OMFG Starchild!!! He used the occasion to comfort grieving people and give them hope their children did not die in vain!!!
But all you care about is the gun issue!!!!
No wonder people despise so-called libertarians.
Because Obama was fulfilling his non-existent constitutional responsibilities as National Mourner-In-Chief? Ha. He knew a political opportunity when he saw one! It wasn't the first time he'd used a speech in the wake of a shooting to push an anti-gun agenda. Libertarians care about the gun issue because we know that more gun control will lead to more tragedy, and we don't want to see that happen.
As for being "despised", there's more hate between the partisans of the cartel parties for each other's leaders than there is for libertarians.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
A book I highly commend is Terry Bouton's "taming Democracy."
The book reconsiders the great disappointment after the revolution and how the federal constitution was an effort by monied men such as Robert Morris to create income inequality though various monetary and debt relief policies. It is one of the finest I've read.
In relation to guns, Bouton shows how the term "regulation" referred to the practice of the (armed) citizenry regulating its own government. In 18th century parlance, government never regulated; it was regulated. Rebellions were known as "regulations." Often, these were about taxes.
Bouton closes with remarks about slavery. He says given the failure of white men to realize the ideal of the revolution - an ideal enshrined in pre-federal state constitutions - they turned increasingly to racial superiority to retain their dignity. I would add this continued through to Darwinian thought.
Early state constitutions bespoke a different ideal. The Pennsylvania constitution included an explicit right to revolution against a government that had grown too tyrannical. The Georgia constitution, like modern Australia, made voting a requirement (including free blacks!). I personally believe in this personal civic duty. Volunteer firefighters should be the most respected in our society.
Regarding gun control, the slippery slope exists. Recall the rhetoric on the 1994 indoor smoking ban? Acceptable policies to me would be national firearms act registration of assault rifles (a 1930's law dealing with prohibition mob violence that has proved successful) and iPad background checks at gun shows combined with due process. We all know, of course, this will not be the end, so it's the fear of the slippery slope and not fear of reasonable policies that generate opposition that sometimes seems irrational.
So you support registration of assault rifles. How do YOU define "assault" rifle?