The Second Amendment recognizes a right to "keep and bear arms," designed by the Founding Fathers to help prevent tyranny by government. If "fascist" Ashcroft wishes to trample on the Constitution, does this not represent the very tyranny by government that so deeply concerned the Founding Fathers? Some leftists see a movement toward a police state -- the very thing the Founding Fathers wanted the Second Amendment and the armed citizenry to prevent -- yet the very leftists also want further gun control. Some leftists distrust the government as to the First Amendment and the Fourth Amendment, yet apparently feel sufficiently secure that we need not fear tyranny from this "fascist" government.
Garofalo used a common tactic when losing arguments -- malign your opponent. For example, former President Bill Clinton, during his DNC speech, said that he, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney all "avoided" serving in Vietnam. That's right. Clinton compares how he avoided the draft after receiving a draft notice to George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
As I sat on "radio row" in Boston's FleetCenter, and criticized Clinton's comparison of his conduct to Bush's, a man standing nearby shook his head from side to side in disagreement. During the commercial break, the man said, "You don't really believe what you just said, do you?" To which I said, "No, sir, I just lied for seven minutes." It went downhill from there. He asked whether I served, and to that irrelevant question, I asked him, "How much do you weigh?"
My exasperated questioner ultimately walked away, but he first tossed his business card on my table and then called me an "a--hole." I crumpled the card and threw it at him. Tough day.
How uncivil are Democrats? On the last day of the convention, I waited in front of my hotel for a taxi. Another woman, standing only a few yards away, noticed the media badge around my neck. "Media?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. "How do you think the convention's going?"
"You don't really want to know how I think the convention is going," she finally said, clearly uneasy. After all, she no doubt thought, "Is he one of us, or one of them?"
"Well, I may surprise you," I said.
"Put it like this," she said. "I'm from the South."
"In other words, you support George W. Bush."
"Yes."
"So do I."
The woman and I then had an enjoyable conversation about politics, the convention and the prospects of re-election for George W. Bush. "Look," she said, "I'm not afraid to say I'm a Republican. I just don't have the time to deal with the silly, emotional arguments some of these hate-Bush folks raise. They seem to always end up calling names." Aah, the tolerant, open-minded, thoughtful party.
See you in '08.