Alphecca

The Weekly Check On The Bias

Well, if it's Monday, it must be time to check out the bias from the (mostly) print media against guns. Almost all the action over at the Yahoo Gun Control Debate Page centered on the NRA's annual convention, held in Pittsburgh over the weekend. Here's an AP photo of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, left, and President Kayne Robinson presenting Vice President Cheney with an antique rifle:

So how do the major newspapers greet a lobbying organization that they've spent all year demonizing? Not as badly as you might think!

The New York Times had a pair of stories by reporter James Dao that pretty much stuck with the theme that the NRA and it's members are aligning themselves with President Bush. There's no real surprise there and Dao supplied plenty of quotes from members and officials of the NRA slamming Democratic candidate John Kerry. From yesterday's Times:

Before thousands of National Rifle Association members, Vice President Dick Cheney asserted on Saturday that Senator John Kerry, the likely Democratic nominee for president, would sharply restrict gun ownership and undermine the war on terrorism.

At a time when some conservatives are expressing dismay with President Bush over gun rights, federal spending and the conduct of the war in Iraq, Mr. Cheney drew sharp contrasts between the president and Mr. Kerry on all three issues.

Mr. Cheney said Mr. Kerry, of Massachusetts, would increase taxes, waver on combating terrorism, nominate liberal federal judges and weaken the right to keep and bear arms.
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"Americans are coming to learn that the choice this fall is as dramatic as in any recent election," Mr. Cheney told N.R.A. members at the group's 133rd annual convention.

The article pointed out the displeasure of some "conservatives" with President Bush's plan to sign an extension to the "assault weapons ban." It was also made clear though that that bill will probably not make it through this year's congress.

Interestingly, one of the most negative quoted comments against the president appeared in Mr. Dao's initial report last week and came from a surprising source:

"Gun owners who know the issues know that Bush is all talk," said Angel Shamaya, executive director of KeepAndBearArms.com, which is encouraging gun owners to vote for anyone but Mr. Bush. "He's turned out to be a phony in so many ways, I'm embarrassed I voted for him in 2000."

Now truth in advertising forces me to mention that Alphecca is a member of the Keep And Bear Arms Web Ring. And while I admire all that Angel has done for gun owners, I must respectfully take issue.

No, I'm not happy with Bush. I have raled against him and his plan to sign the AWB extension. I lambasted him for not providing more vocal support and political muscle to the bill that would have shielded gun makers from frivolous lawsuits. But voting for "anyone but Bush" is simply not an option since the alternative is... John Kerry. What's that old cliche? Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face? "Anyone but Bush" is the mantra of the left, the Democrats, the liberal elite. It cannot be the game-plan for those of us who support the Second Amendment.

If we had a viable third political party, sure -- go for it. But we don't. If Bush doesn't win, Kerry does. And Kerry would be miserable for gun owners. Kerry has a virtually unbroken record of voting FOR every single gun control measure that has ever crossed his desk.

The Washington Post made Cheney's visit to the convention sound more (but correctly) like a reconciliation with gun owners. Here's a quote:

The Bush campaign is scrambling to be sure it can count on NRA muscle again this year, especially as some of the states in which hunting is most popular are also swing states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

Cheney, speaking at the group's 133rd annual meeting after returning from Asia, said Bush's executive branch "understands that the Second Amendment affirms more than a symbolic principle." Quoting selectively from past Kerry remarks about the NRA, Cheney said Bush is the only one of the two candidates who "has shown you respect, earned your vote, and appreciates your support."

Kerry has tried to learn from mistakes made in 2000 by Vice President Al Gore and has avoided playing up anti-gun positions that could alienate swing voters. He let reporters watch him blast pheasants in Iowa on Halloween and has stressed the importance of responsibility as a component of the right to bear arms.

"There's a testosterone threshold -- a cultural debate over manliness," said a Democratic official who refused to be identified so he could talk candidly about Kerry's strategy. The official said that because of primary opposition from Bill Bradley, Gore "ran so far to the left on guns that he left the political center wide open to George Bush."

There's quite a bit to digest in those paragraphs. First of all, not only has Kerry NOT "avoided playing up anti-gun positions" but embraces them right on his official web site. Oh, here's a direct quote now:

John Kerry proposals to protect police and protect communities includes strengthening the assault weapons ban, restoring funding to COPS program, improving information sharing among law enforcement agencies, addressing prescription drug abuse, and supporting neighborhood prosecutor programs. Former Manchester Chief of Police Peter Favreau and Strafford County Attorney Janice Rundels announced their endorsement of Kerry at the event. They were joined by Beverly Bacon, Member of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Million Mom March and Lenore Patton, Member of the New Hampshire Million Mom March.

Emphasis mine. Note that "strenghening" means not just supporting the extension to the phony AWB but actually increasing the number of firearms included in the list. And let's face it, would any of you really want to see a president that was endorsed by the "Million Mom March"?

Secondly, the WAPO article quotes a Democratic operative as saying that the gun issue is "a cultural debate over manliness" which is really a slap at all of us who do support an unfettered Second Amendment. The implication is that those of us who believe in self-defense and protecting our loved ones are somehow using firearms as an extension of our... Well, you get the idea. That's a really insidious quote.

This has nothing to do with the culture of "manhood" and everything to do with living in a time of coddled-criminals running rampant, of threats to our nation's security, and of pushing the nanny-state aside and taking some responsability for one's own safety.

Here are some other quotes from the convention by the media:

From the Chicago Tribune:

"There is no greater threat to gun ownership than John Kerry as president," NRA First Vice President Sandra Froman said. "He would appoint Supreme Court justices who say an individual does not have the right to keep and bear arms."

A statement from the Kerry campaign Saturday said the senator "is a lifelong hunter, supports the 2nd Amendment and will defend hunting rights."

Yah. What Kerry and his spokespeople don't seem to get is that the Second Amendment has nothing to do with "hunting" and everything to do with defense of country and self. Supporting the 2nd Amendment isn't about hunting. It's about the RIGHT to protect one's self and family from the mutants that the liberals set free in the courts. Because according to them, criminals are just victims of a different sort where as their victims are entitled to less rights, less protections, less consideration than the perpetrators themselves.

From the AP:

Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed with an assault weapon in the Littleton, Colo., killings five years ago Tuesday, said continuing the ban is common sense.

Assault weapons "are the weapons of gangs, drug lords and sick people," Mauser said before his three-block march to the convention, which runs through Sunday. "It is a weapon of war and we don't want this war on our streets."

Mauser challenged Cheney to speak about extending the ban when the vice president delivered the convention's keynote address Saturday night.

While I feel for Mr. Mauser's loss, the real issue of "assault weapons" is nonsense. The ban is based on cosmetics and nothing more. All firearms pretty much operate the same: Pull the trigger and a bullet comes out. His real anger should be directed at the (fortunately dead) mutants who committed the horrible crime. And further, why did the police, who had plenty of warnings about the two kids who committed the slaughter, not act to prevent it. And yes, frankly, the parents of those two, who didn't properly supervise their children.

Needless to say, there were a Whole Lot of stories covering the convention. Of the ones I've read, I have to be honest and admit that they were mostly neutral -- as they should be -- and did not decend to intonations of "deadly weapons" and "flooding the streets with guns" and so on. I knock the press a lot for their mostly liberal tendencies but for the most part, the major press did a decent job covering the NRA convention. I didn't read a single piece that brought up the fact that Tuesday is the anniversary of the tragedy of "Columbine." Not that that really had anything to do with gun control, just lack of parental control.

There were a few other stories reported during the past week. Garbage A.G. Eliot Spitzer of NY must be wondering what he has to do to get tons of money for New York now that the lawfirm representing NY in the lawsuit against gun makers has quit. From the AP

One of several lawsuits against the gun industry by an American city suffered a setback when a top law firm that had offered to represent New York reportedly withdrew from the case, citing potential conflicts of interest.

The firm, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, had agreed to work for free on the case, which alleges that the gun industry's sales and distribution practices create a black market for firearms that has become a public nuisance. The lawsuit, which names 40 gun companies and distributors, is likely to go to trial this fall.

It turns out that Weil, Gotshal & Manges also represents a division of Smith & Wesson. Just one more setback for Spitzer and his greed for free money from an industry that manufactures a legal product. I hope it also helps dash his hopes of becoming the next governor of New York. Unfortunately, the liberal bastion of NY City far outweighs and out-votes the freedom loving residents of the rest of the state.

In other news, my heart once again goes out to my fellow gun owners in Kansas. Unfortunately, I had predicted this a couple months ago (but I'm too lazy to dig up the link) but here's the gory news from the AP:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a bill Friday to allow Kansans to carry concealed handguns, saying the measure would have made law enforcement officers' jobs more difficult.

The bill would have required the attorney general's office to issue a concealed-carry permit to any Kansan 21 or older who is a U.S. citizen, pays a $150 application fee, has no mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction and completes eight hours of training.

In her veto message, Sebelius, a Democrat elected in 2002, said if the bill had become law, "Police officers, highway patrolmen, sheriffs, and deputies in Kansas would be forced to assume that any person they stop could have a firearm."

"This would make their already dangerous job even more difficult," she said.

Once again we hear a public official claiming that concealed-carry leads to a "wild West" and to danger to the police. This inspite of the fact that every single state that has enacted similar laws has not only NOT seen an increase in crime but has in fact seen a DECREASE! But inflammatory predictions never bothered a Democrat in the past and here it is again... Might I suggest that you decent folks in Kansas consider working for, campaigning for, and voting for a conservative Republican next time 'round?

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So here's what just some of the great folks in the blogosphere are chatting up:

Advisory Opinion (by 4 lawyers) reports on the New York Times article claiming that the gun industry is fostering illegal gun sales. "Old Benjamin" is correct that this is a phony lawsuit and he goes further into the withdrawl of the main law-firm I mentioned a few paragraphs back. Check it out.

Remember last week's post that mentioned the virulently anti-NRA column by Mike Seate (an African-American) of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review? He had some "suggestions" on how to have some fun at the NRA convention. Kim du Toit has some suggestions of his own on how we can join in on the fun by having some fun at the NAACP convention. And for those of you who might protest such things, why was it all right for Seate to make such stereotypical comments about gun owners but Kim can't? Obviously he doesn't really believe in these statements but is in fact using it as an example to Mike Seate of how corrosive such blanket implications are.

Mostly because of some really stupid assumptions by myself about Kim last fall, we're not really friends. I hope that one day we might be. I have a feeling that he and myself are really much alike in our thinking and if we ever met, we would probably get along just fine and pound-down a few and make a lot of noise with our firearms. Both of us are unconditional in our defense of the true meaning as stated by our founding-fathers of the right to bear arms.

Blogger Publicola has a different take on Cheney's visit to the NRA convention.

Say Uncle has his opinions on Cheney's visit to the NRA convention and the Columbine father.

Look, I want to reiterate here that I don't consider Bush perfect by any means, just that he's better than the alternative (Kerry.)

Hey, just a reminder that there's plenty of good reading for gun lovers over at Carnival of the Shooters.

The Spoons Experience reports on a poll of (my hearts go out to the gun owners there) voters about various gun issues. He challenges them with his own questions. Always good stuff there.

Les Jones has his always wonderful Gun Links up for grabs. A very good post to jump-off from.

John R Lott, Jr. reports on Teresa Heinz's anti-gun stance. You know, that foreign wife who refuses to release her tax records. If Bush's wife did that the liberal Democrats would be screaming bloody murder. And now we see how the concubine of John Kerry would influence his already anti-gun position.

Glenn Reynolds reports on the racism of gun-control. He, and I have always said that the people who SHOULD be embracing the Second Amendment are those folks who have been marginalized by society and are most exposed to the criminal element of the criminal class. Why are blacks, gays, women opposing the right (provided by the Second Amendment) to own and use firearms? These are the oppressed, discriminated against people who should be trying to defend themselves with the right of our Bill of Rights. More than anyone else, they should adopt the precious right of self-defense!

Anyway, this is only a small "smattering" of what is out there so browse through my blogroll and read the thoughts of much better bloggers than me on Second Amendment rights.

As always, I thank all of you for stopping by. See you here soon!

Posted by Jeff Soyer at April 19, 2004 08:09 AM