From Francis Wilkinson at Bloomberg we learn about "Canada’s Reasonable Vision of Gun Control." 15 hours of classes to get a mandatory gun license, a month-long approval process that requires references, gun instructors who wish there were fewer gun owners -- why, it's like an alternate universe where everything works! In the Universe of America, however, some people call everything that might interfere with their rage-gasms "tyranny," and, as evidenced by the fact that Louisiana had double the murders of Canada last year with one-eighth of the population, they still get too much say in what goes on in America.
Our Supreme Court supposedly disappoints the gun-rights-über-alles crowd in America by refusing to take up three appeals of our national ban on guns ownership by non-violent convicted criminals, but they disappoint me, as well: generally we should not use criminal convictions to deprive people of rights after they've served their time, and that's as true for gun rights as it is for voting rights. You may recall, of course, that the Trump Administration, supposedly the greatest boon to the 2nd Amendment this land has ever seen, did nothing to restore gun ownership rights to non-violent offenders.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) plans to file a bill calling for the expulsion of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) for what she calls her "continual incitement to violence." What if we never actually see such a bill? It will matter not to right-wing votaries, for whom the thrill of rage is all that matters. Anyway, tit for tat ain't the most mature way to go about legislation, but this ain't even tit for tat, as I think most people can tell the difference between Donald Trump telling January 6 seditionists to "take back your country!" and Maxine Waters telling anti-racism protestors that "we've got to get more confrontational."
Surprise, surprise! Two Democratic Senators who oppose the PRO Act, Sen. Kelly of Arizona and Sen. Warner of Virginia, received buku bucks from Amazon in their recent campaigns. However, Sen. Kelly tended to get his campaign contribution from Amazon workers, while Sen. Warner got most of his from Amazon executives, and Mr. Warner sounds like a typical anti-union knucklehead in his opposition, with all his talk about "process issues" like that doesn't make him sound like a smartypants or something. Will Democrats never understand how much Americans hate people who sound like smartypantses?
When I hear that "The GOP's Fallout With Big Business Is Already Mending," I'm tempted to reply: that implies the fallout was ever real! But I'm pained to admit that I thought, for a minute and a half, that maybe the CEOs of today are younger than they used to be and maybe a bit more tolerant, etc. One day I'll learn not to be such an optimist. (As an aside, why do any sane people listen to what the reactionary U.S. Chamber of Commerce says? It's like they're setting an example of what not to do.)
Finally, when I hear about Ivanka Trump getting an earful from right-wing loudmouths after she gets her COVID vaccine, I struggle to remember any of them being all that anti about the Big Man Himself getting his shot when they heard about it. Perhaps this is a good sign: that the "devotion" Donald Trump "inspires" can't be so easily transferred to others, not even his namesake. On the other hand, if Jared got his shot, maybe the faithful would be less angry, and then we'd suspect their real problem is Ivanka not having a penis.
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