NRA and their political agenda

    I actually in some ways like the NRA, but they are just too political, too right wing, and I abhor that. Why do they have to be like that? They are just cutting their own throats by being so hard and reactionary. Plus, many people who would otherwise support them will and can not, due to their pandering to the extreme right wing of our society.
I myself am a gun owner, love to shoot, enjoy hunting on occasion (not a trophy hunter - I disagree with killing your brood stock), but cannot in any sort of conscience vote for any Republican candidate on any ballot today. I have heard "vote for the man (person), not the party, but anyone who runs on the Republican ticket today is a Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck clone that has no regard for poor people, the struggling (and disappearing) middle class, the jobless, or any social problems of our day, and have as their goal "stop spending" (get rid of social programs, such as "entitlements", that help the poor), "take our country back" (from people like you and me, and place it in the hands of corporate religious wackos), and "put God back in government (read your First Amendment asshole - it is every bit as important as the Second!). I cannot support any of this, so when the NRA sends me their membership stuff, I promptly recycle it.

Now, for those of you in the NRA who will almost certainly not read any of my thoughts, why can you not reach out to Democrats? Many of us support gun ownership, in fact our President (a Liberal African American OH MY GOD!!!) signed into law a bill allowing us to carry sidearms on National Parks in accordance with state laws. Wow. He also stated that the DC gun law was not constitutional - he is, after all, a Constitutional scholar.

If you could reach out to Democrats, instead of calling them names, talk sense to them instead of yelling at them, make friends of them instead of enemies, you would preserve the Second Amendment essentially forever. Otherwise, as people begin to move away from this far right, religious, corporate, hate filled party, and try to embrace some sort of equality (and, no, we don't have any sort of equality in the US today, no matter what the Declaration says) amongst its citizens, the far right will be seen as the lunatic fringe, who only want guns to hunt down people of color, overthrow the government, and kill anyone who disagrees with them.

I actually found a link to the Liberal Gun Club, a club that is actually for people like me! I urge anyone who is a Liberal, Progressive, Democrat, Social Democrat, Democratic Socialist, or however Liberal you might be. To paraphrase a Woody Guthrie song, 'this gun club was made for you and me!"



Please, gun owners. Do not go into the political arena and scream hatred at people who are afraid of guns. You just scare them more. Educate them, don't scare them. Cite references where a legal and honest gun owner has saved her or himself from certain harm or death by having a gun. Show them how a person can have a gun in their house safely and never hurt another person with it. Show them how ammunition is perfectly safe to store. Show them the story of a man who shot the bear who was charging his companion (I would have done the same), and lived to tell the tale. And then show the stories of the many people who simply did not survive the encounter.

Memorial Day

I lived during the Vietnam era, and had friends who hated the war and all it stood for (as did I), and friends who served in the US Military in Vietnam. I respected both, and even have respect for people who went to Canada in protest, rather than fight in a war with which they did not agree. I did not serve (asthma, allergies, etc.), but had enormous respect for those who did, and I stood up to my fellow Hippies (I was a wannabe - I never did drugs, didn't engage in free love, and couldn't play a guitar :-P ) who spat on them and called them baby killers. I befriended numerous veterans when I was in college, and listened to their stories of horror.

Even if you don't agree with what they do, respect them for it, and for their duty. I have felt for years that Hanoi Jane should have been prosecuted for treason; the boys in the Hanoi Hilton were NOT treated well Jane - look at John McCain's face (and, no, I don't agree with his politics, but highly respect and admire his sacrifice and service), and think that anyone who went to Hanoi, hobnobbed with Ho Chi Minh, and went on national television in his favor was and is despicable. You might be a Socialist, but by God, you are an American first. Though I cannot agree with the Iraq war, our men and women should know (and should have known in Vietnam!) that we support, love and respect them, and want them home ASAP. Though I disagreed with the Vietnam war, disagree with the Iraq war, agree with the Afghanistan war (I feel the Taleban and Al Qaida should be completely destroyed), whatever my feelings or politics, when I see a member of any service, be it Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, or USCG, I salute them (even though I am a civilian - I hope that is OK), and shake their hands, and say "thank you for your service", and ANY AMERICAN SHOULD TOO!!! Whatever your politics, religion, social status, race, creed or color, this is the least you can do for them.