Missouri Republicans have not given up on their dream for a Civil War do-over, when their ancestors made the apparent mistake to join the Union in suppressing the Southern rebellion. Though defeated this week in their attempts to nullify federal gun laws, they are hard at work on another try.
The Joplin Globe reported Thursday that, “State Sen. Ron Richard, one of two Republicans to vote against the veto override, “said he has started drafting a new gun rights bill to replace a controversial measure that failed Wednesday…”
Good news for all the potential Machine Gun Kelly’s out there, and for Confederate re-enactors who want to make their dress-up more than a re-enactment. Bad news for ordinary citizens.
Richard said his new bill would protect both the First AND Second Amendments and would not “hinder law enforcement in doing their jobs”:
The patrol, sheriff’s offices, police and prosecutors were really worried they wouldn’t be able to work with the feds in putting the bad guys in jail. They’re all going to help on language in a new bill.
Not to mention, does not get instantly challenged in court. He did not explain how he would get what gun loving government haters want without the last bill’s egregious violation of the U.S. Constitution. I suggest that because the government is obviously such an evil entity in Missouri Republican eyes, he add something about forever giving up any requests for federal disaster relief.
As a Los Angeles Times editorial today said, “It’s shocking that Missouri came so close to enacting a blatantly unconstitutional law.” “Like judges,” the editorial pointed out, “legislators take an oath to uphold the Constitution. They violate that oath when they attempt to nullify duly enacted federal laws.”
But as we have seen time and again, however much they pretend to defend it, Republicans don’t care much for the Constitution outside of an obsession with the Second and Tenth Amendments. They crap on it each and every time they get an opportunity.
This is the same sort of behavior we see as a result of the Republican obsession with the Affordable Care Act. It doesn’t matter that it’s the law of the land; they denigrate it by calling it a bill. Again and again they try to repeal or defund it, taking valuable time from genuine problems and spending money they claim we don’t have in the process.
And this is knowing all the while that they will fail. Forty attempts and going on forty-one pretty much says it all.
In the case of nullification, they have a reasonable expectation of at least passing even a blatantly unconstitutional measure like HB 436. But again, they know it will not prevail against a court challenge, yet they do it anyway. And they will fail and then they will try again. And when they fail again they will try again, ad infinitum.
Again, all the while, ignoring actual problems they could be dealing with to the betterment of their communities and their constituents.
And they get cheered for it by the base. And not only in Missouri but in Ohio, Minnesota, and, of course, Texas.
It is almost inconceivable that people could be so pig-headedly and catastrophically stupid as the modern-day Republican Party, but we are seeing it with our own eyes. It is real; it is happening, however surreal.
Richard says he will have the new bill drafted in 60 days and posted on the Internet. Stay tuned.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
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