Governor Patrick blames GOAL AGAIN for holding up his unconstitutional legislation

[GOAL C.M.]

Gun Control, the Common Enemy

June 3, 2010

There are currently two groups of people in Massachusetts that share a common enemy. The first group consists of the victims of violent crimes and their families. The second group is the law abiding citizens who are simply trying to exercise their civil rights. It should be clear to all that we cannot compare the tragic loss of life on our city streets due to violent crimes to the burdensome oppressive laws regarding lawful firearm ownership. Still, it should be equally clear that both groups share a common enemy and its name is “gun control”.

In 1998 the Massachusetts legislature passed the Gun Control Act, more commonly referred to as “Chapter 180”. Those of us who fought the battle against this misguided new social experiment called gun control can still hear the echoes of the false promises made by its proponents. Remember the press conferences where they claimed we would be leading the nation in common sense gun control legislation while still respecting the rights of lawful gun owners?

More than a decade later criminal violence with firearms has risen at an alarming rate in Massachusetts. At the same time, licensed gun ownership has been decreased by nearly 85%. Those few left that are legally able to own a gun live under a set of laws, regulations and policies that are incomprehensible. One thing that should be abundantly clear to everyone is that the Commonwealth has over a decade of evidence that proves beyond any doubt that gun control is a failure.

Just yesterday the Governor of the Commonwealth said this: Governor Deval Patrick on NECN Broadside June 2, 2010: “We haven’t got any tools in place in terms of how we control the flow of illegal guns, how we deal with these dangerousness hearings, which is something we have proposed, for people who commit crimes using a gun…and the gun lobby is so prominent, so present up on Beacon Hill that we can’t even have a conversation about it, a serious debate in the legislature about it and that bothers me…”

read the rest on goal.org

Apparently, we, being the law abiding citizens of Massachusetts are "starting to bother" him!!

 

[one-eyed Jack]

If you can't clean up your own act, you point the finger. Jack.

 

[Bob P]

You're known by your enemies. Good Job GOAL!

 

[BBQ.Uncle]

Nice job GOAL and all those who support them!

 

[jasons]

Thank you GOAL!

 

[wolf223]

..

 

[PaulD]

GOAL is that prominent on Beacon Hill? Seriously?

 

[MisterHappy]

GOAL is that prominent on Beacon Hill? Seriously?

Gotta have someone to blame!

Actually, there is no home-grown "anti-gun lobby" in Mass. (AFAIK), just national ones. So, by default,
GOAL is uncontested in the 2A lobbying category. Just as NRA views Mass as a more-or-less lost cause,
IMO most national-level Anti goups have bigger fish to fry....and let's face it, Bloomberg and Daley are now
the public faces of the Antis, and they have to shout about places other than Mass to distract attention from
how well things are going in their own playpens.

Most Mass legislators, if not strongly pro- or anti-2A will bow to the political wind, and currently, guns are
not as big an issue as no jobs, no state revenue, and everyone on Beacon Hill worried that the "Throw the
Bums Out" movement is on the way.

GOAL does an excellent job of leveraging the current situation for the pest possible results (note that I didn't
say "good results" )

 

[cb1]

GOAL is that prominent on Beacon Hill? Seriously?

GOAL is very visible in the State House. Also, the "gun lobby" that Patrick is referring to is comprised of gun owners, not industry lobbyists. Threads like EC's mail challenge can be much more effective than you think. If a few key legislators say "no way, I'm not touching that!", a bill can be left dead in the water rather easily.

 

[lupis42]

Keep it up!

 

[RadiCS]

thank you!

BTW... Braude is such an ahole!!

 

[knucklehead]

Thank You GOAL!!!

 

[Titan]

Deval seems to share at least one trait with Obama....dislike for anytime the people actually have a voice in the process!

 

[gene]

Deval seems to share at least one trait with Obama....dislike for anytime the people actually have a voice in the process!

And blaming other people for his failures!

 

[Blitz1]

=

WAAAAHHHH.

 

[dwarven1]

Un-frakking-believable.

Just had a little discussion with "Bianca", the Patrick aide that I talked to last week. (Hey, go figure... she said that she remembered me!! Somehow, I'm not surprised...)

After [STRIKE]beating my head against the wall[/STRIKE] talking to her a bit, I point-blank asked her why Patrick had never met with Jim Wallace, and why he was trying to ignore GOAL. She said that she was sure that if GOAL had sent in a request in writing for a meeting, they would have responded. I read her Jim's comments and emailed her the following missive:

Bianca,

This is part of the text that was posted on the Gun Owner's Action League website in response to the Governor's comments on NECN yesterday. I find it particularly dismaying that although the "gun lobby is so prominent, so present up on Beacon Hill" Governor Patrick doesn't even have the common courtesy to MEET with the "gun lobby". That would be Mr. Jim Wallace of GOAL. Note below where he mentions that Gov. Patrick has refused to even MEET with him.

Frankly, this is very dismaying to me - it's apparent that not only is Deval Patrick an ardent proponent of disarming the people, he hasn't even bothered to LEARN the gun laws in this state before setting out on this crusade of his. If he'd met with Mr Wallace, he'd understand why the gun laws we currently have are so horrible and so useless.

I would like to know why the Governor doesn't meet with the "gun lobby". Frankly, I find it unconscionable that the Governor is ignoring a large segment of his constituents. He's supposed to represent ALL of us... not just the ones who can give him the best sound bites in the media.

I look forward to hearing that your office has reached out to Mr Wallace and scheduled an appointment with him to hear what the LAW-ABIDING citizens of the Commonwealth have to say.

Ross
Marlboro, MA

"The Second Amendment isn't about protecting ourselves against criminals. It's about all of us protecting ourselves from all of you." Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp to Congressman Charles Schumer (D-NY), 1994
from http://goal.org/newspages/enemy.html

Just yesterday the Governor of the Commonwealth said this: Governor Deval Patrick on NECN Broadside June 2, 2010: “We haven’t got any tools in place in terms of how we control the flow of illegal guns, how we deal with these dangerousness hearings, which is something we have proposed, for people who commit crimes using a gun…and the gun lobby is so prominent, so present up on Beacon Hill that we can’t even have a conversation about it, a serious debate in the legislature about it and that bothers me…”

So after a decade of living under one of the most oppressive set of gun laws in the nation the Governor is telling us that there are no laws that deal with illegal gun trafficking? If this is the case, then what were the 79 sections of laws about passed in 1998? We’ve gone through all of this for nothing? The answer is yes we have. Lawful gun owners and victims of criminal violence have known that from the start. The shame of it all is that certain political leaders are just starting to figure it out. Perhaps even more shameful is that those who are finally realizing that gun control hasn’t worked are actually calling for more of it.

As for having a conversation or serious debate on the issue, quite frankly the Governor is the only one not involved. Ever since he took office nearly four years ago the Governor’s office has refused every request for a meeting. We have even tried to meet with the Lt. Governor if the Governor didn’t want to meet with us and we never even got the courtesy of a response.

The lack of communication is so bad with his office that when first elected, I approached his legislative office to introduce myself and establish communication with his administration. It has been the only time in my career that I had my business card handed back to me and was told we had nothing to talk about.

[snip]

In case he missed it last time, we don’t lobby for guns, we lobby for people to protect their civil rights and improve public safety. Perhaps the Governor would know that too if he was involved in the conversation.

The contact information is:
Gun Owners' Action League
37 Pierce Street
PO Box 567
Northboro, MA 01532
Phone: (508) 393-5333
Fax: (508) 393-5222

Be interesting to see what response, if any, comes of this.

I'll bet that Patrick's staffers are rooting for me to find another job, so I won't have the time to call them up and harass them.

 

[Navy Moose]

Bravo Zulu guys!!! Deval has the deer in headlights look. Keep it up!!

 

[GOAL C.M.]

Thanks everyone, tomorrow we will post our weekly "Video News" with Jim's response to Deval, it's great stuff!

 

[yanici]

Thanks everyone, tomorrow we will post our weekly "Video News" with Jim's response to Deval, it's great stuff!

Take Dwarvin's route and send a copy of the video to the Gov'. BTW, + REPS to you Ross.

 

[crazymjb]

Honestly the BEST solution to this problem would be to get him to sit down and actually take some time to learn about this legislation. I know its a dream, and as many problems as I have with the guy, this is a non-partisan bill with non-partisan support if he would jump on-board it would be a great help to our cause. As much as we like to rail against him for ignoring it, his ignoring it really doesn't help us.

Mike

 

[Scrivener]

Whenever a politician can't get his - or HER - way, it is always the work of Dark Forces strangling Progress; evil lobbyists thwarting the Will of the People.

Especially when it IS "The People' who oppose the hack's agenda.

 

[daveyburt]

goal just earned another $25.

Thank you GOAL!!

 

[dwarven1]

NRA class tomorrow through Sunday. Diploma to NRA on Monday, then when I get that mail that off to MASP. The very day I get my MA certification (I'm guessing it'll be in August sometime), I will be sending a WRITTEN invitation to Governor Patrick to take the basic safety class, on me.

I'll let you know if he accepts.

 

[yanici]

NRA class tomorrow through Sunday. Diploma to NRA on Monday, then when I get that mail that off to MASP. The very day I get my MA certification (I'm guessing it'll be in August sometime), I will be sending a WRITTEN invitation to Governor Patrick to take the basic safety class, on me.

I'll let you know if he accepts.

I've got a feeling that the Gov' ain't gonna like you.



This is Dwarvin

 

[Chris]

He Won't. None of them will. I used to send such letters to virtually every state office there was and not once had anyone take me up on it.

The ones that KNOW the score don't need it and the ones that don't are actually proud of their ignorance.

GOAL used to go to them and set up an education session IN the statehouse and never got much of an attendance.

But don't let me persuade you to not try. Who knows, stranger things have happened. (^_^)

 

[Mike S]

Here is the video of Deval on "Broadside"

Note the facial expressions and the absolute disgust written all over his face.
[video]http://www.necn.com/06/02/10/Broadside-Gov-Patrick-on-immigration-Bos/landing_politics.html?blockID=245869&feedID=4212[/video]

Braude's assertions are racist and disgusting.

 

[terraformer]

Just yesterday the Governor of the Commonwealth said this: Governor Deval Patrick on NECN Broadside June 2, 2010: “We haven’t got any tools in place in terms of how we control the flow of illegal guns, how we deal with these dangerousness hearings, which is something we have proposed, for people who commit crimes using a gun…and the gun lobby is so prominent, so present up on Beacon Hill that we can’t even have a conversation about it, a serious debate in the legislature about it and that bothers me…”

I am more than happy to have a serious debate on the topic. I have met with my reps and other reps to discuss the issue. I am happy to do the same with him. Name the time and the place Gov Patrick.

 

[Scrivener]

Here is the video of Deval on "Broadside"

Note the facial expressions and the absolute disgust written all over his face..

Note that one of Patrick's former friends in the Senate is back in the news:

Mass. pol who stuffed money in bra pleads guilty

6/3/2010 4:10:00 PM
Associated Press/AP Online

By DENISE LAVOIE

BOSTON - A former state senator who was captured on video stuffing bribe money into her sweater and bra pleaded guilty Thursday in a federal corruption case that could send her to prison for up to four years.

Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, a Boston Democrat who was once a rising political star, entered the pleas to eight counts of attempted extortion at a hearing in U.S. District Court just weeks before her trial was set to begin.

Wilkerson was arrested in October 2008 and accused of taking $23,500 in bribes to help get a liquor license for a nightclub and an undercover agent posing as a businessman who wanted to develop state property.

She faced a total of 32 charges. Under the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining 24 counts.

 

[terraformer]

Here is the video of Deval on "Broadside"

Note the facial expressions and the absolute disgust written all over his face.
[video]http://www.necn.com/06/02/10/Broadside-Gov-Patrick-on-immigration-Bos/landing_politics.html?blockID=245869&feedID=4212[/video]

Braude's assertions are racist and disgusting.

From that page.

When asked if he had personal knowledge of an immigrant neighbor, who was illegally receiving benefits, Governor Patrick said he would turn his neighbor in.

That's a hollow threat given who his neighbors are...

 

[Mike S]

Scriv, didn't EX Senator Wilkerson originally scream "Racism" and plead that she was innocent?

I seem to remember something along that line from her.