As
have many other celebrities done, now Paul Krugman, from the field of
economics, has pronounced his feelings about the leading U.S. gun lobby, the
National Rifle Assn. (NRA). They are an “insane
organization,” he laments, in a situation where the pro-gun rights groups have
suddenly been placed on the defensive.
Krugman didn’t say it but I will.
Wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, is the craziest of them all with
its President, David Keene, not far behind.
Unfortunately
these two gun fanatics are surrounded by a minority of the NRA membership that
worships their weapons over human life.
This is no doubt what Krugman refers to
when he says, “the
craziness of the extreme pro-gun lobby has been revealed, and that has got to
move the [gun control] debate and got to move the legislation at least to some
degree.” More alarming is the fact that he thinks the
NRA “is pushing the country towards dystopia.”
See video where Paul Krugman calls NRA "insane:"
“What
strikes me is we've actually gotten a glimpse into the mindset, though, of the
pro-gun people…It's bizarre,” Krugman said, adding that the NRA believes
“America cannot manage unless everybody's prepared to shoot intruders and that
the idea that we have police forces that provide public safety is somehow
totally impractical…” The man is echoing
the sentiments of most gun control advocates who see the NRA for what it is, a
self-serving group protecting the profits of themselves and gun manufacturers.
Krugman
is a liberal, ranked high in the field of economics and is rated as one of the
most influential academic thinkers in the U.S.
That places the man way above the limited aptitude of a LaPierre or
Keene, particularly their gun nut membership.
So it is no doubt that Krugman’s predictions would not impress them;
that is considering they can even understand his logic. In his book, “The Conscience of a Liberal,”
Krugman proposes a “new New Deal” for America.
He takes American conservatism to task.
The
gun rights movement and LaPierre’s combined interests of protecting his
million-dollar salary and gun manufacturers’ billion-dollar profits is rooted
in this brand of conservatism that, among other things, used fear to win
elections. Along the same lines, the NRA
has constantly instilled fear in its membership to prime them to run out and
buy more guns. This keeps the gun
companies happy and lets LaPierre maintain his lavish lifestyle. This alone should wake up these clueless NRA
members.
But
Krugman is optimistic. He feels the
demographic trends, emphasizing race and culture and the conservative “overreach”
of the Bush years, has created “a new center-left political environment and are
slowly undermining the conservative movement.”
He wants to concentrate on social and medical programs, playing down national
defense. And Krugman confirms the rise
of progressives in a political atmosphere where the term “liberal” was turned
into a dirty word by conservatives.
