DISCLOSE: Thank the NRA
I can already hear the grinding of teeth, smell the foam coming out of the mouths and blood poring out of the nail-embedded palms. And I don’t mean the Brady’s.
When the Bradys cry….
….. an angel cries and the tear becomes a round of ammunition.
Paul Helmke is not happy.:
I guess, for a change is not only Gun Owners of America the ones bitching about DISCLOSE. Paul, do you also feel the NRA threw you under the bus?
Hat tip to Say Uncle.
On virgins teaching Kama Sutra.
NRA delenda est! The die is cast and I must bow to the wishes of the loudest and cast aspersions against the NRA wishing its demise… OK, fat chance on that!
There is no doubt that the NRA flubbed the PR war with DISCLOSE and that allowed other “Pro 2A” gun groups to attack the organization with full force. Amazingly all that angst about DISCLOSE did not create an organized attack against Democrats in Congress or the bill itself so time is being wasted in crap that has no real use.
I know that idealistic niceties are cute, pink and make bunnies happy, but Political Reality is trench warfare and not quite rose -smelling. Yes all the Constitution is important and yes this bill is bad but this bill has about 90% of passing specially since there has been so little effort by most Americans in defeating it in vitro. The Health Care Bill had the opposition of almost 70% of the country yet it was rammed through and shoved down our throats. Political virgins seem to ignore that but do have the balls to act offended when the NRA, after almost 8 years, millions of dollars spent and almost no help manages to get an exclusion from being shut out of the political discussion. Political Virgins are now offended by this alleged breach of etiquette and idealism against the Constitution but we are talking about the same group that probably believes that good guys only get shoulder wounds that heal in 24 hours, that you can reason with idiots and they will see the light if you show them a copy of the Constitution and bad guys always wear a black hat so you can recognize them.
So what’s next? First, I am sure this major tiff amongst gun owners has not gone unnoticed in the White House and the Anti Gun community and I can bet that plans are already in the making to take advantage of the rift. The chance of bringing down the NRA from inside the gun rights movement is just too good to pass up and they just need a little bit of cash piped to a certain people to make the dream of a Gun Free USA possible.
WINNERS:
The Democratic Party. Gun owners were having so much a good time bashing the NRA that they ignored the DISCLOSE bill itself. It is slated for vote on Tuesday and chances are huge it will pass with or without the NRA exemption. Political speech will be once more tamed to give the Obama administration and Dems in Congress a fighting chance come November.
Gun Owners of America. The premier bunch of No Compromise / Nothing Done and alleged supporters of the Second Amendment will gain thousands of new supporters and millions in cash contributions and a lot from unknown sources. GOA will be an important part of the manipulated collapsing of the NRA. They will be singled out as the Better Voice/True Constitutional/We Are The World group, given a couple of victories and then dropped once the NRA’s influence is gone. GOA never had and never will have the lobbying ability the NRA has but they will be a convenient tool for the anti gunners in its disarming.
LOSERS
The NRA. By failing to take care of the public Relations side of DISCLOSE and being too damn nice to GOA and assorted jealous idiots, the NRA shot itself in the foot on this one. Expect them to lose about a million members within a year and a half to two years.
NRA Members. By ignoring the darn little email notifications, paying more attention to the latest reality show and then bitch supreme after they heard about the “carve out” the NRA Members will lose political power in Washington that may take decades to recover. Those leaving and gambling on GOA will probably find themselves rectally invaded later down the pike.
Non-NRA Gun Owners. By the time they wake up, it will be too late to make corrections. Groups without any political or lobbying ability will be representing all of us and fail miserably at it when their magic funding suddenly disappears and are unable to get any more money or support.
FORECAST
If the onslaught against the NRA continues, it will cease to exist as an effective political force by November 2012. GOA will think it will assume the space occupied by the NRA but will be ignored by the DC insiders since it won’t be able to fit its shoes and the downright rabid opposition by NRA members. Anti Gun legislation will start coming out again from Congress and by 2020 we will be back to 1968 levels of gun restrictions. Expect a Federal Anti Reciprocity Bill under the cover of the Commerce Clause plus Federal Fund restrictions to be one of the first measures to curtail gun ownership across the USA.
UPDATE:
Gun Rights Examiner informs that DISCLOSE passed in the House. I am reading the text of the bill but cannot find the “carve out” anywhere. I might not be reading it right (I suck at legalese bullshit) and I hope I am not otherwise we are pretty much screwed. It also seems that internet communications (read Bloggers) may have to keep quiet or face penalties. I’ll leave the analysis to better brains.
UPDATE 2:
I was informed by Bitter that the NRA exemption survived the House Vote.
Chest Puffers and Rights Moochers: It is time to put up or shut up.
Via Snowflakes in Hell we hear that the Obama Administration wants DISCLOSE to get passed come hell or high water. Now that y’all vociferously complained about the NRA and its deal but never how to get the bill defeated, here is your chance! It is time to put your comfortable asses where your gigantic mouths were flapping and do the heavy lifting.
The Bad News: The groups that want our Gun Rights curtailed have done a much better job than you opposing DISCLOSE. You guys are way behind the curve so you better put some traction to “NO Compromise” and quit the bullshit. C’mon dears, chop-chop. You don’t want me to say again that you guys are good for nothing else that ridding the NRA’s coat tails, right?
Ashamed To Be a Gun Owner.
It is sad but I am actually ashamed of being a Gun Owner this week. But after seeing the reaction of many of my fellow practitioners of the Second Amendment about the NRA’s “deal” regarding the DISCLOSE bill, I feel I’ve been sharing my time amongst people that sit on their stoops drinking cheap beer and waiting for the welfare check to come in the mail. The voices seem especially loud in blogs and gun forums where the NRA is denounced as a quisling organization selling out to Washington special interests and “throwing other gun groups under the bus.” You gotta love how often this tag line was repeated among the interweb blabbermouths over and over till it became the official Talking Point demonstrating a lack of independent thinking and an overdose of mob mentality.
The DISCLOSE bill is an attempt to bring back the worst of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act of 2002 struck down by the Supreme Court. McCain-Feingold was a dragon that the NRA faced for seven years at considerable effort and expenditure but I think few Gun Owners actually understood or cared much after the 2008 election. The Democrat-controlled Congress is trying to resuscitate this evil zombie once more through DISCLOSE. Again there was little or no enthusiasm among the Second Amendment populace that is until the NRA managed to obtain a tentative exception from the creators of the bill, as they should have done, since their only worry should be their ability to defend loudly the Second Amendment and the rights of Gun Owners. Only then all Hades erupted and the NRA found itself the target of the arrows of inadequacy from those who did not care before but felt betrayed that the monies of the NRA members and whatever results it may achieve were not shared with those that couldn’t care less for the NRA.
I think many fail to see that if left unchecked, DISCLOSE had a great chance to pass. This bill was being crafted stealthily while the Nation’s attention was concentrated on the Gulf’s oil spill. Once finalized, DISCLOSE would have sailed from Congress to the White House for signature in the time it takes for a politician to come up with a lie. If you don’t believe me, just remember that the Health Care Reform Bill was opposed loudly and constantly by the majority of Americans and it is now the law of the land. I cannot blame the NRA for trying to stay vocal when everybody else was watching and fawning over oil-covered seagulls on TV and balls of tar screwing with the summer vacation in Florida, oblivious to what was happening in Congress. It was much easier for the Moochers to find an easier target with a history of remaining silent as not to endanger the defense of the Second Amendment no matter how vile the attacks were. On its last statement, the NRA was quite clear:
The NRA is a bipartisan, single-issue organization made up of millions of individual members dedicated to the protection of the Second Amendment. We do not represent the interests of other organizations. That’s their responsibility. Our responsibility is to protect and defend the interests of our members. And that we do without apology.
And now, the Moochers. In its immense majority, the loudest of the loud complaining about the NRA in forums and some Blogs, commenced their denunciations by saying, “and this is one more example why I left the NRA eons ago!” Wait one damn minute. You are not a member of the NRA, you do not contribute but yet you feel entitled to collect the benefits that others have so hard worked for and complain when you didn’t get your free 52” plasma Digital TV in the mail?
When The Moochers asked to what organization they belong, they proudly puff their chest out and proclaim that they belong to a No-Compromise group. When asked about ANY pro-gun legislation has its roots or achievements attached to this No Compromise group, they remain conspicuously silent, try to deflect the issue or mention cases and laws actually brought to bear by the NRA or other groups and pass them as their own (DC v Heller and the Katrina Laws are embarrassing examples of this depraved intellectual looting). The embarrassing truth is that the No-Compromise organizations are just No-Achievement Mobs, who have no qualms in taking credit for events and successes that they were not a part of or even awake when they happened.
It has been open season on the NRA for a long while within the confines of the Gun Rights war. It has been a two front war being the most common the one against Anti Second Amendment groups, Traditional Media, Ultra Liberals and those who see Armed Citizens a direct threat against their thirst for power. And then we have had the shadow wars of jealous and petty people within the Gun Rights movement who hate the fact they are unable to instantly become the 800 pound gorilla that the NRA took years to be.
So, when did some Gun Owners become moochers? Aren’t we supposed to be independent, self reliant and defenders of the Second Amendment and our organizations? When did posture become more important that real work and real results? When did it become acceptable to backstab your fellow Gun Owners because you don’t agree 100% with a gun rights organization? Why theft of achievements has become proper manners and tactics? I know these groups are festering sores not only for the NRA but also for every Gun Owner and Gun Organization that actually cares for the health of the Second Amendment. This has been one of the NRA’s biggest mistakes: by trying to avoid giving ammunition to the opposition, the NRA and other groups have ignored the constant attacks by these organized Moochers. We know that nobody is going to agree 100% all the time, but at least there was an effort to agree to disagree among organizations, to keep the tone civilized and not to snipe on each other. The No-Compromise groups are either too stupid to understand this or too greedy to care (I am betting that membership fees are a great part of the reason for their viciousness) and go on the rampage whenever it suits them and do not mind the damage they can cause.
Now you can bet the Opposition has noticed this divide and they are starting to plan how to use it in the future. They know that AHSA was a small success in diverting attention and misdirecting this administration’s anti Second Amendment agenda and obtaining a few extra votes, but even AHSA has now disappeared, Brady has become irrelevant and they need another wedge to split Gun Owner and that will be the No-Compromise Mob. The NRA and every single Gun Owner that actually cares for Gun Rights must put a stop to the Moochers and bring to light their pitiful selfishness. The Second Amendment cannot afford to carry scorpions on our backs anymore.
NRA Moochers Demand Action Against The NRA.
And the whining continues. Now the Moochers are demanding that people should contact the NRA and let them know the “deal” of the DISCLOSE bill stinks. Of course it stinks for them because they are not covered. It is that simple. Forget about the mouthfuls of calls about the First Amendment or anything else. That they couldn’t do a damn thing on their own or their “No Compromise” organizations against DISCLOSE seems to be escaping their slight mental grasp.
The funny thing is that these pathetic patriotic partisans for the First and All the Amendments are wasting their time calling for action against the NRA rather than calling for action against the congress-critters that came up with the bill.
In gun-speak we call that missing the target.
In the meantime do send some money to the NRA-ILA now that you know your contributions are spent on NRA business and taking care of NRA members instead of trying to pacify crying useless babies demanding Gun Owner’s Welfare out of your membership and donations.
PS: It seems the NRA deal might kill the bill altogether. According to Countertop Chronicles this deal can become the poison pill that buries DISCLOSE before it comes out of the congressional womb. This would be a great nut crunching kick to the Obama Administration, Congress and the NRA Moochers…ouchie.
NRA’s Statement on DISCLOSE.
STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION ON H.R. 5175, THE DISCLOSE ACT
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The National Rifle Association believes that any restrictions on the political speech of Americans are unconstitutional.
In the past, through the courts and in Congress, the NRA has opposed any effort to restrict the rights of its four million members to speak and have their voices heard on behalf of gun owners nationwide.
The NRA’s opposition to restrictions on political speech includes its May 26, 2010 letter to Members of Congress expressing strong concerns about H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act. As it stood at the time of that letter, the measure would have undermined or obliterated virtually all of the NRA’s right to free political speech and, therefore, jeopardized the Second Amendment rights of every law-abiding American.
The most potent defense of the Second Amendment requires the most adamant exercise of the First Amendment. The NRA stands absolutely obligated to its members to ensure maximum access to the First Amendment, in order to protect and preserve the freedom of the Second Amendment.
The NRA must preserve its ability to speak. It cannot risk a strategy that would deny its rights, for the Second Amendment cannot be defended without them.
Thus, the NRA’s first obligation must be to its members and to its most ardent defense of firearms freedom for America’s lawful gun owners.
On June 14, 2010, Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives pledged that H.R. 5175 would be amended to exempt groups like the NRA, that meet certain criteria, from its onerous restrictions on political speech. As a result, and as long as that remains the case, the NRA will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill.
The NRA cannot defend the Second Amendment from the attacks we face in the local, state, federal, international and judicial arenas without the ability to speak. We will not allow ourselves to be silenced while the national news media, politicians and others are allowed to attack us freely.The NRA will continue to fight for its right to speak out in defense of the Second Amendment. Any efforts to silence the political speech of NRA members will, as has been the case in the past, be met with strong opposition.
And my 2 cents: Egotistic Whining Freeloaders need not apply. Do your own lobbying.