It's an odd juxtaposition; most hippie liberals grew up protesting against "the man" aka the political/corporate power structure. They wanted their version of freedom, the free sex, drugs, and rock and roll without responsibility. Now those very same people are not only entrenched in the swamp but they want to control you more than our previous politicians ever did.

The latest example is an idea put forth by Andrew Ross Sorkin in a an article he wrote for the NY Times. An idea that has been picked up by several left wing politicians such as Ocasio-Cortez. Of course the justification for another intrusion into our lives is saving 'just one child,' that heart-string tugging plea that is never really about saving anyone but about controlling those with whom they disagree.

Sorkin's idea is that credit card companies must start reporting gun and gun related products purchases to authorities so that police and mental health professionals can determine if the purchases is a threat to society. Sorkin justifies his plan by claiming that the vast majority of guns used in mass shootings were purchased using credit cards.

What you purchase is not reported by retailers to banks, only the date, place, and amount of the purchase are reported to the company issuing the credit card. In the minds of liberals, it would be easy to identify guns, ammo, bump stocks, anything gun related to the banks and then to authorities.

Included in Sorkin's list of 'related items' are t-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, anything that's 'pro-gun' or could somehow identify mentally ill citizens. Imagine purchasing a couple of t-shirts or coffee mugs as presents and then getting a knock on your door. Police or mental health professionals from some bureaucracy want to talk to you about your purchases. Kind of scary, isn't it?

Let's ignore, as Sorkin and Ocasio-Cortez do, the violations of our rights as outlined in the Constitution, and focus on history. This is what every tyrannical despotic government has done to its citizens. Identified those that were a threat to their authority by having others 'report' them for specific behaviors. Then they can at the very least track them and at the very worst put them in gulags or concentration camps.

That's what the hippie left wants; to control public opinion and behavior. They hide behind a mantra of wanting to save children or some other appealing demographic group which leads the ill-informed to lend their support to such a cause.

Once again, we can stop this, but we haven't done it yet. We have to support the efforts of the Freedom Caucus and President Trump to roll back the size and power of the federal government. Our recent election results here in New Mexico tells us that the left is much more organized and effective in stealing elections; sorry, I meant in turning out their base. We have to encourage our friends and family to become informed and to vote. The future of our country is at stake.