BloggeRhythms

Peggy Noonan addressed the San Bernardino shootings in her Wall Street Journal column on Friday. The gist of her point was how quickly and fiercely, those with particular agendas use all too frequent tragedies to underscore and intensify their cause. In this case, gun control. 

Especially troubling to her is when zealots attempt to prevent those who disagree from presenting their opinions or contradictory ideology.    

    

In that regard, Ms Noonan suggested: “Why doesn’t some thoughtful candidate on the Republican side address the issue of shaming and silencing? Why doesn’t someone give a deep and complete speech on what the First Amendment means, how it must be protected, how we pay a daily price for it in terms of anger, hurt, misunderstandings and crudity, but it’s worth it. Why doesn’t someone note that you fight bad speech with better speech, you don’t try to tape up the mouths of an entire country.” 

She concluded her column, as follows: “The censorship movement is radical. It is starting to make everyone in the country feel harassed and anxious. It is odd to see candidates miss a rising issue that is giving pause to so many Americans. I pray someone will address it. Literally, I just did.”

Following the article, underscoring Ms Noonan’s point about bringing differing views to light, reader Arthur Picone explained that: “Obama and his acolytes' latest Second amendment circumlocution and feel good pronouncement is "common sense gun laws". But notice that they never actually get around to saying what those might be. 

“Everything he has wished for in the past - background checks, etc, has been passed into law in California. Well we've seen how well that works. The only two places where gun violence is actually rising are "gun free zones" and places where law enforcement is demonized. 

“Now how about we try the one thing that actually works: good guys carrying guns. Wonder how many of the unfortunate San Bernardino victim's last thoughts were "I wish to God I had some way to try to defend myself?” 

And by virtue of his analysis of the situation, Mr. Picone has focused on the issue as clearly as did Ms. Noonan. Because gun control  is not, nor has ever been the issue. Guns will always be available to those who  seek them, legally or not. What really needs to be addressed and ultimately controlled isn’t the weaponry, it’s those who pull the triggers.

Ms Noonan's article is well-worth reading. here’s a link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-first-amendment-needs-your-prayers-1449187707

On another issue, Reuters reported yesterday that; “President Barack Obama defended his remarks about the threat posed by climate change, saying Republicans, including U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, were "the only people" disputing the gravity of the problem.”

However, Gallup’s poll results show something else, whereas their numbers indicate that: “Some 61 percent of Democrats say climate change is very or extremely important, but just 19 percent of Republicans agree.” Which means that 39% of Democrats aren’t deeply concerned about the “gravity of the problem” either. A far cry from the claim that Republicans are the only doubtful ones about what the POTUS perceives as threats to the environment. 

Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife. 

Patricia Mazzei @miamiherald.com, wrote yesterday about how far the current front-running presidential candidates have sunk their party’s, placing leading party supporters in an unimaginable quandary.  

According to Ms Mazzei: “One of Florida’s biggest conservative Republican moneymen — and a billionaire backer of Jeb Bush — is so disgusted by Donald Trump’s candidacy that if he has to, he’ll do the unthinkable: 

“If I have a choice — and you can put it in bold — if I have a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, I’m choosing Hillary,” Miami healthcare magnate Mike Fernandez told the Miami Herald on Friday. “She’s the lesser of two evils.” 

By saying he’d pick Clinton over Trump, Fernandez took a bolder stance than Bush himself, who said on CBS News’ Face the Nation last Sunday: “Anybody is better than Hillary Clinton,” though he added that he has “great doubts about Donald Trump’s ability to be commander in chief.” 

What’s truly remarkable, considering the position in question is the presidency of the United States of America, is the fact that neither candidate, Clinton or Trump, has a single personal qualification worthy of the office. Both are the very bottom of the skills barrel, regarding that endeavor. 

Clinton has never held a managerial position successfully on her own, surviving on her husband’s coattails. Yet, while having no personal triumphs, she carries the weight of countless scandals throughout her history. Currently including Benghazi and the FBI investigation into mishandling of her illegal email server, when Secretary of State. 

In Trump’s case, his real estate career stems from inherited wealth, while pursuits taken on his own resulted in major bankruptcies, business failures and sell-offs to others. Dodging another major collapse due to the creativity of 70 banks at risk with him in a realty downturn. 

Yet, both personas have developed traits of spoiled children, having little patience for those obstructing their goals and ambitions. While at the same time, having no accomplishment beyond blow-hard speech-making to demonstrate qualifying credentials. 

Thus, it’s no wonder that magnate's like Mr. Fernandez have reached the limits of their tolerance. Because the frustration of the current presidential contest is truly unimaginable. 

Which is why, particularly on the Democrat side, these daily entry’s continually end with the same question: Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, Jerry Brown, and Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, are you guys reading this?    

That's it for today folks. 

Adios