Message-ID: 
Newsgroups: AIRGUN.LIST
>In a message dated 98-04-09 02:07:07 EDT, you write:
>
><< Did the Nazi's publicly pronounce their true intentions?
>
> What nonsense.
>  >>
>
>Yes in fact they did in chilling detail. It was called Mein Kampf.
>dtf
>
>
>--
> (Fletcheror)
Nope!  You know as well as I do that Mein Kampf was the *personal* agenda
of Adolf Hitler and not the *publicly* stated goals of the German
government.  Just as Sarah Brady may have a personal agenda that differs
from that of HCI, right?
If you can find a copy of "Documents on the Events Preceding the Outbreak
of the War" (German Library of Information, New York, 1940) you can read
the German view of events including "Poland's systematic campaign of
extermination against Germans in Poland and Danzig ever since the World
War."  This is what PR is all about.  Amazing stuff from a historical
perspective.
So it seems like it's not illogical at all to project the views of the
leader of an organization onto the organization itself, no matter what the
"publically stated intentions" may be.  Right?
Just to confuse everyone I'm going to agree with DTF on one point.  I think
the originally posted "HCI letter" is bogus.  I have trouble believing that
any organization worth its salt would send a letter out to its members
(knowing full well that there are probably pro-gun activists who are
members of HCI) asking them to "keep this secret."  That's political
suicide!  I doubt we will ever see confirmation of the letter as having
come from HCI.
Jon
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Obligitory airgun tidbit follows:
California Airguns
During World War II Southern California was the home of a number of
aircraft companies.  North American Aviation produced the best known U.S.
fighter, the P-51 Mustang, Lockheed the P-38 Lightning, and Northrop the
P-61 Black Widow.  The number of small subcontractors that sprouted up to
support the myriad of small parts required was truly amazing.  Hundreds of
shops provided machined and cast parts in support of the war effort.  A
part of this was diecasting.
At the end of the War equipment and machinery was excessed from plants and
the small contractors had to look somewhere else for their bread and butter.
Who was the first to get the bright idea to make airguns? Was it Morton
Harris and his "Marksman" pistol (the only one surviving today.)  Did the
Apache/Simco start the trend?  Or did the Plainsman line, or the Schimel?
What's common among them?  Inexpensive, diecast parts.  Mostly Zamac (Zinc)
for everything from the frames to the pump lever (in one case.)
None of these brands existed before WWII was over and none, save Marksman,
survived the 1950's.  Bizarre similarities between the "different" brands
(peel the label off a tube of Schimel shot and you have a standard
Plainsman tube) lead us to wonder if there might have been one "evil
genius" behind everything.  Who knows?
That's the real question I'd like to answer.  I'm happy to answer any
questions that I can on California airguns, but I'm more interested in
seeing what's out there.
If you have any interesting California produced air, BB, or toy guns please
let me know.  I'm also a cash buyer for high quality examples of the better
known airguns.  Boxed preferred.  As always any little tidbit of literature
will be gobbled up!
--- QScan/PCB v1.19b / 01-0671
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