OK, you know I can't leave this alone, especially considering our success with the last call to action.
What, another assignment, already?
Yep. The Republican YouTube debate will be hosted by CNN in November.
So I wrote to them via their website contact form:
(Note I clicked the "Positive" feedback option, as I figure everybody, especially "authorized journalists," likes to read compliments.)
I got back this form reply:
Did'ja get that part?
[W]e pride ourselves in making the opinions of our viewers known to CNN senior management and producers. Your comments will be part of the Viewer Response Report provided to our news division on the next business day.
So what if they get hundreds of comments urging them to "Play Tom Gresham and Clint Smith's question in the YouTube Republican Debate"? What if they get thousands with just that simple message?
And what if gun blogs like this one joined in the call, and CNN knew it would be documented if they avoided presenting the single most relevant Second Amendment-related question I can envision being asked of a presidential candidate? How could they justify suppressing this, especially in light of their taking great pains to select the guy who calls his guns his "babies" in the Democrat debate, with the express intent of portraying gun owners negatively?
It will literally take you one minute to do this.
One of the problems we saw with our August 28 ammo buy is there simply was not enough time to mobilize a nation of gun owners between when the idea was proposed and "Game Day." Well now we have plenty of lead time--but that's no reason to put this off, because if we do, we'll forget about it.
I urge all WarOnGuns visitors to take a moment right now and contact CNN at the above link. I urge my fellow gunbloggers to get their readers on board.
One caveat--I'm not trying to horn in on Tom and Clint's great idea, so I'm not asking for anyone to link to this post. Just pass the YouTube video in the title link and the CNN contact link along to gun owners and the mission will be accomplished. But I would appreciate visitors to this blog to leave me a comment telling me you took a minute to do this.
[Via RuffRidr]
58 comments:
I'm on board. Feedback sent.
Done per your suggestion
Done
Rick Solomon
Little Elm, TX
We should encourage others to post more 2A video questions as well.
And I took the minute.
Done.
I went and looked everything over. First off, I'm touched that the folks over at CNN are concerned with what I'm 'feeling', and secondly, I have a bit of concern over the 'next business day' part.
This is the end of August, and the debate is scheduled (at this time) for November. A flurry of 2A questions in late August will be forgotten by then.
Can you make a reminder for yourself to repost this around Columbus Day? I would use my wife's birthday (15Oct), but I'm pretty sure it's not the same sort of national holiday at your house as it is in mine :)
Done, thank you.
Fight islam Now
Done.
Peter, yes, I intend to do reminders as the time nears, because we need to let the momentum on this build. But don't let that stop you from taking a minute NOW.
If others get on board and help spread the word, we can get a sustained network set up, where you post your comment and tell a few others, then they do the same thing, etc.
And I'll even slightly modify the basic message as the time gets closer.
Feedback sent. I would like to hear answers from the candidates who seem just nominally pro-2A.
Thanks David. Sent my request to CNN, sent an email to friends/family asking them to do the same.
Vote Ron Paul
Sent off a request to them.
done
Took the minute. And will get the word out to others
Sent!
Done...
Bounty Hunter
Done.
David;
E-mail sent to CNN: Free
Bulk e-mail sent to friends: Free
Post on my blog: Free
E-mail sent to other gunbloggers: Free
Look on their faces when Rudy G or Mitt R has to answer this question... priceless.
Done... and with a big grin on my face.
Done - I'll blog it tonnight as well.
Done.
Excellent idea.
Excellent question.
I'd LOVE to hear the answers.
Done.
And I had to download the video on dial-up, so nobody gets to use that as an excuse not to do it.
Sent.
Possible nit: IIRC the CDC report said they could find no evidence that gun laws had affected gun violence. Am I misremembering?
If I'm not, then I wager the candidates may latch onto that misstatement rather than answering the question...
One minute well worth the effort - message sent on down the line.
Done.
Done
Done.
Done and I will be posting on my blog and forum.
http://blog.livetoshoot.com
http://livetoshoot.freeforums.org
Done. This Committee of Correspondence stuff is fun.
Done and linked. Do you suppose any of them will have the balls to answer the way Pete Coors did?
Done.
Done.
Done.
Posting this article on illinoiscarry.com
C'est fini.
Task completed. David, thanks for giving us a quick and easy way to do something tangible for the cause.
"I'm not asking for anyone to link to this post" Too late David, I already have it up at KABA.com. And I sent in my request to CNN.
Done
Done.
Done.
Done and forwarded!!
Message sent.
Re-send on the first Tuesday in Nov.
Good_ol_Al
Mesa AZ
Done!
Sent mine.
FreeInPA, wife and sons sent in the feedback.
I did it, got the feedback from CNN. I'm touched with their concern. ( I'm thinking of calling them trying to borrow money.)
Of course, you know that the dumb-as-mud CNN anchor of the debates will immediatly toss this to Ron Paul, (he'll gas on for a bit), then they will ask Huckabee or someone in a suit, then move to the next question. They will NEVER ask Guiliani or Romney this question.
Too bad. It's a great question. You can see it on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyWm0Kpxrxs
That was my gun control video. I emailed it to Tom Gresham when I made it, on August 2nd.
Stephen--feel free to contact me at dcodrea at hotmail dot com.
In truth, it's not hard to conceive ideas being derived independently as evidenced by the recent Aug 28 ammo buy day that came independently to me, admittedly as an exploitation of Kim du Toit's "National Ammo Day" concept, and a call for a day of protest by The Firearms Coalition that also included a gun and ammo buy recommendation.
In terms of this issue, I've been writing candidate questionnaires for years now, since at least 2002, including modified ones for NRA Board candidates as well as those seeking political office.
One of my questions:
"What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?"
In fairness to Tom, the guy probably gets more emails than he can handle--and can only devote a part of his attention to what comes in from activists from all over the country calling for him to look at this or that.
He very well may have read your email and even replied to thank you for writing, but I wouldn't assume anything beyond that. The implication, and I don't want to put words in your mouth--is that you may feel he hasn't credited you for an idea you introduced.
I'd have a very tough time thinking he would intentionally do that.
I'm no Gresham apologist--he and I have disagreed in the past (and the details of how that ended up need to stay private because he communicated with me on that condition and I will not break my word). That said, I've never seen anything from him that suggests any cause for concern about where his heart is.
And I apologize if I've misread the intention of your post.
I hit it.
Submitted as requested.
done
Done and in Tom Gresham's defense I've heard him spout the same general question a dozen times or more on his show.
Done
DONE.
Tony G.
Plano, TX
Done. Shawn, Glenrock, WY
Done.
Done- Wayne Borngesser
Excellent suggestion, a bit late on the follow through due to personal scheduling issues!
Will get a screen shot posted on my blog soon for documentation purposes.
Done, thanks for the guidence.
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