Daily Archives: September 26, 2014

Sacking Tea

Is the handwriting on the wall for the tea party movement in Michigan?

The saying “the handwriting is on the wall” has as its source an incident in 539 BC, recorded for posterity in Daniel 5, in which King Belshazzar of Babylon is plainly told that he has been weighed in the divine balance and found wanting, that the days of both his kingdom and his life have been numbered and brought to an end, and that his empire will be divided between the Medes and Persians then advancing on the city. The concept survives in modern English idiomology to imply that circumstances are such for a person or organization that it is now clear that their ultimate failure is to be expected, or at best will be effectively impossible to avert.

Given the thorough pasting that the constitutionalist insurgency endured in Michigan last month, as a statewide aggregate, it wasn’t exactly a leap for reporters and pundits (likely working from a coordinated set of talking points courtesy of the Michigan Republican Party old guard) to insert dramatic prophecies of impending doom for the tea party movement into their headlines and opinion pieces. David’s missive and Jason’s observation notwithstanding, I don’t think it unreasonable to ask the question: Given the significant events of last August, let alone the past 5-1/2 years, is the tea party movement on the verge of becoming just another footnote in Michigan political history?

You Betcha! (16)Nuh Uh.(1)

Ignorance And The Blissfully Demanding Moms

If you don’t know who Moms Demand Action is, I will give you a quick update.  MDA was founded after the Sandy Hook shooting, by a professional communications exec Shannon Watts and is now funded by the billionaire nanny-statist Michael Bloomberg.  The group is a national organization with chapters in many states, including Michigan.  This group is comprised of both men and women with stated good intentions of reducing “gun violence.”

The problem is, they have no idea what they are talking about.

Look, I’m sure most of the people in this group mean well, but good intentions are about as useful as a “no guns” sign during a mass shooting.  If the gun analogy doesn’t work for you then go with a drainage plug in a boat at the bottom of a lake.  It sounded good at one point, but it’s pretty useless now.

People who carry guns for protection understand this and much more. These are people who understand that we are all responsible for our own safety, and they put forth a great deal of time and effort towards accepting that responsibility.  In essence, these are people who take the time to learn our laws and how to live within them, because for them, being mistaken about a law, even with good intentions, can mean years of prison time.  Their life as they know it is on the line.

What does it mean for MDA and the other side?  Well, not much.  At the worst they just look a little silly which they just can’t seem to stop doing.  They have no real investment in this topic and it shows!

Take for instance a recent MDA protest outside of an Ann Arbor Kroger.  Essentially, MDA wants Kroger to ask customers to not bring firearms into their stores like a few other chains have recently.  Forget for a second the obvious flaw that a simple request will do nothing to stop someone who already has no interest in following our laws, and instead focus on these comments from the MDA rep Kristen Moore at the event:

Moore said that concealed pistol carriers are different.

Those with CPL’s had to go through much more extensive background checks and training to lawfully carry their weapon, she said.

So they are not worried about CPL holders?  Well, at least they acknowledge the lengthy process CPL holders have to go through to become licensed.

But here’s the thing.  Kroger has a liquor license.  Under Michigan law it is illegal for people to possess firearms on the premises of such an establishment, except under a few enumerated circumstances.  One of those being for those who have a CPL.

Did you catch that?  MDA isn’t worried about CPL holders but is protesting outside of a place where only CPL holders may possess a firearm.  Brilliant!

Or how about the time when the Michigan leader for MDA Linda Brundage said a Michigan bill to expand background checks to all long-gun sales was needed to help prevent shootings like one that had just happened in the area.  She never did explain how requiring background checks on long-guns would have stopped a shooting where a “properly licensed and registeredpistol was used.  I guess we are left to our imagination on that one.

Or the time when Rep. Jim Downsend (D-Royal Oak), a big MDA supporter, said:

We have gun safety in this state […] because of the explosion of organized crime in the 1930’s – Tommy guns shooting up people on every block. That is the reason we started trying to get our arms around getting guns off the streets.

If you are like me then you know right off the top of your head that Michigan’s gun-control act is Public Act 372 of 1927. In case you are wondering, yes the act was passed in 1927, 7 years before the federal government. I even keep a copy of the original wording printed off and highlighted at my desk. Despite repeated requests, Rep. Townsend has yet to explain how events in the 1930’s drove legislation in the previous decade.

I could go on and on about this stuff as there is no shortage of of these people just having no idea what they are doing. Like Andy Schor’s (D-Lansing) gun-control bill meant to ban firearms in certain places that would actually increase the presence of openly carried long guns! My goodness did he miss the mark on that one! Did I mention he is another MDA supporter?

Maybe one of these days the demanding moms and their supporters will invest some time into actually getting a clue. Although, achieving a functional level of understanding usually causes one to leave the pro-gun-control side, which probably explains a lot.

You Betcha! (10)Nuh Uh.(0)