By Harold Hutchison
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- The recall of Grover Norquist on this year’s NRA Board of Director’s ballot has generated plenty of controversy – with the ongoing debate between David Codrea and Todd Rathner at Ammoland News being one example of this.
As someone who had spent my entire post-college life involved with Second Amendment issues in one way or another – and who was pro-Second Amendment in high school and college – I think that both Codrea and Rathner each have valid grounds for their arguments.
First, in the interests of full disclosure I will note that I worked for the National Rifle Association for a little over nine years. During that time, I had to explain the rationale of decisions, including election endorsements, that upset NRA members. I also had to explain why NRA did not get involved in certain issues.
Rathner is correct that the NRA tries to keep a laser focus on the Second Amendment. I have known co-workers who had differing views on various issues, but we all came together on the Second Amendment. I had a bit of a front-line view as to how that single-issue focus was of benefit. In 1999, after the tragic mass shooting at Columbine High School, it was a Democrat, John Dingell of Michigan, who helped the NRA outmaneuver Bill Clinton, Chuck Schumer, and Carolyn McCarthy – among other gun-grabbers – who wanted to effectively end gun shows.
Many NRA members could not understand why NRA repeatedly endorsed Dingell in previous elections. But NRA’s loyalty to Dingell for his support of the Second Amendment paid off in the post-Columbine legislative fight. Today, gun shows still exist as they were. So, when Rathner defends the NRA’s efforts to avoid getting involved in outside issues, he has very valid reasons for doing so.
That said, when it came to campaign finance reform, this was one issue where NRA did get involved. Codrea correctly notes that it was because McCain-Feingold would hamper NRA’s ability to defend our Second Amendment rights. I also can assure readers that the Brady Campaign supported McCain-Feingold for precisely that reason. Don’t take my word for it, listen to what Michael Barnes, the president of the Brady Campaign, was saying in April, 2001, when he admitted that the gun-control group favored passage of McCain-Feingold because it would “much more adversely affect the power of the gun lobby” than the power of the Brady Campaign.
The real question is whether the immigration issue really rises to the same level of threat that McCain-Feingold did. Perhaps the NRA Board of Directors needs to set up a task force to examine the issue more closely. Are Codrea’s claims of “cultural terraforming” legit? Can this be countered without compromising the NRA’s “single issue” approach, like advertising on Spanish-language media? Many of those who watch Telemundo or Univision come from Mexico and Central America.
Those countries have much more restrictive gun laws than the United States – gun laws that have failed to prevent violent crime from skyrocketing to levels that make Chicago and Baltimore look like walks in the park. Univision and Telemundo will not be going away any time soon, so the NRA needs to get in that ball game – particularly when at least 248 counties in 25 states were providing bi-lingual ballots in the 2012 Presidential election, most of them in Spanish.
For NRA to expand into “scoring” votes on immigration (not to mention re-calling Grover Norquist from the NRA Board of Directors), there needs to be more evidence than just some adverse polling data. There not only needs to be clear and convincing evidence of the “cultural terraforming” cited by Codrea, but also that measures short of going beyond the “single issue” mandate of NRA would be utterly ineffective.
From my perspective, the NRA hasn’t even tried to get into Spanish-language media. As such, going beyond the NRA’s “single issue” mandate at this time is the wrong approach.
The sickening, coy, PC pandering of Hutchison, McDougal, Tionico and Combs are weak strawman arguments that evade the real issue. Neither the original recall proponents nor David Codrea argue for “excluding parts of the populace from support for or protection of the 2A.” Mr. Codrea’s point: The ever-growing deluge of over-immigration, invasion-occupation, and Democrat fast-breeding supported by Norquist, Bloomberg & Company and their subversive collaborators is culturally and politically terraforming the USA — and not in good way, contrary to what the globalists, the “U.S.” Chamber of Commerce, the RINOs, and delusional Left “Libertarians” would have us believe — in… Read more »
Disengeuous NRA defensive-horsecrap is what I took from this article. Single issue my hairy arse. Cultural terraforming needs more facts to ‘prove’ it, my hairy arse. It is glaringly obvious that there is and has been for many decades, a plan to culturally (and through other means) terraform America into a part of a new world order via engineering and allowing a massive illegal alien invasion. The NRA is a sell-out non-principled quisling organization and has been since at least the 1930s, if not before. Norquist, the darling of the NRA and the globalist-collectivist beltway-cabal, is a facilitator and enabler… Read more »
AXPerez: excuse the crap out of me, but this is America – not Mexico. If the Mexicans want a country, go back south and create one from Mexico. If not join The USA legally and learn English and assimilate into OUR American Society. What the crap makes you think you Mexicans or any other group, deserve any part of our America because you come here illegally or even the few who come here legally? Break the Country in two ??? I would rather see Mexican and ANYONE else’s blood who wants to break the Country in two, running knee deep… Read more »
Do I agree with this, yes. Come here the correct way, rather than committing a felony, and learn OUR standard language.
By the way, take Lying Cruz and Little Boy Rubio with you. They can go run Cuba or Mexico, who cares.
Not sure if my comment went. It’s going through twitter. But Norquist should be recalled solely because of his Muslim ties.
https://conservative-outlooks.com/2015/03/21/the-nras-muslim-problem/
I’m not quite up on the Spanish thing, but I’ve been writing about Norquist fir several years. He has to go for one reason only. His Muslim ties, I’m not going to spell it all out here, but you can read my expose on him.
https://conservative-outlooks.com/2015/03/21/the-nras-muslim-problem/
Open borders mean no country nor 2nd amendment!
Vote to recall Grover Norquist!
Joe Wilson
Patron level NRA
I’ve read many comments about immigration here that disregard the fact that people of Mexican, Central American, and South American descent are the second largest ethnic group in America and growing. Here’s the deal, assimilate them or create two USA’s, one of Northern European decent, one not. Assimilate them, break the country in two so that each group gets their share, or wreck the country in Civil War. I know for a fact assimilation (with some accommodation) works, or I would not have read the article and typed this reply.
OR we could just begin mass deportations, after we begin sending registered Democrats to the death-camps. After all, it’s not fair to murder the Latins as they were only responding to the signals sent by the Dems, so they can just be forcefully removed and sent back. If the 1940’a prove anything, it’s that white people are actually really talented at population redistribution.
Would you people stop with the BS articles on Norquist, PLEASE ???? It is just obvious that the NRA “ROGUE” Board wants Norquist to stay and will say anything and everything to keep him. Do not make yourselves look stupid by saying things like David Codrea needs facts or his facts are week… First just the smell of Norquist and Bloomberg together is revolting and should be to every American and especially to every NRA member. Then Codrea’s immigration theory is weak? I have read thousands of articles by all kinds and all types of writers who say that immigrants… Read more »
Immigration is more votes for liberals pure and simple. Let them get work visas, learn our language, become citizens if they want our rights, including voting. The liberals pander to them with free healthcare, food stamps, welfare, housing assistance. The immigrants in turn vote for liberals to keep the gravy train rolling. If the liberals gain 2 million votes instantly, and another million every few years, that will guarantee them the white house, congress and the supreme court for the next 50 years. Then watch them kill 2A and use their power to take all guns and ammo in the… Read more »
The following link will allow you to decide on Mr. Norquist for yourself. In my book he is,if not a member, at the very least, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist organization) Enter it in your browser.
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2508
If the above link does not work go to ‘Discover the Networks’, select ‘Individuals” and enter ‘Norquist’ in the Search panel.
How immigration affects 2A and keeping our right to bear arms. The liberals want immigration because the vast majority of immigrants vote liberal to gain free healthcare, food stamps, welfare programs, housing assistance, etc. While many immigrants come here and are hard working, some come for the free lunch we dole out much too freely in my opinion. That said, a million new voters every few years for the liberals will result in a liberal white house, congress and supreme court. Kiss the 2A good-bye, your guns will be grabbed (the “if it saves just one life…..” BS) and we… Read more »
I have absolutely no idea where Hispania is. Yet I keep hearing Hispanics. Who are those people? Is there something wrong with Mexicans? There is a country named that, a capitol of that country named that, we have a state named that, we have cities named that, we have food and fast food operations named that or using Mexican in their names and products-where is Hispanic in all of this?–Is Mexican some kind of bad word? Now if one were to refer to all the peoples in countries south of the U.S. boarder the word Latino would be more accurate.… Read more »
Jack, I’ve been on the planet for 59 years, and to date, I have never seen anyone from south of the border speaking Latin. Latins, are Italians of ancient origin. They are not Mexicans, they are not Guatemalans, nor are they Costa Ricans, nor Belizeans, nor Panamanians, nor from any of the countries of South America. I don’t care what the proper term is for illegal aliens who are destroying America. What I do care about, is it there are far too many Americans who are willing to throw up their hands, on the issue of what makes America great:… Read more »
Your right, and Mexicans are not Spaniards which were and are mostly white. And the language they speak isn’t like what Spaniards speak.
The duty of Hispanics who have emigrated here is to assimilate and learn English. We are not a dual-language country. Just take a look at the mess this has caused in our schools.
What part of . . .
“Siendo necesaria una milicia bien ordenada para la seguridad de un Estado Libre, no se violará el derecho del pueblo a poseer y portar armas.”
. . . don’t people understand?
You might like to know what Google Translate did with your words 🙂
“Being a well-ordered necessary for the security of a free state militia, not the people’s right be violated to keep and bear arms”
which is why I don’t trust google on much of anything. They think a round on the backstop is a socring round. Never herad of the ten-ring. Don’t care to, either. That’s google….
The proper translation is “…El derecho de la gente…” “El Pueblo” refers to the community, “La Gente” refers to individuals. Obviously we want people to understand that the RKBA is an individual, not collective right. Why translate The American Rifleman into Spanish (And German, French, , Russian Mandarin Etc.)? If for no other reason to correctly translate the Second Amendment so that people learn it is an individual and not a collective right.
el pueblo also refers to the individuals making up that geographical community.
Gil: I hope you’re not trying out for the new Hispanderer Rifleman.
Our local friends of the NRA committee has two women Spanish speaking members, we NEED a version of The American Rifleman in Spanish.
The NRA should not be in the business of excluding parts of the populace from support for or protection of the 2A.
I am neither pro or anti immigration or reproductive choice. We are a single issue group and should keep it that way.
Why only Castilian Spanish? Isn’t this exclusionary of Tagalog, Korean, Serbo-Croatian, Inuit, Navajo, !Xhosa, etc.? Last I heard, the official language of the USA is Standard American English. If immigrants want to vote, let them study, take the test, become citizens and LEARN HOW TO FUNCTION AND COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH. Otherwise, we will be like old Yugoslavia and modern Canada and Belgium.
VOTING ins one thing… most American hispanics can function in english.. else they’d not be active in so many things. BUT… to cater to them by providing a very accessible edition of the NRA mags in spanish would be a form of hospitality, coming alongise, befriending, recognising, etc. Most HAVE learned how to function and comminicate in english. To provide these publications in spanish would help include them, Heck if a spanish version were available I’d get it… helps me learn the language to read in it. Don’t be so quick to exclude. They comprise some twenty percent of us..… Read more »
Why not Arabic, speaking of Grover Norquisling?
Do you not hear the irony in: “The American Rifleman in Spanish?” The NRA does not NEED a Spanish version of anything. We are not a bilingual nation and I, for one, will fight every effort to take us there. I know there are a lot of Americans who agree with my sentiment and it is not mean-spirited or exclusive. As a matter of fact, it is the opposite – language is a bond that unifies a nation’s people or, in this instance, a group’s members.
The NRA does not NEED a Spanish version of anything. one perspective. However, if I were the publisehr of, say, an ndustry trade magazine, and wanted to reach a larger audience and bring them in to gain their favour, I’d as soon as pissible develop a spanish language edition. Simply good marketing. MOST of the legal residents and naturalised or natural born citizens of hispaniic descent do just fine in english. But they also subscribe to and enjoy spanish language publications and broadcasts. WHy not appeal to thei r preferences? It is not the engliah language that “unifies in this… Read more »
WHY a Spanish version ??? AHY a hyphenated America ?? Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907. “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any… Read more »
If you want Spanish alternatives offered, then you are the problem. The creation of a single language alternative to labels (and publications now!) and bathroom signs was a huge mistake, answering a question that nobody asked. I’m from Dutch/Latvian parents, so I think we should have all signs offered in those languages. Why not? We don’t need and rational requirements for enacting new rules anymore, just as long as it satisfies a single person’s wishes as long as it will make them feel good. WTF were you thinking when you make these assertions? .