And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

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Scooter
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And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Scooter »

Rep. Madison Cawthorn tried to board plane with gun; could face fine, status loss

ASHEVILLE - U.S. House member Madison Cawthorn had his gun taken by airport police and will likely face a federal fine and loss of a special security status, local and federal officials said.

The Republican congressman representing Western North Carolina's 11th District was attempting to board a plane Feb. 13 when Transportation Security Administration workers found an unloaded gun in his carry-on bag, along with a loaded magazine, according to Asheville Regional Airport officials.

The weapon was described in a redacted incident report and police radio traffic recordings as a "Glock 9mm handgun."

Cawthorn, whose spokesman responded to questions July 30 saying he brought the gun by mistake, was not charged with any crime, according to reports and other information on the incident obtained this month through a public records request. That is a normal outcome, said airport spokeswoman Tina Kinsey.

"In 2021 so far, eight firearms were reported at the checkpoint, and in every case, no criminal charges were filed," Kinsey said, adding the passengers' firearms were secured and they were allowed to travel without their guns.

Cawthorn's gun was secured at the airport, and he retrieved it after his flight, Kinsey said.

In the recordings, an officer can be heard repeating several times to another officer that there was an elected official found with a gun.

"Elected official, Madison Cawthorn, with a firearm," he said.

Police then discuss what to do with the gun, at one point saying they might have Cawthorn take it out to his car. Later they say because his flight is in seven minutes, they will secure it.

Criminal rules about guns in airports vary widely around the country per local and state laws, said TSA spokesman Mark Howell.

"In New York they perp walk you out of the airport in handcuffs," Howell said. "In Georgia, you can open carry anywhere. It's different everywhere."

Bringing criminal charges is left to local law enforcement. At Charlotte Douglas International Airport city police normally charge people with guns under a city ordinance that makes having a firearm at a checkpoint a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail, said Charlotte attorney Brad Smith who defends people accused of bringing guns to the airport.

"I’ve never defended anybody in Asheville, but if that is the position Asheville takes that is a 180-degree different approach than Charlotte-Mecklenburg," Smith said.

While Asheville's airport is in the city, the municipal government does not have control as with Charlotte.

The Republican-majority state legislature stripped a joint Asheville-Buncombe County board of oversight of the airport in 2012. The General Assembly gave control to a new Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority, which makes it owns rules. Those say "it shall be unlawful for any person, except those persons to the extent authorized by federal law and/or state law, to carry or transport any firearm or weapon on the airport property except when such firearm or weapon is properly encased for shipment."

Breaking that law is considered a criminal misdemeanor, according to airport ordinances. It was not clear why the eight people, including Cawthorn had not been charged. Kinsey did not respond the afternoon of July 30 to questions about the rules.

TSA rules say guns can be transported unloaded in special checked bags with hard sides and cases. In almost every incident, people found with guns on their person or in checked bags say they brought the weapon by mistake, said Howell.

Cawthorn's spokesman Micah Bock said that happened with the congressman.

“Five months ago, while boarding a flight, Rep. Cawthorn erroneously stowed a firearm in his carry-on (that often doubles as a range bag) instead of his checked bag. The firearm was secured, and unchambered," Bock said July 30.

Cawthorn tries to always follow TSA guidelines, he said, and "quickly rectified this situation before boarding his flight."

Cawthorn has made the right to own and carry different types of guns a central platform. During the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection he said that he was armed, a potential violation of House rules.

David Wheeler, president of the advocacy group FireMadison.com said the violation was an example of why Cawthorn was "not worthy of the office he holds."

"This is a serious violation of the law that has nothing to do with the Second Amendment. A Member of the U.S. House of Representatives wanted to bring a Glock firearm on a commercial airplane. Just who does Cawthorn think he is?" Wheeler said.

Regardless of reasons people give, in almost all cases those found to be improperly transporting guns face federal civil fines, said Howell, noting an elected official would not be excluded from the potential punishment.

He declined to comment directly on Cawthorn but said the "Feb. 13 incident" was still pending. The process can take months, Howell said.

Fines are typically $2,000 for an unloaded firearm and $4,000 for a loaded firearm for the first incident, he said. Though Smith said they can be as big as $30,000 in more egregious instances.

"That is why people are often more concerned with the fine," the attorney said.

It is not clear if this was Cawthorn's first violation. In his response to the Citizen Times Bock did not answer questions including whether the congressman had been found before with a gun at an airport checkpoint.

If Cawthorn has a pre-check status, an expedited boarding procedure given to those with special security clearance, he will also likely lose that. Howell said anyone found boarding with a gun typically has that status suspended or revoked.

"We can’t deem you a low risk any more if you are bringing weapons in your carry-on bag to the checkpoint," he said.''
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by BoSoxGal »

I do not for one second believe that anyone tries to carry on a firearm by accident. Who ‘forgets’ or overlooks a firearm in a bag the size that can be carried on??

It’s some kind of weird perversion, like a compulsion to expose oneself in public.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Scooter
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Scooter »

Particularly when the firearm and the magazine are separate. How do you "forget" putting both the firearm AND the magazine in the bag? Or manage to overlook both of them when packing the bag for another trip?
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Scooter wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:15 am
And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...
I think they get up each morning and check to see whose turn it is today.
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Big RR »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 2:08 am
I do not for one second believe that anyone tries to carry on a firearm by accident. Who ‘forgets’ or overlooks a firearm in a bag the size that can be carried on??

It’s some kind of weird perversion, like a compulsion to expose oneself in public.
I know someone who did; he was a friend of a client who came to me for help. He was a young guy who lived a lone and kept his handgun in a bag so he could carry it to the range (not locked in a cabinet--big mistake); when he went to the airport he grabbed the wrong bag and was stopped at security. I found him a specialist in this sort of thing (really, a guy who specialized in firearm related litigation) as he was potentially facing some serious jail time. He ended up paying a big fine (and an even bigger legal bill), but he avoided jail.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Assuming we are excluding the capo di tutti capi, Jim Jordan would usually carry my money in that competition.

I might have to reconsider having read the above.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Scooter »

Cawthorn is the unhinged gift that keeps on giving.
Madison Cawthorn draws ethics complaint after altercation with David McKinley

Rep. David McKinley’s (R-W.V.) office filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee against freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) after a verbal altercation with a staffer over a mixup on his name being put on the wrong piece of legislation.

The incident took place just ahead of a heated confrontation between McKinley and Cawthorn on the House floor, with some saying it appeared the two lawmakers were on the brink of a physical brawl.

A source with direct knowledge of the incident in McKinley’s office said Cawthorn entered uninvited and demanded to have his name taken off the piece of legislation, which related to drug pricing in low-income, rural communities, but he believed was related to abortion.

After being told by an aide that his staff has received directions on how to have Cawthorn’s name removed, and he was informed it was not related to abortion, he said he was “looking for a fight today” and “implied he would introduce pro-abortion bills just to put (your) boss’s name on them.”

A McKinley staffer apologized to Cawthorn for the confusion over the cosponsorship, the source added.

According to the source, Cawthorn was told by staff that he would have to discuss the matter with McKinley who was on the House floor, to which Cawthorn replied by calling the West Virginia Republican “the guy with the mustache that nobody f—ing knows. He also threatened to back a primary challenger against McKinley during their squabble on the House floor.

They added that Cawthorn got “in the face” of the staffer before saying “don’t raise your voice at me. I’m a member of Congress.” Sources confirmed they had not raised their voice at the North Carolina Republican.

Cawthorn later attempted to smooth things over with the staffer in a note obtained by The Post.

“I do not wish for any ill will between our offices. I hear you are a skilled [staffer’s position] and I feel fortunate to have you in this movement. I hope we can put our differences behind us and that our offices can focus on our true adversaries [sic] threatening our republic,” he wrote.

“If I can ever be of assistance to you please do not hesitate to reach out, if it is in my power I will happily help. Your ally, Rep. Madison Cawthorn.”

It’s unclear whether the House Ethics Committee will move forward with an investigation.
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

I know it's already a crowded field (what the military call a target rich environment) but can we add governors? Ron DeSantis has form:
From CNN:
Florida's largest school district said it's worried about funding if it does not follow Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order preventing the implementation of mask mandates in schools.
I thought they were all in favour of local control. It's so hard to keep up.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

I think maybe Madison Cawthorn is making a late run for the lead in this category. Not content with alleging that his fellow Rs keep inviting him to drug-fueled sex orgies (and while I am on the subject, how come I have never, ever, been invited to an orgy, drug-enhanced or not? I'm reasonably good looking, reasonably solvent, and of course charming and witty - so why ever not?????) he then has to put up with people finding and posting pics of him dressed in women's underwear (well we've all been there - I am reliably informed that at least three regular posters on this board frequently do so while wearing women's underwear) while on a cruise.

The latest is a movie of our Maddy apparently dry (??) humping a guy friend. I won't post a link (there are limits to Gob's tolerance of what he allows on the board) but I will quote Maddy's tweet about it all:
Years ago, in this video, I was being crass with a friend, trying to be funny.

We were acting foolish, and joking.

That’s it.

I’m NOT backing down.

I told you there would be a drip drip campaign.
If I were he (I am not, just for clarification) I think I would reword that last sentence. Really the details are too distressing and our more sensitive members should just avoid the link I posted to his tweet.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Looks as if our Maddy has lost in the primary in NC. And Dr Oz is behind in his primary for the PA Senate race but it's still too close to call. So maybe there's hope yet.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Bicycle Bill »

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

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Where’s the beef? :shrug
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Bicycle Bill »

I could hear someone in the background just barely controlling themselves from bursting out in laughter at the end — and whoever that was, they're a better man (or woman) than I. I would have been snickering as soon as she said "the government wants to know when we were eating", and I'd have gone into full guffaw-mode as soon as I heard "peach tree dish" (maybe that's some sort of special equipment Bill Gates has in his secret lab in Atlanta?).

And the government doesn't need to do this anyway.  Those people who are obsessed with Instagroaning or Ticcy-Tackying their entire lives are doing it for them ... including, for all I know, videos of their 'number 2s' along with a full description of size, color, texture, and co-efficient of odor.
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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Bicycle Bill »

On the other hand, you can't blame the Republican politicians completely ...... look at this example of the mental giants who elect them:

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Joe Guy »

With all of our high technological advancements in recent years I would think that our government could move the sun a couple miles further from the earth by now to make it colder outside. I bet them Jewish laser beamers could do it.

Viola! All it would take is some fiddling and tweakage with our existing technology.

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Gob »

This person was elected?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Re: And in the "which Republican member of Congress is the biggest moron" category...

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Gob wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 6:32 am
This person was elected?
Kinda hard to wrap your mind around it, ain't it?

Had King George known in 1776 what the colonies were going to devolve into, he'd have probably let us go and saved himself all that expense and unpleasantness.
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Re: And in the "which Republican would-be is the biggest moron" category...

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Trump loyalist who lost Georgia governor primary with just 3.4% of the vote is refusing to admit defeat
Kandiss Taylor received just 3.4% of the vote in the GOP's primary for Georgia governor. She came third, losing to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp by more than 70 points. Despite her poor showing, Taylor is refusing to concede defeat and claims the election was rigged.
https://www.businessinsider.in/politics ... 869015.cms

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Must admit, I totally misread her forename at a quick glance
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