White People Mad at Things

Freshman state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, left instructions for her staff on how to handle visitors in town for Texas Muslim Capitol Day: Ask them to declare allegiance to the U.S.  

Lawl. The Facebook post is still up, and Rep. White is defiant in the face of people speaking out against her.

Florida's vigilante spirit, once again in action.

Regardless of the racism that fueled this particular incident, this is why open carry is such a stupid idea. None of us has a neon sign over our heads that proclaim whether or not we're "good guys" or "bad guys" (to use the NRA's binary): if we see a guy with a gun, all we can see is "guy with gun," not his intentions for that gun. 

Every guy with a gun is like a Schrödinger box: both good and bad until the box is opened and he either starts killing people or doesn't. The problem, of course, is that not killing people is always the prelude to killing people (since nobody is always-already killing people), so all it takes to create the perception of "bad guy with a gun" (regardless of the guy's actual goodness or badness) is whatever baggage the observer is bringing to his observation.

You know, I wasn't expecting homophobia to show up here. Racism, sure.  But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the homophobia: your standard issue Angry White Person is frequently homophobic.

This casting of the NRA as "America's oldest civil rights organization" meme is hilarious and untrue.

The logic at work here is amazing.

Bryant Gumbel doesn't like the NRA (fact)

Since he doesn't like the NRA, he must be a lefist. (False equivalence: not liking the NRA is no indication of general political leaning)

Since he's a leftist, he must be a communist. (Slippery slope: there are a wide variety of political positions to the left of center that aren't communist)

Communists have killed millions of people. (Associative fallacy: while those who killed people under Mao's, Stalin's and Pol Pot's regimes were operating under nominally communist governments, communists by and large don't murder people)

Bryant Gumbel is therefore a threat because he is a communist who wants to kill people who disagree with him, and the NRA is not a threat whatsoever. (LOLWUT)