Day: January 16, 2013

The National Rifle Association Vs. The American People!

Ronald 17 Comments

The National Rifle Association and a percentage of its membership have declared war on American safety and security by their vicious campaign against any new gun regulations in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Massacre! But Barack Obama and Joe Biden have come up with a series of legislative ideas and executive orders that will challenge the NRA’s dominance on this issue!

The American people want action, and Pew Research Polls prove that as shown below:

85 percent want background checks for private and gun show sales.
80 percent want people with mental disorder to be prevented from purchasing guns.
67 percent want a federal data base to track gun sales.
58 percent want a ban on semi automatic weapons.
55 percent want a ban on assault style weapons.
54 percent want a ban on high capacity magazines.
53 percent want a ban on online sale of ammunition.

So the American people overwhelmingly support sensible gun control measures, and the NRA is fighting against this tide, and is using its power with Republicans to prevent any action.

But the Republican Party, if it continues this unwillingness to recognize the threat to all of us by lack of regulation, and instead backs wing nuts like Alex Jones, and continues to support the NRA, and lets Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and others like him to become the image of the party on this matter, they will suffer heavily at the polls in future elections!

The “New” Generation Of Democrats: Led By Andrew Cuomo Of New York And Martin O’Malley Of Maryland!

Ronald Leave a comment

As the next Presidential term begins in a few days, the focus has been on Vice President Joe Biden and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the two most likely front runners for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2016.

While certainly that is possible, it is also conceivable that a “New Generation” of leadership may be emerging to contest their front runner status, and just might be the alternative to either Biden or Clinton.

Two Northeastern Governors have likely plans to announce for President, and both are working very hard to establish their credentials in similar fields of endeavor.

These two gentlemen are New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

Both have become leaders in promoting gay rights and gay marriage in their states, and both have taken leadership in the area of gun regulations in wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre in Connecticut.

Both are very bright, articulate leaders of the future, whether or not they enter the contest for the Presidency, and both have extensive executive experience in public office.

Both will certainly be heard from in the future, and will be discussed regularly over time on this blog! So stay tuned!

Rapidly Growing Polarization Threatens Safety Of President Obama And Vice President Biden!

Ronald 7 Comments

As the fury and anger of critics of President Obama and Vice President Biden on so many issues—the debt ceiling, gun control legislation, Cabinet nominees, gay rights, immigration reform, climate change, and foreign policy controversies (including a nuclear Iran, the Syrian Civil War, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea)— continues to escalate to dangerous emotional levels, the safety of both men is, more than ever, a subject of great concern not often directly talked about publicly.

The argument could be that both the President and Vice President have exceptional Secret Service security, and that we need not worry.

But as one realizes as we begin the 50th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination this coming November 22, no security detail can guarantee the safety of any President, Vice President, or anyone else.

There is always the “lone wolf” out there, ready to sacrifice himself to gain glory, to make a political point, to act out hatred of someone, knowing they will be part of the American history story forever, as much as John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz and Lee Harvey Oswald—the assassins of Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy, respectively!

And the rhetoric that has become “normal” these days is far greater than it was even when John F. Kennedy was traveling to Dallas, Texas, almost 50 years ago.

And we have talk show hosts on radio and Fox News Channel who thrive on building hate and animosity and conspiracy theories, and will stop at nothing in their hateful and divisive rhetoric!

And we have the power of pressure groups, and not just the National Rifle Association, but many others, who ratchet up the stress and tension by making it seem like the world will end, due to the federal government passing legislation or extending executive authority, as if we are Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Soviet Union, or Communist China, when our history and our heritage have nothing to do with the history of those nations!

As we come up to the second inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, we all need to do a lot of praying that the polarization which exists will not lead to a greater tragedy which solves nothing, and just would show the depths of the threats we face from right wing wingnuts who want to set back the progress of America, and are delusional about the world they live in!