By Dick Miller
WE.CONNECT.DOTS: – Do the lawmakers we pay to represent us in Washington thumb their noses at us?
Here is proof of one example which fits for every Congressional District represented by a Republican. If you are mad that assault weapons are within reach of the nuts and terrorists who slaughter our children and friends, you can include the Democratic Reps because of their inability to right this.
Banning sales of assault weapons to any private citizens remains off the table.
But what about those people who are likely to cause harm? For example, if Homeland Security has placed his or her name on the “no fly” list why would we still allow these mass murderers to buy guns that kill people?
The current rally is known as “No Fly – No Buy.”
A recent nationwide poll reveals nearly unanimous support “No Fly – No Buy” must become law. The levels of support, as polled are Independents 83 percent, Democrats 85 and Republicans … 90!
How does Congress line up? Nearly every Democrat favors the proposal while nearly every Republican is opposed. Democrats believe keeping assault weapons out of the hands of terrorists will reduce the killing and does not infringe on the Second Amendment. Republicans claim such a law would be unconstitutional and not impact the murder rate at all.
The money and the politics of this issue are there for the Republicans.
Naturally, gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association will only write campaign contribution checks to those who support open gun sales. The manufacturers provide good-paying jobs while the NRA has successfully opposed any encroachment on the right to bear arms with money and muscle. The NRA is the most intimidating political force in America today and has been known to be the deciding factor in elections.
The “No Fly” lists are follow-ups to 9-1-1, products of the George W. Bush administration and continued during the Obama reign. The “no fly” list is comprised of people who are prohibited from boarding a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the U.S.
As recently as 2011 the “No Fly” list contained just about 11,000 names. Today there are over 100,000 on the list meaning they cannot fly to, from or within the United States, even though they can still purchase assault weapons.
The no-fly list itself is one of our best lines of defense. However, it has been criticized on civil liberties and due process grounds, in part for the potential for ethnic, religious, economic, political, racial profiling and discrimination. It has also raised concerns about privacy and government secrecy.
Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, a Republican and second in succession should the President and Vice President be unable to finish out their terms, calls the recent 25-hour sit-in by Democrat Congress members a “Publicity Stunt.” He refuses to see similarities with the 70 times Republican members of Congress have rammed through a resolution dissolving Obamacare, knowing full well that President Obama would veto the measure.
The No Fly List is a list maintained by the government’s Terrorist Screening Center, of people who are prohibited from boarding commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the country. The list has also been used to divert aircraft away from U.S. airspace that is not flying to or from the U.S. The number of people on the list rises and falls according to threat and intelligence reporting. There were 10,000 names on the list in 2011, 21,000 in 2012, and 47,000 in 2013.
The No Fly List is different from the Terrorist Watch List, a much longer list of people said to be suspected of some involvement with terrorism. As of June 2016 the Terrorist Watch List is estimated to contain over 2.45 million records, consisting of almost 1.9 million individual identities.
Bottom Line: Resistance such as this moves the nation closer to an oligarchy. If this is truly a Democratic-Republic, voter sentiment should at least get us a vote on the proposal.
