Guns with a Side of Butter
R. Neal, over at Tennviews, points to an op-ed in the Tennessean by NRA ED Chris Cox, and says "[y]es, that's just what we need. More yahoos with more guns in more places. And come on, admit it. Self-defense is first and foremost on your mind when dining at restaurants."
Interestingly, MSNBC pundit Harold Ford Jr. was on Scarborough this morning to talk about the recent controversy with Obama, and he talked up the NRA and was proud to have a membership card in his wallet.
Now, I don't really give a damn if a politician does or doesn't support gun rights. There are valid arguments in both directions. However, by talking up an organization like the NRA (which endorsed Corker despite Ford's last minute pander-fest on guns), it confers legitimacy onto an organization designed to get conservative Republicans, and a smattering of conservative Dems, elected.
The NRA isn't like the ACLU which is a group who fights to protect civil liberties, because the NRA is a political group which endorses and runs ads opposing those who support sensible gun control. If they simply filed lawsuits and lobbied, but stayed away from the political arena, I wouldn't have a problem with the NRA. But they are, and have been for a long time, a political organization which primarily supports Conservative Republicans. So, when Democrats try to pander to the gun vote by talking up the NRA, it just hurts us more when the NRA inevitably comes out against the Dems.
Update:
Also, Ford and almost all other Democrats, when talking about guns (and even the NRA) always invoke hunting. That isn't what the NRA is about. They couldn't give a wet fart about hunting, they are for the right to pack heat to blow away would-be criminals and the Government...hunting has very little to do with the Second Amendment.
8 comments:
Amazing how you can spout conspiracy theories RE: their endorsement of Dems right after praising the ACLU for not being a political group.
RE: Ford: Well, no wonder, he gets an F every year he's in office and then two years before he runs statewide, he finds his pro-gun jesus and you're heart-broken he didn't get the nod?
Reading your update, I see how now why you want to have Obama's love child. You're an elitist and know better than us little people too!
The NRA is, btw, very involved in hunting.
-SayUncle
The only elitists around here are the Conservatives who think their way of life is better than everyone else's, and it out to be legislatively mandated into every home in America.
As for the NRA...promoting hunting is a way to get more dues paying members, but considering almost all the legislation they focus on has precious little to do with hunting, its a paper-tiger issue.
RE: conservatives as elitists:
Are they the ones advocating gun bans? Generally not. On other issues, they sure do but I'm not talking about those. And I also don't agree with them on those.
The NRA has an entire division dedicated to hunters issues. NRA usually does a lot of the hunters safety stuff. And NRA is active in ensuring public land is available to hunters. That stuff doesn't make the news, though. I don't hunt.
Anyway, your big bad NRA evil bogeyman simply doesn't exist in the manner you describe.
-SayUncle
Uncle,
My qualms with the NRA, as I expressed in the post, have more to do with their political activities than the mere idea of their organization.
I mentioned the ACLU because they do not endorse candidates, nor do they fund them. The focus on issues in the courts and in the legislature.
The issues which the NRA seems to bash candidates over typically have very little to deal with hunting, and more often have to do with the type of guns that are involved with protection.
If you disagree, I'd be interested to learn more about why.
it's actuall a source if internal strife at NRA the whole shooter v. hunter thing. Hunters think NRA is too shooter friendly and shooters think they're too hunter friendly. NRA tries to be party to both and neither side is keen with that, it seems.
I'll try to better understand the internal nuances of the NRA from now on; but from an outsiders perspective, it does seem the NRA is more associated with "shooters" than it is with hunting.
"The only elitists around here are the Conservatives who think their way of life is better than everyone else's, and it out to be legislatively mandated into every home in America."
Does this not describe the sponsor of any bill put forth in any governmental body? Don't they all view their legislative goals as better than others and want them to be the law of the land? Does that make them all elitist? Does it make their supporters elitists as well?
The elitists are everyone but the middle class, which is being squeezed like an orange.
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