letter from todd tihart...don't know why I got it, but he is flailing

[greenbriar]

Tiahrt Questions Port Management Decision and Calls for Investigation



WICHITA – U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) today released the following statement in response to the pending deal between Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (P&O) and Dubai Ports World (DP), a United Arab Emirates-owned company. Under the agreement, DP would acquire P&O's contracts to operate several U.S. ports.



“When we already have numerous port security issues, I am troubled about the additional questions this transaction raises. At a minimum, Congress should investigate the matter through the appropriate oversight committees. As a nation at war, we should always err on the side of caution.”



Under federal law, the president has until March 2 to overrule approval granted by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States for the transaction that would transfer management of ports in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami. Security at the ports would remain the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.

[MrBenchley]

1. He should be flushed, and the sooner the better....

Among his accomplishments is an obscure amendment to the budget bill that actually frees gun dealers from having to keep written inventories of their dangerous toys.

[Mythsaje]

2. Maybe it's just me

but in this current atmosphere, I'm not convinced it's not a bad thing that the feds might have problems tracking where guns might be in the U.S.

Call me goofy.

[MrBenchley]

3. There's a reason the most corrupt are pushing "guns guns guns"

Ought to make you stop and think....Hope it does.

[Mythsaje]

6. I'm not sure why they are

unless it's to make sure their most wacked out constituents can gain access to guns more readily.

I actually think we should take advantage of it as well.

[MrBenchley]

7. Geeze, what a silly post!

Yeah, it's a whopping big advantage to have gun dealers sell guns to criminals with no way for law enforcement to track such things.

[Mythsaje]

8. You can't see where it could be an advantage

for law-abiding citizens to have the same chance as criminals?

Boy, are YOU misunderstanding my point. As LONG as they're leaving it open so criminals can get guns without oversight, maybe it would be smart to take advantage of it as well.

Last time I checked, criminals weren't the only ones who could use guns.

[MrBenchley]

9. I can't see how, except in fantasy, that happens

in any but the rarest of circumstances.

"As LONG as they're leaving it open so criminals can get guns without oversight, maybe it would be smart to take advantage of it as well."
In case you want to stick up a 7-11 too? So we should let the scum of the earth go on arming criminals and loonies, so you can pretend top be Charles Bronson?

[Mythsaje]

10. I don't even own a gun...

But damn sure plenty of RW loonies do...and they're probably buying them up in record numbers right now.

But, just for fun, let's make sure to disarm ourselves.

[MrBenchley]

11. Yeah, because we want to be just as batshit-crazy

as the scum of the earth....

[Mythsaje]

12. Or have some sort of defense

from the aforementioned scum.

Unless, of course, you believe a stern talking to will show them the error of their ways.

[MrBenchley]

13. Maybe in fantasy land...in the real world a popgun is useless

as defense and a menace to the gun owner and his surrounding targets.....

[Mythsaje]

14. That's obviously why cops carry squirt bottles...

My mistake.

[MrBenchley]

15. Cops are trained professionals

But don't let any facts get in your way....

[Mythsaje]

16. Yet, somehow, with all of that training,

they occasionally raid the wrong houses, shoot innocent people, engage in illegal activities, and a host of other things.

Tell me, do you hate and fear ALL forms of self-defense, or just guns?

[MrBenchley]

17. And that by you is an argument for armed lunkheads? Weird.

[Mythsaje]

18. No, it's an argument for the right to arm myself,

should I so choose.

And you didn't answer my question.

[MrBenchley]

19. Well, a piss-poor argument it is, too....

And I see no reason why the rest of us should risk becoming innocent bystanders just so you can pretend to play Rambo....

[Mythsaje]

20. Boy, you're really not very good at this whole debate thing,

are you?

Let me guess--English is your second language? Nothing to be ashamed of, but it would explain some of your difficulties. I would, on the other hand, like to point out a few issues I have with your use of the language.

First... "becoming innocent bystanders..." Ummm. Are you sure you're saying what you want to say here? Everyone is an innocent bystander by definition, except the perpetrator(s).

"Pretend to play Rambo" is just redundant.

I've already stated that I don't own a firearm. In fact, for the most part, I'm capable of defending myself against assault involving anything BUT a gun. But some people aren't so fortunate. Is it your contention that a vulnerable person in danger of rape or worse should simply cooperate? That self-defense is somehow a crime in and of itself?

Because that's how it looks to me. For some people a firearm affords the best chance of equalizing the situation and protecting themselves from attack. For others, a gun remains more or less unnecessary except in extreme circumstances.

Me, I have dogs, and close to thirty five years of self-defense training and practice. I'm also a rather large guy and don't tend to put myself in situations where I'm likely to become a victim of a crime.

Your fear of guns seems almost pathological at this point. Care to actually engage in a debate on the issue, or do you intend on continuing the ad hominem and strawman attacks?

[MrBenchley]

21. Geeze, let's see....

You leapt in to defend the idiotic contention that gun dealers ought not to keep written inventories....traveled from there to "let's all buy guns"....didn't mind armed criminals as long as others had popguns to play with....and then wailed about being disarmed....

Yeah. I think I'll skip what "debate" you plan to offer. It seems so far like the usual dreary melange of hysteria and paranoia that comes from the pro-gun side.

[Mythsaje]

22. I never said that I didn't think they should keep inventories...

but I did say that as long as this government supported that, maybe it would behoove some freedom loving Americans to take advantage of it and acquire weapons without it being marked down on the government's "potential danger" list.

Criminals will be armed whether or not law-abiding citizens are armed. That's a fact. In fact, the whole nature of criminals is that they'll ignore or avoid any laws that prevent them from doing what they want to do. Gun grabbing rhetoric serves THEM, not the average law-abiding citizen.

And your lack of any cogent argument seems like the same hysteria and paranoia we often see from the anti-gun side.

You argue like some of the Repugs I've debated in the past, ignoring questions you don't want to answer and switching subjects as rapidly as possible.

So do you have a problem with the notion of self-defense or NOT?

[MrBenchley]

23. In other words, when you defended it, you didn't mean it (snicker)

"maybe it would behoove some freedom loving Americans to take advantage of it and acquire weapons"
Why not send the money right to the GOP and cut out the middle man?

[Mythsaje]

24. What does that have to do with anything?

Do you believe in the right of self defense or NOT?

[MrBenchley]

25. Ask me next

why every racist around is peddling this "guns guns guns" crap......

[Mythsaje]

26. Answer the question I've already asked...

The racists have ALWAYS peddled the guns, guns, guns crap. Nothing new there.

[MrBenchley]

27. "he racists have ALWAYS peddled the guns, guns, guns crap"

Yup. It's about all there really is to the movement.

[Mythsaje]

28. Ignoring the fact that there

are plenty of other people besides the RW fanatics who support the RKBA for a variety of reasons not connected to racial hatred or out-of-bounds paranoia.

Some, shockingly, like myself, simply see it as an extention of the right to self-defense.

Which, btw, you haven't bothered to address. But you already know that, don't you?

[MrBenchley]

30. No, not really....

If there are pro-gun moderates or liberals around, they're either ain't enough of them to drown out a flea fart or they're all afraid to open their yaps where their fellow gun owners can hear them.

They thump their chests and bellow over here....but then they're "supported" by right wing trolls who pimp for their imbecilic fetish here, and then are dumb enough to boast about it over there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=170057

For an even more hilarious example, check out post 193 passim in this one....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2191657

[Mythsaje]

31. My father's never voted Republican in his life

Vietnam era marine vet, absolute non-conformist, and dyed-in-the-wool Democrat.

Long time gun owner. Just recently dropped his membership in the NRA because he finally decided "they go too far."

Painting with too broad a brush gets messy.

Seriously--do you have a problem with the notion of self-defense?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. We need to keep a list

of the Republican lawmakers who keep raising cain about this. There is hope that they might actually put the interest of the country over that of their party. They will be needed when we start impeachment proceedings after the 2006 elections.

[greenbriar]

5. the only think tihart cares about is getting votes

he could give a shit about anyone he is elected to represent



or is own family for that matter. Look what he drove his son to do

[Hippo_Tron]

29. Todd Tiahart voting to impeach Bush?

HAHA that's a good one