finally, now is the time to talk

My most recent post elicited many more comments than usual, usually being zero.  But I’m happy to be any part of a vital discussion that is shaping up to be a top mid-term election issue.  I’m really eager to see how many folks show up to the March 23rd rallies for gun control.

The Parkland survivors continue to impress.  Some of them are journalism students.  Using their tech savvy, they started a GoFundMe campaign the day of the shooting.  Well on the way to their goal of $50,000, they will use the money to print an ad-free commemorative  issue of their quarterly newspaper, plus opening, closing and memorial pages for their yearbook.  Please consider helping them.

Judith, summergale, Brown Brother, Gordon and ALBERT, thank you for participating; especially Gordon as he heroically struggles with Spell Check.  ALBERT, my brother, you’re correct that the idea of arming teachers was suggested to Trump, but he jumped on it immediately and was soon denying that he said it even as he continued to advocate for it.  Classic Donny.

Some of Trump’s most memorable positions were, indeed, just mentioned in passing to him.  Remember the famous “red line” comment?  He said that in a July 2017 interview with Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman of the New York Times.  Hope Hicks could tell you.  She was in the room.  It went like this:

SCHMIDT: Last thing.  If Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia — is that a red line?

HABERMAN: Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is?

TRUMP: I would say yeah.  I would say yes.  By the way, I would say, I don’t — I don’t — I mean, it’s possible there’s a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows?

Clearly he didn’t give it much thought.  Again, classic Donny.

Expect Trump to backtrack on his statements about gun control that enthralled Dianne Feinstein, like he’s already reversed course on arming teachers or someone like them.  Right after he chided members of Congress for being afraid of the NRA, he had dinner with the NRA’s CEO and assured him that he opposed gun control.

I’ve been trying to find an accurate number of NRA membership.  It careens from the NRA’s claim of five million to a third of that.  I have found that one of its lobbyists said the organization has at times counted deceased members.  I guess Charlton Heston was really sincere when he said we could have his gun when we pry it from his cold dead hands.