The first type of response was simply that of agreement and relaying that they had encountered similar issues within fights in their . 

The other, largely the source of this blog post was blindly defensive of the NRA without actually discussing any of the issues why, there was one exception as noted above.  Which brings me around to the post title. 

What was I really focused on? 

It appears that the crux of my complaint was missed or oblivious to people so let me lay it out here:

Why should I donate money to an organization who is not working to defend my rights in the fight with is going to have the largest impact on ME? 

Think about that for a second, they called asking for money but are no where to be seen in the 591/594 fight.  End result I am spending my personal time and effort doing what they aren’t. 

That last comment is by someone who obviously is not familiar with the legislation and what it’s actually doing.  Not to mention this seems like the rantings of someone perpetuating the “deranged knuckle-dragging stereotype.”  I’d also like to point out that the goal of combat and war is not to die for your cause or principles, it’s to make the other poor bastard die for his.  I-594, while certainly creating a system of backdoor gun registration, does much worse.  I-594 makes felons from those who engage in instruction, sport, and education with its overly broad definitions.  You’re right, the gun culture will die with my last breath because I was effectively prevented from bringing new people into the sport. 

Where it all comes together:

The biggest gold mine was Facebook:

First, a quick reminder, let’s I wrote the post.  Now lets rip apart those arguments shall we? 

The NRA is working to elect pro gun candidates in every state.  That’s a very bold statement, that would mean they’re working to elect pro gun candidates right here in Washington since it’s every state.  Let’s look at the PDC shall we? 

The reason that the I-676 numbers are specifically called out is because the argument is the NRA is supporting candidates right?  We quickly discover that by far the biggest contributor to elections in Washington since 1998 isn’t the NRA but WAGOAL.  By a ratio of ~1.5 to 1.  But lets see exactly where the NRA is spending our donations. 

So it seems the NRA has a solid covering, but what is interesting is some of those candidates aren’t in serious battle areas.  They are already very “red” and quite pro-gun as it’s the more rural parts of the state.  Interestingly though Pam Roach, who is quite honestly one of the most gun friendly people up for reelection, is in a heated showdown to retain her seat has only a single contribution from the NRA this year.  Know what’s interesting about that?  She is quite literally in the middle of some of the most gun unfriendly territory in the state.  So explain how the NRA is going to be helping pro gun candidates, when it seems their philosophy is to fire a shotgun at the wall and hope that something sticks.  If you have limited funds, one should make sure to maximize the effect from what you do spend.  Same goes for residents, comparing the NRA to say WAGOAL in terms of supporting candidates, I’m sending my money to WAGOAL.* 

WAGOAL may look light on this years donations to political candidates, however they have contributed heavily to the 591/594, where normally they would be focused on candidates not an initiative battle; which when taken into account easily moves them to twice what NRA has contributed this election cycle, even with the NRA’s shell campaign. 

What changed? 

In 1997 the NRA committed, quite heavily I might add, to defeating I-676.  As you can see above the NRA brought over $2 million into the fight.  This time we get crickets. 

We get a lack of commitment on an opposing initiative that would help secure a legal challenge in the even I-594 passes.  We get a battlefield of restraints our local representatives are constrained by.  Ultimately I see the process of engineering for failure. 

So how do I view this overall? 

When you criticize the NRA or question the notion that the NRA is the “gun owners best friend and can do no wrong” mentality, you get excuses.  Sort of like the battered spouse crying “Sure he beats and rapes me but he protects me from all these other things!  He’s a good provider!” 

Others see that parallel with the NRA’s relationship to gun owners.  They claim that the NRA is fundamentally opposed to any idea that didn’t originate in Virginia, that the NRA is unwilling to work with other pro-gun organizations and that the NRA is the first to claim credit when things go well – and shift the blame with equal vigor. 

These same people who then tell us that the NRA response to I-594 and I-591 is precisely what we should expect – a token effort or a shell campaign opposing I-594 so that NRA “leaders” in Virginia can claim victory if I-594 is defeated, and that “well, we tried” should it win.  That we should be unsurprised when the NRA dismisses I-591 as irrelevant – as, after all, not only was I-591 not born in the depths of the NRA halls of Virginia, it was homegrown.  After all, nothing good EVER happens when gun owners think for themselves and take the lead.  That is the modern NRA – not the NRA of 1997, still equipped with a spine and marching into the fight with $2,000,000 in their pocket. 

Objectively it almost seems as if there’s actually two different NRA’s.  There is local NRA and field reps trying to find ways to be effective locally — whether that is testifying to the legislature or standing behind a booth at the fair, working a gun show, or any other task an activist must do. 

Then we have the second NRA, sitting on the pocketbook – dismissive and uninvolved, a bureaucratic multi-headed monster in Virginia that works against those local representatives.  The body that coughed up a total of $25,000 late in the game, in a seeming act of self-serving symbolism. 

Representing that NRA we have Brian Judy, an NRA Senior State Liaison, has worked tirelessly within the dysfunctional ball field the Medusa of Virginia created in the Washington initiative battle and was fantastically effective during the Legislative Hearings in Olympia.  Judy literally crushed the opposition without blinking an eye and did it effectively, without reserve, with an educational tone that nailed the subject at hand. 

The NRA serves a purpose – but I seriously wonder how much they are really self-serving versus actually serving gun owners.  They were helpful during the national fight January 2013, but at the same time they stabbed Washington State in the back – was that two NRA’s working to cross purposes? 

Maybe it’s time to start working on solid local leadership we can depend on – if we cannot depend on the NRA of Virginia. 

*Note I do not represent or claim to represent WAGOAL and could care less where you send your money.  I am merely providing the information as an educational service.  Do with it as you please. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Everyone that wants to blame this on the crazy Libertarians needs to realize- NOBODY COURTED US FOR OUR VOTE.  Oh, sure, we get some lip service.  But nobody came out and said, “Hey, you, in the back, that just want to be left alone… What can we do to make YOU happy?”  Which makes me think that we were not a critical voting bloc, yes?  We were, maybe, not the moderate independents that both camps were appealing to?  So why, in the fiery depths of bipartisan burning f#$%ing HELL are we the ones that are expected to compromise our beliefs and vote YOUR guy into power?  How was that supposed to work?  We are goddamn Libertarians, for Pete’s sake, not toeing the line IS THE ENTIRETY OF OUR PLATFORM!  So we are expected to just fall into place, and vote blindly for the guy thats just as bad, bit in different ways than the other guy that sucks?  I repeat: Screw you. 

[I was able to retain my calm today up until the point where I started seeing BS being flung about how Libertarians cost Romney the election.  Uhh, no there sparky, you accomplished that feat all on your own. 

Let me explain something to people who may not be familiar with me.  I am very principled and honestly it takes a lot for me to even contemplate it.  Bill Whittle got me to seriously think about it for all of about 30 seconds.  Is Obama bad, yeah, but honestly, let’s think about this from my perspective as a Libertarian, is Romney any better? 

The only thing Romney had going for him is the media and other parts of government might start working as a check and balance again.  Deep down though that man would not have represented me, my desires, or what I would like to see from my government.  That is what I’m supposed to be voting for, not the lesser of two evils. 

The bottom line is that the Republicans could easily get the Libertarian vote, how, by running a candidate that agrees with our principles.  Why should we be the only side to comprise in the selection of a candidate?  Tell you what, run a candidate that isn’t big government, doesn’t focus on social issues that honestly aren’t the business of government, and focuses purely on correcting the failed economic policies of the past god knows how many years, and you will finally have my attention. 

This isn’t as difficult as you might think.  You see that whole social issue thing is why the Democrats keep winning.  Republicans keep attacking social issues and attempt to use the force of government to force their morals on others.  Yeah there’s some seriously contentious issues in there, but face it, the big one isn’t going to change and all it ever does is get you in trouble.  As for same-sex marriage let me explain something to you idiots, the government put itself in the business of marriage and there are rights and benefits that are given to married couples.  Can you explain why the state is allowed to differentiate between the two groups with regards to rights and benefits?  Because seriously that’s what this all boils down to. 

The government cannot compel a priest, pastor, or whatever to marry two individuals if they believe it is against their religion.  What the government can do, is create the contract of marriage between two consenting adults.  No one is forcing people to go out and have same-sex marriages either.  What is being said is the state must recognize it.  If you’re church doesn’t want to recognize it, that’s its business, but the church has no business forcing the state to follow along with it’s views. 

Yet it never fails that some Republican candidate will run his mouth about it. 

What about drug use?  Well, lets cut the BS and admit that the drug war has failed and the only reason it still exists is because of the jobs and money it generates for those currently involved in waging it.  Just because something is made legal doesn’t mean you have to go smoke it.  It doesn’t mean that it’s use allows someone to being exempted from being held criminally negligent if they do something stupid.  What it does mean is someone is free to make the choice. 

I could continue but the bottom line is you want my vote of support.  That means you need to run a candidate that I find worth voting for.  If you can’t or don’t want to do that don’t even think about attempting to blame us for your loss.  If you had really wanted our vote, you would have actually courted and attempted to earn it. 

Nothing pisses me off more than some ass-hat telling me that I should sell my principles up the river for their guy.  No, if you want me on your side, you need to sacrifice and provide a reason to vote for your side there boy genius. 

This also ignores the fact that the margin of libertarian voters in every state would not have changed the election results.  So my Republican friends, it’s your failure, own it!  -B]

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

That’s right folks, a poll watcher attempted, she was eventually allowed to vote, to stop someone because they were wearing a college shirt for one of the best engineering schools in the country.  Now why do I say there’s no bias, well lets look at this:

Yet the poll watchers do nothing.  They are however more than happy to jump at someone wearing a MIT shirt. 

I am a firm believer in the Soap-Box, Ballot-Box, and Cartridge-Box.  Even the UN poll watchers, which I think honestly have no business being here, are astonished that we don’t show ID.  Yet fearless leader and his supporters claim that requiring ID would be discriminatory against a fundamental right. 

Interestingly those same people are more than willing to require my ID and a pile of paperwork for me to exercise my enumerated right to own a firearm. 

Honestly on a national level, I have absolutely no faith in the ballot system any more.  There’s a reason people don’t want ID’s shown, it’s the only way they can maintain control and survive since it widens the margin of cheat.  My soap-box is working, my cartridge-box still works, I’m finding my ballot-box though extremely suspect. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Liquor was the only way I could cause my rage to dull enough to actually finish filling the bastard out.  Currently the spread in Washington is so large on the federal level there was no point in me even voting for Romney.  Someone told me it was a wasted vote for Johnson, and for a while Bill Whittle almost had me.  Except I remember it matters on the state level and the electoral college.  What is interesting though is since I was free to vote my conscience as I don’t live in a battle ground state it was anything but wasted.  For those who really aren’t aware of what the margin of cheat is here in Washington State, there’s a reason I regularly joke, “Re-elect Dino Rossi”. 

Could we make 5%, maybe, who knows, but a lot of people are voting against Obama more than they’re really voting for Romney.  The people do want change, they want to ditch the current two parties. 

Other interesting things about the better half’s ballot as well as my own.  Since Washington State allows write in choices I made sure to exercise it where applicable.  For instance the incumbent for my congressional rep, who I actually prefer over her opponent, voted to renew the patriot act.  Well I sure wasn’t going to vote for her opponent because there’s no doubt he would have done the same, so instead we voted for her opponent in the primary. 

Next there were some Judges, one of whom we really didn’t like because of a ruling from 2004 which is equivalent to holding a gun manufacturer liable for what someone does with their product.  We voted for Henry Bowman instead for that particular judge.  If you don’t get the reference, I suggest you do a bit of reading, you can find it for free in some places digitally.  Dagney Taggart was the write in for the second judge. 

My personal favorite was a particular judge who I had the “pleasure” of being a defendant in his court room was also up for reelection, unopposed I might add, so instead we voted for Ellis Wyatt. 

So yes, some may give me crap and say I wasted my vote.  To those who would say I did that, prove it.  Prove that some how my vote would have closed a 10% gap in the state of Washington and some how defeated the margin of cheat. 

No instead I came out wit ha clean conscience and was able voice my dissent through the electoral process where necessary.  Overall it’s no ones business how we voted, but here’s the thing.  I’m not ashamed of how I voted because I stood up for what I believed in. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Like this:

So I am by no means a Photoshop god, far from it as a matter of fact.  Someone sent me something recently and it was begging to get the full on treatment.  Well to get it out before the elections over, because honestly who would care after the fact, I just did it in a meme form. 

I really wanted to recolorize the picture and put Biden in Joker makeup, but alas I don’t have the skills to get it done in minutes and I have other stuff I want to do. 

Worthy of note however is the fact that this Administration has now killed more American Citizens willfully through malice, negligence, and being outright intentional than any administration before it. 

What, you think I’m wrong?  Find me another administration who did something equivalent to the following three items:

We have a man who absolutely does not care about the health and well being of America or her citizens.  Even more than that he is willing to sacrifice them and then will attempt to use their deaths as political leverage.  These two villains need to go. 

Even their own supporters admit that man of the policies pushed for by Obama are wrong and unconstitutional, but they become hypocrites when they find out it was their man who actually did it (ht to Weer’d). 

Some how their sociopath won’t abuse his power for evil, and will help protect and defend American’s.  Except oh wait, he’s done the opposite again, but evidently we’re all imagining it. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Bill Whittle on the problem of principles and wanting to vote 3rd party and the upcoming election.  It is definitely worth a watch. 

Sadly he’s right.  I would rather vote third-party, except as Bill Whittle says doing so enables the greater evil. 

The closing comment from Bill Whittle is right:

The fundamental difference between these two men is Mitt Romney loves America and Barack Obama is determined to destroy America. 

No matter what we’re not reversing the slope this election.  The best we can do is lessen it to try to pull back.  I am principled enough that I cannot fool myself into thinking that voting for a third-party exempts me from my responsibility regarding the health and well-being of this country. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Like this:

I got an email this afternoon from Stephanie at the NRA, who I had the pleasure of meeting at GBR.  The NRA has created two ads geared towards this election, specifically in-light of recent statements made by Obama during the debate as well as on his website. 

This is serious folks and the fact that Heller hinged on one vote in the Supreme Court is serious.  That man wants nothing more than to disarm the American public at this point.  Many look at Romney and say he’s a gun banner just the same as Obama.  Except when you start really digging past the myths to the truth, that’s not entirely true. 

Roberta was right, we are not going to reverse the slope.  We can slow it down though, and even more than that, we need to protect the tools necessary to survive when the time comes we finally discover the edge of the fiscal cliff, more specifically the bottom. 

The bottom line is we must protect our natural rights from any who would assault them.  Think long and hard before you vote this year.  I am one who always wants to vote what I feel is right, however sometimes you must make a tactical decision to cede ground in one place to take ground in another. 

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

[All I can think to add to this is, “That’s about par for the course.”  I did make a tweet about the hypocrisy of the DNC requiring ID to get in, but you don’t need ID to vote.  Someone replied saying the following:

I didn’t realize they needed photo ID before they searched you or your belongings for “security”.  Sounds like a great excuse to keep out “undesirables.” 

Joe and I were driving across Nevada as the thing went down though we were getting updates via Bitter and others.  The feeling I got by the end was the hypocrisy coming from them was so thick it could have been granite by the time it was all over.  -B]

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot.  Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms. 

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University.  Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure.  This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment.  Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications.  Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing. 

Barron Barnett/(The Minuteman Blog) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.