NRA

Say it isn’t so. But it is. Thanks to Erick Erickson (Redstate) and Angry White Dude for being all over this, much to the NRA’s chagrin.  I’m getting that feeling that I have when dealing with the Repubics (thanks, Mark Levin) in the US Senate. It’s the feeling that there’s something nasty crawling on your skin.

My support for the NRA has been on the wane for some years now. Like other members, I’ve seen comments such as “I had a basic membership and they kept harassing me for more funds” and ”I felt like they were no longer supporting the Second Amendment or myself as a gun owner”. There are plenty of these comments out there and they’re not hard to find. In my own case, they kept sending me unsolicited materials, such as videos, promptly followed by an invoice. Annoying, to say the least.

Let me say up front that most of my buddies are gun owners and most are members. I’m going to actively urge everyone I know to cease support for the NRA forthwith. Fortunately for us, there is a viable and growing alternative for gunners in “Gun Owners of America”. These folks haven’t forgotten who and what they stand for. The list of the NRA’s transgressions against its membership and the Constitution is long. Shame on me, I had been following this story at a distance. When I saw hints out there that the NRA, in its misplaced zeal for covering its own pathetic rear end, were turning their backs on a solid Reagan conservative in favor of that slimy, walking wart Harry Reid, I went ballistic.

It’s reminiscent of the sell-out of the AARP membership by its leadership, for cozy political favors by the Democrat Congress. I can’t confirm the actual numbers, but the figure I have seen is that it cost them over 150,000 members. That’s not chump change.

The ‘Repubics’ in the Senate and House have seen first-hand what a hostile and angry Patriot Movement can do to their re-election prospects. Hear that, Lindsey? Just keep telling yourself how irrelevant we are. You too, McCain. JD Hayworth may be a flawed candidate, but he never assaulted the First Amendment. Anyone remember McCain-Feingold? Or, let’s see, the ‘gang of fourteen’? Or how about McAmnesty? Yeah, the one McCain is trying to make you forget about. McCain needs to go.

Like the Republican leadership, at least before the Conservative Patriot Movement, the NRA’s leadership has lost its way. That’s a shame. But we as Patriots and gun owners cannot support the sellout of our Constitution, and by extension our country, for political expediency. For those of you that think it will do any good, or just want to vent, the NRA’s number is 800-392-8683. Knowing gun owners, I have a feeling that they’ll be somewhat less inclined to be forgiving than seniors to the AARP. Go on to Angry White Dude’s site for June 29, 2010 to see a list of the NRA’s perfidy. I think that “Gun Owners of America” is going to see a big uptick in membership.

There is an object lesson for Republicans here. This is what happens when you violate the trust of your base. The days where we’ll sit back and take this crap are gone… whether AARP, NRA or RNC… we have choices. We can vote with our feet, we can back Conservative candidates and we can support a gunowners’ organization who shares our fundamental love of God, Country and Constitution. HOO-RAH!

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

The purpose of the terrorist definitions in the Department of Homeland Security report entitled "Rightwing Extremism Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment"and the DHS Lexicon take on new meaning. A larger coordinated back door attack on Constitutional rights emerges when you consider them with a new bill from U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.).

Introduced April 29, 2009 is a bill, H.R. 2159 called "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009." The correlation between this legislative action and the DHS policy becomes somewhat ominous when you consider parts of the bill. The bill H.R. 2159 states in part:

"the Attorney General the authority to deny the sale, delivery, or transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit to dangerous terrorists. . . . if the Attorney General determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism."

Supporters of the bill are the author, U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), and his bill's co-sponsors, Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Mike Castle (R-Del.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Mark Kirk (D-Ill.), and Chris Smith (R-N.J.).

On the face of it, this bill sounds like an innocuous law that will only make us safer. But as Benjamin Franklin said "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

If you are in a category in the DHS report that is "appropriately suspected" of being a terrorist, this bill will allow any Attorney General to deny you of your 2nd Amendment right. The DHS report classifies Pro-Life (51% of the American people in the latest survey), supporters of limited government, supporters of the Second Amendment, Military veterans, and people who don't apologize for America being number one in the world, as potential right wing terrorists.

If you are in that list, let your Congress person know what you think of their attempt to back door the removal of your Constitutional rights. Apparently some of them do not seem to understand who works for who.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) in response to recent gun control defeats proclaimed that ordinary Americans and gun control advocacy groups are consistently outflanked by gun owners' groups, like the National Rifle Association. What she fails to realize is that the NRA consists of her employers, the 'ordinary American'.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), upset at her fellow employees of the 'ordinary American' for losses of gun control legislation said "It has to do with being afraid they'll lose their election if they stand up against guns,". That's right Rep. Woolsey, if you do not do what your employers want, you get fired.

Use the link here to find out who your Congress person is and let them know what you think.

Write your Congress person.

Protect your rights from being chipped away. Remember, they are from the government and they are trying to help you.

Consider also, the title of Senator, the title of Representative, the title of President, they are not titles of Rulers. They are titles of service. Service to you, the people.

The Second Amendment, part of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, is not just a Right to hunt. It is not just a Right to self defense from criminals. It is a Duty for each person to keep so that Tyranny is always kept at bay. Just having this Right ensures all of your other Rights. Without it, none of your other Rights will last.

Video

Eric Kohn writes:

Right now, if the Democrats proposed a bill to burn down the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the Republicans would compromise and agree to phase it in over 5 years. Is there any doubt this would have been the paradigm under John McCain? 

If Republicans ever hope to win back the libertarian bloc and reengage activism among fiscal conservatives, they need to take a look at some some potential leaders and possible presidential candidates they've been ignoring for the most part.

At this moment, Mike Huckabee is suggesting the purging of believers in small government from the party, calling libertarianism "a heartless, callous, soulless type of economic conservatism."

If some in the party get their way, Huckabee won't have to worry about internal competition from what he calls the  “real threat” to the Republican Party: “libertarianism masked as conservatism.”

Then there is Georgia's Saxby Chambliss, who is in the midst of a major fight to retain his Senate seat.  Things might have gone fairly well for Saxby if he hadn't voted for the bailout, opening the door for his opponent to be able to make this statement:

It's classic Saxby Economics - $700 billion for Wall Street, while Georgia families get stuck with the bill. That's just wrong.

While Saxby was busy justifying his bailout vote to unsympathetic Georgia voters, Libertarian Allen Buckley was placing signs around the state billing himself as the only fiscal conservative in the race.  If the DSCC hadn't made the mistake of going after Saxby on the Fair Tax in the heart of Neal Boortz territory, it's possible that Martin (who distanced himself from the ads) might have won.  As it turned out, the Libertarian forced a runoff which now has significant national implications.

Now comes the really laughable part.  Up until Election Day, media and local conversation (I was working in Atlanta until a week after the general election) about the race was centered around fiscal issues -- and primarily about the bailout.  So who does Saxby bring into the state to help him campaign? "Tax Hike Mike" Huckabee and bailout enthusiast John McCain.

It's not just the people, either. One also needs to look at the organizations closely affiliated with the GOP.  As one example, the NRA just joined in the flap over the Obama transition team asking potential appointees about their gun ownership and registration habits.  This is the same NRA who turned their back on one of their own board members to endorse someone with an abysmal Second Amendment record and an adversarial relationship to the NRA. How are people to trust an organization like this when they just chose politics over principle with respect to McCain?

If the GOP ever hopes to regain the trust of conservatives and the votes of libertarians, they need to be looking at people like Mark Sanford, Jeff Flake or even Gary Johnson -- as opposed to Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Saxby Chambliss.

Here is the NRA Fact Sheet about Obama. if he's elected I guess we'll have to find some other solace from our bitterness.