Some Observations on the Grand 'Old' Party

1)  When Cliven Bundy, a notorious tax cheat, and man who just felt like established ranching rules of the western United States, like paying for the right to graze your cattle on Federal land, shouldn't have to apply to him anymore, when he welcomed in anti-government militias and pro-gun extremists to aim at law enforcement official's heads, threatening to blow apart their skulls, all while hiding behind women and children, partially to prevent the policing agents from being able to defend themselves and firing back, the Republicans of this country applauded, claiming you have to, as a God fearing American citizen, challenge law enforcement and the rules.

When an African-American high school girl, who had recently become an orphan, and was also recently placed in foster care, didn't want to leave her seat in a high school classroom, a law enforcement official, known by the students as 'Officer Slam,' a law enforcement official with a history of violent behavior, threw her over while she sat in her desk, grabbed her by the throat, dragged her across the classroom and eventually out of the room entirely.  When footage of Officer Slam's violent attack came to light, Republicans said she deserved it because when law enforcement, or a person in an authority position, tells you to do something, you're supposed to do it, no questions asked.

How is it even possible these two statements can come from the same individual and it not be blatantly racist?  It's not possible, unless you are mentally unstable.

2)  I kind of did like Fred Thompson.  I completely disagreed with his politics, and I felt his reverse mortgage commercials he had done lately were beneath him, but I thought his Law & Order tenure as conservative New York District Attorney Arthur Branch was one of the more complex and complicated stretches of that show.  He died on November 1st.  I wish his family all my best, and my prayers to him.

3)  The pro-gun nuts in this country always point to the Hitler when it comes to their efforts at historical recidivism, trying to prove guns would have changed history for the better.  The Jewish people having more guns wouldn't have stopped the Nazi's.  Most of Europe couldn't stop them.  If you want this fantasy to work, just fantasize Hitler never survived WWI and the Nazi's never came into existence.  As wonderful as that would be, a few thousand additional pistols would've been a mild speed bump for the Germans.  Trying to make it seem as if the Nazi's nefarious plans would've been stymied under such a simplistic scenario is historically foolish, and somewhat accusatory of the Jews, implying they could've stopped what happened to them.  I wish a few more guns could've been the difference maker; it wouldn't have been.

If pro-gun guy is looking at how more guns could've changed history, they don't need to go overseas.  If African-Americans after the Civil War would have had access to more firearms, they could've dramatically lessened  the reign of terror the KKK and southern whites inflicted on them.  There would've been less lynchings, torchings, rapes and murders.  That's just a reality.

I wonder why pro-gun guy doesn't want to re-write that historic time, with post-Civil War African American former slaves having more guns to defend themselves?

And finally, 4)  Don't fool yourself.  Donald Trump is methodically getting rid of any major hurdles to his garnering the Republican nomination for President.  He has pretty much taken out Jeb, and now is setting his sights on Rubio.  He wants to get to a point where it's him and Ben Carson going head to head, because he knows the majority of the GOP, after the undeniable racist undertones their party has welcomed, will never have a majority of their primary and caucus voters go for an African American over a white guy.