As the good Dr. Maddow would say, please talk me down here.
I feel like I'm as paranoid as the teabagging nutjobs (pun intended) who were out protesting their democratically elected president that they didn't vote for today. I'm one of those who no longer sees the humor in nutcases like Glenn Beck pushing Texas toward secession or Michele Bachmann ordering up militias to get armed.
This is not funny anymore.
Today I came across this piece on TIME and it sent shivers up my spine...
It all starts off supposedly as a good thing for America: Pirates Beware: Soon Rifles That Can Kill From a Mile Away
...the Pentagon is drawing up a project to make it easier to hit targets at much longer distances: a super-sniper rifle called the EXACTO, short for EXtreme ACcuracy Tasked Ordnance...
"The ability to more accurately prosecute targets at significantly longer range would provide a dramatic new capability to the U.S. military," DARPA'S solicitation for bids said. "The use of an actively controlled bullet will make it possible to counter environmental effects such as crosswinds and air density, and prosecute both stationary and moving targets while enhancing shooter covertness..."
Nice right?
But then I think about the hatemongers over there on the other side scaring people into thinking the government is trying to brainwash people (oh the irony)...
And trying scare people into buying guns...
And crazy people who got scared enough to buy guns and actually act on it...
Then I remembered more loonies like this who post treasonous crap on the Glenn Beck message board:
My son, is an operator with an SF (Special Forces?) team and we are in reg comm. they are ready. we are ready. and if you start reading between the lines, you will see it. L presidente obama bin osama, is breathing borrowed air. as are all of congress. it has gone to far. they will all hang. just be ready.
And knowing that the NRA will be doing everything in its power to protect any gun show loophole that allows just anybody to get any kind of gun, like the one TIME mentioned in the article I posted above...
Let's just say that in this environment, I worry not only for the president; I also worry for any proud supporter of his who lives in a place where supporting him might be frowned upon... say like, oh, Texas?
Let me also just point out, I'm not actually one who thinks gun control will fix any of this. An assault weapon ban is not high on my wishlist right now. We can ban the sale of this super gun that the military is developing, but if there is some deranged person who has enough connections to get their hands on one, a law might not be enough to stop them from doing the unthinkable. And unfortunately, the political capital the Democrats will have to spend on pursuing this will be too high to get anything else on their agenda done. We all know how the NRA does.
To me, the more important thing is for the GOP to control their conservative base. Tell them and their media arm to chill the f--- out. It is irresponsible for their leaders to let their propaganda machine at FOX and talk radio control their party's agenda.
I end this diary with a scene from one of my favorite animated movies - The Iron Giant. I think it best explains why I don't blame lax gun laws as much as I do the fearmongering of the right wing hate machine.
You are what you choose to be. You choose.
Indeed. And I hope that eventually, the right wing attack machine stops spewing the lies that their make their assault-gun-loving base think that they have no other choice but the wrong one.... though I know I might be hoping for too much here.