December 5, 2009 

 

 

 

 

To All,

     Ah, real music. Sure beats the heck out of the usual mess offered up on the nation's airwaves these days. When in doubt, one should hold out for dedication, talent and skill.

 

In other news:

 

Knowing What's Broke:

     In the battle to protect the right to keep and bear arms, one runs into all sorts along the way, especially after a decade and a half or so of hopefully contributing to The Cause.

 

     Some are the condottieri, the paid "professionals" to whom it's more job than either adventure or duty. While it's always important to have as many as possible contributing to the joint effort, the professional's periodic tendency of judging all actions as to " cost versus benefit", (especially when they may value personal connections "across the aisle" more so than keeping "true to their salt"), requires firm leadership as to the proper use and deployment of these type of "specialists". These "professionals" can be from any one of a wide variety of experiences, and can come to the Movement from any outside specialty. They can be PR folk, LBJ-style technocrats, or even the "Guy Just Come Over From Supply".

 

     A distressing subset of this particular grouping is the "REMF", whose modus operandi can easily include offering their "services" to opponents of all stripes of the Second Amendment as they see fit.

 

    It is hard to believe, but there are folks out there willing to sell out the national birthright for a fist-full of Obamabucks, accolades from Environmental Marxism, or even an "attaboy" from the Brady Bunch or Wayne Pacelle.

 

    Sadly, it has to be left to the appropriate higher echelons when dealing with such Quislings. This is simply due to the efficiencies involved in hierarchical systems over these kinds of matters. But that does not mean that activists should be unaware of the possibilities and harm that can be done by such invertebrates as these.

 

    Another type of activist seems to be from the opposite side of the spectrum than these. Usually they are either distinguished graduates, or at least current attendees, of the various NRA-ILA "Heartbreak Ridge Learning Annexes" scattered across the Fruited Plain. Distinguished graduates of an HRLA can be distinguished by such characteristics as frostbitten fingers and toes (comes from standing in open air booths at gun shows signing up new members year around), sunken eyes ( from spending late nights manning phone trees and email communication systems), paper cut scars (from shipping out thousands of gift packages of firearms cleaning gear to overseas service personnel), or the ever-pervasive scent of Hoppe's No. 9 embedded in their skin from talking to shooters and gun owners at area ranges.

 

    But perhaps the key distinguishing characteristic of an HRLA-trained activist, one that can make them an effective resource to the "movement", is one of esprit de corps.

 

    The condottieri, when confronted with the illusion of overwhelming opposition, are more likely to start thinking of concessions to be made than anything else. They are more likely to say, either in words or deeds, "...Boy, look at all those guys over there, and they are coming for me..." than sending "rounds downrange".

 

    By way of comparison, folks who are from the ground-up-HRLA-trained-activists are more likely to be the kind of person who shouts "...Dibs on the big one on the left!.." when confronted with what only appears to be on the surface an overwhelming horde of opposition.

 

   It is hard to say where this mental attitude comes from within the NRA family. Perhaps it comes from some of The Greatest Generation membership, whose experiences at Bastogne ("...We're paratroopers, we are always surrounded...") and other locales stands us in good stead today. Or maybe it comes from some of the membership whose formative experience was from a little bass pond called Chosin, where the "dibs" tradition had it's greatest probability of origin.

 

   But in any case, such a force-multiplier as a mentality that thinks "Dibs!" for any range marked on the battle sight, taught in Political Bayonet 101, or even briefed prior to a Lobbying Run on a Recalcitrant Legislature is the mentality that has made the NRA the most feared lobbying organization ever to barge into Barney Frank's Government-Provided Medicinal Marijuana Shoppe with a petition.

 

   With luck, these "hardcore" movement folk will continue to have their chances until the Last Battle is finally won. And if we continue to re-elect the current crop of leadership that likewise comes from a "Dibs" backround, then we should continue to prosper despite the current political climate. Stay tuned.

 

Question of The Week:

 

 

   Did A President Who Has Never Missed A Photo-Op Before In This Lifetime Just Miss One on Purpose, or By Accident?

 

   Winner gets a virtual "Attaboy".

 

 

Respectfully,

 

 

Anthony Canales

SFVMC-NRA

 

 

Copyright 2009 Anthony Canales,

except as noted. All rights reserved.