I learn from my Yankton neighbor that National Rifle Association boss Wayne LaPierre has admitted I'm right and he's a liar: President Barack Obama has protected and expanded gun rights.
"[The Obama campaign] will say gun owners — they'll say they left them alone," LaPierre told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday. "In public, he'll remind us that he's put off calls from his party to renew the Clinton [assault weapons] ban, he hasn't pushed for new gun control laws... The president will offer the 2nd Amendment lip service and hit the campaign trail saying he's actually been good for the 2nd Amendment" ["NRA Claims 'Massive Obama Conspiracy' Not to Ban Guns," Crooks and Liars: Video Cafe, 2011.09.23].
In the face of facts that even he must acknowledge, LaPierre proceeds to call white black and calls the entire Obama Administration record on gun rights a lie. He knows NRA fundraising is based on fear, not facts. So the cries of conspiracy continue. Sigh.
Especially in light of Obama's "Fast and Furious" program to actively get guns into the hands of drug dealers and murdering thugs. :)
Seriously, if LaPierre is a liar and you are right, I assume you consider Obama a liar when he says he is against the proliferation of guns in the hands of criminals.
Fascinating! If true, yes, I'll roll with you. Wayne LaPierre's lying would be less important than the President lying and covering up such an affair. My story remains true... but your comment would be a more important truth. All of us should tell the truth... and work harder to keep guns out of criminals' hands.
But wait: "actively get guns into the hands of drug dealers and murdering thugs"? This CS Monitor article accounts bumbling but not a deliberate shipment of arms to bad dudes. Neither is good, but there is a difference. CSM also notes that LaPierre's NRA has been blocking Obama's nomination of a man to serve as ATF's first permanent director since 2006... and lack of leadership could contribute to administrative failures. And mexican President Calderon blames America for contributing to the problem with lax gun regulations. Hmmm... not sounding like a good retort to save LaPierre from criticism on this issue.
"All of us should tell the truth"
Wayne LaPierre did not say that Obama protected and expanded gun rights. You took his statement out of context in order to deceive. Here is what he said after what you posted:
"But it's a big fat stinking lie!" the NRA leader exclaimed. "It's all part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and destroy the Second Amendment in our country."
"Obama himself is no fool. So when he got elected, they concocted a scheme to stay away from the gun issue, lull gun owners to sleep and play us for fools in 2012. Well, gun owners are not fools and we are not fooled," La Pierre declared.
"Sotomayor, Kagan, Fast & Furious, the United Nations, executive orders. Those are the facts we face today... President Obama and his cohorts, yeah, they're going to deny their conspiracy to fool gun owners. Some in the liberal media, they are already probably blogging about it. But we don't care because the lying, conniving Obama crowd can kiss our Constitution!"
And Cory, you are a part of the "conniving Obama crowd".
From yesterday's LA Times: This was intentional.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-atf-guns-20110929,0,201277.story
"According to ATF whistleblowers, in 2009 the U.S. government began instructing gun storeowners to break the law by selling firearms to suspected criminals. ATF agents then, again according to testimony by ATF agents turned whistleblowers, were ordered not to intercept the smugglers but rather to let the guns “walk†across the U.S.-Mexican border and into the hands of Mexican drug-trafficking organizations." (Forbes)
"On Oct. 26, 2009, a month or so after Fast and Furious seems to have been initiated, a document shows that a teleconference was held between 13 officials. One of the issues discussed was the possible “adoption of the Department’s strategy for Combating Mexican Drug Cartels.†The officials listed to have been in on the call included Kenneth Melson, who was then the director of the ATF, Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI and a number of attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice. B. Todd Jones, the current director of the ATF, was not listed in the document, but the title he held in September 2009 is listed as being in on the conference call. It doesn’t take much reporting to find out that in September 2009 Jones was the chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and so was at least supposed to be in on the conference call. (When asked about the teleconference, an ATF spokeswoman told us “we don’t discuss active investigations.â€)" (Forbes)
In the end, there will be one question Eric Holder, Attorney General will not want to answer under oath (Did you know about this and when did you find out?):
1) If he knew if at or near its inception, he will be toast.
2) If he knew nothing, he has a department that has run amok and will be toast.
Steve,
I am going to do my best to illustrate why this particular conspiracy theory is more than a bit screwy by illustrating how LaPierre has to be involved in it.
LaPierre asserts that Obama is engaging in a conspiracy against citizens who legally own firearms.
He also asserts that this conspiracy is against the 2nd amendment.
Obama has sworn to uphold the Constitution. Conspiring against the Constitutional rights of citizens is unconstitutional.
Since he is engaged in this conspiracy, Obama should be impeached. There are Republicans looking for reasons to impeach him already, so LaPierre should have no trouble finding willing members to introduce articles of impeachment.
LaPierre has not called for impeachment. In the rabbit hole that conspircay theorists go down, he must therefore be part of the conspiracy. By introducing the theory with such over the top prose that he won't be believed, he hasthereby inoculating Obama against future conspiracy charges. He's one of the best political double agents of all time. Quite frankly, I hope someone arrests this con artist before it's too late.
Further, if LaPierre has evidence that Obama is engaged in a conspiracy, isn't he duty bound to bring it forward or risk being indicted as a co-conspirator? No one has arrested him yet, and he seems willing to take that risk, so he must be in Obama's pocket. Oh the treachery and deceit that is this president!
I suppose LaPierre will claim that this conspiracy is so deep and intricate that no one can find evidence of it but he just intuitively knows it's there, but then that does run against the idea that Obama is incompetent to govern. Surely an incompetent person would not be able to keep secret a grand conspiracy to subvert the Constitution to take away people’s gun rights by not taking away their gun rights. That plan is fiendishly clever. It must require an inside man like LaPierre.
Conspiracy theories are high on conspiracy and low on theory. The problem with LaPierre is not that he’s a liar. It’s that he’s a reckless loudmouth.