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I feel ya.

I have a lot of Republican friends and family who are suffering right now.
They’re kinda backed into a corner and they know that soon they will have to make a choice. They’ve spent their lives doing the right thing, loving their families, paying their bills, most go to church regularly and pray for strength to continue doing the next right thing, the things that define their lives.

But soon they’ll have to make a choice. About him.

He checked off all the right boxes. He was strong on right to life, steady on the second amendment he talked about concepts like “America First” and seeing that everyone who wanted / needed to work could get a job. And for some the most important trait that he possessed:
He irritated the libs. “Bigly!”

But now things are changing, he’s changing.

Some might say his true character is appearing. He has shown little to no regard for the checks and balances that has sustained this country for decades.
He believes (much like Nixon) that: “When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal”
His white house has literally stopped holding press briefings, forcing journalists to spend their days interviewing hacks, hangers-on and each other all the while imagining what the President is doing or thinking.
When they get something wrong (sometimes due to malice but often due to poor information management) he call the press “Fake News” and “Enemies of the People.” These phrases, by the way, have been seen and heard in totalitarian regimes throughout history.

So what are my Republican friends to do? Quite frankly we who are on the opposite side have not made their lives easy. I regularly brace my right minded friends with today’s flagrant misdeed or ignorant tweet just to make them scamper around and defend the indefensible. It’s been depressing and fun at the same time.

But now I’m wondering if it isn’t time to call the Mercy rule. You remember that from grade school, right? When the other team was hopelessly behind and making them struggle to the end of the game was cruel.
So you called the game – for Mercy.
Is that where we are now?

The Republican leaders who have stood by this empty shell must surely be sick to their souls by now. The President of the United States used to be referred to as the “The Leader of the Free World” now he’s just “Him.”
Do they need a “Mercy time out?”
Right now they all seem to be like the spoiled husband standing in front of the refrigerator baying “I can’t see the milk” when indeed the milk is right in front of his eyes.
Is this what they have gone into politics for? Each of them right now could name countless others that would be far better holding the highest office in America. Instead they are forced to support this foolish, vain tweeting, ego driven monster.

So yeah, lets call a Mercy time out. Let’s give them a chance to redeem themselves. The Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is scheduled to testify to the House Intelligence Committee this week. If he releases the whistleblower complaint, as he is required by law to do, then we shall proceed apace. Republicans would be wise to encourage this.

Otherwise.

Impeachment proceeding should begin Friday and my Republican friends will have to make that choice.

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Gomer the Turtle and Stevie the Hippopotamus are Facebook ‘frenemies.’ A Frenemy is someone you are friends with but occasionally wish a plague of locusts upon.

Gomer and Stevie often find themselves on the opposite side of issues. Gomer feels one way and oddly enough his friend Stevie usually comes down on the opposite side. So they argue – alot. Sometimes day and night.

Lately they have been arguing about guns. Stevie thinks that gun violence is getting out of hand in America and “Something must be done!” Gomer believes that there really is nothing that can be done about gun violence. “After all,” Gomer proudly says, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people!”

One day Gomer the Turtle decides that it would be best if Stevie the Hippopotamus had the chance to hold and shoot a gun.
“After all,” thought Gomer, “he might grow to like the feel of power and exhilaration that comes from shooting a real gun. And if he does maybe he will lighten up a little and stop being such a pain in the ...”

Well – you get the idea.

So Gomer puts on his cowboy hat and his cowboy jeans, straps his leather holster to his waist, gets into his Hummer with all the MAGA stickers on the back and picks up Stevie the Hippopotamus. They drive out to the Plink-a-Lot pistol range.

“Here you go.” says Gomer the Turtle handing Stevie the Hippopotamus his .357 Jones & Wasson revolver. “It’s a 357 Magnum.” says Gomer proudly.

Stevie is surprised at how heavy the gun is in his hand. “Now what?” he asks.

“Just point it at that there target down there, and squeeze the trigger.” says Gomer pointing at a man shaped target thirty yards away. “But be careful there hoss, it’s got a kick to it.”

So that’s what Stevie the Hippopotamus does. He points and shoots.

The gun goes off with a very big BANG! and Stevie’s arm flies up into the air. Stevie misses the target completely. Gomer the Turtle bends over laughing and slapping his knee. “I told you it had a kick.”

Stevie tries again but he’s such a limp wristed Hippopotamus he can’t control the gun. Gomer laughs some more and tells Stevie that he “should have brought his sister’s derringer!”

The fun and laughter comes to a quick halt when the owner of the Plink-a-Lot, Larry the Weasel runs up to them and shouts “My neighbor Gladys the Goose has been shot.”

Gomer and Stevie run over to where Gladys the Goose is lying on the ground, holding her knee and crying in pain. “I’ve been shot – oh dear – it hurts so much. Why would anyone shoot me?”

Gomer looks at Stevie and says, “Oh crap you’ve shot Gladys the Goose..”

Stevie sinks to the ground and begins to cry. He begs Gladys to forgive him. She can’t answer him – just keeps crying and saying the same thing over and over again “Why would someone shoot me?”

Soon the ambulance comes to collect Gladys the Goose and takes her to the hospital.

Months later, Gladys the Goose is out of the hospital and the hospital people come to her with a very big medical bill. “My stars, this sure has a lot of zeros on it, how in the world will I ever pay for it?”

Facing bankruptcy, Gladys hires a lawyer – Lenny the Lobster to help her collect some money for her injuries. “I was just walking down the road minding my own business and someone shot me. It’s not fair.”

Lenny the Lobster drags Larry the Weasel into court and shakes Gladys’ hospital bill in his face. “Gladys the Goose was just walking down the road in front of your business.”

Larry smiles and says. “No, I just run a simple business and Gladys wasn’t even one of my customers. Plus she was on the road – not in my place.”
Gladys cried into her hands. Larry the Weasel smiled at her and said. “I want you to know that you have been on my mind and in my prayers.”

Lenny the Lobster drags in Stevie the Hippopotamus into court and shakes Gladys’ hospital bill in his face.
Stevie says “I’d like to help – I have six hundred dollars in my bank account. You can have that.”
Lenny the Lobster sneers. “That will barely cover one day in the hospital.”
Stevie sighs and says. “I wish I could do more, I really do. I think about you everyday since the accident and I’ve been praying for you also.”
Gladys cries into her hands.

Next Lenny brings in Gomer and shakes Gladys’ hospital bill in his face.
Gomer smiles at the lawyer and says. “Yeah, that was my gun but I didn’t shoot her- it was that limp wristed fool over there that shot her.” Gomer points at Stevie and delivers his coup de gras “Guns don’t shoot people – people shoot people!”
Gladys cried into her hands. Gomer the Turtle smiled at her and said. “I want you to know that you have been on my mind and in my prayers.”

Lenny the Lobster drags in Jimmy the Slug, the CEO of Jones & Wasson, the company that sold the gun and shakes Gladys’ hospital bill in his face.
Jimmy the Slug grins at the little people in the courtroom and says,
“Surely, you can’t believe that we are culpable.”
“Your gun shot Gladys the Goose and now she is facing bankruptcy.” cried Lenny the Lawyer.
“Our gun did exactly what it was designed to do.” Jimmie smiled slyly. “It is designed to shoot bullets.“
Gladys cried into her hands.
Jimmie slid off the witness chair clucking his tongue. “This is just an unfortunate accident, no one to blame – Thoughts and Prayers! Toodles”

Gladys the Goose went home and watched as the creditors stripped her home and sold her house.

Gladys the Goose now lives under a bridge and sells her blood in order to eat. She doesn’t cry so much anymore. Late at night she looks up at the stars and marvels that she lives in a country that knows how to build products that can kill lots of people but can’t seem to figure out how to protect people that are just walking down the street.

Thoughts and Prayers!

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I recently wrote a post on this blog concerning the Rules for discussing guns and mass murder.

I wrote that post in a tongue-in-cheek format but it is a pretty clear illustration of what it’s like debating gun enthusiasts. They love their guns and they have honed their craft over the years debating and defending the second amendment.

Of all their counter arguments the one that carries the most weight with me is “What’s your solution?” Its a good question and one that requires answering.


So here goes:

1. The United States should begin collecting official data on gun crimes. You might think to yourself “but we already do that”,
   well, we do and we don’t. Lots of organizations do like EverytownResearch.org but the U.S. doesn’t have an official tally. The CDC would like to do that but Congress has yet to fund it. It should be noted that the NRA opposes the collection of this data.
   
   
2. Implement a ten year ban on rifles with rapid fire capabilities. These would be rifles loosely defined as ‘assault weapons.’ Existing weapons that fall under this category can be grandfathered in but must be registered. The government can offer a buyback program. After ten years revisit the ban, if gun deaths have dropped significantly then set it for another ten years. If no change then drop it. Yes, there will be much disension over the description of what an assault weapon is but we can figure that out. We are the greatest country in the world right? If we can’t decide then start by banning rifles used in mass murders of over five persons.
   
   
3. Require liability & medical insurance on every gun in America. This insurance should offer at least 500K for fatal shootings and lifetime medical for gunshot victims. I’m told that the 2nd amendment is the most important of the Bill of Rights. Surely we can back that claim up financially.
   
   
4. Universal background checks on the national level. Yes, America has some forms of background checks but they are easily circumvented by driving to another state or going it a unlicensed seller.
   
   
5. Efficient mental health screening. This requires the cooperation of Congress. Current funding for mental health is abysmal. Bills intended to renew funding for mental health are languishing in Congress.
   
   
6. Tighten up requirements to participate in gun shows. People should not be able to buy a weapon of war off the tailgate of a pickup truck at a gun show.
   
   
7. Ban large capacity magazines. You don’t need a hundred rounds to bag your deer. It’s not a right.
   
   
8. Review open carry and stand your ground laws. Many of these are poorly drawn laws created solely to garner votes rather than save lives.
   
   
9. Address urban gun violence. Violence intervention programs have had success in stemming gun deaths in densely populated cities. These need better funding in order to continue to grow.
   
   
10. Disarm hate.
    US Senator Bob Casey and Representative David Cicilline introduced the Disarm Hate Act in 2017, this legislation would prohibit access to firearms by people who have been convicted of a hate crime involving the use or threatened use of violence or a deadly weapon. It is stalled in Congress.