Davison's Doodle

(Updated: Response from the Rep) Open Email to My Representative

I’m one of those that found the New York Daily News headline, God Isn’t Fixing This, provocative and prophetic.  It’s way too easy for the politicians listed on that front page, and all of our politicians, to embrace the new normal of react on Twitter & Facebook with “thoughts and prayers” all the while doing nothing to help solve the problem of access to weapons, automatic and semi-automatic military style guns, in our culture.  This morning I sent an email to my Congressional Representative, Rep Jim Bridenstine, expressing a few of my views.  The only way to move Congressional Reps and Senators at the State and Federal levels is to send mail, email, and phone calls.  I understand that a staffer or intern may review my email, and most likely Rep. Bridenstine will not see my message.  But, I also know that our representatives keep record of communication from constituents and this is one way I can balance the voices that are fearful and distrustful of Government, even as they serve in our houses of Government.

Sir,

We’ve not met. I didn’t vote for nor against you. I only know the man represented from this website and the political ads you ran in the last election.  As much as prayer matters, I tire of prayer for victims of gun violence in our Nation and around the world.  If prayer matters, it will be focused on moving legislators like yourself to act in a bipartisan manner to solve problems no matter the political cost at home.  It is your responsibility to work for the common good and the greater good of all the citizens in our State and our Nation..  Legislators like yourself must act with the same passion you have for defending the unborn to defend the actual breathing, voting, taxpaying citizens of our State and our Nation.  We need you to defend us from: Multi-National Corporations, from legislators attempting to create a “Christian” state, from an economic system that has become an oligarchy, and from the violence in our Nation because there are too many weapons, and by that I mean guns, accessible without mandatory background checks nor licensing of owners.  You must close the gun show loophole.

I have weapons. They are passed down in memory of a time when hunting was how a family was primarily fed.  They represent stories of family members that have passed on.  They represent hunting trips were fathers talked with sons about life and life lessons.  Fathers, parents of all faiths and no faith, continue to talk to children about life and life’s lessons, but the time when a majority of families feed themselves through hunting is a distant past.

The weapons I have tie me to the memory of family, and I want to keep them, but I would be comfortable being licensed to have those weapons.  I’m not fearful of a government that licenses me to drive a car or requires me to wear a seatbelt in my car.  I am suspicious of politicians that talk of distrusting the government, that slander a sitting President, and then benefit financially through fundraising and from serving the government they openly distrust and slander. Would you distrust the government if a Republican were President and there were a majority of Republicans in both houses of Congress?  Is the only reason you distrust the Government so openly is because a Democrat is the President?  Do you expect that life long Democrats will in turn distrust the Government when Republicans reign?

We’ve not met.  I cannot determine with certainty if you are that kind of politician.  Your website and voting record indicates that you may be the kind of politician that is more comfortable with the patriarchy of white power than the changing demographics that will render the white patriarchy power structure much diminished.  It seems clear to me that you have ingested that fearful potion from the National GOP and State GOP leaders that are making it harder for people of color, for the young and poor to vote; and are suspicious of persons of other faiths, or no faith.  It is not my intent to impugn your character.  It is my responsibility as a citizen of the State you represent to reflect to you the image you and other legislators, Republican and Democrat, present through your rhetoric, your public statements, and your legislative efforts.  You are aiding the ‘distrust the government’ sentiment each day you continue to preserve the status quo, one definition of ‘conservative,’ that doesn’t address issues in detail that effect the citizens of our State and our Nation.

We need, in the words of many politicians, ‘sensible gun laws’ and to enforce existing gun laws.  How are you helping make that happen?  How are you altering the existing laws to limit the access to weapons that can honor the spirit of the 2nd Amendment, but recognize the reality of living in the 21st century?

Help me understand why the citizens of our State and Nation should not have access to universal health care?  Would that not better the lives of Oklahomans and make our State more business friendly because there are healthy, educated workers?

Each time you demonize refugees in the name of National security or stereotype immigrants, documented and undocumented,  you dishonor the philosophy and the ideal of these United States of America and gag the Statue of Liberty.  I want to trust that you have the ability to work for the common good and practice the Golden Rule as much as you practice a believers Christian faith.  I’m watching and waiting.  It begins with you.

I will keep you, our legislators and our President in my meditations and in my prayers.

Update: My thanks to Rep Bridenstine or his office for responding so quickly to my email.  I am not surprised by his oppositional response, but I am disappointed that he used Republican talking points to rebuff a citizen’s concerns. In fairness to the Representative, I’ve printed his response below.  I’ve yet to respond, but will do so.  I urge you to contact your State and Federal representatives about your concerns for our country, wherever you stand on the issues of the day.  Without your voice and my voice, the experiment in democracy that our Republic represents will be bought by oligarchs and corporations while they intentional divide the working people and the poor to scuffle over issues that keep the powerful in power and little to no change happens to the system.

JIM BRIDENSTINE
1st District, Oklahoma
Congress of the United States // House of Representatives // Washington, DC 20515
216 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Reverend Davison,

Thank you for contacting me regarding your views on firearms.  As a proud gun owner, I believe that the Second Amendment protects our individual rights to keep and bear arms.  Recent tragedies like the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California have generated pressure to pass legislation that would undermine the rights of law-abiding citizens who own firearms and be ineffective at accomplishing their intended purpose.  I will oppose any and all legislation that would unconstitutionally restrict the right to keep and bear arms.  Here is where I stand:

· I oppose universal background checks that will do nothing to stop criminals and turn the Second Amendment from a “right” protected by government into a “privilege” granted by government.

· I oppose bans on so-called “assault weapons” which operate like many other firearms, but may look “militaristic”.  Banning guns based on their appearance is unreasonable.

· I oppose bans on high capacity magazines.  These bans are based on arbitrary numbers and past implementations have produced no effect on crime reduction.  Criminals will bring as many magazines as they need and, by definition, have no respect for any kind of ban or restriction.Thank you again for contacting me and expressing your thoughts on this important issue.  Please visit my website at http://bridenstine.house.gov to send me another message with your thoughts and opinions, read my positions on major issues, or sign up for my E-Newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links below. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Sincerely,

Jim Bridenstine
U.S. House of Representatives