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Photo on Brad Staats' Facebook page
A Republican candidate for Congress says his Facebook post featuring a photo of his gun and a “Welcome to Tennessee” message for Barack Obama was in no way meant as a threat to the president.
“Good Lord, no,” Brad Staats told The Tennessean in a telephone interview on Monday. “Absolutely not. I’m not one of those that would ever threaten the president. He’s probably got enough of his own stuff to worry about without me.”
Staats, who is challenging five-term Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, says the Facebook post was in reference to the recently passed U.N. Small Arms Treaty, an international agreement aimed at keeping firearms from terrorists and rogue regimes. The treaty was opposed by gun-rights advocates who fear it could encroach on civilian gun-ownership rights at home.
"I do want President Obama to know as well as the rest of Congress and everyone else regarding our constitutional rights, don't tread on America's constitution," Staats told WKRN-TV. "I think that your liberties, your life can be defended by the proper instructed use of a handgun."
The controversy is over a Sept. 27 post Staats made to his "Brad Staats for Congress" page on Facebook. Along with a photo of a black Colt 911 semi-automatic pistol, Staats wrote:
“Many people in Tennessee keep asking me about my opinion on Second Amendment rights. Apparently Tennesseans are part of that crazy crowd that Obama says 'cling to their religion and guns.' Well, then I must be part of that crazy crowd. Here is something that I usually have with me. Welcome to Tennessee Mr. Obama, where we appreciate our 2nd Amendment rights and the Constitution that was wisely given to us by our founding fathers.”
Staats told The Tennessean he is a member of the National Rifle Association and carries his gun for protection.
“There are just a lot of law-abiding citizens here that carry their guns,” Staats was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “There are a lot of people in Tennessee that believe in their Second Amendment rights.”
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The post picked up dozens of “Likes.” One woman wrote: "All I have to say to your statement is AMEN BROTHER!! I also totally agree with you on Obama 100%, get that socialist out of here before it's too late. You have my backing sir for congress. Best of Luck to you.”
Staats followed up with another post on Monday referring to the WKRN story:
"Special thanks to WKRN for their story regarding my Facebook post. I wonder what picture I will have to post tomorrow for Congressman Cooper to accept my debate challenge?"
Not everyone was as gung-ho about the gun post.
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“Your vitriol and gun waving is really a sad commentary for a civil society. It translates to bully behavior. Nothing more,” one commenter wrote.
“You've had your fifteen minutes, Brad. It's too bad you couldn't have found something more positive to have become infamous for,” another said.
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Leave a Comment:
The right-wing has so stirred up it's base with talk of Obama taking away their guns, ammo and 2nd Amendment rights, that his remark that these folks "cling to there guns and religion" has now really come true.
The only good response by Obama would be to post to HIS facebook page a photo of one of his weapons, like an M1A1 Abrams tank!
Yes the right wingers are indeed "clinging to their guns and cleaning their religions"!
Republicans know how to get their ignorant base to vote. Tell them that the big bad democrat will take their guns away. They do this every election year, and every year gun sales go through the roof, and Jethro and billy-bob go vote for a republican.
I will never give up my guns. But I will not be voting Republican.
Now why would you do something like this? Very stupid!
Republicans are so stupid,Check out their big ideas
Almost 2,400 Millionaires Pocketed Unemployment Benefits
Almost 2,400 people who received unemployment insurance in 2009 lived in households with annual incomes of $1 million or more, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The report was released after about 1.1 million people exhausted their jobless benefits during the second quarter of 2012, when more than 4.6 million filed initial unemployment claims. Eliminating those payments to high earners is one idea being considered as U.S. lawmakers struggle to curb a projected $1.1 trillion deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, with the nationwide jobless rate at 8.1 percent.
“Sending millionaires unemployment checks is a case study in out-of-control spending,” U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said in an e-mail. “Providing welfare to the wealthy undermines the program for those who need it most while burdening future generations with senseless debt.”
The 2,362 people in millionaire homes represent 0.02 percent of the 11.3 million U.S. tax filers who reported unemployment insurance income in 2009, according to the August report. Another 954,000 households earning more than $100,000 during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression also reported receiving unemployment benefits.
The reported benefits may include those received by spouses or dependents of people who made high incomes, or benefits received earlier in the year before a household member got a high-paying job.
Eliminating the federal share of unemployment benefits for millionaires would save $20 million in the next decade, the congressional researchers said in their report.
Prohibiting Benefits
Congress has expanded unemployment benefits that had been paid for by states and lasted 26 weeks. The federal money lengthened the maximum period to 99 weeks, though the researchers said in practice no state currently offers more than 79 weeks.
Coburn introduced legislation in February 2011 to prohibit federally funded unemployment benefits for people who had at least $1 million in assets in the year before they filed a claim. The Senate voted unanimously for his measure, the Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act of 2011. It was later added to another bill, which hasn’t passed the Senate.
where does it say that the republicans paid them if you look closely it's happening now and who is in charge right now?
I would say both parties are to blame, they are all asleep at the helm!
How on earth is this supposed to be a "threat" to Obama???? MSN, this story is stupid.
Your a moron if you cant see the treat! Typical Redneck response!!!!!!!!!
another GOP moron.
The gun toting thug behavior of this fool is much like the rest of the American Taliban Republicans. Not very smart people and representative of the white trash we have to deal with in society. Pure Trash !
Lock his azz up!
Well where I come from we don't need guns. We are men and we use bare knuckles. Guns are for people who are scared of there own shadow or just nuts.
The Republican party has lost all sense of dignity it once had. We used to make fun of the crazy liberals but today the liberals are not crazy the republicans have jumped off the crazy cliff! These are what we up North call "dumb southerners"! The same nut jobs who would not let blacks sit at the lunch counter at Woolworth's. Now in 2012 they are loose on the streets. YES your gun is a threat...and you know it! GUN Nut! Too bad the repubs closed the sanitariums, or there would be room with YOUR name on it!
Keep arguing amost ourselves and guess what will come to fruition!
If you cannot see the greater picture than your cell, screen, beer bottle: then do not vote or the signing of your Welfare Check!
Pull the Las Vegas levers not my death sentence as a member of a contributing heritage of the USA...not a blood sucking 2-legged parasitic off of others labors!
That is what the last almost l term illegal with his 102 Un Cons titutional Socialist CZARs have done unto us: fools...
Like my wife says when we get up in the morning and read the paper where someone shot five or six co-workers, "man there are a lot of nuts out there." I'm 67 and have about 20 guns, most inherited, and out of the 20 only 3 were made for hunting. All the rest, their only purpose is to kill someone.
The news outlets need to start reporting real news and accurate info. This is the unreal, except for the fact that Obama does not respect the US Constitution, that is true and should be in the news!
Moron alert!
While Staats may not have consciously thought about a direct threat to the President, his actions do clearly demonstrate that calling him a moron might be an insult to the mentally challenged. It was stupid and disrespectful to the Office of the President regardless of any disagreement on political policies.
Indeed, his suggestion that the way to "discuss" differences of opinion involves guns should disqualify his from being an elected representative even for the most "conservative" constituency. That the people of Tennessee would retain him as their "representative" speaks volumes about the character and intellect of the state's electorate. They may not desire that branding, but if they do not, get rid of this guy!
Hey, Obama is not not much better and is disrespectful to most Americans! So hopefully we will be rid of him too in November!
AmericaFirst -- you have got to be kidding me. When has the president been disrespectful to you? I think you're confusing him with Romney. Idiot!
You're all morons!!! Get lives will ya?? It's like no one can say or do anything any more without all of you idiots attacking them. Do none of you work???
I am a strong supporter of the 2nd ammendment and have 11 guns in total, grew up in the west and used to hunt a lot. This ammendment is so important today as the Christian Taliban tries to shove there sharia down our throat. As for this guy from Tenn. what did they interview him outside of his trailer window. The Republican Party didn't used to be this nuts, they used to be against the govt interferring in social issues, respected peoples personal rights., not like they are now.
So he carrys for protection? Right, when have you EVER heard of someone who conceal carries doing anything with their gun for "protection." Gun nuts carry because they are impotent and weak.
If all you f***ing Demon-crat, liberturds have your way, all the guns of law abiding citizens would be Nazi'd up, like they did in Australia. Then all crimes done with firearms will stop........OH WAIT. The criminals will still have their weapons, and they will have free reign. No one will be able to defend themselves because you arseholes took all the legally registered guns away.
Makes perfect F***ING SENSE TO ME, YOU IDIOTS.
Ya ok moron adjust your tin foil hat tard!
And you keep sucking on Obama's "richard".
Karl -- another idiot.
To all of you liberal democrats here....Don't bother viting because you have already lost....Have a nice day.
And be sure to check this out:
http://www.westernjournalism.com/obamas-phony-polls-exposed/
Ya ok moron adjust your tin foil hat tard!
Politicians and guns don't mix. That is one good reason for a politician never trying to take one away from a REAL American. No threats here, just saying....
They did it in Germany before Hitler started killing citizens, and in every other horror story/dictator take-over in history. If we don't learn from history, we are bound to repeat our mistakes.
Our politicians/czars need to work together to fix the economy they broke by trying to fix it. Ever heard of laissez faire? Bailing out their backers and the stupid...... And What stimulus? They must not let our credit rating slip or inflation will skyrocket and then all those unemployed and underemployed who have been living on credit cards and just making ends meet will go under.
...Staats should never have even had to explain that his post was not a threat of violence against King Obama. ...I think the post did, however, threaten what little honor is left in the thoughts, actions and current philosophy of the liberal Obamanites. ...Deep down inside their hummingbird-sized hearts, they all know they're doin' wrong. But, they can repent by not voting for One Big Awful Mistake in America (O.B.A.M.A.) again.
...Obamanites need to get a grip!
Brad Staats, you fat redneck fool, just STFU.
he's not as stupid as he pretends to be ... or maybe he is, running under the party of stupid.
brandishing a weapon is a threat. he is stating that he will only reach across the aisle with a gun, not to actually try and work with anyone. if you want gridlock, if you want to become a third world country, then vote for idiots like this. he will only lead to $2 a day jobs, or total unemployment.
I live in Mississippi and we like our guns too, Mr. President. We believe that is our Constitutional duty to defend our own and continue to use the same guns to put food on our tables so we can have nutritrious meals.
If you like your guns and want to keep them, VOTE FOR ROMNEY.
I do agree, the repub party is one of "thugs" and voting cheats. Do not blame the Democrats for voting fraud, just look in the mirror. All the poor states that vote for the republican brand get what they voted for. Rich people controlling your every move. Look at where most of the money comes from....government. Put your guns away and vote your pocketbook or go work for Walmart. That is your government!