Holy smokes Heather! you never, ever, need to apologize for anything ever as far as I'm concerned! you're work is such a gift. It is the first thing i read in the morning and i share it widely. thank you, a thousand times thank you, for the heart and intelligence you pour into your posts. You and one other person i read/listen goes a long way in keeping me sane!
Thanks. It was just so frustrating. I started writing at 9:30, truly thinking I'd be in bed by midnight. Then it dragged on, and I was just feeling very virtuous (and tired!) when I went to hit send. And then there was a quiet lapse into darkness. I guess the good news was that I had posted to Facebook, so nothing got lost.
Yikes. I hope you're not writing directly into an online blogging form. I was doing that for a blog 10 years ago that I was using to write first-draft material for my dissertation. The power went out one day and I lost hours of work. I went back to MSWord the next day.
Most of the NRA history was at least somewhat familiar, except for the details of Maria Butina's involvement.
Of equal interest, and of major political importance, is how the NRA, over the past 40 years since the extremists' hostile takeover of the organization in 1977, has been able to manipulate and mold public, and eventually judicial, understanding of the Second Amendment into accepting an interpretation grotesquely inconsistent and dissociated with what the Framers intended when they wrote it.
The move to dissolve the NRA provides a rare opportunity to steer conservative opinion. Though many on the right may seem out of reach, this sort of stinging betrayal still resonates with some. I am writing a Letter to the Editor of my local paper (below) to address this subject, with a strategy seeking to *influence* others' opinions rather than to *express* my own opinion. Please feel free to borrow as you see fit -- I wanted to include words like "heritage", "history", and "values", but couldn't quite squeeze them in ;-)
DEAR EDITOR:
The proceedings to dissolve the National Rifle Association mark a tragic ending for what was once the most highly regarded advocacy group for responsible gun ownership in America. Its leaders lost sight of this valuable mission, and instead shamefully chose to divert millions of membership dollars for their own personal gain. Now we face the consequences. The NRA is an unrecognizable shadow of its former self, and America is poorer for it.
I just posted this to my Facebook page. It is brilliant! Thank you! At the end of my post I thanked a friend for the brilliant summary of how I feel (which isn't entirely true but it will ring true and be effective with many in my life).
Wow! Connects a lot of dots for me! I was clueless! I don’t think the true dumpster supporters will really listen to the facts. They will just hear their rights are being attacked. It is baffling that I take active shooter training to be a teacher with little regard for real safety. Being thrown back into the classroom during a pandemic proves the same thing to me. Politicians don’t care about kids, parents see us as kid warehouse. The rich need us back so their minions get back to work.
Glad you are okay with power restored! Stay Safe! 😊
Hope you realize how much you are loved and appreciated and how your fans worry about you when your letter hasn’t arrived. But, like others, I checked Facebook and read the post so I knew you were okay
:) that was the one silver lining. I knew it was up on Facebook, so people would know I was okay. I don't have cell coverage here, so couldn't even post from my phone.
Well, not necessarily. I learned to look for your post first on Facebook, where it gets reader typo feedback and 300 comments instantly, and then on Substack for more manageable quantity of comments and great discourse. So when there continued to be no post in email or on Substack, I for one did worry for your physical health and safety! It’s a scary world out there!
I also worried for your anxiety of wanting to come through for us readers on Substack, but being hampered by power outage, Internet problem, or whatever ever it was, and then losing precious sleep when you already seem to function so chronically sleep deprived!
I was so glad to know you were all right, Heather. Thank you for this post on the suits against NRA leadership. Very helpful. I am a lay preacher in the Episcopal Church in Western MA and a board member of Theology & Peace, an ecumenical group of Christian theologians, clergy, and laity that seeks the flourishing of nonviolent Christianity. Our Collaborators Conference next week (online rather than in Nashville) is featuring the documentary “J.E.S.U.S.A” by filmmaker Kevin Miller which is available to rent or purchase on Vimeo. The first 15 minutes are disturbing clips from political rallies, churches, and interviews with gun promoting pastors and arms instructors that are horrifying in that they promote the theology of a violent God and the role of humans in carrying out this God’s violence on earth. (The rest of the film unpacks that bad theology.) This religion of a violent God which is used to justify owning and using weapons is the superglue bonding the NRA to individuals. These lawsuits could be instrumental in revealing the latest chapter in our long history of religion approved violence. Hope you continue to follow this for us.
Yeah, it's all so weird. When I was a kid, the NRA was all about gun safety and hunting safety. They came to our school and made sure we knew about guns. Then they went crazy political.
Same here, Heather. We learned gun safety in school from NRA volunteers, and the NRA also sponsored classes in both safe gun handling and safe hunting practices at the local range. Hunting for food was/is a big deal in the western state I grew up in, and is in the NE state I now live in, and a lot of people belonged to the NRA as a sort of social club. But as it veered into right-wing politics and promoting everything gun-related, safety and sanity be damned, people left. When the state I live in had a near-miss on a planned school shooting a few years ago, a "gun rights" group, not NRA but local clone tried to shout down the legislature and then the gov when we passed some pretty strict gun laws. Didn't work, and when the same guys tried to run for office, that fell flat too. The NRA of today is sure not the NRA we grew up with. Thanks for the history (which I knew) and the insights into the dynamics (which I didn't).
I’m just glad it was only the power—not you! We’re all like your mother, worried sick until you show up, safe and sound. If you’re ever actually in danger, imagine the hordes of people who will show up on your behalf!! 😁❤️
Power lost. Still she persisted and we benefit from the daily digest. Thank you.
Pro tip: I use a Wi-Fi hot spot on my phone, mainly for security, but it works well for intermittent power outages too. It's all memorized in the computer. the computer will automatically swap whenever other wi-fi is not around. Of course assumes the same occurrence that knocked out your power left cell service unaffected.
Saw your Tweet about prepping for future outages. Pro Tip #2: Assuming your broadband is not usually affected by the same events that knock out power, connect your router to a UPS. Most routers draw relatively little power (<20VA). Even a small (500-750VA) UPS will easily keep a router running for half an hour while you wrap things up or Buddy gets the generator fired up.
I benefit from buried utilities and diverse routes for power and communications. Power goes out on occasion, but telecom outages are extremely rare.
It's worth noting that the man who led the 1977 coup that transformed the NRA into a right wing political organization was convicted murderer, Harlon Carter.
Wow, I missed all the hullabaloo! For the first time in a long time, I didn't wake up at 5 (6:30--time's a'wastin'!), when I too reach for the phone to read before rising. Drives the cat crazy. She thinks her bowl takes precedence. Glad you're OK, though, and currently out kayaking!
Nature is sometimes a harsh mistress ...especially when man messes with it and one lives in the wild blue yonder! Happily we could read it on Facebook. Excellent review of the NRA and the way that it has been perverted by self interest and greed of the ultra right wing and the US/Russian oligarchs. Hopefully it can be resuscitated as an organization promoting safe and controlled use and access to firearms. It's going to be interesting to see the impact on Trump/GOP electioneering. Will those who have received NRA funding reject it because it has been "tainted" with fraud?
Interesting question re: how others who have accepted tons of $ over the years will react to the greed of the NRA leaders. Somehow, I think they will follow tRump's lead and just act like the NRA can move and all will be well. They'll still get that $ for 2020.
Possibly, if their is any money left after the looting by top 4 execs that's been going on. Whatever happens, it's excellent anti-GOP propaganda for the Dems if their opponents are financed by fraud...and the first judge that gets his hands on the case will freeze the assets of the NRA. Washington DC's AG has also launched an attack on NRA's illegal transfers to their SuperPAC. Pincer movement which might slow the Oligarchs down a little
Holy smokes Heather! you never, ever, need to apologize for anything ever as far as I'm concerned! you're work is such a gift. It is the first thing i read in the morning and i share it widely. thank you, a thousand times thank you, for the heart and intelligence you pour into your posts. You and one other person i read/listen goes a long way in keeping me sane!
Thanks. It was just so frustrating. I started writing at 9:30, truly thinking I'd be in bed by midnight. Then it dragged on, and I was just feeling very virtuous (and tired!) when I went to hit send. And then there was a quiet lapse into darkness. I guess the good news was that I had posted to Facebook, so nothing got lost.
Yikes. I hope you're not writing directly into an online blogging form. I was doing that for a blog 10 years ago that I was using to write first-draft material for my dissertation. The power went out one day and I lost hours of work. I went back to MSWord the next day.
Curt, care to share with us who the other person is?
Sure - Sam Harris. He's controversial - but, in my mind, he's willing to take on really tough questions with the smartest people.
Thanks! I'll check him out. I'm always on the lookout for smart, well-spoken analysts.
Exactly. Well said!
What Curt said.
I"m glad everything is OK!
Most of the NRA history was at least somewhat familiar, except for the details of Maria Butina's involvement.
Of equal interest, and of major political importance, is how the NRA, over the past 40 years since the extremists' hostile takeover of the organization in 1977, has been able to manipulate and mold public, and eventually judicial, understanding of the Second Amendment into accepting an interpretation grotesquely inconsistent and dissociated with what the Framers intended when they wrote it.
The move to dissolve the NRA provides a rare opportunity to steer conservative opinion. Though many on the right may seem out of reach, this sort of stinging betrayal still resonates with some. I am writing a Letter to the Editor of my local paper (below) to address this subject, with a strategy seeking to *influence* others' opinions rather than to *express* my own opinion. Please feel free to borrow as you see fit -- I wanted to include words like "heritage", "history", and "values", but couldn't quite squeeze them in ;-)
DEAR EDITOR:
The proceedings to dissolve the National Rifle Association mark a tragic ending for what was once the most highly regarded advocacy group for responsible gun ownership in America. Its leaders lost sight of this valuable mission, and instead shamefully chose to divert millions of membership dollars for their own personal gain. Now we face the consequences. The NRA is an unrecognizable shadow of its former self, and America is poorer for it.
NICE!!!
I just posted this to my Facebook page. It is brilliant! Thank you! At the end of my post I thanked a friend for the brilliant summary of how I feel (which isn't entirely true but it will ring true and be effective with many in my life).
Wow! Connects a lot of dots for me! I was clueless! I don’t think the true dumpster supporters will really listen to the facts. They will just hear their rights are being attacked. It is baffling that I take active shooter training to be a teacher with little regard for real safety. Being thrown back into the classroom during a pandemic proves the same thing to me. Politicians don’t care about kids, parents see us as kid warehouse. The rich need us back so their minions get back to work.
Glad you are okay with power restored! Stay Safe! 😊
As one whose children are grown and as the SIL of a college teacher, I think teachers are wonderful.
Indispensable.
Hope you realize how much you are loved and appreciated and how your fans worry about you when your letter hasn’t arrived. But, like others, I checked Facebook and read the post so I knew you were okay
:) that was the one silver lining. I knew it was up on Facebook, so people would know I was okay. I don't have cell coverage here, so couldn't even post from my phone.
Well, not necessarily. I learned to look for your post first on Facebook, where it gets reader typo feedback and 300 comments instantly, and then on Substack for more manageable quantity of comments and great discourse. So when there continued to be no post in email or on Substack, I for one did worry for your physical health and safety! It’s a scary world out there!
I also worried for your anxiety of wanting to come through for us readers on Substack, but being hampered by power outage, Internet problem, or whatever ever it was, and then losing precious sleep when you already seem to function so chronically sleep deprived!
AT&T usually works on the coast.
Dang, Annette, I wish I'd thought of that! Thanks for the tip, and hopefully won't need it. :)
Yeah, I didn’t either.
I was so glad to know you were all right, Heather. Thank you for this post on the suits against NRA leadership. Very helpful. I am a lay preacher in the Episcopal Church in Western MA and a board member of Theology & Peace, an ecumenical group of Christian theologians, clergy, and laity that seeks the flourishing of nonviolent Christianity. Our Collaborators Conference next week (online rather than in Nashville) is featuring the documentary “J.E.S.U.S.A” by filmmaker Kevin Miller which is available to rent or purchase on Vimeo. The first 15 minutes are disturbing clips from political rallies, churches, and interviews with gun promoting pastors and arms instructors that are horrifying in that they promote the theology of a violent God and the role of humans in carrying out this God’s violence on earth. (The rest of the film unpacks that bad theology.) This religion of a violent God which is used to justify owning and using weapons is the superglue bonding the NRA to individuals. These lawsuits could be instrumental in revealing the latest chapter in our long history of religion approved violence. Hope you continue to follow this for us.
Yeah, it's all so weird. When I was a kid, the NRA was all about gun safety and hunting safety. They came to our school and made sure we knew about guns. Then they went crazy political.
Same here, Heather. We learned gun safety in school from NRA volunteers, and the NRA also sponsored classes in both safe gun handling and safe hunting practices at the local range. Hunting for food was/is a big deal in the western state I grew up in, and is in the NE state I now live in, and a lot of people belonged to the NRA as a sort of social club. But as it veered into right-wing politics and promoting everything gun-related, safety and sanity be damned, people left. When the state I live in had a near-miss on a planned school shooting a few years ago, a "gun rights" group, not NRA but local clone tried to shout down the legislature and then the gov when we passed some pretty strict gun laws. Didn't work, and when the same guys tried to run for office, that fell flat too. The NRA of today is sure not the NRA we grew up with. Thanks for the history (which I knew) and the insights into the dynamics (which I didn't).
Too much evil is done for 'religious' reasons. Zealots do not respond to reason, and they have little empathy for the 'other'.
Chills went down my spine when I saw Judge Roy Moore of Alabama stride onstage of a political rally to the strains of "Onward Christian Soldiers."
I’m just glad it was only the power—not you! We’re all like your mother, worried sick until you show up, safe and sound. If you’re ever actually in danger, imagine the hordes of people who will show up on your behalf!! 😁❤️
And I appreciate it! I think, in this political climate, it matters.
Power lost. Still she persisted and we benefit from the daily digest. Thank you.
Pro tip: I use a Wi-Fi hot spot on my phone, mainly for security, but it works well for intermittent power outages too. It's all memorized in the computer. the computer will automatically swap whenever other wi-fi is not around. Of course assumes the same occurrence that knocked out your power left cell service unaffected.
Thank you. But I don't have cell coverage here! The wifi hotspot is a brilliant addition to the world in general, though, I have to say.
Saw your Tweet about prepping for future outages. Pro Tip #2: Assuming your broadband is not usually affected by the same events that knock out power, connect your router to a UPS. Most routers draw relatively little power (<20VA). Even a small (500-750VA) UPS will easily keep a router running for half an hour while you wrap things up or Buddy gets the generator fired up.
I benefit from buried utilities and diverse routes for power and communications. Power goes out on occasion, but telecom outages are extremely rare.
"I don't have cell coverage here! " Sounds idyllic!
It's worth noting that the man who led the 1977 coup that transformed the NRA into a right wing political organization was convicted murderer, Harlon Carter.
Did not know this.
The parenthetical made me laugh out loud. Found the Facebook post earlier, so I knew you were ok, but please take care of yourself!
Well, I couldn't leave that fact dangling. :)
Not gonna lie...I was afraid my connection to intelligent thought had been lost. Glad the power returned!
Waking up, I reach for my phone and look forward to reading your insights. I began to totally fret about 8:30. Whew!!! Glad you are okay!
At 6:15 ET I began to worry. So I went to water aerobics and checked my phone as soon as I was in the car!
Wow, I missed all the hullabaloo! For the first time in a long time, I didn't wake up at 5 (6:30--time's a'wastin'!), when I too reach for the phone to read before rising. Drives the cat crazy. She thinks her bowl takes precedence. Glad you're OK, though, and currently out kayaking!
Or hope you're out kayaking, meant to say.
THANK YOU --- (now, go kayaking this weekend, please?)
Planning to head out today at high tide. :)
Bless you, dear soul, for your efforts to educate us.
Nature is sometimes a harsh mistress ...especially when man messes with it and one lives in the wild blue yonder! Happily we could read it on Facebook. Excellent review of the NRA and the way that it has been perverted by self interest and greed of the ultra right wing and the US/Russian oligarchs. Hopefully it can be resuscitated as an organization promoting safe and controlled use and access to firearms. It's going to be interesting to see the impact on Trump/GOP electioneering. Will those who have received NRA funding reject it because it has been "tainted" with fraud?
Interesting question re: how others who have accepted tons of $ over the years will react to the greed of the NRA leaders. Somehow, I think they will follow tRump's lead and just act like the NRA can move and all will be well. They'll still get that $ for 2020.
Possibly, if their is any money left after the looting by top 4 execs that's been going on. Whatever happens, it's excellent anti-GOP propaganda for the Dems if their opponents are financed by fraud...and the first judge that gets his hands on the case will freeze the assets of the NRA. Washington DC's AG has also launched an attack on NRA's illegal transfers to their SuperPAC. Pincer movement which might slow the Oligarchs down a little
As I posted on Facebook:
I think we can say this applies to you, Heather! We can add power outage.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.