Over the weekend, we saw the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando.
Today on The BradCast, we discuss what happened, the reactions to it from President Obama and many others, including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump (who lied about the tragedy to say that the alleged killer was a Muslim born overseas. He wasn’t. He was born in New York. Like Trump.)
But, while we cover what we know about the tragedy, and the many reactions to it from a number of communities, we also discuss how it might never have happened in the first place had the terrorist-enabling National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Republican Party they support, not fought so hard to ensure that those suspected of involvement with extremist organizations still be allowed to easily and legally purchase all of the semi-automatic, military-style assault weapons and large capacity magazines they might need, in order to carry out the type of mass shooting we saw, yet again, over the weekend in Orlando.
More than 100 were shot at the Pulse nightclub alone, in the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting. It was able to happen, thanks in no small part, to the millions of dollars spent over many years by the NRA and the GOP officials who have repeatedly voted to allow even those on the so-called “Terror Watch List” to easily buy weapons meant for nothing more than mass murder — just as al-Qaeda and other extremist groups have long, publicly instructed their followers.
In the meantime, the NRA-owned GOP officials, including Trump, who proudly stand with the terrorist-supporting NRA, offer nothing more than lies and “thoughts and prayers” in response, as the gun violence epidemic and body count continues to grow in the face of inaction by lawmakers in these locked and loaded United States of America.
Other than the chief lobbying organization for the domestic weapons industry, the NRA does nothing but foment a support system for domestic terrorists. Thanks to the NRA, terrorists and mass murderers can get all the weapons they need to kill all the people they want. And the NRA is not alone. Besides the puppet politicians it has at its fingertips, the NRA has all the brain dead 2nd Amendment net-zombies it needs to push its sickening “gun freedom” agenda.
Words have meaning, and their misuse has consequences. As citizens, we have the power to use accurate terms and to call out the press and politicians when they fail to do so. WE THE PEOPLE can change the conversation.
There can be no doubt over what constitutes “a well regulated Militia.” Alexander Hamilton addressed the arrangement made by the Convention in The Federalist Papers, No. 29. Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 & Clause 16 AND Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 AND the Second Amendment concern an appendage that has a chain of command that goes from the President or a Governor and has duly appointed officers.
“If a well-regulated militia be the most natural defense of a free country, it ought certainly to be under the regulation and at the disposal of that body which is constituted the guardian of the national security….,” Alexander Hamilton observed in background remarks on the arrangement made by the Federal Convention. (The Federalist Papers, No. 29) Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 gives Congress the power “To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions.” Clause 16 of the same section gives the Legislative Branch power “To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.” Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 makes the President Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, “and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the United States.” Such are the functions of those parts of that body which is constituted the guardian of the national security.”‹
“[The Second Amendment] has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud,’ on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime.” (Former Chief Justice Warren Burger, The MacNeil-Lehrer Report, December 16, 1991)
New Yorker
Indeed, the NRA has hijacked the Second Amendment; they have been aided and abetted by certain politicians; and they got an assist from Justice Scalia, when he agreed to the assertion of an individual right, in the Heller case. But guys running around with guns are no more entitled to call themselves a Militia than a citizen can claim to be a Federal agent. Both constitute fraud or misrepresentation. Therefore the coy soldiers should change their group’s name to Gun Club, and, if they refuse, the Department of Justice should file suit against them. Thus, the counter-offensive begins with words, which have meaning–and consequences.
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Brad:
I would amend your depiction of the NRA. The NRA is a terrorist supported organization. Domestic and foreign terrorists’ weapon of choice is a automatic or semi automatic weapon that has been denied any reasonable regiulation. Not all people who buy these weapons are terrorists but it seems that all terrorists buy these weapons.
Terrorists are supporting the weapons industry. We should either be able to make it harder for terrorists to buy weapons or we should assess a high tax on them to provide a fund to help the families who have lost to have some compensation.
Brad:
Another point- There are countries that are now putting the US on their list of countries where they will not allow their citizens to be adopted, because of the violence here. US citizens will not be allowed to adopt children from certain countries because of our gun violence and mass killings. Not only are we not up to snuff by international voting advocacy/oversight agencies. Now we are also a bad place to raise impoverished and parent less children.
The hate-wing party loves this tragedy. They got rid of gays, Mexicans and every time they want to bomb somebody, all they have to do is say, “ORLANDO”!