Bryan Miller seems to be taking the Mary McFate thing pretty hard. I can’t really blame the anti-gun folks who feel betrayed. I mean, imagine if you found out SayUncle was really a mole for Sarah Brady. But none of us are really pissed at NRA over the whole “spy” incident, and it has nothing to do with wanting to preserve gun industry profits. I worry about gun industry profits when I’m going to buy a new gun, not when I’m wearing my activist hat.
No, this is about preserving our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Are any tactics too despicable to prevent someone from undermining the very basis of natural and civic rights of the American people? Would it be wrong to try to gain insider knowledge on a group of people who were intent on silencing newspapers, and ending all publishing in the United States? What Bryan doesn’t understand, or perhaps he does understand and merely doesn’t want to acknowledge, is that we hold the Second Amendment right up there with the First in importance for maintaining a just and free society. We demand the Second Amendment be respected. We’re quite serious about it. Serious enough that we’ll condone our own advocacy groups doing opposition research, even if it means being a little underhanded. If that makes you upset, if that makes you paranoid, that’s not my problem. My problem is the fact that you want to trash the Bill of Rights.
Any tactics? I suppose we can just shoot the antis. That would stop them from “undermining the very basis of natural and civic rights of the american people”.
Of course, Im kidding, but honestly, you gotta think about what you are writing.
Sheesh
“but honestly, you gotta think about what you are writing.”
Any chair in a bar fight, I say. If tactics like this lessen the chance of it actually coming down to the lead flying, then I for one am all for them.
I think the whole thing is kind of amusing – a commie organization (or at least fellow travelers) are objecting to “dirty pool”, when they have never respected any rule of law, debate, or fair-play, in the pursuit of their goal of victim disarmament. Have they ever objected to sneaky tactics when used against any non-PC organization? Have they ever failed to use sneaky tactics to pursue their goals?
When they threw out the rule book, both sides got to stop using it.
Anon,
You have a good point. But obviously I’m not meaning “shoot them” tactics. But it’s not like opposition research is outside of DC norms, and it’s not like they haven’t tried this with us.
“Anon,
You have a good point. But obviously I’m not meaning “shoot them†tactics. But it’s not like opposition research is outside of DC norms, and it’s not like they haven’t tried this with us.”
True,
Remember we are in an enviable position. They are the ones who have to explain away our rights. We hold the high ground. I do not think oppositional research is wrong; I just believe it is wrong for us. It will do us no good in the long run and believe it hurts our reputation. We are fighting this from a standpoint of virtue. Our rights (all of them) are sacred and undeniable. For us to stoop to their level I believe will hurt us ultimately. I think there their big whine-fest is hypocritical. I remember the stories I used to hear of anti-gunners going into gun shows and loading in rounds in pistols for the hopes of negligent discharge. Their underhanded tactics are well-known and without any semblance shame. For them to whine now after they got pwned is really pathetic….
“Would it be wrong to try to gain insider knowledge on a group of people who were…”
It really isn’t all that different, in my mind, from spying on the Soviets. I’m all for getting inside info about groups who want to undo the American way of life.
On the other hand, there’s still really no solid proof that the NRA is behind Mary’s actions. We’ve all been assuming it is and agreeing it is OK, but from what I’ve read the evidence is only circumstantial.
But you are right that this is A) nothing new, and B) the same tactics they have/will use.
It is just good intellegence. I hope we have other agents in place.
I don’t see McFate much differently than AHSA, Gun Guys, and the myriad drones who write letters saying “I am a gun owner, but….”
Will the Hoplophobes come out and be honest 100% of the time. If not, they should stop whining about getting burned.
He looses it when his argument descends to third-grade Marxist jibber-jabber about “evil profits” without even proof or evidence of her Wheelbarrows of Cash. I’m hiding my wheelbarrows of cash in the Cayman Islands.
“Extremism in defence of liberty is no vice” Barry Goldwater
Still don’t see what all the big hoopla is. I mean this goes on all the time in so many circles.
I mean is this ANY different than an avid anti-gunner having a gun dealer’s license so he can attend gun dealer only shows. Nope. Not really…
– The Saj