Handing The Mike To Heather February 25, 2023February 25, 2023 But just before I do, a request . . . May I please have another couple of hours in the day — just for me? Or another day in the week? Or – at the very least – three more days in February? Did you see what they’ve done? It’s just 28 days! And a question . . . Why does February have only 28? Why not take one each from January and March so all three have 30? (And give June the extra day every four years. Who doesn’t love June?) What idiot was in charge of this? Heather Cox Richardson is so good. Check out her post if you missed it Wednesday. In small part: . . . As their policies became increasingly unpopular, Republicans ramped up that narrative until we have the extraordinary scenario we saw last night: former president Trump telling a campaign audience that the United States has blown right past socialism and is now a communist, Marxist country. That, of course, would mean that the people’s government owns the means of production: the factories, services, and so on. Instead, as President Biden pointed out today in response to right-wing attempts to blame his administration for the Ohio derailment, deregulation has moved money upward and compromised Americans’ safety. He noted that he has committed the federal government to make sure Ohio has all it needs to address the crisis. Then he added: “Rail companies have spent millions of dollars to oppose common-sense safety regulations. And it’s worked. This is more than a train derailment or a toxic waste spill—it’s years of opposition to safety measures coming home to roost.” That narrative has also enshrined the idea that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, originally intended to limit the federal government’s power over state militias but now interpreted to mean that individuals have a right to own whatever weaponry they want, defines the nation. After a number of right-wing congressional lawmakers have taken to wearing assault rifle lapel pins, Representative Barry Moore (R-AL) this week introduced a bill to make the AR-15 the “National Gun of America.” Moore claims that “The anti–Second Amendment group won’t stop until they take away all your firearms.” From February 17 through February 19, there were ten mass shootings in the United States. . . . There’s much more. She cuts a wide swath. BONUS Our barely merciful Supreme Court. Four of the nine Justices would have killed the guy. Have a great weekend.