With friends like these...

Do you remember in high school the nerdy kid who was so desperate to be accepted by someone, anyone, that he eventually was adopted by a group of folks who used him, mercilessly, for comic relief? But, craving some kind of companionship, even if it was twisted, the nerdy kid put up with the put-downs, lies, physical abuse, etc., just to have "friends."

If you don't, that's okay, because there is a group in our nation today that is the embodiment of that nerd: U.S. gun owners. That's right. Although they've been repeatedly shown disrespect and been taken for granted, they keep on giving their support to a Republican party that hasn't done them any favors. The Republican party treats gun owners like the friend they're embarrassed to have. Sure, they talk a good game in private, but in public they don't particularly want to be seen together.

Why? Well, the Republican party (I know there are individual exceptions, but I'm talking about the actual party apparatchik), like all politicians, are first interested in getting in and staying in power; everything else is secondary and open to negotiation. To do this, they believe, they cannot appear too strident on any issue, so they straddle the fence and never really do much of anything to actually help roll back the onerous tide of oppressive gun laws that have appeared over the last century. People like this are fair-weather friends, at best, and mortal enemies if/when push comes to shove. Still, gun owners cling to these nabobs and defend them like they're their best, and only, buddies.

Want proof? Look at the McCain campaign for president. Before he announced a running mate, gun owners gave little more than a yawn about his run, mainly because they sensed/knew, correctly, that McCain was/is no friend of theirs. But after the addition of Mrs. Palin to the ticket, why, by God, suddenly everything changed. Now, everything is hunky-dory and gun owners are acting as if all is right with the world.

But not so fast, American gun owners. Just like the recent government bailouts of insolvent financial institutions, which did nothing to change the actual crap-like quality of said institutions, the basic Republican party credo that gun owners will always back their party because, "Who else are they going to vote for, the Democrats?," is still in place. With an attitude like this, it's no wonder the Republican party can and does court the gun vote, but in actuality does nothing to deserve it. The Republican party does not respect gun owners, and why should it? No matter how many times they're abused, kicked, ignored, etc., gun owners always slavishly come back to lick the hand that beats/ignores them.

I have little reason to believe that the choices gun owners make across America this November will contradict me. Do you?

Take care.
DAL357

P.S. Can you guess which person represents gun owners in the photo above, the tall lady or the dwarf? (Hint: It ain't the tall lady.)