The case of Trayvon Martin has rallied the nation and at least made us look at the state of some important issues.
We have seen the racial elements surrounding the case. We have seen the issue of police corruption or incompetence. We have seen the major issues with "Stand Your Ground" laws that makes it a flawed piece of legislation.
But it's not just "Stand Your Ground" that makes the GOP's heart swoon.
I will never own a gun. I'm too scarred by Bambi to ever want to hunt and I certainly don't feel the need to pack heat to protect myself.
I have never been the biggest hawk on people who buy guns either. I am opposed to it but I somewhat see the rationale by people who want one for gaming purposes or for family heirlooms. I can get it.
My stance on gun ownership though is pretty black and white. I don't see the gray area in it. I just have one question.
Why do conservatives love guns so damn much? They use the Constitution as their political Bible but it doesn't seem like they are too concerned about "equal protection" with their staunch voter suppression laws.
To me, I always thought the conservative love affair with guns had to do with their stereotype of the All-American man a la John Wayne. Guns, to some, represent power and seeing a swashbuckling person saving America from evil do'ers while wielding heat is a neocon's wet dream.
But maybe that stereotype is incorrect, maybe it's not people like John Wayne but for John Wayne. As we know Wayne was a very prominent Republican activist in the 1950s and 60s, which is a time before Fannie Lou Hamer fought for voting rights of black citizens in 1964. To many conservatives, this seems like an ideal time to be voting.
But guns aren't the only thing the GOP also loves, they also love their friends who are commonly known as corporations.
To those who don't see guns as a pure representation as power, money might be what they think makes the world go round. People who have lots of money may only be "one percent of the country" but they are the ones who are making the word "GOP nominee Mitt Romney" possible.
The idea of a rich mogul with money piling out of his tweed jacket has to be what GOP thinks the "American Dream" is all about.
"Here's a man who has a lot of money and hopefully donates it to us! That's American because it's capitalist! If you think there should be some regulation, SOCIALIST!"
The lack of regulation at the turn of the century led to cruel working conditions that literally drove some people to death. You worked late, your children worked with you and you repeated that cycle until you couldn't anymore.
Those workers didn't have the right to stand their ground amongst the richest people in the country simply because they weren't thought to be worth it. The thought was "you should be kissing our feet that you have a job, not complain about the working conditions".
While life might have improved for the everyday worker, there is still plenty of work to do before we can say it's ideal.
With guns however, it's been a lot tougher due to it being one of the last things that the GOP has to relate to the "common man".
The Trayvon Martin case is bringing up the long-debated subject of guns but more importantly, the need for "Stand Your Ground" laws. If you are murdered as a result of that law, your murder is now known as a "justified killing".
A justified killing? Doesn't that phrase sound like the act of a ruthless leader who wants to oust his supporters? No murder should be justified in this country especially, but not exclusively, one of a teenager.
But Stand Your Ground isn't just a Florida law and now, problem. Twenty-nine states have some form of the law in place and out of all of them, only three (Illinois, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island) have voted Democrat in the past three Presidential elections.
While it's a very simplistic look at the laws as they stand, it's quite telling that the majority of those states (with some starting to trend blue) are solidly red.
That's our nation though. The GOP love individuals, provided they are in the 1% or are gun owners, after all. Guns and money can make one person very, very, very powerful and equally dangerous.
This isn't made to blast gun-owners, who I know consist of very intelligent people that are not obsessed over being the neighborhood vigilante. It isn't made to bash the rich who I'm sure consist of hard-working, unselfish people.
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In a completely related note, but one that I am having trouble working in to this story, the Horn tapes on Maddow might've been some of the more sickening things I've heard on TV.