Did you know that the National Rifle Association is exactly like the Anti-Saloon League of Prohibition fame, and will inevitably suffer its fate? Must be true, I saw it on the Internet.
He made politicians tremble and could even make or break presidents, some said. Wayne Bidwell Wheeler led the Anti-Saloon League and pioneered many of the tactics that lobbying groups such as the National Rifle Association use today. He contributed to the creation of Prohibition and in doing so gave a lesson on how political power works.
Now, let’s see. The Anti-Saloon League:
*Was driven by an ideologue with access to lots of money and lots of publicity,
*Argued for the ban of a very popular practice,
*On emotional and moralistic grounds, and the claim that society would topple if he didn’t have his way,
*Successfully lobbied for the passage of powerful legislation which banned a widely-used commodity and all associated activities, leading to…
*Widespread lawbreaking and an atmosphere of general contempt for the ban, and…
*Eventual repeal driven by popular revolt and repudiation of the League itself.
Now: Who does that sound like? Not the NRA, that’s for sure.
Have you heard that Maine went constitutional carry two days ago? Why do they want to make Bloomie and Sarah and Shannon and [all the rest] cry?
Remember the Maine! Uh, no, wait, wrong rallying cry.
Your bullet-point list is nicely done, Joel. Unfortunately, here in Wisconsin we can drink ‘n drive but not drive ‘n shoot. Not legally, anyway. The many abused road signs attest to the public’s adherence to the law.
In my neck of the woods we call what CNN is doing there “projecting”.
I like signs with bullet holes in them (my favorite is holed signs that say “no guns”). These signs work just as well as the virgin ones, and additionally display a “fuck you” attitude of the local hoi polloi. One could do worse than to decide where to live based on how many perforated signs one sees in the area. Southern and Eastern Oregon are hot spots for this activity. Last time I was down there it was hard to find a sign without a hole in it.
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle512-20090329-07.html