GOP anti-logic and anti-math combine to form Second Amendment Hero’s pro-criminal argument

Raw Story: A Republican state senator in Colorado stunned the father of one of the victims of the Aurora theater shooting when he claimed that it was “a good thing” that James Holmes had a 100-round magazine.

During a Wednesday hearing about overturning the state’s ban on magazines larger than 15 rounds, Democratic state Sen. Irene Aguilar pointed out that Holmes would have never been able to legally buy the arsenal he used to slaughter 12 people and injure 70 others.

“My understanding is that James Holmes bought his 100-round capacity magazine legally,” Aguilar told Republican state Sen. Bernie Herpin. “So in fact, this law would have stopped James Holmes from purchasing a 100-round magazine.”

“I was wondering if you agree with me,” she asked.

“Perhaps, James Holmes would not have been able to purchase a 100-round magazine,” Herpin admitted.

“As it turned out, that was maybe a good thing that he had a 100-round magazine, because it jammed,” he added. “If he had four, five, six 15-round magazines, there’s no telling how much damage he could have done until a good guy with a gun showed up.”

I’m going to give you a chance to let your blood pressure go down. Take all the time you need.

OK? Good. Sen. Bernie Herpin is a moron. Consider:

• Anti-logic: Herpin seems to be suggesting that 100 round magazines are prone to jamming (at least, I think so. It’s hard to make sense of this). If this is true, then Herpin should oppose such magazines as a matter of consumer protection. After all, they’re junk. The last thing a Second Amendment Hero needs is for his gun to jam up while he’s fighting off the mutant pirate army (or whatever the fuck it is you think 100 rounds will protect you from. My imagination fails me). Logic dictates that selling these things as a matter of home defense amounts to false advertising or consumer fraud.
• Anti-math: According to the report, “Of the 76 shell casings found by investigators after the shooting, 65 were fired from Holmes’ .223 caliber assault-style rifle with the 100 round magazine.” Herpin’s arguing that it’s better for intended victims of a mass shooting if the shooter fires off 65 shots if his magazine jams than to fire a mere “four, five, six 15-rounds” uninterrupted. This is the same masterful grasp of math that has Republicans arguing that huge tax cuts for gazillionaires are a great way to reduce the deficit.

But of course, this is all just spin. It makes no sense not because Herpin believes any of it, but because he needs an excuse. He couldn’t answer Aguilar truthfully and say, “I don’t give a fuck about the victims,” so he had to make up some crazy, stupid spin on the spot.

The people who call themselves defenders of the Second Amendment do so for the same reason; if they were forced to tell the truth, they’d have to admit that they’re ridiculously soft on crime.

Colorado rescue mission

[via USA Today]

Stories to Watch: 3/31/11

If you're up late and looking for something on the teevee, you might switch over to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim to watch The Room -- which is widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. A lot of people think it's campy fun, but I just think it's awful -- and boring. I never have seen the whole thing. Ought to put you right to sleep. Cinematic crime begins at 12:30 eastern -- i.e., first thing in the morning on April Fools Day. Now here's the news...


A bunch of Tea Party faves in congress are taking the big bucks in subsidies from Uncle Sam. Hypocritical? Yes. Surprising? No. Everyone always defines a "government handout" as "something someone else gets."


A NYT piece spells out what everyone already knows -- 'baggers are in bed with big business. The piece calls this an "odd alliance." It's like discovering a puppet has a hand inside it and declaring that "odd."


"Uterus" is a dirty word in Florida.


An administrator for USAID -- "the primary agency in the government responsible for dispensing humanitarian aid and assisting global development efforts" -- estimates that GOP budget cuts will lead to the deaths of 70,000 kids globally. The GOP loves the "unborn," but once you're born, you're on your own.


Oh, and speaking of killing people, the GOP wants to cut $1 trillion from Medicaid.


I'm sorry, but there is no fucking way 5,000 illegal aliens participated in Colorado's 2010 elections. I don't care what some Republican's "study" shows. Seriously, there is no way that figure will stand up to scrutiny. I laughed out loud when I saw the headline.


Finally, Stephen Colbert's political action committee -- ColbertPAC -- is official. Other than making crazy-awesome videos, though, it's unclear what -- if anything -- he'll do with it. I'm on the mailing list so, if something comes up, I'll let you know.

GOP Convention Lacks Enthusiasm

clipped from rawstory.com This year, Republicans remain acutely mindful of the challenge they face: How best to showcase McCain, an unpopular party's aging, less-than telegenic standard-bearer, against Obama's soaring oratory and historic status as a major party's first black nominee. Still, the enthusiasm gap between the two events is already noticeable. Democrats have already signed up 22,000 volunteers for their convention, while the St. Paul gathering has attracted just 10,000. GOP organizers insist they have work for only 10,000 volunteers and are more than happy to stick with that number. Then there's the problem of President Bush, whose popularity, slipping for months, has tanked along with the flagging economy. The convention Web site bears little mention of the president's name; its home page quotes McCain saying he is proud to be nominated by "the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan."

I wonder if they'll realize that forced enthusiasm looks even worse than no enthusiasm? The piece also tells us that while Obama can expect good coverage during bona fide swing state Colorado's DNC, McCain's down double-digits in Minnesota -- happy photo ops aren't nearly as likely as big protests.