The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2019

We are on vacation and with limited Internet connectivity, and so it's not possible for me to keep up to the minute on the most immediately-deserving Ass Clowns; therefore, I'm reaching back to the end of August for one of the most incredible examples of boundless ass-clownery I've seen in ages.

I am presenting the award for

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown of the Month

to

Texas State Representative Matt Schaefer
(R, District 6)

Here's the background: On August 31st, a murderer cruised the highways around Midland-Odessa, Texas, firing randomly at other persons after shooting his way out of a routine traffic stop. Over a period of a few hours, he murdered seven people and wounded 22 others before being shot and killed by police. Among those wounded was a 17-month old toddler who was shot in the face. 

The incident generated the usual useless blather of "thoughts and prayers" from spineless politicians and calls for controls on guns - generally a non-starter in Texas, where on the following day a series of new laws went into effect which loosened the already-minimal gun restrictions in the state.

In response to the traditional calls for action on guns, Rep. Schaefer on the night of the murders unleashed an unhinged six-part tweetstorm that is worth reproducing in its entirety (capitalizations are in the original):

QUOTE:

“Do something!” is the statement we keep hearing. As an elected official with a vote in Austin, let me tell you what I am NOT going to do. 1/6

I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent. 2/6

I say NO to “red flag” pre-crime laws. NO to universal background checks. NO to bans on AR-15s, or high capacity magazines. NO to mandatory gun buybacks. 3/6

What can we do? YES to praying for victims. YES to praying for protection. YES to praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent. YES to fathers not leaving their wives and children. YES to discipline in the homes. 4/6

YES to supporting our public schools. YES to giving every law-abiding single mom the right to carry a handgun to protect her and her kids without permission from the state, and the same for all other law-abiding Texans of age. 5/6

YES to your God-given, constitutionally protected rights. YES to God, and NO to more government intrusions. 6/6

END QUOTE

Well.

It's hard to know where to begin, so I'll start with the Bible ... which you will search in vain for the chapter and verse in which God gives humans - even Texans - the right to own guns.

Let's continue with the part about how well prayers have worked in stopping the scourge of mass murder  in this country.

Then let's go on about how easy it is to identify "all other law-abiding Texans of age."

And then the flat rejection of "red flag" laws, which are a rational, law-based approach to minimizing potential violence, and which appear to be effective (at least based on initial evidence).

I could go on, but it's no use. An individual like Representative Schaefer will never listen to reason or rational argument, as this series of tweets clearly shows. One hopes that the citizens of Texas will eventually wake up and realize that the days of totin' yer shootin' iron on the lawless frontier are long over ... but I'm not holding my breath, and neither should you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2019, is Texas State Representative Matt Schaefer and his "God-given" right to own unlimited and uncontrolled weaponry.

He thinks of himself as a big shot, after all.

Have a good day. See you tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo