What If Buying A Gun Required The Same Restrictions As Getting An Abortion?

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Why don't gun buyers have to follow the same rules women are forced to follow? Wait 48 hours after applying. View on ultrasound of a body with a bullet in it. Listen to the heartbeat of someone as they die of a gunshot wound. Get a lecture from a surgeon on what it is like to operate on a gunshot wound. After all that, if a person still wants a gun, he or she can buy one. Why should buying a gun be any easier than having an abortion?"

Delaware Political Weekly: March 24-30, 2012

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The scuttlebutt in Dover is that Judy Travis, who ran against Rep. Bryon Short in the 7th Rep District in 2010, is planning to primary Cathy Cloutier for the 5th Senatorial District seat. Chris Counihan has already filed for the D's, and is a strong candidate, having garnered 45% against Cloutier in a previous run. Travis has had her eye on elective office at least since she was passed over to run for Wayne Smith's vacated rep seat back in 2007. You remember. The newly reelected Smith left office to become the President and lobbyist for the Delaware Healthcare Association. Smith handpicked his next-door-neighbor over Travis to run for the seat. His neighbor lost to Bryon Short. Twice. But, I digress. For those who think that Cloutier would be a shoo-in in a primary, just remember that Cloutier also ran on the Working Families Party line in 2010. That's the line offered by Brian McGlinchey and other labor guys. Don't think that would endear her to Rethug primary voters, and I wouldn't be totally shocked to see Charles 'Bouvier de Flandres' Copeland do to Cathy what he's doing to Priscilla Rakestraw. Continue to banish moderates from the Party. Needless to say, were this scenario to occur, the R calculus for taking over the Senate would have to be, um, recalculated.

Celia Covers Newt

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You can read it if you want. The usual Celia tid bits are present. For example, did you know that Steve Forbes beat party anointed, Bob Dole in Delaware because Forbes showed up? Celia knows it. She says it all the time. "Good Morning Ma'am, Welcome to WalMart." "Did you know that Steve Forbes beat party anointed, Bob Dole in Delaware because Forbes showed up here? Uh huh... Sherman Tribbit had a cat named Dusty!!"

Thursday Open Thread [3.29.12]

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I am going to miss the Republican primary polls when this clown show ends. First Read: "With Mitt Romney holding a sizable delegate lead and with more prominent Republicans (George H.W. Bush and Marco Rubio) formally endorsing the former Massachusetts governor, Tuesday's GOP primary in Wisconsin is shaping up to be Rick Santorum's last chance -- in math and perception. If Romney wins Wisconsin, Santorum can't stop him from getting to the magic number of 1,114 delegates, according to our math."

Tomorrow’s Leaders

If you have some time tomorrow or Saturday, stop by Leg Hall to witness some of our future leaders in action. The 2012 Session of the Delaware YMCA's Youth in Government Model Legislature will kick-off at 9:00 AM, but the real action doesn't begin until 1:00 PM, when the delegates start debating the bills they have authored. No subject is taboo for these students. In the past, they have debated marijuana legalization, marriage equality, and even a clothing optional beach at Cape Henlopen State Park. The great thing about this program is that there are no Democrats or Republicans - just middle and high school students debating bills that they wrote on subjects of interest to them.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., March 29, 2012

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Speaker Gilligan said that lobbying reform legislation will pass this session, and I'm sure he's right. After all, yesterday's announcement of lobbyist reform was so important that Governor Markell's own Brian Selander was rolled out to tout this press release:
Dover, DE – A bill that would dramatically expand disclosure requirements for lobbyists was introduced today with broad bipartisan support. Governor Jack Markell joined Senate President Pro Tempore Tony DeLuca, House Speaker Bob Gilligan and legislators to introduce Senate Bill 185. (Bill hasn't officially been introduced, will probably be introduced today.) “How can you tell who’s working to influence the bills that could become the laws that will affect your life? The problem is, in many cases right now, you can’t, because state disclosure laws simply haven’t kept up. This proposal helps solve that problem, bringing needed light to the process,” Markell said. “As a Delawarean, you shouldn’t have to be in the lobby of Legislative Hall or in the offices of a state agency to know who’s trying to shape a law that matters to you. This bill would make that information more available.”