Good Idea -- Boycott Arizona

I'm not much on boycotting. I said I was going to boycott American Idol when Adam Lambert lost. But who knows? Maybe I'll sneak a few two hour peeks every week!

I was amazed that a boycott -- or I guess it was more calling advertisers -- affected the Glenn Beck show as much as it did. The advertisers were dropping a half dozen a day. I was stunned.

Now we have these clowns in Arizona packing heat whenever President Obama is around, parading around with their guns threatening him, racist intimidation in action.

I like what I glanced at in this guy's article. Arthur Frommer, a travel guide person:

For myself, without yet suggesting that others follow me in an open boycott, I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest. I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my own personal safety there. And therefore I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more. And I will begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona.

Personally, I've never been to Arizona. And based on the crazy laws they have there, that it's perfectly acceptable to be stalking the president with guns, it's not a place I'm planning to visit any time soon.

The First Guy With A Gun

The first guy with a gun at a presidential event is reminding everyone, "Hey, remember I was the FIRST. These other guys are imitators!"

"It never occurred to anyone just to show up with a gun till I did it. And now everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon!"

So look for his internet store, selling T-shirts with a gun on it, saying, "I was the first!" If anyone's name deserves a future trivia question on the subject, it's his. Although I don't remember what it is at the moment. Westric. Wrestic. Wettick. Weston. I'm not coming up with it.

Anyway, it's a new day for presidential events, and this will make them much more exciting for years to come. At least till we have another Republican president and all this is forbidden again.

But who knew what you can get away with?!

John Wilkes Booth is kicking himself in his grave. "I could've just bought a ticket, killed Lincoln, and stayed for the rest of the show. Silly me."

Lee Harvey Oswald's going. "I could've killed Kennedy and finished out my shift. No need to run."

Sirhan Sirhan's sitting there going, "He wasn't even president yet! And anyway, I was trying to kill a mouse in the kitchen."

Squeaky Fromme is out of prison, thinking, "That was a waste of 30 years. They should've pinned a medal on me."

It seems like John Hinkley's been doing time too, poor guy. But who knew he had the right to be there with a gun? We didn't know it at the time.

Another Guy With A Gun?

There another guy with a gun at one of these meetings where President Obama is, this time an assault rifle.

How in the world can this be legal? So you're telling me Lee Harvey Oswald was well within his rights to show up at Dealey Plaza with a gun? That he could've brought a cannon and set up on the street if he wanted?

When I've gone to see presidents and presidential candidates, the Secret Service (or someone) has been downright thorough about checking everyone's possessions, down to cameras and cellphones. I can only imagine what they would've said had I shown up with my hunting guns.

"Uh, sir, may we help you?"

"Yes, please help me up, now that you've wrestled me to the pavement and broken both arms."

Is there something, though, about having a Democratic president where we have to put up with this? I remember there was a deal in Denver during Bush's years where someone was hustled out for having an anti-Bush BUMPER STICKER on their car out in the parking lot. C'mon!

So a bumper sticker is a no-no, but a guy brings an assault rifle, that's OK?!

Healthcare For Crotch-Related Injuries

Hunter at Daily Kos has a great post today about the Republicans' shenanigans.

It's all right on as far as lamenting their extremism and their weird insistence on stupidity as the best way forward for America. They somehow think trashing up everything and watching our nation go down the tubes is the best way to preserve our values. Type that in on your calculator and see what the answer is. It's less than zero.

But Hunter sees one ray of saving sunshine, the utter incompetence of the Republicans. We lamented their incompetence most recently for eight miserable years. But who knew that very incompetence might eventually save us all?

Hunter says:

I'd be afraid for the future of our country, but I know that if these people ever actually armed themselves and tried to take over they'd all have accidentally shot themselves in the groin within the first ten minutes. Then they'd all limp to D.C. to hold a rally demanding free government healthcare for crotch-related injuries.

True, true, true. Except they'd probably restart the whole cycle by blaming Bill Clinton for letting them keep their guns!