#80) No Big Deal

April 30, 2017

Well, I'm back. Did you miss me?  I had to take a couple of days off from writing to you because A) my dog died, and B) I just couldn't stand another minute of your 100 day speeches.  You have not accomplished any meaningful legislation of any kind yet you're running around like you're some kind of hero.  First it was your over-the-top speech to the NRA and then that Pennsylvania pep-rally.  Ick.

Regarding the NRA, I will just never be convinced that our communities are safer when people carry guns, especially hidden guns.  Don't you find it ironic that the Secret Service would not allow people to bring guns in to the convention hall where you were speaking?  You stood up and literally said that any American should be able to carry their gun anywhere at any time and for any reason (except not here during my speech, ha ha).  This is because Secret Service agents have enough common sense to set limits and say NO even though our legislators do not.  So how come you have the right to be safe from lunatics with guns, but we don't? Did you know that just two days later a mother in Cleveland, Ohio pulled a gun on a barber who was taking too long to cut her 7 year old son's hair!  She actually pulled out a loaded gun in a shop full of people, pointed it at the barber and threatened to shoot him if he didn't hurry up.  And then yesterday there was a shooting in San Diego at a fairly upscale apartment complex where some people were celebrating a birthday poolside. A man showed up, a resident of the apartment complex, and opened fire.  One person is dead and others critically wounded. Nobody is safe when people carry guns!!! It's as simple as that.  And one of the very few legislative acts that you actually accomplished in the last 100 days was to overturn an Obama-era regulation making it harder for people with mental illness to buy firearms.  Congratulations.  I sure hope you're proud of yourself.

During the Pennsylvania pep-rally you did seem inordinately proud of yourself for appointing Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, as if you had accomplished some monumental task.  Just to be clear, there was an opening on the court because somebody died…not because you created an opening.  Then the Republican party kept the opening available for over a year so that you could appoint someone.  All you had to do was name someone to fill the post, that's it.  And I think the brainstorming of potential candidates was even done by a think-tank, not by you.  I don't see how you did anything especially difficult or challenging.  So stop bragging about it.

Sincerely,

Amy Beaton