Ever since the weekend murder/suicide committed over the weekend by Kansas City Chiefs starting linebacker Jovan Belcher, the issue of gun control has been brought back into the forefront of commentary.
According to an article on Examiner.com, NBC Sports commentator Bob Costas was the first to be criticized by gun rights advocates for his diatribe against gun ownership during halftime at a Cowboys-Eagles. But a Saturday column by Fox Sports commentator Jason Whitlock goes much further. And it didn’t end there. Whitlock backed it up going on to call the National Rifle Association “the new KKK" (Ku Klux Klan).
“I did not go as far as I’d like to go because my thoughts on the NRA and America’s gun culture,” Whitlock wrote, according to Examiner.com. He then reportedly went on to say, “I believe the NRA is the new KKK. The arming of so many black youths, and loading up our community with drugs, and then just having an open shooting gallery, is the work of people that obviously don’t have our best interests.”
What do you think about these statements? Are they fair comments based on the situation or outrageous statements that he should apologize for?
The GOP still wants us poor and middle class folks (making less than $250,000/year...some "poor" people) to pay the income taxes of those making $250,001 and more. When did we ever vote to get SCREWED into paying the taxes of millionaires??? When you go out to dinner, do you pay half the dinner bill of the guy sitting next to you just because he's rich??? Hell no! But that's what Boehner and McConnell want us "poor suckers" to do...pay half the taxes of their millionaire friends. Oh, you say you don't know who their rich friends are??? Just look at who gave them the most money in the last election. That's who the GOP represents, my friends...not the working man. Screwed once, shame on me! Not next time. I'll pay my way...you pay yours. I can't afford to vote for one of these "generous" Republicans again. How 'bout you?
and let me ask you something, are you willing to pay for the table next to you in that restaurant? Because the way we're headed, all of those entitlements are coming out of YOUR pocket. That ought to make you just a little mad? I mean, c'mon, you grew up in a time when you had to work to get by. No one coddled you along with foodstamps, cheap housing, and free cell phones did they? I'd rather see them take more money our of my pocket to pay down the debt, but NOT if they are going to increase spending. How friggin' foolish is that? Spending MUST be reduced.
And the 47% who pay no federal income tax, pay a much higher percentage of their income as taxes than higher earners. It may not be federal income tax, but rather payroll taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, local property taxes, taxes that are hidden as fees for licenses, phones, cable, their childrens' public school extracurricular activities, etc...
I don't advocate outlawing guns and I don't object to you owning them for protection and sporting purposes so long as you pass a background check. And there should not be loopholes in the process background check process. The NRA is a responsible advocacy group in many ways. At the same time the NRA is irresponsible when it does not support issues that are contrary to a responsible, law-abiding membership. For example the NRA fought a ban on cop-killer bullets. They fought an effort to micro-stamp bullets. There should be a public debate. Deaths resulting from guns is a problem. The guns aren't the only problem that is for sure but it is naive to think they are no part of the problem.
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-01-21/best-anti-poverty-tax-measure-chopping-block: “(The EITC) successfully meets its explicit goal of encouraging low-income parents to go to work by, in effect, lowering their tax rate and providing a financial bonus for that work effort,” the study found. “It has been especially effective in encouraging single parents, particularly women, to obtain employment.” You might argue that you're swapping welfare payments for reduced taxes, but the working person has more to spend in the economy and a basis to improve their station in life. Isn't that better for all? Not to mention, more children are less hungry because of the EITC.
I don't believe Jefferson was talking about human arms, so it does mention guns. In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second Amendment decisions. In District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a militia. Canada has fewer people too. Did you take that into account?
I can't believe that you claim the second amendment was created to protect us from foreign invasion! Where did you study history? The MILITARY is in place to defend us from foreign invasion. The second amendment was included in the constitution to insure that the citizens were able to defend themselves against a TYRANNICAL government....namely our own, in the event that should happen...and guess what.....it has!
I agree Canada has a different demographic as does England, Japan, Germany, and other countries that do not have the gun homicide rates comparable to the US. But what is/are the key contributing factors? Poverty? I'd say yes. Education? I'd say yes again. Employment opportunity? Lack of role models? Inadequate policing? Too much incarceration for nonviolent crimes? Not enough incarceration for non-violent crimes? Poor parenting? Absentee parents? Young immature parents? Drug use/abuse? Alcohol use/abuse? Pervasive Violent external cultural triggers? These all might play a part. But easy access to guns doesn't ? 2nd, I'm not anti-gun and I know the NRA has positive programs and does good. But the NRA Is also oftentimes out of line in its lobbying.
Micro stamping bullets is nothing more than a way to control guns by making ammunition prohibitively expensive. No benefits here, but lots of extra costs. This was the right decision they made here, as well.
The rich do pay more. They pay a higher percentage AND a higher $ amount. When Romney pays 15%, that's still more than you or I pay. The GOP just doesn't want that percentage to go up even more. And why should it? To say they don't pay their fair share is disengenuous at best...
1) The founders gave us a right to bear arms not only to protect this country from whatever comes, but also to protect us from tyrants, including our own government. And I seriously believe that they would be even more interested in our right to protect ourselves now, given what our government has become (that's a dig at government in general, not our current administration - we've been on this road for many many years). 2) The KKK is, by it's very definition and goals, a racist organization. And this is actually using 'racist' in its real definition, not the 'racist' that we throw out now for no reason. If there was just one policy or statement that the NRA had that promoted the idea of social cleansing, then fine. But there's not. You don't have to agree with a group, but to not agree with them does not make them racist. I actually feel that this guy's statements were racist, implying that having guns available to blacks means they're going to shoot each other. Why the black community doesn't get outraged over comments like this I really don't understand....
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