Duck's Unlimited Denies Ties to Kerry.

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El Rojo

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Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., reacts after returning from a goose hunting trip in Poland Ohio Thursday, Oct. 21, 2004. Behind him is Bob Bellino, a board member for the local Ducks Unlimited. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

And here is Ducks Unlimited's contact information should you chose to let them know what you think of one of their DU board members posing with John Kerry.

http://www.ducks.org/about/contact.asp

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BUT WAIT! When I went to the DU Website to get their contact information, I found this right on the front page.

DU Maintains Political Neutrality in Presidential Race

We are aware that U.S. Senator John Kerry hunted Canada geese in Ohio earlier today (October 21, 2004). Press reports show that the Senator was wearing a Ducks Unlimited hat and that he was hunting with a local Ducks Unlimited member and supporter.

Ducks Unlimited is a non-partisan organization. DU has no affiliation with any political party, nor do we endorse any political candidate. However, it should be recognized that in support of our wildlife habitat conservation work, the Ducks Unlimited logo is branded on many products, including hats, jackets, and other clothing.

One gentleman on the trip was misidentified as a local Ducks Unlimited "board" member. He is not a member of Ducks Unlimited's board of directors. No one was there to represent Ducks Unlimited in any way during the hunting trip. Ducks Unlimited has 1 million members and supporters who also have a variety of political affiliations.
DU website
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So now the question is, is DU fibbing to try and save their goose? Lets do a net search for this Bob Bellino character and try to find out where the liberal media would get the idea to list him as a DU board member unless he said he was?

I couldn't find anything on a Bob Bellino or even Robert Bellino on Google. Interesting enough there are a few Bellinos in the phone book in Ohio, more specifically a R Bellino and a D R Bellino 96 miiles from the hunt and a Robbie Bellino 120 miles from the hunt in Poland, OH. Wait, there is a Robt W Bellino only 5 miles from Poland! Maybe that is the guy. Or is it B H Bollino 11.8 miles from Poland? I decided not to call and talk to any of them as that would be a little spooky getting a phone call from some random guy in California talking about your possible hunting trip with John Kerry at 1230 in the morning.

If my paragraph above is scary, then take note, the Internet has all sorts of useful information at our disposal.

Anyway, I guess I will believe DU for now.
 
It seems to me that either a member was misidentified/lied to the press, or that he is a member, and DU simply wants to say that he doesn't speak for the organization.

That being said, I don't care if he is a local board member, and wants to vote for Kerry. I know a few local board members of DU chapters. They are just ordinary people, who have no right to speakl for the organization as a whole. Now maybe if the President of DU invited Kerry out to his own private hunting spot on a DU sponsored trip, that may be different.
 
DU Maintains Political Neutrality in Presidential Race
Click to expand...
This is the most disturbing to me. So what good is habitat if they guy takes your guns away to hunt it.

Idiots.
 
I have belonged to DU on and off for about 10 years.Currently I am in an off cycle due to the elitist types that I ran into at an event down in Lawrence and elsewhere.It IS interesting that DU is denying any connection to Kerry so quickly.

And halvy,the elite hunter tpes won't have to worry about their classy double guns and their private duck clubs.It will just be us peasents who will be disarmed and then we won't be competing for the "nobility's" wild game.

Oh,and yes,I am a hunter but I have been getting a tad fed up with the fact that,even in the mid-west,access is being controlled by the big bucks guys and the "commoners" are being pushed away from the sport.Hmm...kinda like over in Europe is'nt it....
 
DU's tax exempt status is what prevents them from endorsing a candidate for office. If they formed a political action committee (PAC) then they could make endorsements.

Think about it. "The NRA" is several corporate entities. There's the NRA-ILA lobbying group that you join, which is a 501c4 non-partisan advocacy group. There's the "Friends of the NRA", which is a 501c3 non-partisan charity for education and range development. Finally, there's the NRA-PVF, which is the PAC that endorses and gives money to candidates.
 
Since Kerry is such an "avid hunter" since childhood, there should be a long trail of hunting licenses.
Has anybody ever seen or heard anything about Kerry hunting or even having obtained a hunting license before this?
 
Good point Bubbles. The same is for the Friends of NRA/NRA Foundation. We cannot make political statements or engage in political activities on behalf of the foundation. If we were to do so, we would endanger the tax-exempt status of the entire foundation, including the actions of my itty bitty committee in the sticks of California. I guess DU can be forgiven even if they don't make a point, because as a tax-exempt group, they can't!
 
E-mail DU anyway. They should be distancing themselves BIG TIME from John Kerry. Like a major news release to NBC,CBS,ABC,CNN,MSNBC, ect...

If not, why not? :what:
 
Ducks Unlimited
DU Maintains Political Neutrality in Presidential Race

We are aware that U.S. Senator John Kerry hunted Canada geese in Ohio earlier today (October 21, 2004). Press reports show that the Senator was wearing a Ducks Unlimited hat and that he was hunting with a local Ducks Unlimited member and supporter.

Ducks Unlimited is a non-partisan organization. DU has no affiliation with any political party, nor do we endorse any political candidate. However, it should be recognized that in support of our wildlife habitat conservation work, the Ducks Unlimited logo is branded on many products, including hats, jackets, and other clothing.

One gentleman on the trip was misidentified as a local Ducks Unlimited "board" member. He is not a member of Ducks Unlimited's board of directors. No one was there to represent Ducks Unlimited in any way during the hunting trip. Ducks Unlimited has 1 million members and supporters who also have a variety of political affiliations.
Click to expand...
 
Damage done.
Time to recall Kerry's hat!
And, MM's NRA Life membership card (if) he really has one.
Screw the Puke's.

45CAL NRA Life Member
 
And remember, that anyone can go to Wal-Mart and buy a DU hat for about $5. Just about any duck clothes that Wal-Mart/Meijers has have the DU logo on them.

Just because my Wal-Mart vest has Quail Unlimited on it, doesn't make me a Quail Unlimited supporter.
 
A 501(c)(3) group can devote a portion of expenses to lobby for legislation. Such groups usually have a "political victory fund" that allows them to comment on candidates.

A DU Politcal Action Committee (PAC) would be devoted entirely to raising funds for candidates at the local, state or federal level, but would be prohibited from mentioning particular pieces of legislation specifically.

Seems to me that DU is trying to have it both ways.
 
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