Beto O’Rourke Too Extreme?
The NRA has been stumping for Greg Abbott pretty hard and heavy. I hear their radio spots at least a few times every day. Beto O’Rourke has an F rating according to the NRA. However, Greg Abbott has been governor for eight years. I’m still not sure why we should vote for him. The only thing he tells us is why we shouldn’t vote for Beto O’Rourke.
Terrorism is defined as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” I don’t know why that word popped into my head just now. It must be one of those random thoughts that have nothing to do with anything.
That same dictionary defines domestic terrorism as “the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens.” The Patriot Act said that people are engaging in domestic terrorism is they perform an act “dangerous to human life.” So, if we follow this random tangent to it’s logical conclusion we would have to assume that people that participate in mass shooting events are domestic terrorists.
Mind you, I’m not calling the NRA a sponsor of domestic terrorism. I’m simply defining terms. The city of San Francisco has already done that. Many Americans already agree with San Francisco. However, lets walk this through. You have an organization that opposes waiting periods, background checks, and any sort of regulation of semi-automatic weapons, age limits, licensing, or carry restrictions. They support an 18 year old’s right to openly carry an AR-15 whether they have passed a background check or not.
So, there is a sizeable gap between supporting any right to own a firearm and where the NRA currently stands. According to Gallup, as of 2020 only 32 percent of Americans owned a firearm and only 44 percent lived in a household with at least one firearm. However, that is in stark contrast to the number of firearms actually in the United States. So, if there are 1.2 firearms per person, but only 32 percent of people own a firearm then that means that the average gun owner has three or more guns.
Whether the NRA are domestic terrorists, support domestic terrorism, or are indifferent to terrorism is for shock jocks to consider. One could credibly claim that the NRA serves a very small segment of society. After all, even most gun owners are in favor of waiting periods, background checks, and restricting access to certain weapons. Most support age restrictions as well. So, when one earns an F grade from the NRA what exactly does that mean? I’d say it means he is a decent and reasonable human being.
Also consider the NRA’s connections to Putin / Russia.
“Birds of a feather…”
“The NRA Can’t Erase Its Ties to a Russian Agent Who Targeted Ukraine”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/03/nra-maria-butina-ukraine-putin-war-crimea-republicans-trump-guns/
“Senate Report Reveals NRA Was ‘Foreign Asset’ To Russia Ahead of 2016”
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/765037952/senate-report-reveals-nra-was-foreign-asset-to-russia-ahead-of-2016
Etc.
1You have to remember that to the current GOP and NRA, anyone to the left of Temujin is a LIBERAL.
2Don’t forget that the Texas GOP in its annual meeting this summer passed a plank in their platform to secede from the USA. This is what the GOP really wants!
3Considering the NRA’s probable ties to Russia, it may qualify as a foreign terrorist organization.
4Grandma Ada @ 3,
Let them secede. TX would fall into a depression like they never had before. They would no longer get federal money or funding of any kind, no veterans bennies, no more military bases, no SS or medicare, etc… nothing. If TX wants to become more like a third world, fascist kingdom…I say, build a wall to keep their citizens in, embargo all trade to them and give them nothing. Let the TX citizens digest what their leaders have done.
5Please let some of us escape.
6Good job, Nick! That’s as close as I’ve seen you come to actually hopping down off the fence and stating which side you’re standing on. I’m aware that your Inimitable writing style and deep sense of obligation to reach across the political divide prevent you from stating a concrete opininion but doggone it, you came mighty close. Congratulations.
7BTW, gun control in general and limiting the who, what, and how many of gun ownership in particular, is an unequivocal societal good.
If the NRA is going to try to hide behind the 2nd Amendment, I think they should be forced to explain how their stance accords with the full text of the Amendment. Every time they try to use the 2nd, they deliberately omit the first half of it, the “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of the state..”part. The Constitution has a section where militias are defined and folks, none of the so-called militias in existence today, the ones the NRA cheerleads for, even approximate that definition.
8Papa @ 4. IIRC, Social Security pays those who paid into it. No matter where in the world they live. One need not be a citizen to collect. Just someone who paid the required time. Unless things have changed in the many years since i lived next door to a person who worked there told me many people come to the USA, work the required quarters then go home. That SS check will support them when the time comes to collect.
9Hey Grandma Ada! If Texas wants to go it alone, they can find their own damn water!
10Beto O’Rourke is worlds better than Greg Abbott as a candidate for Governor of Texas. We’ve seen what Abbott does (not do). Beto talks a great game; give him a chance to show his stuff. It can hardly be worse than Abbott, and is likely to be a great deal better. The fact that the NRA hates Beto should be taken as a huge plus for the O’Rourke campaign.
Go, Beto!
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