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Politics

Congressman Says Americans Need Guns To Protect The Nation From Sharia Law

By Igor Volsky on Feb 21, 2013 at 1:40 pm

Tea Party Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told a conservative radio show on Thursday that the GOP must oppose gun regulations to protect the country from the threat of “Sharia Law.”

Appearing on The Voice of Freedom, Gohmert said he “hoped and prayed” that Congress rejects gun safety legislation, arguing that Americans may need to use the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to avoid succumbing to Muslims:

[The Second Amendment] is for our protection and the founders’ quotes make that very very clear and including against a government that would run amuck. We’ve got some people who think Sharia Law should be the law of the land, forget the Constitution. But the guns are there… to make sure all of the rest of the Amendments are followed.

Listen:

Gohmert has a long history of Islamaphobic remarks, most recently joining Rep. Michele Bachmannn’s (R-MN) much maligned effort to investigate the alleged infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood into various departments of the U.S. government.

Health

Right-Wing Congressman Suddenly Embraces A Health Care Mandate…For Immigrants

By Igor Volsky on Feb 5, 2013 at 1:02 pm

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, suggested, during an immigration hearing on Tuesday, that American farmers should be required to provide health care coverage to temporary workers.

Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, Gohmert raised concerns about immigrants benefiting from tax-payer funded health care programs and argued that farmers who seek to hire temporary immigrant labor must provide health care coverage to their employees, thus preventing them from relying on federal or state benefits:

GOHMERT: You know, as we hear farmers and apparently it is essential that they have immigrant workers come in, harvest crops. We’ve heard that over and over. Would any of you have any problem with saying okay, you want to bring in temporary workers to harvest your crop, then you need an umbrella health insurance policy that covers the people that you’re bringing in to work temporarily? [...] Would anybody be offended by a requirement that an employer, to bring in temporary workers, provide an umbrella, health insurance policy?

Significantly, the immigration framework put forward by a bipartisan group of 8 senators and President Obama’s principles for reform specify that undocumented individuals would not be eligible for government benefits or subsidies under the Affordable Care Act until they qualify for permanent residency.

Health

Republicans Who Tout Mental Health As Response To Gun Violence Opposed Landmark Mental Health Law

By Josh Israel on Jan 17, 2013 at 9:00 am

As Republicans rushed to oppose President Obama’s gun violence prevention proposals on Wednesday, several lawmakers released statements echoing the National Rifle Association’s suggestion that “fixing our broken mental health system” is actually the best way to prevent future gun crimes. But when Congress considered a landmark mental health access bill in 2008, many of the same Republicans voted against it.

Accessing mental health services in the United States is harder than accessing a gun. In 2008, Congress took a step toward addressing that issue by passing the long-delayed Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which required most health insurance plans to start treating mental health services in the same way they treat all other medical care. The bill included exemptions for small businesses and those who opted not to cover mental health coverage at all, but House Republicans still overwhelmingly opposed the effort, 145 to 47.

Now, several of those opponents are criticizing President Obama, who co-sponsored the Wellstone Act, for not doing enough to address mental health in his gun violence proposals — even though several of the executive orders in the package do just that. They include:

  • SEN. JOHN BOOZMAN (R-AR): (voted no as a then-Representative): “Firearms are the tools, not the cause. If we are serious about reducing gun crimes, we need to get to the root cause which includes addressing mental health issues in our country. That is where we need to focus on finding a solution.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. JOE BARTON (R-TX): “The gun control movement hurts honest citizens and businesses, not the criminals who care nothing for the law. I believe we can better reduce the misuse of firearms by strongly enforcing laws already on the books. We also need to improve our mental health screening system so troubled, violent individuals can be identified and treated more quickly.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): “We need to have a serious conversation about mental health, psychiatric drugs, and the potential impact violent video games and movies have on our kids. I will closely review the President’s proposals, however I am concerned his approach is a pre-determined attempt to redefine our Constitution. I am not going to allow this administration to trample on the Second Amendment or put new restrictions on the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms and ammunition.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. HOWARD COBLE (R-NC): “Mental illness is an enormous factor in most of these tragedies, including the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Federal and state governments must address the issue of gun access by those who are mentally ill and find ways to curtail violence in our culture.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. ANDER CRENSHAW (R-FL): “I think we can all agree: no one wants to see another needless, senseless death committed in this country with a firearm. Along the road to that goal, a complex and multi-layered debate over firearms, education, mental health, Second Amendment rights, and more is unfolding.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): “Mental health issues that have languished for decades may be a fertile ground for bipartisan efforts to make a true difference. Perhaps, a good first step toward curbing gun violence may well be rebuilding the sanctity and importance of the family and the home where there can be education, training and an honest conversation about guns, without treading on the Constitutional protections from criminals intent on invading the home.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. TOM LATHAM (R-IA): “In upholding our Second Amendment rights, we must also be mindful not to diminish the tragedy of recent events and the work to find sensible ways to prevent such horrors from occurring in the future. No person of sound mind could commit mass gun violence, and it is important that we consider mental health and other root causes that contribute to these terrible crimes as we move forward with this debate.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. TOM PRICE (R-GA): ‪“All Americans want our communities to be safe places to live, learn, work and play. As we review how best to prevent mass shootings and the loss of innocent lives we should make a robust analysis of America’s mental health system a priority. A proper diagnosis and comprehensive treatment are critical to ensure we are identifying indicators of violent behavior that may lead to horrific crimes. To do otherwise would mean we continue to fail not only those afflicted with mental illness, but also their families, our communities and our nation.” [1/16/2013]
  • REP. MAC THORNBERRY (R-TX): “I believe a more responsible approach is to take significant steps to address mental illness and the root causes of such violence in our society.” [1/16/2013]

Obamacare also expanded the mental health parity rules — though these nine lawmakers joined every other Republican in Congress in opposing the health care reform law.

Politics

Republican Congressman Insults Nancy Pelosi’s Appearance: ‘There’s No Facelift With John Boehner’

By Scott Keyes on Jan 5, 2013 at 8:30 am

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

An outspoken Republican congressman castigated House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s looks during a radio interview Friday.

Speaking with guest host Larry O’Connor on the Dennis Miller Show, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) argued that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was functionally equivalent to Pelosi because both held one-on-one backroom negotiations with the president. Gohmert then went on to deride Pelosi’s appearance: “Well, let’s give him credit. There’s no facelift with John Boehner.”

O’CONNOR: So basically John Boehner became Nancy Pelosi without the charm?

GOHMERT: For the last two years. Well, let’s give him credit. There’s no facelift with John Boehner. He is who he is.

O’CONNOR: Oh!

Listen to it:

Gohmert is no stranger to outlandish statements. He co-sponsored a birther bill soon after President Obama took office, wants to shut down the entire federal government, and recently pushed a pet theory that President Obama helped oust ex-Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi “so that al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood could take over Libya.”

Justice

Republican Congressman Claims Hammers Could Be Outlawed Under Assault Weapons Ban

By Scott Keyes on Jan 4, 2013 at 2:16 pm

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX)

A Republican congressman lambasted the push for gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, stating on Friday that if lawmakers wanted to ban assault weapons, they would have to outlaw “hammers” and “machetes” as well.

Appearing on the Dennis Miller Show, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told guest host Larry O’Connor that he “refuse[s] to play the game of ‘assault weapon.’ That’s any weapon,” said the Texas congressman. “It’s a hammer. It’s the machetes.”

O’CONNOR: I want to ask you a question about one of your colleagues, Rep. Peter King in New York. He’s a very passionate guy, a great defender, he’s a great patriot. But he’s on board with this assault weapons ban. He was actually on MSNBC yesterday, openly saying, “I don’t understand why anybody would need an assault weapon.” I personally get nervous whenever a politician is asking me as a citizen why I need my right, but can you answer that question for your colleague? He might need some help here. Why would anyone need an assault weapon as they’re defining it?

GOHMERT: I refuse to play the game of “assault weapon.” That’s any weapon. It’s a hammer. It’s the machetes. In Rwanda that killed 800,000 people, an article that came out this week, the massive number that are killed with hammers.

Listen to it:

According to the FBI, in 2010, there were 8,775 people who were murdered with guns, compared to 540 people who were killed with blunt objects, a small minority of which were people armed with hammers. The exponentially-higher number of people killed by guns also includes many innocent people killed by indiscriminate gunfire, such as drive-by shootings. After all, there are no “drive-by hammerings.”

Still, hammers are not the only “weapon” that conservatives are equating with firearms in an attempt to undermine any gun control legislation. A state representative in New Hampshire, warned of another deadly weapon: credit cards. “Anything can be used as a deadly weapon, said Rep. Dan Dumaine (R). “A credit card can be used to cut somebody’s throat.”

NEWS FLASH

Southern Baptist Minister Encourages Uganda’s ‘Kill The Gays’ Bill | Though the Ugandan Parliament has adjourned until February, discussion continues about the infamous “Kill The Gays” Anti-Homosexuality bill. Its latest endorsers is Pastor David Dykes of the Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, who traveled to Uganda to express his dismay that the U.S. State Department is pressuring Uganda to “recognize homosexual behavior.” Jeff Sharlett notes that Dykes has prayed before Congress before, as Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has held leadership positions in Green Acres. Watch Dykes’ proud endorsement of the “Kill The Gays” bill (via Box Turtle Bulletin):

Update

Dykes now claims he hasn’t even read the bill and doesn’t know what it says. He just opposes the government putting “pressure on any government about their moral decisions.”

Politics

GOP Rep Suggests Teachers Should Be Armed With Assault Rifles

By Ben Armbruster on Dec 16, 2012 at 10:28 am

A Republican Congressman suggested that had the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary been armed with assault rifles, they could have prevented Friday’s massacre and saved lives.

Appearing on a special Fox News Sunday dedicated to the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said that an armed teacher or principal could have taken the killer’s “head off before he can kill those precious kids”:

GOHMERT: Having been a judge and reviewed photographs of these horrific scenes and knowing that children have these defensive wounds, gun shots through their arms and hands as they try to protect themselves, and, hearing the heroic stories of the principal, lunging, trying to protect, Chris, I wish to God she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn’t have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands and takes him out and takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids. [...]

Watch it:

Pressed by host Chris Wallace on why ordinary citizens need semi automatic weapons that shoot 5 bullets per second, Gohmert said that any restrictions on fire arms could lead to the slippery slope of full prohibition and said that American amass weapons to protect themselves from the government.

“For the reason George Washington said a free people should be an armed people,” Gohmert explained. “It ensures against the tyranny of the government, if they know the biggest army is the American people, then you don’t have the tyranny that came from King George. That is why it was put in there and that’s why once you start drawing the line, where do you stop?”

A Mother Jones analysis of 61 mass murders over the last 30 years found that “in not a single case was the killing stopped by a civilian using a gun.” As one leading expert explained, “given that civilian shooters are less likely to hit their targets than police in these circumstances,” arming civilians could often lead to more chaos and deaths. Law enforcement groups usually oppose state-efforts permitting concealed weapons on college campuses, citing safety concerns.

Justice

Justiceline: December 6, 2012

By Nicole Flatow on Dec 6, 2012 at 8:15 am

 

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

Welcome to Justiceline, ThinkProgress Justice’s morning round-up of the latest legal news and developments. Remember to follow us on Twitter at @TPJustice

  • Six months after the measure first passed in the Senate, Congress eliminated the word “lunatic” from from federal law yesterday. One lone lawmaker voted against the law: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).
  • Both pot-smokers and same-sex couples filled the streets in celebration early this morning, as marijuana possession and same-sex marriage become legal in Washington state today.
  • During yesterday’s Supreme Court oral arguments, the justices mulled whether an Atlanta court can affect a custody dispute in which the mother and child are living in Scotland pursuant to a court order.
  • As George Zimmerman, accused of murdering Travyon Martin, makes new efforts to raise funds for his defense, his lawyers have re-released a photo of Zimmerman’s bloodied face on the night of the shooting — this time in color.
  • The D.C. federal appeals court has upheld a Federal Communications Commission ruling requiring wireless carriers to share their data with their fellow carriers.
  • NPR asks, “Can a murder be tracked like an infectious disease?”

Politics

GOP Rep. Floats New Conspiracy Theory: Obama Ousted Qaddafi ‘So Al-Qaeda Could Take Over’

By Scott Keyes on Nov 29, 2012 at 10:44 am

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

As if it weren’t enough that members of the Republican Party spent much of President Obama’s first term accusing him of being a crypto-Manchurian Candidate who was born in Kenya, one GOP congressman is floating a new conspiracy theory: Obama only helped oust former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi so al-Qaeda could take over.

Appearing on Frank Gaffney’s anti-Muslim radio show, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) launched into a lengthy tirade criticizing the Obama administration’s decision to provide air support in the international campaign against Qaddafi last year. Rather than acknowledging that Obama launched the mission to stave off a looming massacre in Misrata, the Texas Republican saw a hidden, pernicious reason for the intervention. “This administration sent planes and bombs and support to oust Qaddafi so that al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood could take over Libya,” said Gohmert.

GOHMERT: What was all the rage a year and a half ago? It was the Arab Spring and how wonderful it was! This administration really embraced blowing out Mubarak – yes, do it up by all means – getting rid of Qaddafi, it wasn’t enough to send verbal accolades, this administration sent planes and bombs and support to oust Qaddafi so that al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood could take over Libya.

Listen to it:

After accusing Obama of harboring hidden sympathy for al-Qaeda — a group whose leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a mission ordered by Obama — Gohmert went on to say that the president of helping “jumpstart” a “new Ottoman Empire” in the Middle East.

Security

GOP Rep Accuses FBI Of Blackmailing Petraeus To Testify That Anti-Islam Video Sparked Libya Attack

By Hayes Brown on Nov 15, 2012 at 10:20 am

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) thinks that the FBI may have been gathering information on former CIA Director David Petraeus to blackmail him so that he would testify favorably to the Obama administration’s position on the attack on Benghazi in September. “Hypothetically, of course,” as Gohmert put it.

Appearing on WMAL radio this morning, the outspoken Texas Congressman, known for his Tea Party-leanings, made clear that he wasn’t actually accusing the Obama White House of directing the FBI to investigate Petraeus for political reasons relating to his upcoming Benghazi testimony. Nor was he actually saying that the FBI was engaging in activities reminiscent of original FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to “blackmail” other government officials.

Instead, as Gohmert repeatedly made clear, he was only hypothetically spinning a story oddly similar to other conspiracy theories surrounding Petraeus’ resignation:

GOHMERT: Say, hypothetically, they had information on the CIA Director and the CIA Director may have, hypothetically, said he didn’t give an order for people to stand down and not help those who were in need and crying for help. And that made the President look bad. And perhaps somebody knew information about him who said, “You’re going to up to the Hill to testify or to brief them. You’re not going to say what you had released originally, you’re going to say this is all about a video.” Hypothetically of course, if you knew he had an affair that had not been public, you might, hypothetically, say “Hey Mr. CIA Director, you’re gonna go up there and you’re going to follow the line from the White House, otherwise we’re going to disclose your affair.”

Listen to Gohmert here:

Petraeus himself has given an interview to CNN definitively saying that his resignation as Director of Central Intelligence was unrelated to the response to the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. Independent reporting on the ground has also sapped credence from the GOP accusations that the assault had nothing to do with an anti-Islamic video. The New York Times reported in October that the attackers “did tell bystanders that they were attacking the compound because they were angry about the video.”

The truth will soon be known, as Petraeus will now in fact be testifying under oath before the House Intelligence Committee’s closed-door hearings on Friday. Indeed, as U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said on Sept. 16, just days after the attack, “We will wait for the results of the investigation and we don’t want to jump to conclusions before then.”

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