Hmmm. Whooda thunk it? A CBSNews.com blog is blasting Mike Wallace for being hopelessly anti-gun and appearing at a Brady Bunch fundraiser in "attack Charlton Heston" mode. Kind of surprising. Is there hope for CBS? I doubt it. I see the implications against Wallace as more far-reaching than an inability to report on gun control. He didn't fail at being objective about guns - he failed at being objective, PERIOD. And I can't give CBS too many kudos for "allowing a cbsnews.com blog" to take Wallace to mild task. It's a way of satisfying the internet crowd (the noisemakers) while not reporting anything about it to Grandma & Grandpa who never see anything but the 7 o'clock news. CBS should be reporting the issue in their newscasts, discussing it in their talking-head shows. Otherwise, this will be quickly forgotten, as it was when Dan did the same thing in 2001. Something in the CBS water? If CBS News were anything but a shell of news organization, it would strive to maintain (or re-establish) it's credibility by acknowledging the problems these "old school" journalists have in dealing with the internet as a news source. Now, the internet "ain't poifect" (hey, it was created by ALGORE! :-) but does provide a path for certain undeniable truths to shine through for more Americans - like BOTH GUN CONTROL AND DECEPTIVE MEDIA ARE BAD THINGS. If CBS (or ABC or NBC or CNN or...) were smart, it would turn all this embarrasment into an "opportunity" and publicly retool into something that isn't weighted down by has-been political idealogues of the '60's - and do it loudly. Give FOX News a run for it's money over the airwaves (don't need cable or satellite for the big 3). And even FOX News seems to do little else anymore but over-report disaster and "missing blond" news. But when they do touch on guns, it's fair and balanced. Hey, if a conservative talk radio station can startup in the San Francisco Bay Area (KSFO AM 560), and actually SPROUT competition (KNEW AM 910), anything can happen. Well, except maybe CBS becoming more fair and balanced.

 

07/13/2001	U.N. Conference Opens With Strong Warning From U.S. "...John R. Bolton, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, soon made it perfectly clear that the United States would not support any proposal that threatened our Right to Keep and Bear Arms..." Matching Terms: [bolton]   More like this.
07/20/2001	U.N. Conference On "Small Arms" Continues Beyond Deadline "...Bolton's statement was a reaction to the conference's initial "Draft Programme of Action" that included measures that would restrict the legal manufacture and transfer of firearms..." Matching Terms: [bolton]   More like this.
07/27/2001	UN Conference Closes After Marathon Negotiations "...And when all was said and done, and the final "Programme" was agreed to, Conference President Camilo Reyes Rodriguez of Columbia stated he was disappointed with the conference's 'inability to agree'..." Matching Terms: [bolton]   More like this.

 

While a change in NRA's presidential leaderhip always draws great attention, it also brings new First and Second Vice President elections. NRAWinningTeam.com is pleased to announce that John Sigler was elected First Vice-President and Ronald Schmeitz was the board's choice for Second Vice-President. Congratulations to both of these strong NRA leaders as well as the entire board, Wayne LaPierre and his excellent executive team! Our association has never run smoother or been more successful in shoring up the Second Amenment and returning America to a nation that once again appreciates and values our firearms heritage. The weakness of Sarah Brady's partners in Congress is testimony to the skill of Chris Cox and his ILA team. Perhaps this national momentum will help prod some of the more backward states like California, Illinois and New Jersey to be a bit more progressive and realistic in their outlook toward crime, personal protection and the important role their law-abiding citizenry can play in controlling those problems. When that process begins, our country will truly be starting to fill in the larger cracks that have formed in the concrete of the Second Amendment over the last 4 decades.

 

NRA leadership changed expectedly in Houston, with the transfer of the presidential gavel from Kayne B. Robinson to Sandra S. Froman. Kayne Robinson As an extremely successful NRA president, Kayne's legacy is his vision - Free Hunters - a program designed to protect the national health of hunting, to restore and maintain ready access to hunting areas and remove governmental obstacles that exist to restrict and even destroy our hunting heritage for future generations. As First Vice-President, Kayne supported President Charlton Heston during his unprecendented 5 year term by assuming many of the day-to-day administrative duties of the president, leaving Mr. Heston free to advance NRA as only he could - in the public eye. Sandy Froman Sandra Froman may be the second woman president of our association, but she is as unique an individual as you will find in our movement. It's hard to imagine as workable a combination of "tough" and "nice" - tough enough to run the oldest and most powerful civil rights organization in the world and nice enough to prefer "Sandy". An accomplished attorney in her own right, Sandy has risen to the top position at NRA in an incredibly short time. In what will surely set the liberal media seriously off balance, Sandy is a truly friendly person but speaks from a reassuring directness. In volunteer meetings, I've seen Sandy often stress the advantage of convincing gun-owning women to speak up about the importance of their right to self-defense and the ability to exercise that right. "Sorry guys, one woman is worth five of you when speaking to lawmakers," she states matter-of-factly. She should know. Sandy is quick to relate the experience that sparked her involvement in the Second Amendment movement years ago, before she ever owned a gun. Waking alone to the unmistakable sound of someone breaking into her home in the middle of the night, Sandy cried out to her neighbors for help through an open window. She was amazed at the lack of response she received - that is, absolutely none - not even a call to 911. Luckily, the criminal was deterred that night by her rucus, but the realization of what could have easily happened struck like lightning. Certainly, a fire was set because as much as any American in history, Sandy declared "Never Again!" Today, her leadership helps men and women keep themselves and their families safe all across our great nation.

 

Ok, I'm accepting reality. The days of Edward R. Morrow are dead. Forget about "Journalism" presenting facts without bias. Today, one can find "journalists" who will openly justify injecting their opinion into their news reports. Today, those who defend once-respected news outlets like CBS sound nieve or worse. "Buyer beware" has come home to journalism with a vengeance and those who do not put a little effort into staying informed... won't. So I hope these "New Journalism" opinion makers are paying close attention to the case of Springfield, Illinois Million Mom March president Annette "Flirty" Stevens, who (to quote the Springfield State Journal-Register) "...was arrested last week when police allegedly found an illegal gun and drugs in her home..." FULL ARTICLE The story bears attention because it really should change opinions - those of anti-gun reporters and their willing audience. But don't believe me - just consider these highlights from the news report... "...The handgun... had a scratched-off serial number..." "...Authorities said they obtained a search warrant for the residence as part of an ongoing investigation of a recent series of drive-by shootings..." "...Stevens has a "close connection" with one of two feuding groups involved in the shootings, Lt. Rickey Davis said Monday. Stevens, 47... admitted she does know some of the people allegedly involved in the drive-by shootings..." "...[D]etectives working on the drive-by cases... began taking a closer look at Stevens after her name came up in interviews with witnesses and informants..." "...Since her son's death, Stevens has become involved in the anti-gun-violence movement..." "...Friday's discoveries could lead to her being charged with defacing the identification marks on a handgun, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and having no valid firearm owner's ID card, police said..." Now fellow gun-owners, please consider the number of rules, regulations and laws that affect us as we simply endeavor to enjoy our sport. Think of the consequences of simple mistakes - selling the wrong type of gun the wrong way, or making a mistake on a form when buying a gun. Either subjects us to at least one felony charge, and most likely more. The poor Americans that get caught in gun control traps can easily face a $5000 attorney fee to clear their name - and that's the GOOD outcome! Consider that California has banned .22 target pistols of the type used in the Olympics and has prevented many of our brethern from enjoying some firearms because of cosmetic features. Most recently, the California legislature and prominent Republican Governor Arnold Shwarzeneggar banned a type of single-shot bolt-action rifle! Of course, my fellow gun-owners don't need to be reminded of these facts because we are the victims of the political games that cause law-abiding citizens to lose freedom while criminals are upheld as role models. No, it's the "NEW Journalism" opinion makers of today that need to pay attention. Ok - you want to change the world. Murrow is dead. At least you can try to search for the truth, can't you? It's not that hard, really. In fact, the truth is screaming in silence in the above news story.

 

I've always thought that Second Amendment activists who question the President's commitment to our Right-To-Keep-And-Bear-Arms because of his statements regarding "assault weapons" (AWs)... well, they just didn't listen very closely. It's ironic that seasoned political animals who normally take everything politicians say with at least 400 lbs. of salt suddenly go on a salt-free diet when one of our own says something that doesn't sound "party line" - so quick to take it all at face value and believe the worst. To my knowledge, the only thing the President ever said regarding AW's is "If it gets on my desk, I will sign it." Gun-owners of little faith immediately saw this as a betrayal, but the only subtext that I've ever heard in those words was a challenge to Sarah Brady. To me, "If it gets on my desk..." always translated to "If you can manage to get an AW ban through a GOP House and a GOP senate, with all I'm going to do behind the scenes to stop it..." Of course, it is a challenge that was voiced at a crucial time - when Mr. Bush was under the microscope of an anti-gun media in his 2000 campaign, being contrasted with Algore's penchant to continue Clinton's dastardly anti-freedom work. And I don't think Mr. Bush ever expounded on or explained his challenge, but merely repeated it verbatim when asked about it. IMO, we are LUCKY that Mr. Bush's words were MIS-interpreted by the press to mean he supported the AW ban. After all, that misconception may have cost Algore the election, having confused voters who would have voted against a pro-gun candidate. WHAT "L-U-C-K" (that is, if you believe in L-U-C-K.) And IMO, we're LUCKY that the press still hadn't figured it out on Sept. 13 last year. Oh, the antis tried to clear up the misconception, with their charges that the President was quietly working against the AW ban while still publicly parroting that badly-worded sentence "If it gets on my desk..." (We all know the President has linguistic problems sometimes :-) So when I hear a Bush nominee up before the senate state that they support the President's position on the AW ban, I think I hear a completely different message than gun activists who have opted for that salt-free diet. I respond with a "You go, dude..."

 

NRAWinningTeam.com mourns the passing of Second Amendment legend Neal Knox and offers our deepest condolences to the Knox family. Neal was a Southern Gentleman who defended rights with the roar of a lion. I came to look forward to Neal's warm handshake and greeting at the annual meetings. At left, the last time I had the pleasure - Reno 2002. Neal was in his natural element, addressing the membership. Here, he complimented another NRA leader. Millions mourn today.