TRUMP, MCCONNELL AND “GOP” - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

In the space of one day the Supreme Court gave a new constitutional right to take your gun anywhere you like and took away another - a woman’s right to choose. While the first decision was somewhat drowned in the rather pitiful compromise the nearly twenty Senate “Republicans” offered in background checks and funds for mental health care, the latter evoked a spontaneous backlash which will endure between now and the November midterm elections. It was an outrageous radical decision putting once again the onus on each state to decide whether to allow abortions or not.

 In question is whether nine unelected Justices, living in a bubble, can inflict their religious beliefs on three hundred and thirty million Americans. Four of the five radicals who backed the majority opinion were appointed by Presidents who didn’t win a majority of votes.  All this taking place contemporaneously with the the January 6 Committee’s eviscerating post mortem of Trump’s violent coup of the US Constitution. 

The decisions by the Supreme Court reinforce the allegation that it is nothing but a de facto political wing of the “Republican Party”. (An NPR poll showed that fifty percent of the population thought that the judges decision was based on politics not law). The latter fact as well as the unravelling of Trump’s coup conspiracy are bound to challenge the conventional wisdom that rabid inflation and gas prices are going to give the “Republicans” an overwhelming victory in the midterm elections. This ruling will bolster Biden in  framing the future of America as a values issue as to “Who we are and who we want to be”. Clarence Thomas said next on the list of prohibitions was same sex marriage, same sex intimacy and contraception.

NO LONGER ROBERT’S COURT

In the words of Chief Justice Roberts who voted in favor of the return to the Wild West on the gun issue but had enough insight to vote against the women’s right to choose motion arguing, inter alia, that this was  “…a serious jolt to the legal system…urging judicial restraint”. He pointed out that the complaint before the court did not involve this conditional issue but rather the period in gestation that a termination of pregnancy could be permissible. 

The Robert’s Supreme Court has become the Thomas/Trump/McConnell Supreme Court. Roberts was involved in anti abortion movements before he became the Chief Justice. However he recognizes established precedent as a basis for jurisprudence. He can no longer have it both ways, namely, fulfill right wing agendas and have the judicial respectability he so craves.  The Supreme Court, has according to the latest poll a twenty - five percent approval rating. While Roberts cares there are five other “Republican” activists who don’t give a hoot. 

TRUMP DELIVERS  ANTI ABORTION JUDGES WHO DELIVER

To jog memories this judicial mayhem was powered by Trump’s three Supreme Court picks whom he reassured his Evangelical base that they would vote to overturn the fifty year old constitutional decision to allow women the right to an abortion - a right which had been reaffirmed again and again. Two of those picks were not rightly the choice of Trump but the wily McConnell had brazenly, manipulated the Senate proceedings, to deprive the Democrats of those nominations. 

 The three Trump appointed Judges were not as forthright as Trump was as to their attitude towards the abortion law which was backed by the privacy provision of the Constitution. In their nomination hearings they left any rational person, including a few undecided “Republicans”, that they would support the well established right. So did Justice Alito, the author of the opinion, in his confirmation way back. Clarence Thomas when asked at his nomination hearing glibly lied that he believed the Constitution protected the right to privacy. 

Jay H. Ell will not dignify the nonsense Justice Thomas penned in any detail but will point out that the Justice in his supporting brief  argued that the rights to contraception, same sex marriage and same sex intimacy, which were predicated under the same constitutional provisions as abortions, should be the next to go. Justice Thomas forgets that his interracial marriage is as is the abortion right also been enshrined as an act of privacy.

The three liberal judges, two of whom are women, said that the fifty year old precedent was struck down not because of new scientific developments or societal changes, but due to changes in the makeup of the Supreme Court itself. They also argued that the new law “..says from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of”. Justice Elena Kagan pointed out the obvious that this relegates women to second class citizens. The Trump nominee Justice Amy Barrett’s contribution to the new legislation showed how totally out of reality this privileged member of society was when she argued that carrying the fetus to term would not be disadvantageous to a woman, who could anonymously leave her baby at a police station or hospital and carry on with life. She has to be unaware that there are four hundred thousand foster children that nobody wants to adopt. All five were comfortable that several “Republican” states were making no exception for rape and incest.

THE REAL IMPACT ON A WOMAN’S CHOICE

Currently in the red states abortions facilities are far and few between. There has been State legislation that has hampered the services to the extent that they are minimal. While the Supreme Court decision enhances the States’ ability to bring that to zero including for rape and incest and sometimes even disregarding the health of the mother. Previosly some red states like Oklahoma had provided a haven for abortions but that is now over. Even though rights had been hard to come by a blanket ban will produce much more hardship.

So for a long while there have been limited abortion services in the Red States and the society adapted. The recent decision was not unexpected and preparations have been put into place to cope including to ship those that need shipping to the blue states that are preparing for the onslaught. A non profit organization will put mobile units on State borders and the international Aid Access has been making preparations for what they considered inevitable.  Large commercial companies have all stated that they will pay the costs for out of State care. But most importantly the termination of pregnancy has changed dramatically since 1972. The majority of abortions are now affected by the taking of pills which are highly effective. Also vacuum extraction is a simple outpatient procedure early on.

The Governors of the “Republican” states have said that to go out of state will be illegal as will the oral hormonal procedures. They can stand on their heads. How on earth are they going to police it? Are they going to do what they did on the border monitor menstrual cycles? Are they going to open all parcels and letters addressed to women? The social media companies, excepting Trump’s of course, have flat out said they will not provide records of conversations in this regard. Biden is going to initiate an Executive order that will facilitate interstate travel. 

The real problem lies in the smashing of the fabric of American democracy that the Supreme Court has inflicted.

THE IMPACT ON DEMOCRACY

A large section of America is reeling in disbelief at the brazenness of the radical members of the Supreme Court attempting a coup with the same revolutionary abandon that their sponsor Trump had shown in a breath taking disregard for constitutionality. Jay H. Ell on June 1 had blogged on “Guns, Culture, Politics, Money, The Supreme Court and Tiny Coffins”,which gave some of the background of how this all came to be.  However everyone is still clumsily trying to frame the action and the further implications of it in terms of the democracy America was believed to be. In essence that analyzing is denial. This outcome is as a result of decades of preparation by the Federalist Society, it was delivered by the midwifery of Trump who to put it at its kindest does not play by the rules and maneuvered by McConnell who maintains a pretense to the rules, tradition, institutions and democracy. 

It was Alexander Hamilton who described the Judicial Branch as the least dangerous arm of the government as itself had no army or infrastructure to ensure its rulings. As Hamilton put it it had, “no influence over the sword and the purse”. Ironically, it is reliant on the social fabric and the democratic institutions to uphold it’s rulings which cannot be challenged.Taken to its extreme which is the way one has to hypothesize and to a certain extent has been exhibited the Supreme Court it is the most powerful force in America. Jay H. Ell has to believe that the weary Founding Fathers envisioned its role akin to a baseball umpire, “There maybe balls there maybe strikes but they ain”t nothing till I call them”. 

So what can be done?.

THE SUPREME COURT’S CONSTITUTIONALITY

Ironically other than there should be a Supreme Court there is nothing in the Constitution that can protect its integrity or anything about it. Of course the Justices themselves could be impeached but that requires a bipartisan vote. The Senate that would “hear” the case is so designed that the minority of the population have disproportionate representation - Wyoming with a population of less than a million have the same number of Senators as does California which has forty - four million. Put another way if the Senate didn’t impeach Donald Trump for instigating a violent coup they are not going to impeach a “distinguished and learned” jurist of another party. 

Strictly speaking the whole ball of wax could be undone if Democratic Senators Manchin and Sinema didn’t hold to the “gentleman’s” agreement that such a motion needed sixty votes. All the ruling party in the Senate has to vote that the Supreme Court needs thirteen judges. So If suddenly the latter two stopped fighting fair in a contest where the other side have abandoned the rules then Biden could appoint four more judges to the Supreme Court and that would be that. 

However what would stop “The Republicans” should they get fifty one votes in the next election voting for another six more judges and President Pence nominating six Evangelical Judges. This may sound trite but the whole scenario is part of “The Brave New World” that we currently are entering. If the Democrats don’t do anything there is at least twenty - years of the current court  and Justice Thomas has told you what they will do and worse.  Justice Thomas is not waiting to hear the merits of a case - he has decided.

In short the Supreme Court is precipitously close to being a totally undemocratic component of government and nobody knows that better than Chief Justice Roberts. 

THE POLITICAL IMPACT ON THE MIDTERMS

The "Republican" response has been mooted at the decision to say the least. The only Presidential candidate to come out in favor is former Vice President Mike Pence. Trump at his most recent rally hardly even mentioned his great victory. “Usually reliable sources” state that while he hails the decision he is “fretting” about it. Mitch McConnell has welcomed it but each and every other “Republican” dignatory and presidential candidate is AWOL. Rick DeSantis who is challenging Trump in the polls, as Governor of Florida is in no rush to take advantage of the Supreme Court ruling which leaves it up to the States. Nor is he like the Governors of Illinois and California going to create a sanctuary for those that might need an abortion. The “Republican” Governors of blue States like Connecticut and Maryland have said they are not remotely interested in limiting abortion care. The issue cannot be ignored as the Evangelical base are madly exited. They are Trump’s base and probably will become Pence’s base. 

The “Republicans” could have done without this victory. It can potentially split them in several directions.

While the “Republicans” hope this will all go away, abortion and guns will become the top issues for the Democrats. Biden led with the fact that these are the issues for the midterms. Also for the first time in a while the Democrats for State legislature have policies they can really run on. On top of it all Trump is unravelling in plain sight. He still has his following so he can cause havoc. Half the “Republican” candidates for the midterms believe in “The Big Lie” which even Fox has abandoned. 

It remains to be seen how this all turns out.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

The future ain’t what it uses to be in American democracy. In addition to the Trump coup there is the Supreme Court becoming untethered. 

As a background to all of this the January 6 Committee investigation rolls on while the legal investigations into Trump’s coup proceed apace. Congressman Raskin’s promise that the revelations would bring down the House now appear like an understatement. 

Israel have facilitated access to abortions. Their Minister of Health claiming that they were spurred on by the “sad” US Supreme Court Decision.

Notwithstanding all of the above Trump is still the most powerful figure in the “Republican Party” which as matters stand is still his MAGA operation. The Evangelicals and the gun rights people owe him big.

TRUMP, PUTIN, BIDEN AND DEMOCRACY

America itself and the world in general are staring at an existential threat to democracy. Orchestrating the peril are the former President of America, Donald Trump and the current life long President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who go back a long way.  Standing against them both is Joseph Biden who is not receiving adequate support from those who purport to hold democratic values. As the situation stands there are not going to be any fairy tale endings. Gigantic forces are aligned on both sides of the divide - dictators manifesting sociopathic behavior on the one side and democratic values on the other. The battlegrounds are in Eastern Europe where Putin sought to conquer and annex Ukraine and in America where Trump is orchestrating an ongoing coup to remain in. power

One fact is for certain if both Trump and Putin succeed the world order will change dramatically. They are allies and both see totalitarian dictatorships as the answer to government. The crisis is complicated by the Covid pandemic and all its sequelae, the fact that Europe is dependent on Putin’s energy supplies, and rampant worldwide inflation. In Putin’s Russia the pain has been exacerbated by the sanctions placed on its economy and the withdrawal of Western business activity in the country. In many ways this is a game of wills between two individuals against the forces of democracy. The problem is that Putin has behind him the full authority of Government and Trump the backing of one of the two political parties in America. Both individuals will go to the brink exuding confidence and power even though it is touch and go as to whether they can succeed. 

Both Trump and Putin face challenges on their home turfs and any alteration of the status quo will dramatically change the political destiny of their respective countries. 

TRUMP RUSSIA AND PUTIN

Lest there be any doubt as to whether Putin and Trump are on the same page their past history merges into the modern day Armageddon. Trump on the campaign trail in 2016 claimed it would be a good to have relations with Russia. At his nomination jamboree his campaign management removed all policies averse to Russia from the party platform. His campaign team as well as his Cabinet was littered with those that had communicated with Soviet operatives. It was conclusively resolved that Russia intervened on his behalf in the 2016 election and several of his staff and campaign were found guilty in courts as a result of their contacts with the Russian establishment. Trump sensationally sided publicly with Putin rather than his whole intelligence service when the former denied involvement in his campaign. What the subsequent investigation into the Russian involvement in the 2016 Presidential campaign did not prove was that the Trump campaign, in spite of their contacts with the Russian operatives, did not “collude” in the planning and execution of the intervention.  A fact that allowed Attorney General Barr to whitewash the devastating detailed, longwinded report. The investigation revealed detailed endless contacts and meetings between Trump and Russian operatives.

Trump shares Putin’s views on the Western alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (NATO), and the European Union, (EU). The two organizations included several member countries of the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics much to the chagrin of Putin. According to cabinet members, Trump, who in public criticized NATO, had to be held back from withdrawing America from NATO. His disdain for the EU was similarly on display. There was no rationale for these decisions other than the desire to ally with Putin.

Then Trump defied the legislation passed by Congress to forward military aid to Ukraine’s Zelensky who was defending his country against ongoing attacks by Putin. Trump first needed a “favor” to be able to smear Biden. The Forty - Fifth President refused to put the stamp of approval of America’s relationship on Ukraine, Putin’s enemy. The whole sickening saga which involved the firing of ambassadors and aides culminated in his first impeachment which the McConnell “Republican” lead Senate blocked and enabled and empowered Trump even more. 

Just in case anyone might have believed that former President Trump had dropped his bonds with the Russian dictator he praised his "genius" to the skies on the announcement of Putin’s declaration of two independent Republics in Eastern Ukraine. Finally, Trump has not intervened when Putin now claims that this Ukrainian invasion is a war against America and the West. Presumably he backs the war against an America that he is not President.

BIDEN, NATO, EU AND UKRAINE’S ZELENSKY

Firstly, Biden with bipartisan support immediately promised weapons to Zelensky who grabbed the admiration of the world with his singleminded defiance and bravery. Most significantly Biden united a demoralized NATO all of whom, to a lesser or greater extent, have made meaningful contributions to the Ukrainian struggle. His skill which is largely covert, together with his resolve, saw NATO members, like Germany become more involved and precipitated the desire of Sweden and Finland to seek membership. The EU which had been hit by Brexit and certain members defying its human rights policy also delivered by backing Zelensky to the hilt and even putting his application to join the EU on a fast track. 

Biden had to play his hand shrewdly so as not to appear to provoke a third world war. This he did by calibrating the weaponry he provided to Ukraine - which was enough, combined with Ukrainian determination to thwart Putin’s Plan A to take over the country in a week. Now he is giving them long range weaponry to take on the assault in the East.

THE CHALLENGES TO TRUMP

Putin and Trump are ad idem as to how this situation is to be played in the West - blame Biden. The Russian dictator is blaming Biden for his “insane” sanctions on Russia for the worldwide inflation. Trump who held a meeting last week where Senator Tim Scott, a projected running mate in 2024, claimed that he could live with Trump’s nasty tweets if gas would be two dollars a gallon!

However as the January 6 House Investigation Committee elaborate the conspiracy which Trump is front and center of, it becomes less and less likely that he will be President in 2024. While he still is the most powerful force within the “Republican” Party his grip is gradually weakening in the country. But it does not require extra sensory perception to know that he is not going to relinquish power without a fight and that battle may rip the “Republican Party” apart. Generally speaking the “Republicans” are running in the midterms on the mantra that the Presidency was stolen from Trump, Biden’s “failures”, and no policy at all if McConnell gets his way.

As each day passes with the January 6 televised hearings it becomes more and more impossible for Trump to retain a majority of the electorate. There is despondency that his core religiously believes him and argue that the entire Republican witness list are sell outs and co conspirators with the Democrats to "The Steal”. If just five percent of the Republicans or Independents who voted for him previously desert him he is a goner. In addition as each day passes it becomes harder and harder for Attorney General, Merrick Garland, not to prosecute.. 

A barometer of the impact of the hearings can be gleaned by the actions of Fox News. Initially they refused to cover the hearings live. After the mind blowing opening salvo they recanted and are now doing wall to wall coverage. They are kinda ignoring them editorially but there is no doubt as to their assessment of the impact on the man they helped to make the forty - fifth President.  Brit Hume one of the few correspondents left in that channel with some independence stated, “… that a great many Republicans would like Trump to go away… and the Republicans might end up grateful for the damage to former President Donald Trump …because I think that a great many Republicans think they can’t win with Trump at the head of the ticket again". 

WHERE AMERICA IS NOW WITH TRUMP AND TRUMPISM

Notwithstanding the above Trump still controls the base of the Party. As the “Republicans” are more interested in power than their country half of their nominees thus far claim to believe in the “Big Lie” that Trump won the election. The obvious conclusion is that Trump may be axed but Trumpism will live on. A collection of baloney, conspiracy theories, racist ideology, vaccine nihilism, retrogressive social theories, book banning and revisionist history is the basis of the ideology and there are plenty of wannabes ready to step into his shoes. Interestingly enough, in the cacophony of the midterms, the Ukraine and Russia issue is very low down on the priority list. It is a toss up whether the new graduates of the midterms of 2022 will follow the current legislative bipartisan support of Ukraine. Ironically that for Trump is a top issue although he has shut up about the subject focussing on the litmus test for his support - swearing blind that the election was stolen from him.

And Trump knows better than anyone else that he has been written off time and again to emerge triumphant. If he is not caught up in some legal encumbrances he would likely win the Republican Primary to the dismay, according to Brit Hume, of a “great number of “Republicans” and the delight of Joseph Biden. Jay H. Ell wonders if any Trumpist could win the Presidency cause they would have to say they support "The Big Lie” otherwise Trump’s base would stay at home. The Texas Republican Convention has accepted “The Big Lie” as policy! The “Republican” mainstream want to run on inflation but Trump won’t let them. Trump wannabes, particularly Rick DeSantis, are gaining on him and this whole saga still has to play out. 

The thousand pound elephant in the room is how will an indictment of Trump impact the political landscape ? 

STATUS OF UKRAINIAN WAR AND WHERE THE “FREE” WORLD IS AT

Russia are having more success than early on but are still sustaining losses way and above experienced by the allies in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and multiples greater than the Russians did in the Afghanistan war in the nineties. Putin is in a very tight corner. Although he is slowly making ground in the East he has not captured a big town while the body bags are returning to Russia in a steady stream. Putin’s problems are the mothers who are demanding information about their sons, diminishing arms and no troop replacements. However his war is being financed by the rising price of energy. If he can hang in there he has two big bargaining chips - his energy and the world’s food supply as he can without blinking watch the billions starve if he doesn’t get his own way. To a large extent Putin is dependent on the West backing off and pressuring Zelensky to settle

Media attention is waning on Zelensky’s every move - January 6 hearings are now where it is at. Macron has indicated that he is not for humiliating Russia contradicting Biden who previously stated that Russia has to be seen to have lost. Kissinger has thrown in his five cents worth and told Zelensky, to the latter’s anger, to look to settle. However all the American top military brass believe that Ukraine could ultimately win if given the endless supply of appropriate weaponry needed. They feel Russia is in a very weak position. Former Admiral Stavridis has suggested that US battleships escort wheat transport from Odessa. 

So Biden in addition to keeping the weapons flowing has to keep the coalition together so that Ukraine can emerge the “winner” with at least Russia having gained no new territory. 

BIDEN

The media claim they don’t hear enough from Biden. There are two reasons for that - they are still covering Trump night and day and Biden isn’t a populist megalomaniac determined to dominate each news cycle. He is a public servant. The media would do well to explain that and also what is doing, has done and wants to do which he enacts largely behind the scenes. The crisis to democracy and the threatened world war precipitated by Russia has skillfully been managed by Biden and needs telling in the media. 

Biden tells as it is. He cannot do anything more than he is doing about inflation which is the one point Republicans who aren’t running on the “Big Lie” are making central to their midterm campaigns. Biden is obviously going to stick with his values plan versus the cult dictatorship offered by the “Republicans”. Democracy is worth defending at home and abroad. Rights such as a woman’s right to choice and society’s right to gun control cannot be banished by the minority. America is a country for all its peoples that is what its Constitution aspires to - not just straight white men.

It is really amazing that this knowledgeable empathetic and principled leader is belittled because he is not a populist. This at a time when the country and the world need a reset to Western values. The moan is that he is “old”. For heaven’s sake would they rather have a younger Trump or whoever?

AT THE END OF THE DAY

With two major threats to democracy playing out on the world and home scene the results are still pending. 

Donald Trump  is behaving more and more like a cornered rat. Nevertheless, “The Republicans” have allowed him to take over their party at a great risk to America and the world. The good news is that only a miracle stands between him and criminal indictment.

It remains to be seen whether Biden’s mantra that “who we are” is  more endearing than a temporary bout of inflation brought about largely by issues not under his control and/or the call to xenophobia and dictatorship by Trump and Trumpism.

While the Trump insurgency and the Putin invasion may appear world’s apart they are linked through their common objective to destroy democracy and the relationship between the two autocrats. 

 While there is blame to share a plenty, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and the cowardly “Republicans” are directly responsible for enabling Trump at the expense of their party and country for their love of power.

GUNS, CULTURE, POLITICS , MONEY, THE SUPREME COURT AND TINY COFFINS

 

The world watched aghast at the surreal lunacy that is characterizing modern day America where at one end of the State of Texas they were matching DNA samples of parents to ascertain which of the mangled small balls of tissues, bone and skin were the offspring of whom while at the other end there was the National Rifle Association, (NRA), convention where the self same instruments of war that had just wreaked havoc were openly on sale. There were hundreds of vendors executing what any vendors do at any business or professional meeting, selling in this instance arms and ammunition. 

To put an exclamation point on this bizarre scenario the current President was mourning with a town broken with sorrow and anger while the immediate past president and wannabe next president was mouthing the usual talking points that follow these tragedies - sympathy for the victims and not enough good men with guns. Biden was pleading as many had done before him to bring in laws that would not allow the unimpeded sale of weapons of war to eighteen year olds while Trump was mumbling about security at schools, (forgetting about churches, malls, synagogues, entertainment venues and the forty thousand homicides and suicides annually). Trump was offering banal solutions like single entrances to  schools. Mental health treatment was also preferred as the key to the solution even though the UK with the same prevalence of abnormal mental pathology has fifty times fewer mass shootings.

How and why is this happening.? 

THE POLITICS

The “Republican” politicians are out of sync with the electorate. Over eighty percent are calling for gun control of one sort or another while the “Republican” Senators to date have refused to budge. At the National Rifle Association, (NRA), Convention Trump reassured the faithful that they were the bedrock of the “Republican” Party. The NRA are the umbrella organization that are accredited with this madness. They keep a score of every legislator on how they vote on gun legislation. The scorecard is made available to their electorate to help them in, most importantly, the primaries so that the supporters of the unfettered right to uncontrolled gun ownership remains. The winners of the the low turn out primaries of the party that ultimately garners a bit more than forty percent of the total electorate can dictate policy. As Jay H. Ell has blogged again and again the system lends itself to minority rule and is rigged further to ensure it. The NRA has provided money directly to the campaigns of “their”candidates. But the NRA are currently on the verge of bankruptcy about to be put out of business. Their leadership has been shown to be corrupt and venal and the majority by far of the gun owners want background checks. 

So if a majority of gun owners and even the NRA members want some gun control legislation why isn’t it happening? 

THE CULTURE

Yet although the overwhelming majority wants restrictions America is awash with guns. There are more guns in circulation than there are people in the country -  four hundred million. There is a cultural component which may be recognizable in other countries in the pastime of hunting which has been passed on from generation to generation, in a nation that has vast rural areas.  Another element is in sport with target shooting and clubs that are dotted all over the countryside. 

But the deepest cultural involvement is embedded in American history - from the time of the Wars of Independence to the conquering of the land of native Americans to the battles against Mexico to the days of the Wild West where law and order was subject to guns. All of the latter was hammered into the culture years gone by by the movie industry. The gun became a symbol of masculinity, law and order. Epic cinema ensconced the mantra that is spouted today - that the only way you stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun. 

However now most of the land grabbing culture is looked back in embarrassment and shame. Everyone forgets that Texas, California and the like belonged to Mexico. Land was also plundered from the indigenous “Red Indians” who used to speak in monosyllabic sentences in the movies of yore. The argument for guns galore is now based on freedom and the right to protect oneself which is enshrined via a bizarre interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution which referred to the right of well regulated militias to bear arms. This has now morphed into protecting the right of eighteen year olds to buy AR 15’s. 

But still how did it all happen?

THE MONEY

The strategy of the gun lobby is for all the world to see that one major party has as a central tenet that the right to bear arms is basic to America’s mantra of “liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness.” Therefore you have a binary choice. If you vote for the “Republicans” you need to be mindful that you are risking your children’s lives at school as well as for the promise of  lower taxes and now “Not to be Replaced”.

The NRA keeps a tally of who in the legislature is sticking to the gospel and has in the past provided money to the believers. They are and have been the gatekeepers and financiers to see to it that the America with four percent of the world’s population has fifty percent of the guns. 

To potentially allow massive sums to be donated to those who support the gun industry, the Supreme Court enacted a law which allows companies and individuals to donate as much money to political campaigns as they wish. Their rationale was that money was equated with free speech. The outcome is that a never ending stream of cash can potentially provide endless support to any cause or policy.  The self same Supreme Court adopted a position on gun legislation not dissimilar to that of the NRA so there is no legal barrier to donate money to control the sale or ownership of guns of war. 

Historically the NRA have been accredited as providing this money.. However the NRA at the moment is morally and financially on the verge of bankruptcy. The NRA past contributions to current “Republican” senators are not nearly enough to hold sway in the current political climate. The current biggest “guns for all” protagonist after Trump, Ted Cruz, has only received a half a million dollars. So the NRA has not enough in their coffers to continue their financial control over an issue, which like abortion is going to be front and center in the midterms. 

If the NRA isn’t providing a financial backing to those scoring highly on their list who is?

FOLLOW THE MONEY 

Like in Watergate and everything else in America, “follow the money”. The NRA may be the gatekeeper of which legislators support gun legislation but they don’t really represent gun owners or members of the NRA. So who do they represent? It would appear that the represent the gun industry who are loaded with money. It is noteworthy that the NRA not only continued with their convention as the tiny coffins were being made, they also insisted in allowing the vending to continue. The only company to withdraw was Daniel Defense the original  makers of the AR 15 that the killer had purchased on his eighteenth birthday - just as youngsters had done in the recent racist attack in Buffalo and in the Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha Wisconsin 

Who is Daniel Defense?

DANIEL DEFENSE AND THE VENDORS OF THE ARMS INDUSTRY AND THEIR MONEY 

An article in the Washington Post entitled “How the AR - 15 conquered America” tells the story of how the availability of war weaponry changed the industry. Together with war videos, which are available everywhere in the world, the American public especially the youth with the non action of the “ NRA” senators were given access to the war weaponry. The Senate has even passed legislation that prohibits litigation of weapon makers and suppliers. According to The Washington Post article the AR 15 became a status symbol of American masculinity and a new culture was born. While Daniel Defense prospered the most there are now five hundred companies that are in the business of making AR types of gun with the endless ammunition that is needed. The weapon industry has flourished the past three decades although nobbled for a decade with an assault weapon ban which the NRA dominated Senate has refused to renew. 

So how much money is there in the firearm industry which was revolutionized by Daniel Defense? (Incidentally the company’s ad was forbidden to be shown at the Super Bowl because it was geared to selling war weapons to the youth).

The National Shooting Sports Foundation which is run by the Firearm Industry Trade Association produced a report on the “Economic Impact of the Firearm and Ammunition Industry”. In the introduction to the report the claim was that the growth of the industry has been “nothing short of  remarkable.This has been regardless of the general economic situation”. They estimate that in 2021 there have been over a half a million new gun owners. They don’t detail how much money was brought in by sales but they state three hundred and seventy five thousand jobs are involved with wages that total  twenty one billion dollars and they claim that the economic impact of the industry is over seventy billion dollars. Even though the Association donates a billion dollars to wild life conservation that is an awful lot of money left over in profit.  

According to the Washington Post informant, Ryan Busse, in the article  “How the AR 15 conquered America”, (May 31, 2022), this “nothing short of remarkable growth” in the gun industry is all due to the AR 15.  Busse a former gun executive has been trying to expose the gun industry which he claims manipulated the whole situation to bring us to this point. He has written a book entitled, “Gunfight: My Battle against the industry that radicalized America”. He alleges there was a willful attempt to create the extremism using the AR 15 and thereby bring the country to a cultural boiling point.

Who knows how much the “vendors” donate anonymously  to the candidates that have been vetted by the NRA. Whether they are or not giving boat loads of money the NRA Senators have upheld, up till now, the bogus barbarous right to sell to those who can’t legally buy cigarettes, weapons of war.

Currently there are negotiations going on in the Senate between “Republicans” and Democrats in the hope of the former agreeing to some sort of restrictions and supervision of gun ownership. The obvious question is will they ban AK 15s and all their derivatives or whether they will do anything to prevent another procession of tiny coffins. If mental health comes up perhaps “The Republicans” will finally fund it properly. Jay H. Ell guesses that the compromises will not involve too many restrictions on guns sales.

THE SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court should think twice about their upcoming ruling on lifting firearm restrictions in the State of New York. The oral arguments led all to believe that the decision would go against the State of New York. The Supreme Court have to get real. Again they acting as historical experts in the interpretation of the Constitution. On the one hand they believe the Constitution must be interpreted as it was literally written. On the other they allow twenty first century automatic weapons to be available to all and sundry who obviously are not part of an eighteen century “well regulated militia”. Then they claim they can interpret that the Constitution didn’t allow women the right to control their bodies because it isn’t written into the Constitution! So they are interpreting what the Founders must have meant in the eighteenth century even though they weren’t aware of fetal hearts and abortion pills. 

Then as employers they are investigating a leak which is not a criminal offense by proceeding without warrants to examine private material. This is not consistent with what they have maintained on employers’ rights over employees.

There is little wonder that their approval rate is at an all time low. 

But the legislators cannot just blame the Supreme Court they need to take the initiative and legislate as they are ultimately answerable to the electorate which are being ignored on gun legislation.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Apparently ‘Enough is not Enough” as they have been a dozen mass shootings in America with nine dead since the Uvaide Texas massacre . (A mass shooting is defined as a situation where there are at least four victims either dead or injured.)

By the way for those who want to blame video games Japan is a far big viewer than America that has two hundred and fifty times more mass shootings.

Biden needs to go around the country and campaign for the banning of semi automatic guns and the initiation of gun control laws that have been widely accepted.  He has to make this a central point of the midterm platform. The citizens have to know what they are getting when they vote for NRA vetted legislators. 

GUESS WHAT?

Trump believes that the Georgia "Republican" primary for Governor was rigged. His candidate lost by close on fifty percent. Biden was on target when he said he would be lucky if the "Republican" candidate in 2024 would be Trump.