Gun Show Sociology

Thanks (?) to working an early shift Friday, I was able to go with Tam to the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife show yesterday. There was a surprising crowd for a Friday afternoon and it looked to me that most tables had a lot of browsers and shoppers. Of political stands, there was no dearth: the Indiana Libertarian Party, the Indianapolis Tea Party, Marion County Sheriff Candidate Bart McAtee, the charming and eminently well-qualified Congressional candidate Dr. Marvin Scott (who is running against disastrous 7th District Rep. Andre Carson). Dr. Scott was there, in person, shaking hands, making eye contact and both talking and listening; he'd get my vote even if he wasn't running against The Nephew Grandson.* I'm quite sure the Republican Party was around, too; the local GOP usually goes for understated table decor, preferring to let their individual candidates be the stars.

Most vendors and other table-holder were getting a lot of attention but not all of them were. There were two really not doing so well: the guy selling Nazi flags and T-shirts, and Mayor Ballard's table (sans Hizonner himself, just a couple of worried-looking volunteers with nothing to do).

Not to put too fine a point on it, the brownshirt souvenir stand did have a few "edgy" types checkin' out the merchandise, while at Mr. Mayor's lemonade stand, the sign-up sheets were bare and the piles of handout stickers never diminished. It's a lesson. A lesson learned? I don't think so.
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* Mr. The Hon'ble Representative Andre Carson's primary qualification is, of course, that he is the nephew grandson of snoozing Congressbeing the Hon. Julia Carson, who was a real threat to the republic, the citizenry and democracy in general when awake; it was to the 7th District and the nation's benefit that such occasions were rare. Oh, he's also a Muslim, which allows the other Reps to say, "Some of my best friends are..." and thereby prove how broad-minded they are. Sadly for us -- though happily for his family and himself, I am sure -- he has not inherited his aunt's ancestor's ability to slumber peacefully through Congressional debates and votes.