If you're the NRA, the right to bear arms trumps the right to free speech.
NBC...Natalie Merchant...The New York Times...Dustin Hoffman...NOW...Oprah Winfrey...the League of Women Voters. What do all these folks have in common? Not all that much really, save for their inclusion on the NRA Blacklist. Of course, I could (and probably should) be upset that I'm not only the list, but then again I'm just an insignificant, obscure Liberal with a weblog and a poor attitude.
They're all on a 19-page blacklist of "anti-gun" individuals, including authors, religious organizations, businesses and celebrities compiled by the National Rifle Association.
THE NRA IS OUT OF CONTROL!!
The NRA hopes you'll keep your mouth shut- while it buys and bullies Congress into two outrageous favors:
OUTRAGE #1: Ending the Assault Weapons Ban that's made our streets safer for the past decade. The NRA wants Congress to legalize military-style semi-automatic weapons- lethat killing machines that can put 12 slugs in a cop's body in two seconds.
OUTRAGE#2: Slamming the courthouse door shut on the victims of gun crimes. The NRA wants to protect gun makers and dealers from virtually all civil lawsuits- even when the put guns in the hands of criminals and terrorists. That means notorious dealers like Bull's Eye Shooter Supply- which managed to "lose" 238 guns, armed the DC snipers and sold guns used by thugs in at least 52 other crimes- will go scot-free.
Now, I will grant you that the rhetoric in the diatribe might be a bit gamy, but it essentially hits the point. The NRA IS out of control, and it has been for years. What I find particularly objectionable is the NRA's willingness to intrude on the free speech rights of individuals and, potentially, their livelihoods as well.
It would be easy to pass this off as merely the work of Right-Wing Nutcases with too many money and an axe to grind. To do so may be humorous, but it would also miss the point. This is the National Rifle Association that we're talking about- the single most powerful Right-Wing Nutcase lobby in this country. Let's not minimize the threat here. The NRA is committed to the creation of a gun culture that knows no limits. If they have to impose on someone's livelihood or their free-speech rights to do so, they see it as a means to an end and little more than a cost of doing business.
Politically speaking, the NRA has turned into the 800-pound gorilla. It has pocketed politicians, and it sees no crimes or immorality in taking whatever steps it "needs" to in order to further their cause. Corrupt, venal, and intolerant of anything that doesn't serve it's purpose, when the NRA coughs, Congress catches a cold.
Even as big and politically powerful as the NRA is, their blacklist cannot flourish in the light of day. Once reasonable people learn of their tactics, the blacklist will cease to be an effective political tool. Such tyranny deserves to be exposed for what it is.
I grew up with an NRA sticker on the front door of our house. I never fully understood the agenda of the NRA as a kid, but now that I do, I am ashamed to admit that my family supported, and still supports, the NRA. Reasonable people should know better, and until reasonable people shine enough light on these cockroaches, they will continue to have their way.
