How You Can Help the Reese Family

"My husband is an FFL," a Facebook friend messaged me concerning the latest developments in the Reese case. "That could be me and my family. I am completely horrified by this case and the ease in which the prosecutor has kept it hidden.

"I've sent this out to every FFL I know, none of them had heard about it either," she continued. "What do we do to help? Write our Congressman? Where is the NRA?"

The reasons other FFLs haven't heard of it are basically twofold -- there has been some limited local "legitimate media" coverage, but not in the detail provided at Gun Rights Examiner, where I on occasion link to actual legal documents from the case that I obtain and post on my Scribd account, and importantly, at Tea Party Patriots of Luna County, where they post  first-hand accounts written by a trial attendee who also has plenty of insider information. And, of course, Jeff Knox has been a leader in providing coverage at WND.com and at The Firearms Coalition, where he's set up online donations to help the family defend themselves.

I said twofold and we covered the extremely limited outlets for documenting developments.  The second part of the equation is the biggest problem, the old "Profiles in Apathy," where readers are asked to share links -- and they don't.  That means the word doesn't get out.  Face it -- the family is being prosecuted in New Mexico.  I'm just some guy operating out of his house in Ohio.  What chance does it have to gain wider attention if even regular returning readers won't help?

If you think my just putting stuff out on the internet is all it takes, think again. Stupid celebrity crap and sexual innuendo is what occupies top positioning at Examiner.  If I want readers, I have to drag them in myself, which is why I spend time every day on the aforementioned Facebook, and on Twitter. I'm not there because I'm looking for online social experiences, I'm there because it's marginally more effective, if not more dignified, than screaming at passing cars.

I had this conversation just this morning with Mike Vanderboegh.  Our consensus -- if any of us -- meaning you, too, ever gets in trouble, too fricking bad.  If the media notices at all, it will be to smear you as a threat that needed putting down. On the off-chance someone like me notices and tries to tell others, good fricking luck getting it to spread beyond an extremely limited niche audience.

So, with full awareness that I probably just spent 10 minutes talking to maybe a half-dozen people max who will turn around and lift a finger: How can you help?

Share links and urge your friends to do the same.

Donate to the Reese family defense fund. They're broke. They've been broke.  They'll continue to be broke.  And the government just guaranteed their bills will do nothing but grow with its latest appeal. Share the donation link or mailing address (Reese Defense Fund, Attention Patricia Arias, First Savings Bank, 520 South Gold, Deming, NM 88030) and urge your friends to do the same.

Write to the Senate Judiciary Committee and demand they do not confirm Kenneth Gonzales as a District Court Judge.  I suggest approaching Grassley as the key guy, since Democrats won't be sympathetic and since he's the Ranking member for the Republicans. Share his comm link and urge your friends to do the same.

And where's NRA?  Beats the hell out of me.  Why not take it upon yourself to ask them.  And urge your friends to do the same.

Or do nothing. If I knew how to motivate anyone besides myself, I'd be running an organization.  And if I wanted my work to be popular and widely read, I'd put in to be the Celebrity STDs Examiner.

Just remember that everything I cite above is an attempt to pit ourselves against an ambitious federal prosecutor desperate to salvage and advance his career and who has virtually unlimited government resources at his disposal.