The Tipping Point?

Chipping Away: Shortly after Senate Majority Leader McConnell told conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt that he wouldn’t do anything on gun control legislation until Trump tells him what he would be willing to support because why would he ever want to take the lead on anything not related to judges, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, stepped up by announcing that it is discontinuing all sales of handgun ammunition and sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition that can be used with military-style weapons. The company will also stop all handgun sales in Alaska, marking its complete exit from the handguns category and is asking shoppers to no longer openly carry firearms in stores, in states where “open carry” is allowed, unless they are authorized law enforcement officers.  Although Walmart had stopped selling the military-style rifles that are commonly used in mass shootings in 2015, its “gun sales had continued to represent a large slice of the ammunition market: about 20 percent overall. That share now could fall to as little as 6 percent.”  The creeps at the NRA responded as expected, saying that “It is shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites,” and then probably immediately started dialing and threatening all of the politicians in its dwindling  but still ample pockets.  Later in the day, Kroger, a company that stopped selling guns after the Parkland shooting, released a statement “asking that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores, other than authorized law enforcement officers,” and said that they, like Walmart, encourage “elected leaders to pass laws that will strengthen background checks and remove weapons from those who have been found to pose a risk for violence.”  Though the pressure is building on Trump to at least support stronger background checks, expectations are that at best he’ll put his weight behind some combination of locking up “crazy” people, quicker enforcement of capital punishment sentences, and red flag laws.  As to background checks, it turns out that the Odessa Texas shooter failed one in 2014 due to “mental health” issues but managed to get an assault type weapon anyway, buying from a private individual in one of the those “loophole” sales permitted by current federal law.  Turning back to Moscow Mitch McConnell he told Hugh Hewitt that he doesn’t mind being referred to as the Grim Reaper, the nickname he’s earned for stopping all votes that do not lead to tax cuts or uber conservative judge confirmations but he thinks that the Moscow Mitch moniker is a form of “modern day McCarthyism” because he’s a “cold warrior at heart” even if he is preventing any bipartisan election protecting legislation from coming up for a vote.  Who needs fair elections anyway, especially if they even out the playing field?  As to Supreme Court justices , McConnell also told Hewitt that he would of course bring one up for confirmation if an open seat became available because his refusal to even consider Judge Merrick Garland wouldn’t be relevant now because he makes the rules.  In other Senate news, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin announced that he will not be running for governor, he plans to stay in the Senate where he is “needed,” depending upon the outcome of the 2020 election, his swing vote could give him a lot of influence.      

Around the World:  The UK’s Brexit mess took still another turn yesterday after some rebel members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s party who don’t want to see a no-deal Brexit take place on Halloween, the currently scheduled Brexit date, jumped ship, with one of them actually standing up and dramatically moving to a bench on the other side of the House of Commons while Johnson was speaking.  It’s not clear what happens next, there could be new elections and another extension of the Brexit deadline could be in the mix. Things also remain messy in Hong Kong where leader Carrie Lam, who generally takes her directions from China, finally withdrew the controversial extradition bill that sparked the three months of frequently violent protests that have rocked Hong Kong.  Protesters are still demanding greater democracy for the city and an independent commission into police conduct so it’s not clear if her concession will be enough to end the demonstrations.  On the real storm front Hurricane Dorian has finally moved away from the Bahamas, leaving an unbelievable amount of destruction in her wake.  The following link includes a list of some organizations providing much needed assistance   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/world/americas/hurricane-dorian-how-to-help.html