The President of the NRA came to Hilo!

I attended and it was an interesting meeting.

I'm sure all of the attendees heard one speaker express his continuing anger that Obama won again. But Obama won because he won the popular vote - twice now.  That's how elections work.

If you are always on the short end, maybe you need to re-think your priorities.  A Democracy works when everyone works together for the common good and the people with the most votes get to make the bigger choices. 

As I pointed out to several people, the very things the Republicans blame for destroying the country were put in place by....REPUBLICANS.  The Repubs used to be the progressive party in the US.  When I grew up in Texas, every southern state was firmly Democratic.  That's another story, But JFK was a Democrat and so was LBJ who actually passed the Equal Rights Amendment.  That's one of the first progressive things the Dems ever did and the pendulum began swing from that point and ended up with the Republican party being controlled by the religious right.

I went last night because several people asked me to...and because someone I like and respect came to my house and personally invited me to what was described as a Romney victory party.  That's when I bet $100 Obama would win. He didn't.  Romney was unelectable from day one.   

In 2010 after the Republicans pulled out a few senate seats,  I was told that Sara Palin would run for president in 2012 and probably win. I said clearly that she would never run, but that Newt Gingrich would try for it and lose to Obama.  I offered a gentleman's wager....declined.

David Keene went to Washington originally to be the bag man for Spiro Agnew's illegal cash collection program - when Agnew got busted, David moved on.  Look it up on the Wiki.

Keene said this:  "The Obama administration is undoubtedly the most hostile administration to gun ownership in US history, with Obama having personally supported bans of handguns and semi-automatic weapons before becoming president."

That happens to be an NRA talking point based on a vote Obama cast on March 24, 2004, in the Illinois state Senate. He was one of 20 who opposed SB 2165. That bill, which passed 38 – 20 and became law, did not make it a crime to use firearms for self-defense, however. Rather, it created a loophole for persons caught violating local gun registration laws.

Not once did David Keene link to an actual policy the President has tried to push to regulate or reform guns laws. He can’t; there aren’t any. The truth is found in the policy. When Democrats say Republicans are waging a war on women, a mountain of actual legislation they’ve proposed proves this accusation. Whereas, the President and the Democrats have done nothing policy wise to push gun control. Again, the President has expanded gun rights. So it’s irrelevant how he feels about the issue. The issue is how he governs.

The theme last night was "O.M.G.!" "THEY" (Obama, of course) are coming to get our guns.  Let me point out that Romney passed a Clintonesque assault weapons ban when he was Governor of Massachusetts - while Obama hasn't done anything but EXPANDED individual gun right ownership.  If you are afraid that someone is going to come and confiscate your firearms, you are a damn sissy;  you don't think enough of the Constitution to defend it; and you are a sheep. You don't deserve to own firearms and you had best donate them to me before you get in trouble.  I will take them politely, thank you very much.  I am not a criminal. I am an American citizen in good standing.  Therefore, NO ONE is coming to take MY guns.  If that kind of stuff is what gives you ulcers, bring them to me and be done with it.  The whining is enough to make anyone sick.

Keene also mentioned there was no private firearms ownership in Russia. Let me expound for just a second on private gun ownership in Russia.  In Moscow alone, some 400,000 people legally keep 470,000 weapons.  The idea that they can't own guns is ridiculous.  Their laws are slightly different.  People with no prior military service can buy shotguns, smoothbore rifles and pistols.  If they own them for 5 years without a criminal incident - like shooting up a theater, they can buy a military-type rifle AND CARRY IT IN PUBLIC.  Exemptions, like honorable military service, apply.

Despite the black man, we haven't turned into a socialist state yet....you know....like Canada. Instead of being a hater, try being an American.  If you won't work for a common goal, which is the job of congress, and you can't get enough radicals to vote for your candidate, there is always Costa Rica.  But you can't own guns there.  Or vote.  

Full disclosure:  I have been an NRA life member for almost 50 years; an NRA instructor for almost as long, an NRA Police Instructor, an NRA Chief Range Safety officer, an NRA airgun coach, and an NRA Benefactor.  I stopped teaching NRA 'branded' courses when the NRA became a political wing of the TEA party.  When they return to neutral, I'll begin again.

I really WANT to be conservative...but radical fundamentalism and detachment from reality isn't very appealing to me.  Peeping in people's windows to see who they sleep with doesn't appeal to me.  Denying raped women and children a morning after pill or an abortion is simply sick and insane.  If YOUR wife or daughter was raped, she'd damn sure get what she needed.  I am anti welfare.  If you are sitting at home collecting money, you can catch that first bus every morning, along with all your kids, and go work in the fields for minimum wage.  Or build roads or do something constructive other than watch TV.  That's bullshit. But so is the idea of 'death panels' and you have to be way below median intelligence not to understand why. 

I have a lot of friends who got ALL messed up in combat - one way or another.  Combat isn't something that just goes away.  It's for life.  So why is ONE AMERICAN COMBAT VETERAN HOMELESS?  Because we are giving the money to Pakistan and Afghanistan and Egypt and other countries who will use it to fight US.  We need to take care of our own first.  And what REALLY pisses me off, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows it, are war hawks saying 'Bomb Iran; Get tough with China, & etc."  - and they have never been in the service or in combat.  I was there.  If you weren't, STFU.