Newbies who question our gun rights dedication.

[Nickle]

Add Wayne to the list of those that are bailing, not just talking.

Good job and GREAT offer, Wayne.

 

[arlow]

I don't know arlow you sound like a closet liberal to me...

Nah, I just believe when life throws you a lemon (or two in this case) you should try to make lemonade.

 

[dwarven1]

Now, I can tell you that I'm only slightly more polite than the Dwarven1, my esteemed colleague, is.

Sorry if I offended... no, wait... No, I'm not sorry.

If I offended you... think about whether what I'm saying applies to you. If all you're doing is complaining here on NES, where most folks agree with you... well, masturbation would accomplish as much and make you feel better, too.

Get off of that chair and do something. Whether it's writing letters to the editor, calling into the Tom Finneran show and challenging the ridiculous BS that he spouts, or volunteering at the Appleseed Project like Nickle, myself and several others on this board do, do SOMETHING.

Or do you want your children growing up and learning what it's like living in a pure socialist environment, not knowing about the rights that our ancestors fought for? I don't have children, but I have lots of nieces and nephews - I'm doing this for them.

What are YOU doing?

I'd like to think of myself as bailing too. I'm just got NRA certified and have two committed students already. I have donated to the NRA, GOAL, and I sent another $10 to Carla Howell this morning. I'm on the roles of Pro-Gun NH and Grass Roots SC. I have sent letters and made calls to politicians (I can't call them representatives), and reporters.

And I will do this, here now. If anybody reading this is Green and knows someone who wants an LTC but is strapped for money - out of work, behind in mortgage, whatever, I will give up to 4 of them a Home Firearms Safety Class for FREE provided they join GOAL (at their expense) when they can afford it. I can schedule this for sometime in September on a weeknight, will be in the North Attleboro area.

I'm a new instructor, inexperienced, but I'll give it my all for them.

Please PM me.

There's a man that's bailing with both hands, and with damn big buckets, too. +1 for you, Wayne. When I finally get a chance to meet you I'd like to be able to shake your hand.

 

[MassMark]

I'm in day 3 of a nasty little virus - feel like someone reached in and took the better parts of my soul out and crumbled them up. I've been meaning to respond to this thread, but was worried I'd say something stupid in the throws of a 101 fever - though normal temp guarantees nothing when it comes to me and saying something stupid.... On Sunday night, I answered a phone call which I was at first certain was a tele-marketer. It turned out to be a pollster for the Associated Press. Questions ranged from social to constitutional and it was a chilling reminder about just how far away from the political mainstream I really am....

I've always considered myself a "man without a country" politically. Raised mostly by a true Liberal, (not what they have become today), my mother instilled in me a sense of social consciousness and charity - that government was by the people and for the people. Though a staunch Democrat, I remember my mother sitting in our kitchen and weeping when Richard Nixon gave his resignation speech - tears seemed to simultaneously stream when President Nixon declared: "my mother was a saint" - she loved him. I suppose what my mother taught me was to embrace the best in all people - regardless of race, religion, ideals. This seemed to mix well with a conservative minded father, who taught me a love of country, history, the sacrifices of our forefathers and the endurance of freedom. Blend this in with my mothers father - a true "Swamp Yankee" and the stage was set for a political mix which I did not know then would torture me so now....

At nearly 43, I have been floating out here on the political fringes - somehow holding onto hope that someone would come along with "change I can believe in". I have stood by and watched as one administration after the other prostituted themselves for the insatiable hunger of power. From Reagan and what seemed to be an obsession for mistruth, to George Bush Senior bumbling away what gains were made under his predecessor, to Bill Clinton flat-out disgracing the office and still smelling like a rose, to GWs failures after 9/11 and seemingly leading this country down a path to stupidity - I sit here twisting in the political breeze, staring at CNN and two more "choices" put forth like a burnt Thanksgiving dinner. I sit here jaded with the memories of hopeful sparks in the past. Ross Perot and his infamous "charts" gave me hope that there was someone from the center who "got it" - sadly, it all went away when it became all to clear he was totally insane. Little flickers since then from the Independent movement, but nothing which would ignite the fire. Then came Ron Paul - someone whom, except in a few areas, speaks to my beliefs. I thought surely this would be it - legions of the politically hopeless, true Democrats, disenfranchised Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, blacks, whites, hispanics - all would be marching under the Ron paul banner - how silly a thought that was. Now I can only watch and keep my fingers crossed that Bob Barr will gain enough percentages to at last free up much needed funds for a serious third party run in 2012. The one quote from Barr which rings true in my soul is that "the two-party system has left the US in a constitutional wilderness". And still, November looms....

Once again, I will be left with "choices" - of voting for the lesser of two evils. It has been that way since the first moment I pulled the lever. In my heart, I feel that if Barack Obama is elected - especially with a conservatively weak house and senate - we're screwed. I would not in fact be surprised if an Obama presidency sparks a revolution - though at the same time, I think there are far too many who talk the talk, but don't march to their own words.... I also think that if McCain gets the political nod, we're less screwed - but screwed nonetheless. He's touted as being a "maverick" - I see him more as a panderer. So, in November I will trudge down to town hall and once again fulfill my duty and honor as a free American, step behind the curtain and be forced to cast yet another vote for someone whose screwing will hurt me the least....

And still, I hope. There's this piece of me - perhaps born from my mother, reinforced by my father, (who has turned sadly into a Liberal the likes of which you cannot fathom - another story) and cemented by 'Pop' Ed Pratt - the Swamp Yankee, which yearns for a return to liberty and holds out for a day when we may be guided by a person whose principles are not outweighed by a thirst for power and the whims of the special interests. Someone for whom the dreams of our forefathers and the men and women who have spilled their blood for the sake of freedom from tyranny will be remembered, honored and adhered to. In the darkness I fear this to never be, but deep within there still remains this light. However dim, it serves to remind me that as long as I breathe and live and dream, a day of true representation is indeed possible. It will not however happen without effort and sacrifices within me. I have played from the sidelines and the armchair for too long. I now task to seek out those weary of dreams unrealized - tired and ashamed of the lies from the tablecloth and desperate for change. True change, born from the soul - not from the desk of a campaign manager, speechwriter, lobbyist or advertising executive. I am beginning to feel this fire and with it the knowledge that I may not be on this journey alone....

 

[Ray-500]

First, you are oh so wrong on this one. We will survive. It has happened already, been that way for YEARS. I will concede that we are in a world of hurt. Now, I can tell you that I'm only slightly more polite than the Dwarven1, my esteemed colleague, is. Well, that's going to end somewhat. I hereby CHALLENGE each of you to do SOMETHING other than sit and bitch about it. (Yes, that includes you, Ray and Clinotious.) Get out there and start waking people up. Don't just throw money at the situation, either, because that isn't what is needed. What is NEEDED is people to get out there and educate the sleeping masses. An analogy I've heard compares the US to the Titanic. We've hit an iceberg, so to say. Well, we don't need Ice Berg watchers any more. We need people to get out of the deck chairs and start bailing. I'm bailing, as is Ross and a few others on this forum. Are you going to join us, or just sit there and pontificate on the matter of the ship sinking? Want to know how to start bailing? Ask us. We're organized and ready to go. We're already bailing like mad, with people joining us EVERY day. And we're even bailing on a NATIONAL level. So, just exactly WHAT are YOU doing about the situation? Tell me about it, I really want to hear WHAT you folks are doing about things. Dwarven1, Martlet, Crak, Mr Twigg and myself are teaching people to shoot, and teaching them about their heritage, and getting them bailing. We don't make money doing it, either. Some other folks, like Derek are helping support that. Still more are working towards joining us. The rest of you?

Who is the "us" you speak of? What is your organization that is "ready to go"? In any social situation I do not hide my views and am an unabashed conservative. I have trained people in the past and continue to do so when the opportunity presents. Have been a CPI, CRI, CSI, and HFS. Have never made a penny teaching anyone anything about marksmanship or expressing my views about our heritage. Qualified many people for LTC....gratis. My ammo, my targets, my cost, my time. Was done in the interest of promoting our rights. Who the hell are you to challenge me to anything? I find your remarks self-centered and offensive.

 

[Nickle]

Ray, not to be sarcastic, but, read my signature line.

That's the group Iwork with, primarily.

Just so you know, it looks like you're already bailing, so you're meeting the challenge anyways.

Who am I to challenge people?

Just another concerned citizen. No better or worse than anybody else. But, like you, I'm bailing.