The Thinking ‘Kat: Cognitive Disassociation
It’s curious as to how the human mind will work incredibly hard to justify certain stances and beliefs, whilst doing what it can to deride and dismiss them in other circumstances. For many years I have written of what I consider to be the folly and failure of US gun control laws, and I have remarked upon the strange double-standards of justice where the Jan 6th riots are concerned. These matters have come full circle, especially in light of recent, tragic developments.
For the second time this month, a US citizen has been shot dead in dubious circles by over-zealous (and, it would seem, poorly-trained) federal agents. Once again the Trump administration has been sounding off about radical lefties and leftist violence, and these claims have taken on a new level of irony, when considering the arguments about guns.
Mr Alex Pretti was a legal gun owner, and had a permit to carry, which entitled him to be in possession of his firearm in public in Minnesota. It is therefore deeply ironic to hear from diehard right-wingers that Mr Pretti brought his murder upon himself by possessing a firearm. Do Republicans suddenly not believe in the 2nd Amendment anymore? Is this also not yet another demonstration of the folly of having guns absolutely everywhere, and also a demonstration of the disassocation of Republians, where laws and rules are concerned?
There is such a thing as a right to protest. Mr Pretti was exercising that right. He had the right to be armed (as much as I think US gun laws are baffling and dangerous), and was exercising that right. When he was killed, he had already been disarmed pepper-sprayed, and pinned to the floor. Whilst Republicans often talk big about the rights of the individual and the right to bear arms, it seems some of them have a serious disconnect between what they talk of, and what they do. If the presence of guns on the streets is to be met with a deadly response, irrespective of laws and the Constitution, then it seems the 2nd Amendment is not serving its purpose, and the Republicans supporting these draconian and deadly responses to law-abiding protests need to reconcile their stance.
Will they? Probably not. They would prefer to indulge in pretzel logic to justify some massive double-standards. It seems laws and rules and rights are arbitrary, to be voided when they become difficult. That is the mindset of the average MAGA Republican.
‘Kat Comments