Remember that Arizona rancher who was shot last summer, and how it lead to heated debate on the issue of "illegal" immigration? What was even more significant about the murder of Robert Krentz was the timing of it. Obama was notching one legislative victory after another, and with the passage of health care reform, right wing pundits and Republican law makers were actively inciting acts of violence against Democratic lawmakers.

When the press reported on Krentz's murder, the official story was that someone had crossed the border at Mexico, walked 20 miles to his ranch, killed him, and then walked 20 miles back over into Mexico. Here' the problem I have with that story. When Krentz's body was found, he was found slumped over in his ATV, with the motor running. Does anyone else see anything wrong with that official explanation? I have found an interesting website page that lends some support to my own suspicians. http://www.aztlan.net/minutemen_will_kill_again.htm

Those of us originally from California will never forget November 27, 1978, when Dianne Feinstein, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, announced that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White. Allowing people to go wherever they want packing heat will inevitably cause trouble of the worst sort. If we do not learn the lessons of the Tucson Massacre, there will inevitably be another such tragedy and the only question will not be if, but when, it will happen.

What they should have learned was that why. Why the push for CCW liberalization in the eighties, why people who normally would not own a gun are applying for CCWs. Fear. First Lady Roosevelt and some of the other freedom riders who packed really did have their life in danger, but someone who never leaves the suburbs? I remember when liberal Vermont was the only state where it was easy to carry concealed. When I was a kid in Wyoming, if you walked around with a holstered pistol, people would laugh at you. It was perfectly legal, but not done. From 1887 until they jumped on the liberalization band wagon in 1995, it was almost impossible for a Wyomingite to get a CCW for even a knife or sword cane (given the crime rate in my birth state, what would the point of getting one?)

One thing I noticed, and maybe Thom's brother and Ed Shultz have noticed the same thing, if you went to a gun show back before Regan the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation etc all had booths because they were geared for outdoors people. The only military stuff there was if a collector showed up with a couple of antique Thompsons. Thirty round magazines for a pistol? Would never sell, the free market had it banned. Then Reagan’s war on education and the middle class came along. I started to see John Muir being replaced by John Birch and crazy people pretending they were army rangers.

Thom,

On this issue, I think you're full of beans. when a burglar knows he might face an armed resident, he's less likely to try to burglarise a particular home. Also, go look at what happend in Kennesaw. The crime rate went DOWN after they made it law that all residents had to have a gun and ammunition that fit it. I am a Blue-Steel Democrat. I am fully in favor of everyone who isn't a nut to have a self defence weapon. you should be for all the amendments, including the second. it's what made Tojo discount the idea of assaulting the mainland of the USA. he said: A RIfle behind every blade of grass.

We should take that to heart, Thom.

Winterbeastie.

More guns, less guns, it's basically the same issue - a divide and conquer strategy that keeps people fighting with each other and not paying attention to what is being done to them. Try this:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-chicago/a-realistic-view-of-gun-...

9/11 Baby of Hope killed at age 9 in 2011. Bad, bad sign.

Look at the reaction to the murders and attempted murders in Arizona because of a young Neo-Con Manchurian Candidate who yielded the trigger. We have how many Manchurian Candidates in phony trumped up move the goal post occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Troops and mercenaries involved in the collateral damage justified by the fact that in America we view our lives as exceptional over other lives removed far away from view. The presidents speech was great and heartfelt in regards to this horrible act acted out for the media circus to floss its teeth with. Where is the outrage to the drone attracts making us and our world less stable. The president has authorized more drone attacks in his first nine months in office that King George Bush did in his entire stent as war chief and war crimes expert. Iraq has 50,000 troops and maybe 70,000 contractors, Afghanistan has about 150.000 troops as many contractors maybe. It is obvious who runs the show, the military they even make policy, hell they take 70% of our tax money. Gun nuts most of them and a good majority are Neo-Con American Jesus Republican Police State Lovers of Freedom....what a joke! Or is it just MIND CONTROL....! Where is the pain and loss as described in the wiki-leaks. Innocent children and people buy ten times being snuffed by our weapons of death.

What did Arizona Republicans learn from the events in Tucson more than a week ago? Not a blessed thing!

There are so many other ways people get murder everyday without guns! I can name many > The fingers are always pointed at the average people? Meanwhile everyday thousands vanish nobody notices. Their are cover ups. (Money exchanges, kept secret ) Change laws to suite the crime. If we only had laws in this country perhaps things would clear up and the laws should apply for everyone. The writing are on the wall. Its a crying shame !