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The Tea Party and other right-wing extremists have a new poster boy in Bob Gannon, Assemblyman from Springer. Gannon is the pugnacious, bald-headed, NRA gun-nut who recently made headlines for flipping the bird at one of his political opponents.

John Nichols of the Capital Times (1/17/16) correctly observed that Gannon was “giving the finger” to all of Milwaukee when he made that vile gesture to Democratic minority leader Peter Barca on the floor of the Assembly. It was also a clear reminder to the entire state that racism, fear and hate now dictate much of the dialogue within the Republican Party.

To catch the full stench of Gannon’s bullying personality, you need to know that he advocates concealed carry in public schools, and recently recommended the vigilante killing of gang bangers in shopping malls (Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, 12/22/15).

He stated, “Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law-abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scumbags.”

While this quote ranks among the ugliest ever uttered by a Wisconsin politician, we should acknowledge there are many ill-informed, fearful people who are reassured by Gannon’s bluster.

In our hapless and deeply divided political world, it’s anyone’s guess how things will ultimately turn out. But if enough decent citizens recognize and reject the brutal teachings of the NRA, it will certainly help protect our democracy from political “scumbags” like Bob Gannon.

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