While the defense of the Second Amendment is a necessary part of upholding our Constitution and preventing evildoers, both foreign and domestic, from posing an existential threat to our nation and freedoms, has anyone noticed that Barack Obama’s Presidential edicts has spawned a flurry of breathless fundraising letters?
Let us examine one such organization that is asking me for donations to stave off the existential threat of Barack Obama and his band of fellow traveler gun grabbers …
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED- SIGN THE CITIZENS AGAINST GUN GRABBERS INJUNCTION NOW!
What's more, we will need funds above and beyond this amount to help make our case on radio, TV, in newspapers and on the Internet.
For more than two centuries, Americans have bravely fought and died to protect our Bill of Rights. You and I owe it to them to see to it that Barack Obama does not, with the stroke of his pen, destroy their sacrifices and our Second Amendment for good.
Remember, every 20 seconds another contribution to take away your gun rights, goes to our opponents.
Sincerely Yours,
Alan M. Gottlieb
Chairman
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Looking a little further at the CCRKBA …
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, or CCRKBA, is a gun rights organization in the United States, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It is closely affiliated with the Second Amendment Foundation. The CCRKBA was founded in 1971 and it now has 615,000 members with Alan Gottlieb as the chairman. The CCRKBA originated the slogan "I'll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands", which the National Rifle Association later appropriated in its campaign to battle gun control efforts, as popularized by Charlton Heston. <Source>
And it’s sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation …
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is an educational- and legal-defense organization which describes its mission as “promoting a better understanding about our constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms. To that end, SAF carries on many educational- and legal-action programs designed to better inform the public about the gun-control debate.” SAF was founded in 1974 by Alan Gottlieb, and as of 2012 it has over 650,000 members <Source>
We find the organizations controlled by Alan Gottlieb …
Alan Merril Gottlieb (born May 2, 1947) is an American author, conservative political activist, and businessman.
"I am," he [Gottlieb] says, "the premiere anti-communist, free-enterprise, laissez-faire capitalist."
Gottlieb is a staunch defender of gun rights -- most of his 19 books expound upon the subject -- and a fervent opponent of positions to left of his beliefs. For example, he published recently in the blog Red State Advocacy, "Elena Kagan's lifetime of actions lay bare a clear intention to subvert our Constitution and its founding principles, thereby rendering her UNFIT FOR DUTY as a Supreme Court Justice [capitals his]."
Who appears to have a very profitable group of enterprises …
Gottlieb owns Merril Press, an "independent publisher of unusual nonfiction books by authors who know what they're writing about." He also president of four radio stations, including KITZ in Port Orchard, Washington, KGTK in Olympia, Washington, KBNP in Portland, Oregon, and KSBN in Spokane, Washington.
Gottlieb owns Merril Mail Marketing, Inc., a for-profit corporation, that is his direct response mail fund-raising business. He also controls The Service Bureau, Inc, a non-profit cooperative corporation that provides its members with services such as telephone fund-raising and accounting. The member organizations that can receive assets upon dissolution of the cooperative are the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise; Second Amendment Foundation; Right to Keep and Bear Arms Political Victory Fund; Merril Associates; and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. <Source>
This appears to be quite a profitable business enterprise centered around the defense of the Second Amendment. I am not saying that Gottlieb’s organization doesn’t do some good, providing funding for various court challenges, but I wonder how much of the money is actually used defending the Second Amendment and how much money is used to support the fundraising infrastructure. This is similar to medical charities that simply donate a portion of their money to other well-known charities who actually get the job done. Most of these are headed by celebrities or social climbing “ladies that lunch.”
Bottom line …
There is little or no doubt in my mind that opportunists will take advantage of this Second Amendment brouhaha. Likewise, I have little or no doubt that legislators will have their hands out to both side – selling their vote and selling out their country in return for campaign donations and voter support.
They may not be perfect, but I strongly suggest that you consolidate your donations and send them to the National Rifle Association. They have a proven track record of influencing politicians and administrations. They are strong enough to launch legal action against any entity and have the standing to represent their membership. I am not saying that you should not support your local and state organizations – but beware of the poseurs who appear to be running what I call “profitable non-profits” that serve their leadership more than their members, or the cause of the Second Amendment.
I think the Better Business Bureau says it best: “Investigate BEFORE you invest.”
-- steve
Full Disclosure: I am a life member (patron level) of the National Rifle Association along with being a member of local and state organizations.
Comments