Morons Muster Monday

It's nice to see that the utter fanatic fringe will be convening across the Potomac in beautiful Virginia to commemorate their hero, Timothy McVeigh. I've never actually understood gun nuts. The 2nd Amendment, I understand. Gun nuts, the ones who think that the 2nd Amendment allows them to carry guns unconditionally, I don't. The 2nd Amendment allows for some pretty broad rights, but I think it's kind of ridiculous to assume that something applicable to 18th century technology isn't in need of some tweaking.

Free speech doesn't really change over time, although the media to deliver that speech has, and those changes have been the subject of vigorous debate. Free speech is also restricted by our libel and slander laws, as well as the more tricky public safety concerns (e.g. yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater). Apparently the 1st Amendment still stands.

However, you propose one slight little change in gun laws, like let's say requiring guns to be licensed, and you have the gun nuts literally up in arms, threatening revolution, pretending to be patriots (a most ill-used word in most cases). In the case of tomorrow's protest, conveniently scheduled on the same day as fellow gun nut and mass murderer Timothy McVeigh parked his truck packed with explosives in front of the Oklahoma City Federal Building -- including daycare center --, the protesters are apparently convening to protest the recent broadening of gun laws, which now inexplicably allow people to carry weapons in national parks.

Given that gun rights are apparently not in any immediate danger, and are in fact expanding, the gun nuts have to strut their stuff, in the words of the chief organizer, to warn the government about the passage of the health care bill and other sundry items that he feels (apparently because he doesn't know the definition of either word) equals "totalitarian socialism." Of course, the government will feel duly chastised when the few score nutcases show up with their handguns, rifles, and other small arms.

After all, the prospect that nationwide a few thousand or so veterans of the paramilitary equivalent of fantasy baseball camps, sprinkled with a few actual military veterans, have access to such intimidating weaponry and a will to use it on active duty police, military, and federal officials must send shivers down the spines of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.