Some years ago, in my work, we brought and Ojibwe delegation in from Wisconson to help us with a local issue. I'm definitely not going to remember this exactly. But one of the members told us a story. Part and parcel to that story was the first peoples belief thay all things have 12 sides, or perspectives, to be considered and once all were considered you may arrive at the truth. He stressed "may" as i remember, in that you may never get to the truth.
Anyhoo... just reminded me of that.
Sounds like my personal take on it. I don't care if there's a dozen, or a gross of stories out there. I want all of them, before I will even contemplate passing judgement. Same way an old family friend, who was the town police chief, before becoming one of the town JPs, always looked at it.
When I got arrested in 1992, over a bar fight, half the bar showed up as witnesses. all but three mentioned the other party walking up to me, claiming I was sleeping with his daughter, and breaking a beer bottle across the side of my head. 58 witnesses total, plus me, and the "victim."
Everyone had a voice in that courtroom.
And no, I was not drinking, and was in a bar, that also served food, before 2100 hours, so I was breaking no laws. I sat on the tailgate of my truck, after walking out, and waited for LE, didn't resist, didn't say anything more than I want an attorney, and need to go to the ER to get checked out. Deputy was the local wrestling coach, so he knew me, and my grandparents ran a foster home, so he knew us.
Parents came down, and after getting cleaned and patched up, I wenbt before Jack, for my araignment. ROR, and given a trial date, and time to prepare. Happened 7 months later, after I spent 3 in the hospital, after a drunk driving accident. He asked if I wished to pursue charges against the other guy, after rendering his verdict on my charges.
Not guilty, self defense, because after the guy broke the bottle, he tried stabbing me with the broken off neck, and landed one with it to my left cheek, that made it through to my gums. I declined, because I saw no point in it.
The statement of three sides to every story is boiling it down to the basics, but it's also ties to something I know as a business owner, that I learned in Business math, un high school, that may apply here, in the case with the NRA. Every business has three sets of books.
The first is what gets shown to Uncles Sam and the state, on 15 April, and 4 times a year, when paying business taxes. It maximizes loss, wear and tear, and operating expenses. You show the maximum losses, you pay mini,um taxes.
The second is for onvestors and potential partners. I minimizes losses, expenses, and maximizes gains, to interest people into buying stocks, other companies to get in bed with your company, and is sued when you wish to show profit, to a potential buyer, when you want out. Uncle Sam and the state, never see it. Because for taxes, it doesn't exist.
The third set is the real set, with access limited to owners and the board, and is what said business bases every decision on in it's day to day operation, and all plans going forward for growth and expansion, or cuts to staff and job sites.
A, B, and the Truth. And unless we have access to that third set of ledgers, we don't know whats actually happening within the NRA, and even then, if half of whats out there about WLP is true,
IF being the key word, I wouldn't even trust that one, as it's likely as cooked as the other two are, by design. But I'd give the remaining 4 toes I have to get a look at it, to try to figure it out.
Simply because I want to know where my dues and donations went over the last 12 years, as well as since 1987, when dad gave me a lifetime membership. As should any member, IMHO.
I will continue to be a member and support NRA/ILA. Sounds like some of you are alot more up to speed on their internal stuff, possible corruption, etc than i am. But they are still the biggest hammer we have in our toolbox. Also support GOA, and your State Pro 2A organizations.
Pretty much what I do, I also support a couple back in NY, as a sign of solidarity with those who didn't have the option to leave, like I did. SCOPENY and the NYSR&PA.
Want a real laugh? I'm a straight, white, Libertarian, living in a Conservative, East Coast state, that even holds a membership in The Pink Pistols, out of San Francisco. A few of their members are old friends from college, as is one of their board members, who I have known since high school.
Yep, I'm a card carrying member of an LGBTQ gun club. In part, to support the 2A, and to show support for a few of my friends.
Don’t forget that declaring bankruptcy is a business maneuver. For an organization, it rarely indicates insolvency.
Yes, the NRA has had leadership issues. As a Life Member of the NRA, I still believe it is the best organization to support our 2A rights. I know there are many who disagree.
Yep. Used a few times by a certain man from NYC that the media hates, to keep a few of his business ventures open, so he could keep his employees employed. Same with a lot of other companies, and chances are, we'll see a lot more of it, in the next couple years, after the pandemic, as well as during it.
As to membership, been a lifetime member since 1987, wife and Daughter since 2006, Dad since 1984. Told them when this all started, that I wouldn't send in anything more until WLP and certain board members took a hike. Still stand by it, after they pushed the bump fire stock and binary trigger bans.
And yes, I made sure to notify them of my disatisfaction over that. Same with not pushing harder to get a few things reversed, when we had the best odds of doing so. Right now, we stay for the magazines.
