Episode 18- American Gripers (The National Rifle ASS-ociation)

On this week’s show, the Teamsters are training to defend their immigrant members from DHS and at CPAC, Sebastian Gorka clashed with his long-time rival, the Mediaite reporter Caleb Ecarma. Our main story is the history of the NRA’s lobbying efforts and how it got us to where we are at today. We will try to fill in the gaps that most media outlets have forgotten about or ignored. We’ll also discuss the heinous reaction to the Parkland shooting survivors from conservative ghouls like Donald Trump Jr. In the pop culture corner, we are going to take a fresh look at Starship Troopers and draw out some of its most relevant and biting themes, including the fascism inherent to militarism, the sadistic nature of military propaganda, and the role it plays in justifying and rationalizing imperialist wars abroad. Links: Teamsters training to defend immigrant members http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/373418-new-york-teamsters-learning-rights-how-to-challenge-immigration Bob’s Burgers character flips seat to blue https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/20/linda-belcher-defeats-widow-disgraced-kentucky-rep-dan-johnson/357269002/ Gorka vs. Caleb Ecarma https://www.mediaite.com/online/seb-gorka-just-challenged-me-to-a-fight-over-email-and-i-accepted/ LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/966704102037164032 Gorka: CPAC Celeb https://www.thedailybeast.com/at-cpac-seb-gorka-is-a-cult-hero-who-gets-mobbed-by-fans Newsweek retracts “Franken taken down by Russian bots” story http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-trump-franken-mueller-twitter-810355 Michael Ian Black’s NY Times op-ed https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/opinion/boys-violence-shootings-guns.html NRA figures and history - Frontline Documentary https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-evolution-of-wayne-lapierre/?utm_source= FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_term=20180222&utm_content=1366689200&linkId=48400426 Harlon Carter’s wild life https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-teen-killer-who-radicalized-the-nra Wayne LaPierre’s “Good Guy with a Gun” theory is garbage http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-shooting-sro-20180222-story.html Right-wing attacks on Parkland survivors http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article201177359.html Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on American gun culture http://www.wweek.com/arts/books/2018/02/21/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-the-second-amendment-is-almost-a-time-bomb-that-was-planted-in-the-constitution/ Students forbidden from protesting in Texas http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/374812-texas-school-district-threatens-to-suspend-students-who-protest#.Wo3DhujAXnc.twitter Little Marco https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a18657418/cnn-gun-debate- Birmingham Children’s March https://zinnedproject.org/materials/the-childrens-march/ Church will bless your AR-15 http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/375075-pa-church-invites-couples-to-bring-ar-15s-to-church-for Wayne LaPierre warns of socialist uprising https://www.npr.org/2018/02/22/587911457/nra-leader-warns-conservatives-of-socialist-wave-in-wake-of-shooting? Talk of gun control with no action hugely benefits gun makers and the NRA https://qz.com/1212311/parkland-florida-shooting-trump-talking-up-gun-control-without-lawmaking-is-great-for-the-nra/ Blue Apron, but for welfare! https://www.buzzfeed.com/amberjamieson/trump-administration-wants-to-slash-food-stamps-send-out?utm_term=.cmeL4ZpX9#.st0M28zmn Gun owners mad at Trump http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-gun-owners-control-florida-shooting-bump-stock-nra-latest-a8226461.html Oregon gun control bill after massacre http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/fl-reg-oregon-gun-control-bill-20180223-story.html Starship Troopers’ misunderstood satire of right-wing militarism https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/-em-starship-troopers-em-one-of-the-most-misunderstood-movies-ever/281236/