Crowd Size at the Ballot Box
UPDATE. While the #ApprenticePresident with his lynch mob of bullies may have had his "crowd-size" wish granted by the Texas Gun Lobby & the NRA at his Houston Campaign Rally for Ted Cruz yesterday, we Democrats were busy outside in the streets giving him one great big giant "FU" in the nicest way possible: exercising our Right to Vote.
Texans love their Guns. Even in the face of the EPIDEMIC of Gun Violence in America, the NRA still has a strong hold on the State of Texas.
While the "Rabid Trumpeteers" with their collective amnesia of how the #ApprenticePresident BULLIED HIS WAY INTO OFFICE, many of them them sat there with their signs "Jobs, Not Mobs" listening to his fear-mongering vows to send the Military to the Border & Ted Cruz is quietly accepting Campaign Contributions from the NRA.
Houston & Texas as a whole plays host to countless numbers of organized Gun Shows on a seemingly monthly basis, drawing enormous crowds at these events.
In my opinion, THIS accounts for their huge turnout.
Meanwhile, he continues his attacks on women & children fleeing for their lives along the Mexico-Guatemala Border & whipping his crowd into a frenzy. It's pretty STUNNING to watch.
Most Democrats I know are Peace-loving tree-huggers.
All I can say is VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.
Related Posts
Why Background Checks Are Not Enough. PTSD in Veterans
UPDATE. Harris County Democrats LISTEN. While millions of students participated in March For Our Lives, a Resolution was submitted at the joint Convention of Senate Districts 17 & 7 yesterday. While I'm not at liberty to reveal the contents of the Resolution, Texas Democrats aren't waiting for the Republicans to get their act together & stop pandering to the NRA. Texas Democrats are doing what we can for sensible #GunControl
UPDATE. Yesterday's whiplash of a good news/bad news day saw a victory on the east coast, a tragedy on the west coast & a setback on the east coast with respect to Gun Control.
While Florida Governor Rick Scott was signing a compromise Gun Control Bill that increases the legal ago to buy a gun to 21, implements a waiting period, & bans the sale of bump stocks with additional provisions (see full text of bill below.) California had a SWAT situation at a Napa Valley Veterans home that ended with four people dead including the shooter - then back to Florida where the NRA filed suit against the state, claiming the new law is Unconstitutional.
The shooter in the California tragedy, a Veteran himself had been a patient in their PTSD Program for returning veterans of foreign wars returning home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD.
This brings me back to the race to fill Houston's 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Ted Poe.
While Todd Litton easily won the Democratic Primary, winning the right to run against the Republican challenger, the Republicans are heading to a run-off between Kevin Roberts & Dan Crenshaw, both of whom I met out at the polls.
The question of PTSD in Veterans is the exact question I asked of Crenshaw in the post below. I was less-than-enthused in his response: "the Military has programs for that."
Well, OK.
Yesterday's incident in California was at a Veteran's Home, committed by a Patient in a PTSD Program with his Psychiatrist being among the dead.
In response to the NRA's argument that the Florida Bill is Unconstitutional, the 2nd Amendment was written at a time when the most destructive weapon available was a Muscat, shooting Muscat Balls - not the rapid fire Sub Machine Guns flooding our streets today.
The outdated 2nd Amendment needs to be updated to match the world we now live in, MAKING GUN OWNERSHIP A PRIVILEGE - NOT A RIGHT.
Below is what I experienced in my conversation with Republican Candidate Dan Crenshaw:
February 22, 2018
Yesterday out at the polls, working on behalf of Penny Shaw for Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4 & in support of Beto O'Rourke for US Senate, I had occasion to meet many opposition candidates & their campaign support people, including one of the 9 people on the Republican ballot running for Congressman Ted Poe's soon-to-be-vacated seat in the House.
There on the behalf of the Democratic Party for the Democratic Primary, I am humbled & honored to help those that are braver than me to run for elected office, but OMG I've been out numbered by good-natured Republican candidates , including that guy since the start of Early Voting on Tuesday.
This candidate rolled down Chimney Rock with his posse IN A MILITARY HUMVEE.
When his people informed me that the candidate himself is a Retired US Navy Seal, I knew I HAD TO get his thoughts on background checks for gun licenses/purchases & SPECIFICALLY on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in military Veterans.
Why would I ask this specific, legitimate question? Days before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, my friend Amy Burnett-Combs was murdered by her 2nd husband, David Combs who was a highly decorated US Navy Seal, who then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
This is her Funeral Notice (not Obituary - Funeral Notice) Nothing could be found online about Dave other than the fact that he died.
All of us were STUNNED to see our parking lot on the 4PM News, walk outside & find our homes SWARMING with Law Enforcement, learning afterwards that this was done by someone we all knew, to someone who was a friend & it was done by a highly decorated US Navy Seal. (the likely reason there are no details available about him online.)
A person like this would have EASILY passed a background check.
While Amy & Dave's issues dealt with Domestic Violence against WOMEN - & isn't that awful enough - he probably was not a danger to any of the rest of us in the community, but you never know.
The Candidate did listen to my concerns, but only focused on the individual, saying that the Navy has programs for retirees & didn't really address the question of Background Checks as a whole.
His worker wanted to change the subject entirely missing the point, asking me "What about Israelis?" I should have asked him "What about us? What about Americans?" but I could see that he wasn't having it, so I shook hands with the candidate & thanked him for listening to me.
I was silently sobbing for Amy at this point & needed a ten minute time out to go sit in my car.
Today will be Day 3 of Early Voting. While I don't have the statistics, one of the Democratic Party pages that I follow did have the numbers on Voter Turnout so far.
Very encouraging to see that the #BlueWave is on track to turn the tide in Texas.
