A Strong and Consistent Voice

"Congressman Chet Edwards is a strong and consistent voice for freedom and for defending the rights of Texas gun owners, hunters and sportsmen,” said Chris W. Cox, chairman for the NRA Political Victory Fund.

Yep, here's the rating and endorsement.

That must be why Chet supports this guy, you know, the guy we're told will be "the most anti-gun president in American history."

That doesn't even shave a point off the "A" rating?

And why does GOA give Chet a "D"? Some would tell us it's because they're NRA wannabe malcontents who exist by siphoning off funds from our true gun rights leaders. Is there any objective way we can see which rating should have more credibility?

Well, Chet's opponent, Rob Curnock (rated "AQ"*), is none too happy, claiming:

“The NRA gave Edwards a grade of A, but a few years ago they gave him an F,” Curnock said. “It goes up and down. If it’s an election year he does what he needs to do to make the votes to get their support. But, if you look at his overall record, Edwards consistently votes against many of the key values the NRA espouses.

“He voted for the Brady Bill, voted to restrict gun magazine clip sizes. That’s one of the perks of being a longtime incumbent, but his voting record is very spotty.”

Not quite. I'm not saying he didn't, but I can't find where he voted for the Brady Bill. But what kind of spots are on his record? How "strong and consistent" has his "voice" been?

He voted the Brady way:

• For final passage of "campaign finance reform."

• Against the "Pickering Amendment to provide exception for gun lobby campaign ads."

• Against "reducing the amount of time for law enforcement to conduct background checks on gun sales."

• For the McCarthy/Blagojevich/Roukema "Mandatory Gun Show Background Check Act."

• Against "Final Passage of H.R. 2122...now including the weakened gun show background check amendment and the reinstatement of the pawn shop redemption exemption."

• Against "Repeal of the Assault Weapons Ban."

• For "The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, containing a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons and a ban on juvenile possession of handguns."

• For "Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) that bans the manufacture, transfer, or possession of semi-automatic assault weapons. This measure is similar to the amendment to the Senate-passed crime bill, sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein."

• Against the "McCollum Amendment...to the Brady Bill...that would have preempted all state and local gun laws when the national instant check system went into effect."

• Against the Volkmer/Sensenbrenner Amendment, that would have deleted "a provision banning the manufacture of 22 semi-automatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (over 7 rounds)" from The Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1991.

That's some "strong and consistent voice," Mr. Cox.

See, NRA is into access. And they're into backing incumbents who look like sure winners, so they can claim electoral success in races they back. That's the only guarantee you have on how the dollars you donate to PVF will be used.

Does anybody seriously think Chet Edwards will deny President Obama's call to ban "assault weapons"?

But if we don't continue to follow along, it will be our fault. Besides, questioners are just "principle freaks."

And we wonder why we're in the mess we're in, and how we got to this point with such poor choices, as if years of this MO don't give us a clue. Is anybody else sick and damned tired of being played like this?

* (Federal Candidates Only) A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the 2008 NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues.

'Conservatives' for Change

The YouTube video features real conservatives who've decided to vote for Obama.

Thing is, all the searches I've done for this group fail to run down who they are and what their actual political philosophies and histories over the years have been. It's one thing to be a RINO or a neocon, and quite another to be a conservative in the sense that you believe in a liited federal government bound not to exceed the powers specifically delegated and enumerated in the Constitution.

This does point out the dangers of the Big Tent pushing the elephant out of the center ring, though. A flashier carnival pulls into town and all the clowns pack into their mini-car and bail on you.

The One Good Thing about Obama

Is that his presidency might actually precipitate the disintegration of the United States...

Scary, isn't it? Bloody terrifying, actually.

But what do we do if the alternative turns out to be scarier?

Everybody's a Critic

I refer this time to what the Illinois State Rifle Association has discovered, that Kotowski is apparently siccing the state police on people who call or FAX him to express their displeasure with his civilian disarmament agenda.

He can't sic 'em on all of us.

[Via Illinois Voter]

UPDATE:

Depending on Time and Place

A Memorial Middle School sixth-grade teacher shot and killed a man who forced his way into her home about 5 a.m...

See, you have to understand--she had the wherewithal, mindset and capability to handle the situation in her home, but if you put her in her workplace, something will happen where only the "Only Ones" become qualified to handle things.

I think it's magic or something.

Have You Got a 27B-Stroke-6?*

Employees of the City of Lincoln Council, including plumbers, who have reason to be going into families' homes in the United Kingdom municipality, have been told they soon will be expected to watch for signs of child abuse and report to authorities.

And here we thought Brazil was an absurdist dystopian fantasy. Where is Harry Tuttle when you need him?

* I'm a bit of a stickler for paperwork, you see.

It Sure Would Be, Tom

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge said today that John McCain can't become president without carrying Pennsylvania and that the race would be different if McCain had chosen him as his running mate.

Indeed it would.

An Impartial Jurist

A federal judge appointed by President Bill Clinton broke judicial rules to contribute to Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign on multiple occasions.

So partisan she's willing to break the rules. I wonder if that could be used as grounds for conservatives and libertarians to demand she recuse herself from their cases, or as the basis for appeal if she does not...?

A Stern Warning

Thirteen campaign workers for Barack Obama yesterday yanked their voter registrations and ballots in Ohio after being warned by a prosecutor that temporary residents can't vote in the battleground state.

And they're not arrested and awaiting prosecution because...?

My Kind of Town

Chicago is...

Chicago is the Second City in nickname and the third in population, but when it comes to murder, the city has the dubious distinction of being second to no city in America.

Thanks Snuffy! We couldn't have done it without you!

One-Upping Rumplestiltskin

The Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York Police Department have announced a way to convert steel into gold _ surrender guns and get money in return.

Furious Mike's evil dwarfs don't even need straw to spin into gold, just straw purchases.

Either way, it's a foolish and self-destructive bargain.

Q&A

''How can I get an 'F' rating when I'm on their side of the issues 85 percent of the time?''

Hey John--if we were on recon patrol together and you were point, what grade would you give me if 15% of the time you weren't sure if I was going to shoot you in the back?

This Day in History: October 26