In Other News From The Wild, Wacky World of Guns

Since the last post is basically a couple of "guns are for kooks" stories I thought I'd give the NRA a fair shake and post what is listed on their site as their top news story. If you want the fabulous framing photo of hot babes with rifles, fathers and sons bonding after having just executed a deer, and, of course, the White House, go to the link for the full media experience.

For the record, I have no problem with a law-abiding gun user keeping a gun in their house for protection, hunting, or blowing innocent soda cans off a fence as long as it's not my fence. The gun users I have a problem with are the millions who are NOT in the NRA, and that is who the majority of legislation is aimed at. I'd like to read more about how the NRA is going to help cut down on criminal misuse of the Second Amendment -- I'm sure no one is standing up and testifying for muggers', drug runners' and bank robbers' right to bear arms. Are they? And if so that couldn't possibly be because that's who gun dealers are actually selling to, could it? Nah.

As a crazy liberal, that's actually all I'm asking for, no bullets through my window or through my friends. I'll be looking that up soon.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=2482



ELECTION 2006 RE-CAP

Thursday, November 09, 2006

On November 7, 2006, the American electorate took out its frustration and anger on the Republican Party and turned over control of Congress, not to mention governors’ mansions and majorities in several state legislatures, to the Democrats. Importantly, however, on a day that saw voters expressing dissatisfaction over conduct of the war, over political corruption and over competency to govern, Americans cast their votes for record numbers of pro-gun candidates, both Democrat and Republican.
Many of the newly elected office holders pledged their support of the Second Amendment while on the campaign trail. They got elected when voters took them at their word. Those same voters, which certainly include first and foremost NRA members, will be closely watching them to make sure they walk the walk as well as talk the talk. NRA will make sure opportunities for tests of true intentions are not long in coming.
Change in Washington, D.C., will be very real. Extreme opponents of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms have been elevated to seats of power, especially in the House of Representatives, where Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker and John Conyers is set to take over the powerful Judiciary Committee. Anti-gunners will also assume the chairs of important sub-committees. The power shift is balanced in part by the fact that Second Amendment champion, and former NRA Board Member John Dingell, the longest serving member in the House, is set to regain the reins of the Energy and Commerce Committee and will be a powerful voice for gun owners rights among his colleagues. Pro-gun Democrats will also chair some very relevant committees and sub-committees.
There will be battles ahead, and, with the 2008 elections on the ever-nearing horizon, NRA members and their fellow gun owners must remain ever vigilant. We must let our representatives, both Democrat and Republican, know one thing: we expect our Second Amendment rights to be respected.
Again, thank you for all you have done this election year, and all you will continue to do in the future.

Score Two for Texas

With apologies to my dear friends in Austin. I know, I know, the red states have blue veins but they also have an awful lot of bright, bloody red.

From today's Reuters:

Lawmaker Aims To Allow the Blind to Hunt http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=&storyid=2006-12-12T154047Z_01_N11175774_RTRUKOC_0_US-BLIND-HUNTERS.xml&src=nl_usoddlyenough

Real Estate Agent Gives Guns to Homebuyers http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=&storyid=2006-12-12T135303Z_01_N11282317_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-GUN.xml&src=nl_usoddlyenough

Thanks to Drew for the tip!

Dude, I really have to get back to work, but --

Every blogger in the world should sign up for this, and speak up in this p.r. educational session for how to deal with the baffling scary blogsphere. One of the speakers actually has "Kryptonite" in their job title, which is sort of meta-genius and also just a bit funny.

From the Bulldog Reporter:

<
What to do when a blogger sandbags your company, news or CEO? What’s the smartest — and most fruitful — way to build long-term relationships with bloggers in your space now . . . before crisis strikes? Join Bulldog Reporter’s PR University for an exclusive panel of blog-savvy crisis communicators to learn the answers to these and many more critical questions designed to demystify the blogosphere — and to give you the proven step-by-step tools, tactics and techniques you need to respond to online rumors and detractors so you can protect and promote your brand online with greater confidence and success. >>

http://www.bulldogreporter.com/conferences/crisisonline-reg.html?s=crisisonline-email

The Great Myanmar Debate

From today's Onion.

As an aside, I'd rather see a baked potato named man of the year than the guys who invented YouTube, who didn't invent YouTube this year but sold it to Google for more money than they deserved, setting off a frenzy of bullshit Web 2.0 companies in the tech sector. I'm all for Web 2.0, but I'm not for a tulip fiasco. Anyhoo--

Dictator Slays Millions In Last-Minute Push To Be Time's Man Of The Year

YANGON, MYANMAR Although Than Shwe is considered a sadistic and merciless tyrant within the borders of Myanmar, his human-rights abuses have long been ignored in the international media.

What's actually up with Than Shwe http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Than_Shwe&oldid=93916121