The Senate Republicans Send a Curious Letter to the Governor.

Filed in National by on July 27, 2015

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, this time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the state Senate Republicans have pulled off a little stunt: they publicly sent a letter to Governor Markell and Delaware National Guard Chief Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala.

The letter urges Markell and Vavala to come up with a plan of action regarding military personnel protection at recruiting centers. The senators offered help in finding a way to better protect military officials in the letter sent Monday.

The letter was sent last Monday, July 20. As this News Journal article notes, the National Guard was already in the process of coming up with recommendations for improving security for Guard recruiters that are stationed off base in Delaware, and the Governor approved General Vavala’s recommendations last Tuesday.

But the timing of the letter of the letter as compared to the new recommendations is not what I find curious. What is curious is that the letter was sent at all, with the grandstanding of having all Republican Senators sign it. Was a similar letter sent by the entire Republican Senate Caucus after the Sandy Hook shootings in December 2012? How about the Colorado theater shooting in 2012? Or the Louisiana theater shooting last week? Or the Santa Barbara university shootings in 2014? The Charlestown Church shooting in June?

Perhaps the Republican Senators are only concerned about the class of victim, so that you have to be in the military in order to rate in their eyes as a victim deserving of concern and protection. Or perhaps they are only concerned about the class of the assailant. The shooter in Chattanooga was a young man of Kuwaiti descent who might have been radicalized by ISIS. The shooters in Charlestown and Louisiana were white right wing terrorists. So Fighting Islamic terrorism is a concern, but right wing terrorism is not.

Got the message, Republican Senators.

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  1. bamboozer says:

    Another day, another “open” letter from Republican senators, seems all the rage and I blame Tom Cotton. He is indeed rotten.

  2. cassandra_m says:

    The UCR for 2013 (the last full year that seems to be available) reports that there were 380 violent deaths in Delaware. That’s a rate of 41 per 100,000 residents. I want to know why Delaware Republicans aren’t concerned about the MUCH HIGHER risk of the rest of us for gun violence in this state.

  3. Jason330 says:

    That don’t give a fuck. That’s their position and they are pretty candid about it.

  4. SussexAnon says:

    ….or an open letter when someone gets shot in Wilmington.

  5. Anon says:

    Del Dems have been running wilmington and other centers of violence for decades. The fact Cassandra is insinuating Republicans can even affect policy in urban areas is laughable. If you’re a democratic operative, look in the mirror and you’ll see who is to blame.

  6. cassandra_m says:

    Given the current make up of the GA, the GOP affecting policy anywhere is pretty laughable. As has been their complete agenda. About the only thing they’ve been able to do is fuck up funding the DOT. But we already get that for the local GOP, if you are not wearing a uniform, your life doesn’t matter.

  7. SussexAnon says:

    Republicans affecting policy on anything is laughable. Sometimes public policy requires more than the bumper sticker politics of tax cuts, deregulate, and privatize everything.

    Still waitin’ on that Obamacare replacement. Or immigration policy. Or funding infrastructure. Or any idea from the state GOP that isn’t authored by ALEC.

  8. cassandra_m says:

    And how many names to do plan on posting under here? Pick one and use it. There won’t be more warnings. EDIT — that’s for Anon above.

  9. Geezer says:

    @Anon: Republicans don’t even try to win elections in Wilmington. Whose fault is that? I’m gonna go with the Republicans.

  10. BullMoose says:

    To be taken seriously, the Senate R’s should also send the Governor a letter making sure that the loopholes in the background check system that allowed the South Carolina and Louisiana shooters to buy weapons aren’t open in Delaware. I’m not saying the Governor has been lax on these issues, in fact he deserves a lot of credit. But the Senate R’s letter is bogus unless they show they’re equally as concerned about the other recent mass shootings.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Allow the military to carry sidearms, they have been trained.
    Don’t allow anyone in with a hat or sun glasses on or carrying a backpack. The same that they do in banks.
    Security glass.

    Unfortunately, it has come to this. I am Anonymous;)

  12. donviti says:

    I’m not black. But If I was, and I was thinking about joining the military, I’m not sure how crazy I’d be about joining the military if a bunch of redneck looking buffoons with automatic weapons at their sides were guarding the office I’m about to enter.

    Think of the optics on that one for a second.

    Say your mom is driving you and about to drop you off.

    Mom! LOOK!!!!! KEEP GOING!!!! DON’T STOP!!!!!!!
    Tires screeching as she cranks the wheel hard to the left. Her other hand holding down her flower adorned church hat, while her son has his face pressed against the glass from the g-forces of the turn, all the while trying not to make eye contact with the dude standing at attention in his wranglers and 100% cotton American flag T

  13. Anon says:

    No need for Republicans to win. The Del Dems are doing a great job at corporate subsides, laws favoring large energy companies at the expense of renewables, and increasing opportunities for the rich while labor and middle class jobs disappear and pay less for more hours.

    What’s the warning for? If I cared about identity I would use a proxy.
    – Rob Keesler