NRA

Bullies. Cowards. These are the words which come to mind when I hear the enthusiasts of the NRA (National Rifle Association) speaking of their right to bear the means to snuff out human life in an instant. Is this really a human right? Does every human being have the right to bear the potential to end another human being's life from a great distance at will, perhaps anonymously? Have the lessons of the Beltway Sniper been forgotten?

The NRA has become a lunatic fringe organization composed of over 2 million members out of a U.S. population of around 300 million. This 0.6% of the U.S. population is controlling the Congress. This 0.6% of the population are not simply avid shooters. They fund and control Right-Wing conservatives who favor elimination of women's rights to choose and equal rights for minorities. They are henchman of the Far Right. This is an all-too-familiar phenomenon in Euro-American history. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo (NY), Governor Deval Patrick (MA) and Governor Dan Malloy (CT) are standing out against the policy dictates of the NRA. There are no truly courageous voices in the U.S. Congress against gun violence. This has been true for decades. The NRA has used it bullying tactics effectively. Like Grover Norquist's bullying of Congressional leaders against rational taxation with corporate backing, the NRA has corrupted democracy, the very thing they say they are trying to protect with their lethal weapons. The self-serving in Congress have colluded in this corruption of the people's will for a safe and peaceful society.