Within hours of the horrific massacre in Orlando, Florida, Donald Trump was congratulating himself and seeking political advantage from the suffering of others. He spent the next few days lambasting President Obama for not saying ‘radical Islamic terrorism,” a right-wing mantra that is at best a trivial distraction that has no effect whatsoever on counter-terrorism activities. [See The Reverse Beetlejuice Doctrine]
Yesterday Donald Trump escalated his grandstanding by repeating an ignorant trope about how different the outcome would have been if the patrons of the Pulse nightclub had themselves been armed. Every expert on public safety has repudiated that notion as being either ineffective or increasing the risk. But in this specific circumstance it would be so ridiculous that even the NRA distanced itself from Trump’s remarks. The NRA’s executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, told CBS’s Face the Nation that “I don’t think we should have firearms where people are drinking.” And Chris Cox, chief lobbyist for the NRA, said that “no one thinks that people should go into a nightclub drinking and carrying firearms.” Well, not on one. Some states are passing laws explicitly permitting it.
Still, for most sane folks the prospect of arming patrons of a crowded establishment where alcohol is being served is inviting tragedy even without any terrorists showing up. It would lead to common arguments having deadly results, as well as increasing the odds of lethal accidents. Trump’s phony machismo is just further evidence of how shallow he thinks through issues that can have profoundly disturbing consequences.
As a result of his quick-draw mouthing off, and the NRA’s equally quick disapproval, Trump tried to walk back his statement in a tweet (of course) falsely asserting that “When I said that if, within the Orlando club, you had some people with guns, I was obviously talking about additional guards or employees.” The dishonesty of that lame qualification is easily observed by revisiting his original comment:
“If we had people, where the bullets were going in the opposite direction, right smack between the eyes of this maniac — if some of those wonderful people had guns strapped right here, right to their waist or to their ankle, and this son of a bitch comes out and starts shooting, and one of the people in the room happened to have it, and goes boom — boom — you know what? That would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight, folks. That would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight. So don’t let them take your guns away.”
What’s obvious about that statement is that Trump was referring to the bar’s patrons. The security guard in the club was, in fact, armed. Trump was talking specifically about “those wonderful people” and then he warned his rally audience, who were not security professionals, to resist letting anyone “take your guns away.” Never mind that no one is trying to take guns away from responsible, law-abiding citizens. Trump was clearly recommending that everyone, including bar patrons, strap on loaded weapons and prepare for a night out Wild West style. And it’s not the first time he has pitched this idiocy.
How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.
This whole affair is textbook Trump: Exploit the fear and bigotry of your followers by saying something stupid and indefensible. Then refuse to apologize, or even acknowledge the asinine nature of your statement, and lie about what you allegedly meant. It’s the strategy of an egocentric authoritarian who knows he can get away with anything because his glassy-eyed disciples won’t hold him to account and the media is too obsessed with ratings to do its job. Hopefully that situation will correct itself as the election season proceeds.
you writers at news corpse are adding fuel to the fire of hatred ,I am a canadian citizen and it is sure sad ,when a news informative company will say such blatant HATE towards somebody, but the unfortunate thing is you twist words around so that you will become watched more……that is greed at its worst!!!!!!!!
Huh? My neighbors to the North (Windsor, Ontario) would heave you in the Detroit River for such bullshit. Armed civilians are a recipe for a lot of dead innocents. The majority (vast majority, I would say) are ill equipped to handle firearms responsibly. Seen a bit of nutcase road rage lately? Add a gun for a lot of dead innocents. Even in the military, we found that some are not able to handle the responsibility of firearms. When the founders wrote the first amendment, the rate of fire from a muzzle loader was perhaps 3 or four rounds a minute from an expert. My M-16 in Vietnam exceeded 600 rounds per minute. Get a brain or a common sense, non-macho philosophy – it’s healthier for everyone.
so ,my understanding is you feel that ALL firearms should be taken away.The United States agreed upon this,so now you have the shit pit to deal with.Their is a responsible way,with training and allowances where they are NEEDED.Or their is the irresponsible way of pretending to agree to give all licenced and unlicenced guns back,and who ends up with the unfortunate option to NOT protect themselves or families.They will be the law abbiding citizens who are trying to get above the bullshit that America has put itself into.The laws definately have to change,the NRA has a strangle hold on decision makers,which is very unfortunate,but their has to be a weaning off of dependency for such devastating firearms,but their is much more to do with allowing firearms in the hands of people who should not have them.And maybe you should learn how to chill and understand that i spent seventeen years in the military doing two tours in Bosnia,so cut the macho bullshit attitude with me sir
“There” not “their”, “definitely” not “definately” – grow up, learn communication skills and we’ll talk. Don’t believe Bosnia was anything like I Corps, S. Vietnam.
Your “understanding” is a deliberate and bullcrap strawman. Not once was it said anywhere that guns should be taken away from anyone.
As for whether Americans “are qualified” to wield guns? Even if you Ammosexuals don’t want to see it, the stats on shootings speak for themselves. There were many other shootings that happened after Pulse, though they were smaller in scale. Each of these could have potential to be front page or at least major news in any other 1st world country.
But in America? Meh, happens all the time. It’s the sort of effect that an excess of guns plus the attitudes of people like you that makes shootings a percieved norm in America.
In America guns are mostly and REGULARLY used by Americans to shoot up Americans. It’s a statement as factual as saying grass is green.
thats one of the problems about being so politically correct,because i cant spell properly,it gives you the assumption that i need to improve my communication skills,you ,my friend, are a VERY arrogant american.and i dont think i was being comparable to war torn regions,but i do understand firearm capabilities.So with the ideology that you have portrayed to me,it sure gives the understanding of the old term,ARROGANT AMERICAN ASSHOLES!!!,and it is YOU,and the arrogant thinking,who have put america in the downward spiral that i KNOW you are headed towards
It’s more like a problem of being a Trumpian.
All your posts have been mostly along the same lines as that person. Long on insults and bullcrap hyperbole, short on actual facts.
Being Trumplike really is the easiest thing in the world for people like you because it doesn’t require you to change a single thing about yourselves.
and i thank the good lord everyday that i don’t turn into the ignorant, self centered,blind human beings in an empty shell,like a lot of you have.