kanesrealm

I continue to be stunned by the lack of basic civics knowledge in my country. Today Donald Trump once again dropped his pants and took a dump in the public square. He was droning on about Hillary Clinton wanting to eliminate Second Amendment rights and if she's elected she'll take your guns. This is an old chestnut used by Republicans against many Democrats and it's total hogwash. Trump went further and suggested that hardcore folks might take action. No one with a sound mind is confused, his intent was to incite violence and potential assassination. The fact is Hillary Clinton is pro gun ownership. That is her record and nothing she has said suggests otherwise. The point here is the profound ignorance of millions of Americans, including Donald Trump. There are very basic things about our Republic that people should know. No President can remove a Constitutional right. That can only occur through the amendment process which requires all fifty states to participate. Let m...

Last week Democratic Senator Chris Murphy brought the Senate to a halt with a filibuster on new gun legislation in the wake of the Orlando massacre of 49 people. It ended successfully with Republicans agreeing to bring some bills to the floor for a vote. Yesterday two Republican and two Democratic bills were voted on. They all failed. None of the bills were particularly radical so why no action? Mind you nothing they would have passed would have survived in the House but still it begs the question why? A super majority of Americans support some form of gun reform including better background checks, closing various loopholes and even banning some categories of military grade weapons. The majority of the National Rifle Association's five million members also support serious common sense reforms. The N.R.A. executive leadership does not because they are in reality a critical mouthpiece for gun manufacters. Those forces don't want anything to interfere with their business, so the...

Lyin' Donald Trump is at it again. Lyin' Donald Trump, it's so true, he's such a liar folks, no really, many people are saying it and there not small lies, he lies biggly. Trump says Hillary Clinton wants to take away all of our guns, every last one of them, right down to the derringer strapped to your Aunt Minnie's inner thigh. It's not true, no way, no how. It's a scare tactic aimed at whipping up a furor among our less in depth reflective citizens. Should we strengthen our gun laws nationally? Absolutely as long as they meet the common sense test. I know, we're not big on common sense but we should give it the old college try. Assault rifles were once banned and the freedom of the nation did not fall. That ban expired in 2004 and sales have been booming ever since, especially the AR-15 which is now America's favorite assault rifle. Strictly for target practice and hunting of course. You can't be too careful when hunting these days because th...

When you're wrong, you're wrong. I'm among the smartest people I know but even I get it wrong sometimes. Making a mistake is not the problem but failing to acknowledge it is. In my post "The Politics of Tragedy" I said if you're on the no fly list for terrorists you shouldn't be able to get a gun but I am in error in that assessment. I know that there have been problems with this list in the past, some very prominent, such as the late Ted Kennedy but according to our own federal poohbahs approximately forty percent (40%) of the names on that list are a false positive. Which means it's fucked up. Even my flabby white Irish ass might be on the list, I wouldn't know cause I never leave the country, I barely leave the county and as the unelected Mayor of Hindtit I'm above reproach. So there you have it dear readers, an acknowledgement of my mistake, I swear it will happen again but I will always own up to it. Note: this in no way changes the...