Mike,

I try not to do this in public ie. on a news group.  But I quit NRA in
"68 when I came back from VN and found that the NRA had gotten the GCA
passed when even Humphrey was against it.  GCA would have never passed
with out the NRA.

I haven't sent them a dollar in the last 30+ yrs.  While I do give
money to GOA and JPFO.

When the NRA stops helping the enemy I might join again.  I don't see
them as any better than HCI.  I prefer that people try to stab me
where I can see it comming.

Any compromise is a loss.  

later,
doug



On Mon, 02 Aug 1999 18:45:08 GMT, Mike Haas 
wrote:

>betweentheeyes wrote:
>> 
>> There are a few GOA memberships left, but hurry, they are going fast!
>> http://www.gunowners.org
>
>Mr. Bubba wrote...
>> Thumbs up to Larry Pratt and GOA, and cudos to Neal Knox...
>>
>> Thumbs down to Wayne LaPierre and the NRA...
>
>Exposed!  (and, the words is "kudos")
>
>Fellow USENET'ers, NOW we see the reason Mr. Bubba and Mr. Between 
>bash NRA so readily!
>
>They are two of the few tunnel-visioned, mind-numbed dissidents
>who try to build up THEIR favorite small pro-gun group AT THE 
>EXPENSE OF THE CAUSE, not in support of it.  This is why they 
>pay such CONSTANT attention to insulting the B I G G E S T, get 
>it?
>
>The truth is, you can add ALL of the membership numbers
>of ALL the other pro-gun groups together and they don't even begin
>to come close to NRA's numbers.  This is not to demean any of these
>important groups, just to illustrate that GORILLAS LIKE MR.
>BUBBA AND MR. BETWEEN SIMPLY TRY TO PUMP *THEIR* PET GROUP BY 
>TURNING MEMBERS OF THE L A R G E S T AGAINST ITSELF!
>
>Now, if anyonne thinks that what they do is actually a net gain to
>RKBA, I suggest therapy, because their behavior is typical
>of the DYSFUNCTIONAL and DESTRUCYIVE dissident modus operendi.  They
>have lost the big picture - who the real enemy is.
>
>To illustrate how truly warped these people are (and the fact that
>THERE'S NOTHING NEW HERE), I will quote one of their icons, Mr. Neal 
>Knox.
>
>The following comments appeared in the November 1978 American
>Rifleman magazine in an article that begins on page
>80.  (BTW, it is interesting to note that it was 1977 when
>Knox accomplished his famed coup of NRA, gaining control
>of the political wing of the Association.)
>
>The article is titled "NRA Expects Attacks, But Not From Friends".
>The following are selected paragraphs... (I suggest
>Mr. Between and Mr. Bubba pay particular attention to
>the phrase "giving aid and comfort to the NRA's enemies".
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------
>NRA Expects Attacks, But Not From Friends
>by Neal Knox
>American Rifleman, November 1978, page 80.
>(selected paragraphs)
>
>The NRA and its membership believe in fighting back when 
>attacked, and don't hesitate to do so. But in recent months, 
>we have been uncharacteristically quiet in the face of a 
>drumrolll of attacks upon the NRA and its leaders. Each 
>of those attacks was damaging, for each cost us the 
>confidence of some members, and some of those attacks 
>even caused us to lose members-thereby giving aid and 
>comfort to the NRA's enemies.
>
>Yet we remained quiet - for those attacks camp from groups 
>claiming to be NRA's friends, and for us to have defended 
>ourselves publicly would have sown disunity among the ranks 
>of gun owners. Although the defenders of gun ownership are, 
>strong - and in my opinion have never been. stronger - we 
>are not so strong that we can't afford to fritter away our 
>strength by engaging in petty bickering.
>
>Having come to the NRA Institute just this year and having 
>observed pointless bickering between pro-gun organizations 
>in the past, - I issued firm orders that there was to be 
>none from the ILA in the future. There has been none.
>
>But other organizations-for reasons of their own-have continued 
>to attempt to build, themselves up by tearing down NRA. These 
>efforts have gone beyond mere bickering, and have become 
>unjustified, unsubstantiated and untrue attacks. they have 
>damaged the NRA and the defense of gun ownership. in way 
>that.the avowed enemies of gun ownerhip could not - to the 
>delight of our foes.
>
>...
>
>So what is the significance of all this? We won, didn't we? 
>What difference does it make who gets the credit?
>
>It makes a whale of a lot of difference, for every firearms 
>organization, including the NRA is dependent upon contributions-
>although the NRA Institute's basic overhead and salaries, a 
>third of its total budget, is paid from NRA members' dues.
>
>No organization, including NRA, can claim all the credit 
>for defeating bad legislation-and we don't attempt to claim 
>all the credit. But when we see an organization with one 
>part-time lobbyist claim the credit in order to take your 
>contributions, when we see them attempt to eviscerate NRA 
>in order to make themselves stronger, when we see them lie 
>to you about what they are doing and what we are doing, then 
>we know that we are failing you if we don't tell you the 
>truth.
>
>...
>
>Now having said all this, I fully expect that ... I will be 
>excoriated having "promoted disunity" by responding...
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>You and me both, Neal.  We both know that's what NRA bashers 
>do, right?
>
>Cheers,
>
>Mike Haas
>
>  "If you can't say something nice about a pro-gun group,
>   say something nice about ANOTHER pro-gun group." - Mike Haas
>
>  "Unity is like adrenalin to our cause." - Mike Haas

The only reason the US doesn't have a Gestapo is that the
FBI, BATF, DEA, EPA etc. can't speak German.