Eric Schmitt Tweets his True Self

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I always wonder when really odd tweets start popping up in the evenings if liquor might not be playing a part in the tweeter's colorful bursts of outrage.

Missouri's GOP Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who is now wholly focused on getting elected to fill retiring Ol' Roy Blunt's seat in the US Senate, has posted a couple of evening tweets lately which feel, to this tired old typist at least, as though they have crossed a line.  Just recently, for example, at 8:06 p.m. on October 11th,  2022, Schmitt offended many people, Jews and non-Jews alike, when he posted this tweet which promoted the idea of a concert by two "entertainers" who have both expressed antisemitic views:

"America needs a @kanyewest and @KidRock tour.  Let's go!"

That resulted in more blowback than Schmitt was obviously expecting, and he deleted the tweet the next day in the cool morning light of reason.

It has now been revealed that the family of the 19-year-old school shooter in St. Louis tried to have the police remove a weapon (an AR-15), from their son prior to the shooting, and the police refused to do so because they felt he was legally entitled to own the weapon - and Missouri has no "red flag" laws which would have given law enforcement latitude to honor the family's request.     It was also revealed yesterday that the young man had been turned down in an effort to buy an AR-15 by a licensed gun dealer after he failed an FBI background check, and he had instead purchased the murder weapon from an unlicensed dealer.    After all of that became public knowledge, this gem of a tweet, again penned by Eric Schmitt, resurfaced.  Schmitt's tweet was posted four months before the shooting, but it nevertheless gives us clear insight into the mind of our current state attorney general with regard to "red flag" laws - laws which would have very likely saved the life of a student and a teacher at a St. Louis high school and prevented injury to seven others.

On June 12, 2022, at 9:30 p.m., Attorney General Eric Schmitt of Missouri tweeted:

"Red flag laws are just a green light for gun confiscation.  No way."

What a sad position for someone to take who has such an enormous responsibility for public safety in Missouri!  Shouldn't the lives of our citizens, and especially our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, have more weight that a pocketful of NRA campaign cash?

Two things need to happen:

1.  Missouri needs to enact and enforce responsible gun ownership legislation;  and,

2.  Eric Schmitt and opportunistic politicians like him who feed off of public fears and insecurities need to be retired from office.

We have tried the option of just doing nothing - over, and over, and over - and it doesn't work, much like many of our political leaders.  If we care about our children and grandchildren, things must change!

The polls are now open for early voting in Missouri.