CRUNCH TIME
This is it ... down to the wire ... last inning ... whatever analogy you want to use, there is just a week and half left till the election.
These next two weekends are the last chance you'll have to make an impression on the legislators that will last for years. The last chance you'll have for years for your efforts to have many times the effect as they ordinarily would. Make your efforts count. FIGHT SMART! Get active now, while it really counts. There are two ways to make such an impression, and they are overlapping. One way is to VOTE (and get your friends to vote) and show them a majority of voters want legislators who support self-defense rights. The other way is to actively support individual legislators who support our self-defense rights. This second way is where you really get maximum bang for the buck. If candidates see checks come in with "Gun Owner" or "Self-Defense Rights" or something similar on the Memo line of the check they get the message. If you call up and volunteer to work for their campaign for just a few hours, or even just ask for a yard sign and let them know you are concerned about self-defense rights, or gun rights, they get the message. If no one bothers to do that they get that message too.
The way candidates get a feel for what their constituents want is when they get it straight from the horse's mouth -- constituents who not only say it but are willing to back it up with support either in time or money or both. When candidates see this it makes an impression. We can leave them with the impression that gunnies don't really care how things go .... or we can leave them with the impression that gunnies are more active, more concerned and more supportive than any of their other special interest groups.
Who needs our support the most? They ALL do. All of those who have shown support for our rights need to see some solid evidence that we recognize that and are behind them -- that we care. No one of us can actively support every pro-gun candidate. However, each one of us can support ONE CANDIDATE in our own District ... or in a nearby District if there are no pro-gun candidates in ours. Every one of these pro-gun candidates needs to see our support. Bills are not passed by individual legislators. Individual legislators must stick their necks out and be the lead sponsor for a bill ... but the bills don't get passed unless they have majority support.
“One man with courage makes a majority.” - Andrew Jackson
Every pro-gun candidate needs to know that gunnies in his or her District actively support him or her. Please, choose ONE ... show support in time and/or money ... and let them know WHY you care enough to actively support them when not one in a thousand of their constituents care enough about any issue to do the same.
1200 LETTERS
MSI sent out 1200 letters (election assessment, endorsements, etc.) on Monday to our supporters for whom we don't have email addresses. (Thanks to Charlie, Dave, Greg and John for envelope stuffing!!)
WASHINGTON POST ENDORSES EHRLICH
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102401145.html
This is really a huge deal. The Washington Post is a liberal newspaper and was expected to endorse O'Malley. The Gazette also endorsed Ehrlich about 2 weeks ago. That was also a surprise, as they are liberal-leaning as well. Predictably, the Washington Times endorsed Ehrlich. The Baltimore Sun has not yet made an endorsement but has been actively fighting and attacking Ehrlich since his election four years ago ... so O'Malley will get endorsed by the Sun ... only one out of the four most influential political papers ...
Interestingly, the Post endorsed Ehrlich for one of the same concerns we have ... to help balance the legislature:
"More worrisome yet is the fact that an O'Malley victory would herald a return to the brand of one-party Democratic rule that has served the state poorly in the past."
Ehrlich was climbing in the polls before the Post endorsement. At last it looks like Ehrlich will win - especially if the turnout is good.
MEETING
If you are not busy this Sunday afternoon (Oct. 29th) working for a pro-gun candidate in your District, please come to the MSI general meeting at 1 PM at the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman's Club, 11617 Hunt Club Road, Thurmont, MD 21788
- Henry Heymering, President
Maryland Shall Issue, Inc.
P.O. Box 314
Libertytown, MD 21762
240-446-6782
http://www.marylandshallissue.org
[email protected]
This is it ... down to the wire ... last inning ... whatever analogy you want to use, there is just a week and half left till the election.
These next two weekends are the last chance you'll have to make an impression on the legislators that will last for years. The last chance you'll have for years for your efforts to have many times the effect as they ordinarily would. Make your efforts count. FIGHT SMART! Get active now, while it really counts. There are two ways to make such an impression, and they are overlapping. One way is to VOTE (and get your friends to vote) and show them a majority of voters want legislators who support self-defense rights. The other way is to actively support individual legislators who support our self-defense rights. This second way is where you really get maximum bang for the buck. If candidates see checks come in with "Gun Owner" or "Self-Defense Rights" or something similar on the Memo line of the check they get the message. If you call up and volunteer to work for their campaign for just a few hours, or even just ask for a yard sign and let them know you are concerned about self-defense rights, or gun rights, they get the message. If no one bothers to do that they get that message too.
The way candidates get a feel for what their constituents want is when they get it straight from the horse's mouth -- constituents who not only say it but are willing to back it up with support either in time or money or both. When candidates see this it makes an impression. We can leave them with the impression that gunnies don't really care how things go .... or we can leave them with the impression that gunnies are more active, more concerned and more supportive than any of their other special interest groups.
Who needs our support the most? They ALL do. All of those who have shown support for our rights need to see some solid evidence that we recognize that and are behind them -- that we care. No one of us can actively support every pro-gun candidate. However, each one of us can support ONE CANDIDATE in our own District ... or in a nearby District if there are no pro-gun candidates in ours. Every one of these pro-gun candidates needs to see our support. Bills are not passed by individual legislators. Individual legislators must stick their necks out and be the lead sponsor for a bill ... but the bills don't get passed unless they have majority support.
“One man with courage makes a majority.” - Andrew Jackson
Every pro-gun candidate needs to know that gunnies in his or her District actively support him or her. Please, choose ONE ... show support in time and/or money ... and let them know WHY you care enough to actively support them when not one in a thousand of their constituents care enough about any issue to do the same.
1200 LETTERS
MSI sent out 1200 letters (election assessment, endorsements, etc.) on Monday to our supporters for whom we don't have email addresses. (Thanks to Charlie, Dave, Greg and John for envelope stuffing!!)
WASHINGTON POST ENDORSES EHRLICH
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102401145.html
This is really a huge deal. The Washington Post is a liberal newspaper and was expected to endorse O'Malley. The Gazette also endorsed Ehrlich about 2 weeks ago. That was also a surprise, as they are liberal-leaning as well. Predictably, the Washington Times endorsed Ehrlich. The Baltimore Sun has not yet made an endorsement but has been actively fighting and attacking Ehrlich since his election four years ago ... so O'Malley will get endorsed by the Sun ... only one out of the four most influential political papers ...
Interestingly, the Post endorsed Ehrlich for one of the same concerns we have ... to help balance the legislature:
"More worrisome yet is the fact that an O'Malley victory would herald a return to the brand of one-party Democratic rule that has served the state poorly in the past."
Ehrlich was climbing in the polls before the Post endorsement. At last it looks like Ehrlich will win - especially if the turnout is good.
MEETING
If you are not busy this Sunday afternoon (Oct. 29th) working for a pro-gun candidate in your District, please come to the MSI general meeting at 1 PM at the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman's Club, 11617 Hunt Club Road, Thurmont, MD 21788
- Henry Heymering, President
Maryland Shall Issue, Inc.
P.O. Box 314
Libertytown, MD 21762
240-446-6782
http://www.marylandshallissue.org
[email protected]