Senator John Thune looks at the New York terrorist truck attack and says Congress has to take action:
The House also passed a Department of Homeland Security reauthorization bill earlier this year that includes several grant programs that are designed to help state and local law enforcement harden so-called soft targets, which bill sponsors argue could help with erecting more street barriers. The measure is still awaiting Senate action.
“We’re going to have to look at that. It’s becoming a more common way for terrorists to attack people, and it has been fairly successful,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “They’re always coming up with new ways to be lethal. And we’ve got to do everything we can to stop them” [Melanie Zanona, “Cities Grapple with How to Protect Soft Targets from New Attacks,” The Hill, 2017.11.01].
That’s a remarkable change in philosophy from Senator Thune. A month ago, when confronted with an even deadlier attack in Las Vegas, Senator Thune professed his powerlessness and told us soft targets to “get small.” Where is Thune’s call for cyclists to simply “pedal faster”?
Which is it, John? When terror strikes, can Congress act to protect the American people or not? Or is Congressional action warranted only when the attacker has a foreign name?
“They’re always coming up with new ways to be lethal. And we’ve got to do everything we can to stop them” Thune
There is a bill to ban bump stocks that GOP Party leadership won’t bring up for a vote. Thune’s in leadership?
As soon as I saw the headline, I had the same thought – seems like the opinion of a person with multiple personalities or the inability to be consistent and make sense, one or the other.
I wish there was a way to make politicians answer legit questions like this. I mean, I understand you can’t force them to answer any idiotic question posed by the general public, but when it comes to real questions about real issues, there should be a quota of mandatory answers we get out of people once elected. One of two things would happen – either the people who run our states and country will have to find ways reconcile their self-contradictory opinions, or people who are self-contradictory will be less likely to seek public office. A win regardless.
Bingo.
If you’re a WASP male, you can shoot up a country music concert and everyone will say, “Yeah! Gimme more guns!”
If you’ve got a beard and a weird name, well, we’ve got to close the borders ASAP.
Polls have shown both pubs and dems are open to looking into stricter gun laws.
Thune is such an old fuddy duddy. So predictable and boring – yawn…..zzzz.. He’s getting the defense lobbyists all excited and war horny.
FTR- white Walmart shooter (killed three) was captured alive today. http://www.wltx.com/news/crime/suspect-in-walmart-triple-shooting-arrested-/488179691
Dang, color seems to make a difference in how suspects are apprehended. Just coincidence, maybe?
I hope if they do act they do a much better job on this than they have on tax reform, health coverage (insurance), trade agreements, North Korea, China trade, etc. I am not sure being in a leadership position makes a person a leader. True leadership normally involves risk and stepping outside ones comfort zone.
Vegas shooter was a Drumpf supporter. WalMart killer had no furniture, but stacks of bibbles to read.