Gun Control is Not Dead Today, Despite Bullshit Claims to the Contrary
It’s not time to mince words.
I won’t play this game.
Nor will I engage the nonsense as posited above much beyond this article.
I saw this post on Facebook today:
I was going to link the post to my page, as it was written by a personal friend of nearly 25 years. Yes, a friend; there will always be a loyalty there due to personal circumstance. We agree on absolutely nothing politically, and we battle consistently. We do largely agree on quality science fiction, though, so there’s that.
My personal circumstance with this individual aside, anti-Trumpers will still have to coexist with his extreme followers once this president leaves office. This is not a matter of “right vs. left” to me, which I consider simplistic. This is a matter of those who stand against Trump (can be Republican) vs. his loyal base.
No, his base will not suddenly disappear once Trump is finally relieved from office, and ignoring its existence would be a mistake.
Though I am consistently pressured to do so, I choose to not ignore or block my friend. Regardless, I believe her above post has crossed the line into little more than very dangerous and irresponsible wish-fulfillment territory.
Based on the number of “likes” and feedback the post has received, though, it’s clear we need to keep our eyes and ears open. Many of us once thought Donald Trump never had a shot at the presidency either; downplaying the mindset of certain supporters as representative of a very small group equates to what got us into trouble the last time.
To me, the post and comments collectively are an inadvertent public service for the rest of us.
If the George Floyd protests have hammered home a message this week, it’s this: Our elected public officials are no match for those of us who continue to take to the streets to change the world.
Donald Trump’s polling of late reflects his abject ineffectiveness, especially during times of crises, and widespread shift into dissatisfaction.
To me, this shift is highly encouraging.
And it needs to continue.
To refocus on the topic of this article, I’ve been both praised and criticized for my views on gun control. I don’t give a damn, quite honestly. I’m a writer; I express my honest viewpoints. As I say to my social media readers fairly consistently, “My truth is not one size fits all.”
The bottom line is this: I strongly believe there will be an attempt at deadlier civil unrest by factions of the extreme right.
From every indication, however, the majority of us refuses to live in a police state, or return to the equivalent of Naziism. Our freedom of expression and speech will not be suppressed.
Neither will be the freedom to be black.
Nor are we willing to descend into a state of anarchy, which my friend appears to believe.
But … nor will your hate and hate speech be allowed to thrive, as it will not be tolerated. You have a right to express yourself … we have a right to fight back.
Donald J. Trump has been exposed more than ever this week. In the names of George Floyd and every abused or murdered black person at the hands of law enforcement, the people are not having it. Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C. certainly isn’t having it. She dismissed members of the Utah National Guard, who were among Washington's secret force on the day of Trump’s ill-fated church photo opp, from a local hotel. She claimed “budget” issues.
And then she agreed to have the street painted.
Muriel Bowser is an unsung hero today.
As to the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo bastards chattering and sending out signals indeed about an impending Civil War … bring it on.
If you are dog whistling to use today’s chaos as an excuse to amp up and run rampant in the streets with your guns, what are you contributing to, exactly? Self-defense and legal gun ownership is one thing; creating an untenable situation for the rest of us is something else.
In this regard, for anyone on social media or otherwise who comes into contact with such chatter, please imminently contact the FBI at 202–324–3000.
Then, spread the word and expose them so non-Trump sycophant law enforcers (they’re out there) can do their jobs and remove them from what may one day yet become a truly civilized society.
So long as we keep up the good fight.
Thank you for reading.
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