-> GP> How about NRA supporting the Terror Bill & its destruction of the
-> GP> Bill of Rights . . . . . . . . just last month!?
->
-> I'm not going to try to defend it because I didn't agree with that
-> decision. I was opposed to the bill because its bad parts outweighed
-> its good parts. The problem is - it *was* a judgment call.
Hmmn.  Most of us here are used to calling or writing our reps and
giving them a piece of our mind.  How many of us call or write the NRA
and tell whether we want them to oppose or support a piece of
legislation?
-> I'd like to see the NRA taking a more pro-active role in legislation
-> like this. If it can be prevented from being introduced, we don't
-> have to worry about defeating it.
Technically speaking, ANY member can introduce ANY legislation they want
and there is no way to prevent it. (I fully expect some of these idiots
to try to solve the "problem" of children falling out of trees by
introducing legislation to repeal the law of gravity  . . . sigh)
What CAN be done is to encourage the committees to table these bills or
send them out "for more study" or whatever rather than send them to the
full body for a debate and vote.
-> Our problem in doing this, however, is the current Republican
-> leadership still includes people like Henry Hyde who are anti-gun.
True, but if you can reach enough of the committee members, you can work
around this.
-> I think the key to dealing with this problem lies in grassroots
-> organization.
It's gonna take a lot more activism than we've seen so far, that's for
sure.
The problem, Dan, as I see it, is this.  Congressional incumbents are
now running PERPETUAL re-election campaigns.  Campaigns are almost
completely about slogans and soundbites, not issues.  No incumbent wants
to give his opponent a soundbite to use against him.
The so called "Communications Decency Act" that was recently overturned
by the Philadelphia court is a perfect example.  It should have been
obvious to anyone with half a brain that it was unconstituional.  Yet it
passed easily.  Why?  None of the idiots who voted for it wanted to give
their opponents the campaign soundbite that "Congressman SO & SO refused
to protect your children from online pedophiles."
We've degenerated to government by soundbite.
Regards
John
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