OK - Where do we go from here
We've been sold a bill of goods from our Republican supermajority party that they will protect our RKBA. It hasn't happened - in fact, they've dropped the ball on every opportunity since we got statewide pre-emption over local city and county ordinances (Thank God!) and shall-issue on CCW. But that's been a long time ago, folks.
How happy are you with your police chiefs and Sheriffs who actively lobby against OC, CCW, Constitutional Carry, and campus carry? Are they members of the "correct" political party? Doesn't look that way, does it? Our taxpayer dollars are being used to pay their membership in the Idaho Sheriffs Association, Idaho Chiefs of Police, and their respective corresponding national organizations, along with the hated union funds, to fund anti-OC and CC legislation. Still like your local guys?
Look up the legislators that voted against so many OC, CCW, and campus bills that came before the last legislative session. Look really hard. Look at McGee, you folks in Canyon County, and the others that voted contrary to every citizens' right to keep and bear arms. Look at every committee member who voted to kill the legislation. Are they among the RKBA faithful?
Look to the governors we've elected since, well, Cecil Andrus. It's been all Republican since then. These governors have all appointed the members of the State Board of Education, who all vote against students' RKBA. It's been that way for nearly TWO DECADES! Are you happy with that?
Are you sure your Republican vote, simply because your perceptions of national democrats or third-party candidates, is REALLY advancing RCBA, OC or CC rights???
We keep electing these same people, and have for OVER 20 YEARS, yet we keep getting decisions contrary to our interests. Do you like that?
Do you really think that by voting Republican governors in, we will get campus OC or CCW rights? -----hasn't happened, and I challenge anyone here to show how RKBA has been advanced on campus over the last 20 years under Republican governors. Can't do it, can you? Game, set, match.
Do you really think that by voting for local Republican senators and representatives, we will get legislation that guarantees our God given rights to RKBA, OC and CCW rights? ----hasn't happened, or they would have gotten through legislation that would have completely eliminated the nonsense we go through. Look through our threads here regarding the BS we go through.
There are other interests - those who appeal to strong central government interests, completely antithetical to local control and states' rights, who are behind it...and they are super-cozy with the big business folks, statewide, county, and locally elected officals. These big dollar, big influence institutions are not RKBA friendly, folks...look how much they send to our Republican elected officials...and how little they send to Democrats or third party candidates.
My point is this:
Stop blindly voting Republican. We've done that for decades and we still get the same BS - I'm guilty of it, and we need to WTFU (check the Urban dictionary if you don't know what that means!)
Get position statements from every canditate! Extract commitments from them, specifically, on every piece of firearms legislation.
You all must know that Sen. Bart Davis (R), from Idaho Falls (my home town; he's a good guy, but IMHO misguided - see below) swayed our legislature from pro RKBA legislation in the 2011 session because his son was shot and killed by a sh!thead at an OFF CAMPUS BSU party. Bart Davis is a good (R), but he has extrapolated his personal tragedy beyond ration. He cannot see beyond his personal tragedy, even though it bears no relevance to campus RKBA, and succumbs to anti-RKBA rhetoric, voting against his constituents' rights. Yet, Idaho Falls voters, among the most conservative in this state, keep electing him.
Many people do not realize that Senator Davis' son was a wannabe gangsta, at an off-campus wannabe-gangsta party, where a useless wannabe gangsta punk drew down and shot him. It was off-campus, and completely unrelated to RKBA, whether OC or CCW. Yet, Senator Davis, a good (R), made a horribly misdirected speech against the general public's RKBA on campus. We all understand his pain at the loss of his son, who was wrongfully killed by a punk, but only the most misguided partisan hacks would ever argue he was right in his vote about campus RKBA.
Yet my hopelessly misguided hometown folks keep voting him in because he has an "R" beside his name.
I have yet to see a similar excuse for McGee, who actively campaigned against the RKBA interests of Canyon County members of this board and other constituents when he voted to kill RKBA rights in committee this last legislative session, and yet, members of our board keep electing him to office.
I submit it's only because McGee has an "R" beside his name. In light of his committee vote, and his super-citizen treatment with his DUI and Grand Theft charges, I challenge anyone here to argue the point - he got, and continues to get, unwarranted support even though he votes against his constituents' rights.
Booyah!
Look, I'm no "D," by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I a whacko third party candidate supporter (you all know who I'm referring to), but DAMN, people...are we getting anywhere simply by voting for the same "R" party?
How many of you vote "R" simply because you have heard from Faux news (personal knowledge of how they distort to appear anti-dominant-liberal-media position), Hannity, Rush, O'Reilly (who I love, by the way), and other outside-of-Idaho sources, that "D" candidates are evil anti-gun candidates? Ever read their position statements? Give me a F*&^% ing break - Walt Minnick was a HUGE RKBA supporter, firearms enthusiast, and hunter!! I shot with the guy, for crying out loud!!! Did any of you??? Didn't think so...so you elected an illegal-alien-rights attorney to congress. WTF, people????
Do you ever think for yourselves??
Are you sure the guy who's running for the city/county/legislative/state position is anti RKBA?? Your choices for the last 20+ years don't support your position.
Your "R" candidates sure aren't serving you well - look at their records, from the county sheriff, county commissioners, legislature, and governership (given how the State Board of Education, AKA the Board of Regents in the Aaron Tribble Lawsuit over campus carry).
Ever thought about listening to the local guy, instead of suckling to the teat of the "R" party and believing that anyone with a "D" behind their name is a gun-grabbing, pinko commie socialist liberal?
Too many of you think that simply because someone who identifies themself as a moderate Republican or Democrat is automatically a flaming socialist, gun-grabbing, eco-terrorist, food-nazi [insert your favorite non-right-wing-whacko insulting label].
Idaho has been a hard-right (which, incidentally is closer to fascism, which favors gun control - look to Nazi Germany) state for nearly two decades. Yes, we've made headway, but we don't have pure RKBA because Republican interests don't want us to. They don't want us to be able to carry wherever we want (within reason - like courthouses, jails or prisons).
They don't want us to be able to carry anywhere their lobbying interests fear the power of a nonviolent, but self-assured, person can and should.
Are you sure you're voting for the right people?
I'd submit not.
Let's straighten it out, people - - extract pure RKBA pledges from candidates for city, county, and statewide offices. Ask them. Report their responses on this board, on the radio, on TV, and to the newspapers.
Stop voting blindly. We are where we are, because we've been voting how we have, for over 20 years.
Time for a change, people!!
B