Reading through this and a few other websites over the last few days, it's come to my attention that it's time to cut bait.
If an organization purporting to endorse gun rights is spending your funds elsewhere, whether lining their pockets or hedging their best by courting the left...
...cut bait.
I don't know where else we might put it at this time, but I think a small, commensurate campaign contribution of an equivalent annual amount (twenty or thirty bucks?) to whatever guy in your local, state, or federal contribution chain whom you think might do the most good is probably a better place to spend your money than on a multimillion dollar organization with a ton of overhead and not many results over the last decade.
Such organizations must be self-limiting. If there are no such internal controls, they simply grow to fill their own fat shoes, and will continue trying to buy fatter shoes as their heft and need continue to grow.
I don't like that!!! Mean, lean, fighting machine, provided we do it right. Always (utterly) within the law, but always geared towards enforcing the law.
The thing of it is, the law, our law, was enacted in 1791, more than 219 years ago. Countless laws from the Supreme Court on down have ensued, many of which have been contested, and quite a few of which have been overturned.
If anything, people, I see two things happening these days which heartens me:
1. The Internet, particularly message forums (and thank God Mike and John went with vBulletin), has allowed widespread focus groups to...
...focus on issues which they feel are most pertinent. Even if it it were scraping saffron from flowers, I'd support the rights of people to do so.
...discuss issues pressing on the hearts and minds of our citizens. Unfortunately, there is no qualification within the First Amendment which requires an separation of heart and mind, and the two have often become intertwined over the years. Nevertheless, we press forth.
2. An ancilliary venue involving the Internet and media at large, combined with citizen-level contributions thereof in the form of blogging, message boarding, social networking, etc.
What I see coming out of this second venue is telling. It tells the story (mostly) of the downtrodden who've both had enough, and yet who're rather well educated and who're doing their best to move to the next stage, preferrably without violence or bloodshed.
They're not stupid, however, and many of us have come from such backgrounds. We're not stupid either. We'd LOVE for everyone to voluntarily law down our arms, each and every one of us, criminals and all, and sing kum-ba-yah forevermore.
Yeah, right. Only the ridiculously idiotic believe that anymore. I believe Lori Saldaña's failed (thank GOD) AB 1394 bill tells volumes about this approach. She things us warmongers! Yet I've not drawn a firearm in 21 years of carrying, including 20 years in the military (except to load or empty it, daily...).
Was it necessary for me to carry? Apparently the various states in which I lived respected my right to do so, and I've exercised my right to do so. While in the military, I was employed to several venues where it was required, and I dutifully did so.
I'll be honest: I've never had to pull my firearm, and have never fired it (except in perhaps 35 training scenarios). Many of you have, whether here or abroad. Some of you have had to go far beyond what was expected. Just drop a PM - I'll go back and forth with you as long as you want. I'm still corresponding with a friend of mine with experience in the Vietnam war, if that gives you any idea of how long I've been in this game.
As for the rest of us, we need to move on. As I said before, I'm not sure how (actually, I've got a few good ideas, but I want to hear from you).
1. New thread?
Piece of cake.
2. New organization better representing the valid, rational, Constitutional, legal rights of all of us (as the author, this statement can be easily amended...)?
A good bit more difficult to do right, but certainly possible.
Thoughts? I'm all ears.
- since9
