The assumption seems to be that if Republican Senators don't show complete and utter opposition to Health Care Reform as envisioned by the Obama Administration they will lose their seats in the next election.

My question is why is it certain that they will lose their seats if they vote for this Administration's plan?  Won't the Democratic voters in their districts like them for that?  Is it absolutely certain that they will be ousted without support from the GOP?  It seems to me if Republican Senators actually showed they were willing to work across party boundaries perhaps they would find new sources of votes?

Thoughts, suggestions, linkage for stuff to read?  Throw it on down!

(PS--On an aside, what is the difference between "Tags" and "Keywords?"  I find myself putting the same words in both...)

(PPS--Why does Movable Type destroy my formatting when posting, but not when previewing?)

This is just a thought but... are the majority of people sent into fits of terror at the sight of a firearm?  I mean, if you look at a rifle mounted on a wall, do you scream and run out the door?
Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems that people have a fear of people they don't know carrying firearms.  The recent situation in Arizona is what got me thinking about this and I realized that I am not afraid of firearms.  Having gone clay pigeon shooting without wetting myself while firing the shotgun I was handed and having been around my father's .22 rifle as he shot it from our kitchen window (that's a story for another day), I understand that it isn't the sight of a firearm nor the sound of a firearm in use that freaks me out.  It's the bullshit swagger a person with a complex gets when they start walking around carrying that freaks me out and there are oh so many of those out and about...  Just as everyone knows it's not how well you drive that matters, when it comes to carrying guns, it isn't your sanity that matters.  It's that person with the crazy glint in their eyes and the urge to show everyone how powerful they are that's going to be the problem.

Carry on those owners of firearms that are sane and have a respect for what their firearms are and can do.  All ya'll crazy mafas that think a gun is a prop, you need to get your sh*t together!

So we've all seen the crazy people who attend political events these days and how they scream and yell and carry on about how the Obama administration is trying to kill everyone and their grandmas through Health Care Reform, take away everyone's guns through Gun Control Legislation, and hand our country over to the Islamo-Fascists that so hate Our Freedoms because he was actually born Muslim and in Kenya.

1} What in the hell do you do with these people?

2} How do you keep them from attracting more followers?

3} How do you make the people who are following them see how ridiculous they are?

Let's look to the great state of Tennessee in a city called Knoxville for a case of Clowns V Nazis... http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/actions/2007-5-26/index.php

All you have to do is show the world how to laugh at them and the world will laugh with you.  

These days protesting crowds full of people carrying signs and yelling at each other are so passé. B-o-o-o-o-o-o-ring!  Let's give the masses something NEW!

See someone carrying guns surrounded by reporters?  Walk up to him equally strapped--with toy guns.  Start discussing the advantages of the pump-action super-soaker as compared to the more mundane and out-dated hollow pistol-shaped trigger pullers of yesteryear.  Have you got a spark gun?  Why is yours so awesome whereas others just don't seem to be as... sparky?  Have you custom-modified it?  How so?  What did you use to mod your guns?
How about those noise guns?  You know the ones I'm talking about.  If you have male children they've undoubtedly annoyed you with them for days at a time.  Really study these things.  Examine circuitry diagrams.  Study how those sounds are created and what they're supposed to simulate.  Bring well labeled diagrams to make sure your new gun buddy becomes educated in the awesomeness that is your arsenal!  Keep in mind, the more serious you are about your armaments the better.

-=Maybe this one is obvious, but don't forget everyone:  You all have the Right to bare arms!  It's not just a fashion statement or something to do in the Winter anymore...=-

-=Ooh... another alternative to that.  Does anyone know if there are laws against showing up to political events wearing plate-mail and on a warhorse?  Nothing says "I HAVE A BIG PENIS!" louder than a Scottish Claymore, Lance, or Pike.  Stand up for your right to re-enact medieval life (and death) in your locality!  Don't forget your squires and wenches.  Make sure they're carrying pennants and banners describing your stance on the issues.  Ye olde English shall be most righteously endorsed.=-

What about all those people who stand up and start screaming about how Obama's plan is going to kill old and handicapped people because their care is not cost-effective?  They take these things so seriously!  SEND IN THE CLOWNS!  Get up there and remind the public how Obama's plan will make the bearded lady choose a gender because it's just so difficult determining whether he/she ought to see an OBGyN (so they can practice their love) or a proctologist.  Should it be a mammogram or a good ol' head-turning cough?  It's their right to choose whichever one they want on whatever day it happens to be.  THERE'S NO LAW AGAINST BEING A SHEMALE!  Don't let Obama force Bearded Ladies to choose!  I'm sure a PRIVATE insurer would be MORE than willing to cover both!

Furthermore, don't forget to make DAMN sure your representative knows that you plan on giving up/renouncing any claim to Medicare or Medicaid and Social Security as they are Socialist Programmes bent on taking your freedoms from you.  Furthermore, you will also never again use the Post Office, public roads, public transportation, or any service that is covered in any way by taxes.  VIVA LA CLOWN RESISTANCE!  Don't forget your squeaky nose and giant shoes.  If you've also got some brightly colored poofy pants they would no doubt be comfortable, fashionable, and extremely effective for holding your wallet, cellphone, and small pets.

What about those fine upstanding Americans that are out to uphold the laws of the United States of America by proving that President Obama is actually a Muslim plant bent on handing over our great country to the Islamo-Fascists?  Make sure you run up to them with every birth certificate for every member in your family and family tree, proving you are a natural-born citizen of the United States.  Bust out that atlas and show them EXACTLY where you and all your family members/ancestors were born.  Tell them the time and date and compare that to when your state entered the Union.  Point out when your first ancestor came to America and where they came from... can't be too careful about those Islamic plants!

Just to clarify matters and to further prove you aren't an Islamo-Fascist, show them your NRA card/Passport/Driver's License/Library card/other form of Government ID and show them no less than ten (10) signed and stamped affidavits from doctors and nurses who were at your birth, school teachers you had, employers, ex boy/girlfriends, current or ex spouses (should you be that far along), and every person who could possibly be a character witness to your American authenticity.  Remember, urgency is key here.  If you don't prove to them that you are a legal and natural born American citizen they will never let you become President and your life will be full of fail.

Whatever you do, remember... smile for the media!  The world's eyes will be on YOU!

More and more opponents of Health Care Reform (HCR) have been showing up to events carrying firearms in both a concealed and unconcealed manner. At the most recent Obama event in Arizona, there were 12 people displaying their firearms outside the event.

It is completely legal to carry these firearms and those involved who broke no law were not molested in any form by the police. However, I think it's a fair question to ask, is it right for these people to carry their guns to these events? Is it responsible to bring firearms to a political event discussing a very volatile facet of American life? I can see bringing them and checking them some place or leaving them locked in a trunk in their car, but carrying them in plain view at a political rally seems a bit extreme. What's the justification and more importantly, is it responsible gun owner behavior?