug leaders who pay lip service to it.
I really am starting to think that there are powerful elements in our society who actively want something bad to happen to Obama. They won’t do it themselves and they don’t really want a coup, but they want rid of him. A lesson the the rest of us upstart plebes.
wtf? The presidential detail asked for more staff and couldn’t get it? Where did you hear that? Shit, no wonder the POTUS is giving the bad guys everything they want.
That would involve arresting the entire Republican Party. Not a bad idea, but it ain’t gonna happen.
wait a minute. How can “headquarters” turn down a request from POTUS? Dept of Homeland Security reports to him, right? WTF? Janet just says, sorry but no?
True, unfortunately it will never happen. Obama knows that by giving the Bushies a free pass for their crimes Republicans will want to be his friends and will happily look the other way if he ever slips up…
Nope moved to Homeland Security: http://www.secretservice.gov/
This is Geithner’s decision – or not?
My understanding (per the article I read) is that the request came from his security detail, not from the president himself. Part of it has to do with the 1000s of active threats against Obama since the election. They just do not have the personnel to track all those down.
What the matter with Janet then? He appointed her and she says no? What’s that about?
oh I’m not in favor of arresting anybody, because as much as I despise and fear what they’re doing, I actually do think that Rushbo as the right to spew sedition. I’m just saying that Congress needs to censure their own members when they not only fail to denounce the lies but actually come out in support of ‘em. One is about free speech – even dangerous, seditious speech. The other is about demogoguery in Congress, by elected officials. The latter we can do something about, even under current law.
This past weekend my husband and I went to see the Lincoln bicentennial exhibit in Sacramento and one thing I didn’t know before was that it was Lincoln’s election itself that spurred the Southern states to start seceding. And one thing that outright shocked me was the similarity of the language to what we are hearing/seeing from the reichwingers at the town hall protests.
‘course I think if they want to secede this time we should just let ‘em go and say “Bye now!”
Here is a link to an article on the understaffing issue. I am not sure it is the same one I read, but it is similar.
Yep, something like this.
See, you are all missing the essential point of the time period when Bush had his public appearances. At that time we were all told “the war on global terror” demanded that we quiet dissent, less we lend support to the terrorists. Don’t you see the difference? We can’t let folks wear t-shirts that demean the President or the terrorists have won! Why are you Liberals so dense when it comes to civil rights and appeasing Osama Bin Laden? But since Obama is a black Muslim the terrorist threat is not really present in this scenario. What we have now is a socialist attempting to take away our rights to bear arms and possibly making life-ending decisions for our Grandparents. Geesh… I mean that is so totally different yo?
1. Ernie is a dufus but a nice guy
2. He is attention seeker
3. Gov Janet knows this guy so knew he wasn’t dangerous
4. PLEASE before you comment, know the whole situation.
YES this situation is serious, the threatened violence is escalating. I have spoke of the violence against democrats….. bought Jeffery Feldman’s book
No. They cannot have Montana. No way.
I saw a map like that only it was called “Dumbfuckistan” which I found apt.
AKA red states.
I recall reading a similar article about the woefully unsupported SS early in Bush’s first term. Of course bolstering the department would require only a tiny fraction of what we continue to piss away in Iraq and Afghanistan in a single day but I’m probably a dumbass for thinking about that.
There’s always Blackwater, of course. s/
It’s close enough to Canada we can sneak it in. The Jesuslanders tend to suck at geography anyway.
And besides BO declared the War on Terror over, so now IOKIYAR. I wonder if we wore some of those old antiBush t-shirts we’d still get arrested?
Still suckling on the taxpayer teat.
Hmmmm? I wonder rx? Good point.
The rednecks/teabaggers (straight not gay ones)/birthers/deathers/wannabe McVeighers/racist citizens are so intertwined in the country that they cannot succeed. They are our neighbors, relatives, policemen, teachers, etc.
We are stuck with them.
You may know this guy and he may be a “nice guy” (if obviously brain dead), but he was not alone. There were 6 (IIRC) of them. Who are these other yahoos and what were their intentions? This is simply an unacceptable security risk. I saw one president assassinated and that was more than enough for two lifetimes. I am not saying that he or they should be locked up. They should, however, be taken off the street and subjected to intensive interrogation by LEA.
Note that Iowa seceded from Jesusland in 2008 and joined the US of C. However, Jesusland can have Chuckles Grasshole.
Considering you can bring a gun to where the president is or will be, I wonder what it would take to get arrested now.
Does it help that we are one of the least religious states?
I still have a t-shirt with a picture of a gagged G.H.W. Bush which reads, “Fuck Censorship!” Whenever I wore it to work back when he was president I had to tuck it in to hide the lettering. Fucking censors!
They didn’t do anything about the one we had,. You remember ‘President’ Cheney, yes?
Montana is good. You gotta leave Mad Max behind, though.
Maybe we should all show up to the events in orange hunters vests and hats so the gun-toting freedom loonies will get the message?
Being a liberal.
Isn’t it Texas that has a law that you can shoot if you “feel threatened”? I guess you can’t get arrested these days. Anything goes.
see what happens when you have too much free time….
at the first of the year, Iraq and Afghanistan was running $4,0000 a second….just put your thinking caps on and tell me where the country will be. $100,000 for 25 seconds……
We will gladly add him to EDP’s generous offer of Grassley as a burnt out offering to the Xtianists.
I wouldn’t mind having a job that paid $40,000 a second. Hell, I’d even be willing to spring for my own insurance…
How many here know that my very Liberal Senator of Wisconsin Russ Feingold supports 2nd amendment guns rights like conceal and carry. He sees it as a states right issue where the Feds have no cause to intervene unless a state is “denying” anyone the right to own and carry a gun.
I would work about a day and retire.
I note that your map cynically appeases the Axis of Evil by ceding border territories such as Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, and Colorado to the enemy. Only Nevada and Florida should’ve been on offer. As it is, this is too high a price to pay for peace. ;-)
Well, nobody is perfect.
The map was drawn in 2004 and might not accurately depict current trends.
Well, it IS Wisconsin… where the populace has to worry about milk cows turning feral and going on a rampage.
Yes. I was very surprised to read about his gun ownership stances. The Chief of police in Milwaukee says, ” what we do is when we see anyone in public with a gun; first, we get him on the ground and take his weapon. Then we sort out if he has a right to have it or not.” I like that approach.
and to marymcc@88
Yeah, I have relatives in Texas and went there when my mother was in the hospital. There was a sign on the door to the hospital saying that guns were not allowed inside. What kind of a place do you need a sign like that?
I sat with my mom a few days and had to listen to Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh on my mom’s radio all day. Maybe that’s the sort of thing that prompts people to bring guns to hospitals….
Hah hah. Feral milk cows!
Oh that’s a good one!
Cows with guns.
It’s late. See you folks again soon. Keep up the good fight.
It is Florida who has that law. Texas and Arizona have their own wacky gun laws.
My though on the 6 guys with Ernie ….. you add up their IQ’s and get the average….. probably very low
Muchas gracias! That is AWESOME!
Felix Moronia = Happy Land of Idiots
Night.
G’nite, PonchoLefty.
I should head out too. Splendid evening to all (and watch out for cows with guns…).
Night, rf. Think I will make it a stampede. Take care all.
Hilarious! Thanks for that.
You can if you’re a black man trying to break into your own home.
I think the nation is in deep shit.
We are in the dog days of summer and then comes 9/11 and then teabag day on 9/12.
Not to mention Iraq and Afghanistan.
-G
Perfect! I was wondering what your monicker signified…stupid cat? happy stupid? Your definition is great.
Nighty night.
H.L.Mencken. I will gladly give-up my moniker if we can name Dumbfuckistan Felix Moronia!!!
can’t we just win the war and then give them just Oklahoma as a homeland? Oklahoma will likely become a sand desert due to climate change, and it is the most Republican state. Blackwater can patrol the perimeter ;-P.
All we have to do is draw a new map…and as someone said upthread update it from the 2004 version to the 2008 version.
Time to say good night. I’m reading Pynchon’s new novel Inherent Vice and want to hit it now. I really like it, but the language anachronisms are driving me crazy.
OT
Net Neutrality is under attack from “astroturf” groups — phony grassroots organizations funded by powerful phone and cable companies to spread lies and misinformation.
These hired guns are painting Net Neutrality and the Internet Freedom Preservation Act (HR 3458) as an attempt to “socialize the Internet.” They call people like you and me “extremists” for supporting a free-flowing Web.
Their rhetoric is frozen in the Cold War era. All Net Neutrality really does is protect market innovation, consumer choice and free speech online.
Check out ‘Astroturf: Exposing the Fake Grassroots’
Mighty phone and cable companies have controlled Internet policy in Washington for years. They set up astroturf groups and launch deceptive “consumer” Web sites to fool politicians and the media into thinking that everyday people support their harmful policy positions.
It’s time to set the record straight. Free Press has pulled together the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, which now represents more than 800 groups, from the Christian Coalition to MoveOn.org and the SEIU to the American Library Association. More than 1.5 million activists — from all walks of life and across the political spectrum — have signed our petition in support of Net Neutrality.
Help us pull back the curtain on astroturf and tell people the truth about Net Neutrality.
I you want an open & free Internet please sigh the petition!
Amen, amen.
Here is Ernie’s blog Freedom Works
I just signed up for manning a booth for Peace and Justice at a major fair. Right next to the Border Patrol and down from the multimillion Army Strong game booth.
I kind of fell into this “volunteer job from Hell”. I dread it, but I’ll do it.
My predicament…Do I wear a Glock or just take my 22 rifle?I don’t want to be over dressed. Maybe the little 22 pistol? Looks cute and goes with summer wear? What’s the gun fashion for a state fair?
And why are we as a society allowing this gun-toting shit?! Are we frigging crazy????
Oh bring an M-14 more penetrating power…./s
My only question is,
Why hasn’t any of these folks that “must ” be recognized and defined by their gun, not brought their weapons issues and loaded at that to any Bush appearances?
Damn!! I’m always a year behind the fashions. I don’t have one.
Because as the gun cultists always say:
An armed society is a polite society.
My reply to them is:
Ask the Somalis and the Iraqis.
-G
Me neither and because California outlawed them I can’t get one…. but I do have a British .303
By the way, I knw many gun enthuseists and 2nd amendment promoters.
Although I have no issues with weapons as long as they are handled by responsible legislation andsane qualified people.
Most of them seem to assume a conclusion. They assess other peoples restraint and calmness as a weakness.
You know the type, They want to pick a fight with you. So they begin trying to scare you by telling you first they are going to give you a fat lip, then a bloody nose, and then a…..Oops.
By that point they are already laid flat out by the person they are fear mongering.
Not all gun owners and not all 2nd amendment hypes. But many.
I suspect:
1. they figured that shrub’s their type of guy and thus didn’t need any intimidation – thugs respect authoritarian figures
2. they didn’t want to spend the next five years at the live end of an electric cattle prod down in gitmo
3. they believe that a gun is the best way to communicate with brown people
Ask Glenn Beck and Limbaugh. And their Congress sluts. It’s a Merican Right to bring guns to public events now. Yahoo!!!!!! Can’t wait til we can shoot off multiple guns at every wedding as a 2nd Amendment thing.
The freedom!!!! The fun!!
I own guns. I like shooting trap. I’m actually thinking of buying another-shotgun- for the varmint population.
I don’t take my guns or my dogs to public events. Period.
I have two hypotheses of why these guys are so attached to carrying heavy weaponry.
1. They have serious doubts and insecurities about the size of their sexual organs. This is the same phenomenon that gave us the Hummer. (Talking to you, Schwarzenegger.)
2. They are actually badly, badly afraid of everything. ”Wee timoring, cowering beastie, What a panic is in thy breastie” comes to mind. They feel that they need protection against the world because they fear just about everything from ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night to imaginary terrorists that plan to disrupt the Walla Walla apple festival. Further evidence for this hypothesis is that they can be aroused most easily by anything that appeals to fear. Rove et al used this tactic with great success to motivate just these people to support their own enslavement. Otherwise why would anyone who has read the relevant part of the health bill think that anyone is proposing to pull the plug on anyone? Their show of bravado is just a show, and deep inside they are wetting their pants.
Steel Yard Blues? Or, the other one . . . OJ gets injected. *G*
Killin me, just killin me . . .
Where’s the bowl of 70% butterfat?
Mearowr . . . .
Best.
Line.
Evah.
Out side of Blazing Saddles, that is.
“I’m Tahred”. (country take)
Huh? Who? What?
Ya know, I just don’t GET the hand down the pants, inside or out, grabbing something, as the PEOPLE go strollin down the sidewalks in my town . . .
Are they packing heat, and showing they are?
Are they showin off to reveal where their dick ta tude is located?
Is it a token showin of gang language?
All I see, is these guys walkin down the street and grabbin their crotch and makin like they is bad ass.
I laugh at them as I drive by. They often don’t react well.
Do I care? *G*
NO sign of that shit up here on our turf.
How wierd in your hood.
Keep me close, if ya need help, I’m there, Mary.
{heart}
Yep, but when will it happen?
Ringo. Er, Bingo.
I think you’re on to something. Though I would add another MO.. Gun as Father Figure.
We got into guns as a training course for my kids. Guns 101. Learn what they are and can do because they might come into your life. The men teaching gun safety were incredible.
We had so much fun during the educational program sponsored by the NRA and the cops that we went out and bought some!!! I had Impeach Bush and anti-war stickers all over my van then, the Early Years of Iraq. We still all found common ground through guns. And through supporting our troops on a community level. Not slogans, real help these young wives through potlucks, fundraisers and gun skills.
-I’m a westerner, so guns are tools.-
Better Canada than GeebuzLand? No?
There times when I think there is group deftness …
1. Ernie notified the Phoenix police prior to his actions
2. His website clearly states that he is trying to get legislation for a 2 mile parameter around the president so this kind of violence DOES NOT happen.
If the secret service was not notified then it is the phoenix police’s responsible.
Janet the Gov with DHS was notified and did not want to do anything. She knows Ernie and knows that he is harmless.
He is wacky and weird but he would not hurt the President. He was mad that people with guns would get that close and how much the birthers were disrespecting the office.
I got this information first and second hand, Even elmore knows him if you don’t trust my judgement.
I believe in the second amendment. 90% of the people I hang out with do too. We’ve been discussing this over the past couple of days on a private mailing list, and the vast majority of my “gun nut” friends are in agreement that toting guns to these speeches and meetings is stupid. Why? Because the people doing it are unhinged dipshits who are more likely to force even further restrictions on carry laws.
This will backfire on the Glenn Beck crowd just as surely as the well-financed “grassroots” townhall protests did.
So far these incidents have happened in legal “open carry” states. So what happens when someone with a legal permit shows up with a gun and a “Health Reform Now” tee shirt? Just exercising our Second Amendment rights too.
The issue here is not the threat. The threat is from the guns you do not see and that aren’t necessarily permitted. The issue is whether the Second Amendment protects the right of progressives to bear arms too, or just the right of rightwing gun nuts.
Only in America – and other third-world, non-healthcare nations. People in countries that have universal healthcare and other people-mandated government protections that would be regarded by too many Americans as “socialist” feel no need to be armed and are, in fact, strongly opposed to suc notions, Indeed, in my mainly white, totally democratic country, police are essentially unarmed, but we sure ain’t scared – and we still have the right to buy, and register, appropriate firearms for mandated purposes (esssentially hunting). But, if you dare to exposedly even carry a firearm anywhere, anytime in public, your ass is behind bars in a blink – no excuses. The rest of the world laughs at your pathetic, puerile clinging to ancient Wild West mores and inability to enact legislation to support the right to health/life of your fellow citizens, which I would have thought was the whole point of the American-reinvented philosophy of Christianity/democracy. Obviously not…
Clinging to guns and religion> Exactly right Mr. O.
Please excuse the typos – I’m an old fart
It is my contention that these gun-totin’ rabble-rousers aren’t there to discuss health care – or even to intimidate folks.
I think they’re there in serious hope that the police or Secret Service will either arrest them or confiscate their weapon.
The first time this happens – the very first time that some law-enforcement official does arrest one of these folks – or confiscates their weapon – the “fix” will be in for the Anti-Obama forces to claim “See? We told you!! Obama wants to take away your guns!!”