To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. ― Mark Twain

Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:

• Montana Shooting Sports Association
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• Brett Kavanaugh
• One More Thing

MONTANA SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION:

I happened to catch an article in the Great Falls Tribune about the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) going after the Montana School Boards Association (MSBA).

According to the Tribune, the MSBA joined five other groups in August in opposing ballot language for LR-130, saying it is misleading and doesn’t provide an accurate explanation of what LR-130, which was referred by the state Legislature, would do.

The MSSA did not like the MSBA getting involved in that.

So, you might wonder, what is LR-130? From the Montana Secretary of State’s website:

LR-130 generally restricts a county, city, town, consolidated local government, or other local government unit’s authority to regulate the carrying of firearms. It removes a local government unit’s power to regulate the carrying of permitted concealed weapons or to restrict the carrying of unconcealed firearms except in publicly owned and occupied buildings under the local government unit’s jurisdiction. It repeals a local government unit’s authority to prevent or suppress the possession of firearms by convicted felons, adjudicated mental incompetents, illegal aliens, and minors. Federal and other state firearm restrictions would remain unchanged, including for these individuals. Local firearm ordinances that conflict with LR-130 could not be enforced.

The Tribune reported that the head of the MSSA wrote an open letter to Montana School Board members saying, in part:

I wish I were writing to you under happier circumstances. But, I feel it’s only fair to warn you that I am on the verge of advising Montana gun owners to replace every school board member in Montana at any upcoming election. That would be unfortunate because I’m sure most school trustees are very good people.

The letter closes with:

Not only does this make you look incompetent, it also places you publicly in the gun control political camp. I’m certain Montana gun owners will find this information relevant. I suspect they will be glad to have a political target for their frustration over attempts to impose various gun control schemes across Montana, a political target of incumbent school board members. I will be keeping my ears open to learn what, if anything, Montana school board members do to get the MSBA back under control, and on a leash if necessary. Hey, it’s your organization. Fix it, if you can.

I hope the school board members who get this letter tell the head of the MSSA to shove his veiled threat. In my humble opinion, it seems like blackmail.

I own several guns. I believe in the second amendment. I don’t belong to or support pro-gun organizations like the MSSA or the NRA. I believe they are more of a problem than a solution to the gun issues in our country.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ:

I’m not sure I’ve seen many freshman members of the U.S. House get as much hatred thrown at them as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Now we have a new political ad from a group called the New Faces PAC, a Republican super PAC run by GOP candidate Elizabeth Heng. (Source)

In the ad, Newsweek reports that a photo of Ocasio-Cortez is burned, revealing a pile of skulls behind her—images from Pol Pot’s genocidal campaign in Cambodia based on a theory of the racial supremacy of the majority ethnicity, Khmer. Pot’s Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled from 1975 until his overthrow at the end of 1978, by the socialist government of Vietnam.

Just about every election we say something like, “I don’t think political ads can get any lower,” then they do.

If this ad is any indication, 2020 is going to be the nastiest election yet.

BRETT KAVANAUGH:

The New York Times is reporting about more allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

The Times says that some of the allegations were investigated and some were not. One person, Deborah Ramirez, claims that during a party a freshman named Brett Kavanaugh pulled down his pants and thrust his penis at her, prompting her to swat it away and inadvertently touch it. Kavanaugh has denied her claims. This incident was investigated according to the Times.

Another classmate says he saw Mr. Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student. The classmate supposedly reported it to the FBI and told senators about it, but nothing happened.

Of course, several Democrats are calling for the impeachment of Kavanaugh. If they impeached him today, Trump would just nominate another conservative for the court and the senate, which is controlled by the GOP, would confirm.

Now if Trump is defeated and the Democrats take over the Senate and keep the House in their hands, the impeachment of Kavanaugh might happen.

That’s a big “if.”

It seems the Democrats’ big answer for many things is impeachment when they should as the saying goes keep their powder dry.

ONE MORE THING:

It’s wonderful that after a few deaths from vaping, it has become a big concern of the Trump Administration.

Newsweek reported:

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration would soon roll out new guidelines that could put an end to flavored e-cigarettes after six reported deaths in the country. This could include pulling products off the market, with the exception of flavored tobacco.
The unforgiving world of social media blasted the president, however, saying he has taken six deaths more importantly than hundreds killed by gun violence this year, and the thousands killed on a yearly basis.

Something seems wrong here…

 

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