WI: WGO at it again

[Monkeyleg]

Yes, boys and girls, the Wisconsin Gun Owners group is once again attacking those of us who are seriously trying to change Wisconsin's carry laws.

Admittedly, there's a part of me that wants to take a Louiseville Slugger to the head of the Executive Director (ED) of WGO, just to find out what's inside. After all, if the worst photographs taken of you were distrubuted on the internet, wouldn't you at least get a bit peeved?

Anyway, here's the latest attack from WGO's website: http://www.wisconsingunowners.org/main.cfm

And here's ED's latest newsletter: http://www.wisconsingunowners.org/WGO_Spring%202007%20Newsletter.pdf

Not once does he mention that all of the decisions to make changes to our group were voted upon by every person on our email list who chose to attend the meeting, that the name change was voted upon by those same people, that the decision to elect a board of directors was voted upon by those in attendance, and that those in attendance have been the most committed to our cause.

I think it's time that I let people know what ED has been up to. The problem is that, while I have all sorts of tax returns and other public documents, ED has done a very good job of covering his tracks. Anyone with an ounce of sense would recognize that he's taking money from WGO and diverting a good chunk of that money to his own company, a sole proprietorship.

What's more, he spent nearly all of his resources in the last election to help defeat Senator Dave Zien! Is this guy an anti-gunner, an anti-gun Democrat shill, or both?

But, to say so in an email is inviting a lawsuit.

Art's Grammaw's rules prohibit me from saying what I think of ED.

But any suggestions on how to deal with him are very welcome. But, please, PM me rather than post.

 

[Jim March]

Wow is this guy scum.

Hardcore trash-talkers like this are hard to deal with. The SOB is looking for a fight.

Don't do anything until you've got a SOLID case, and then nail him to the wall. Machiavelli said it best:

Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

 

[Ratzinger_p38]

Isnt this the 'Vermont carry or nothing' guy?

 

[rms/pa]

guys like that , their lives are their own reward/punishment.

use him like MLK used Malcom X. " they will talk to martin,so they don't have to talk to malcom."

rms/pa

 

[Lucky]

Well, someone has to define the boundaries. Like RMS said, it's beneficial to be the 'moderate', if only by comparison.

If you just ignore him he'll stop calling you names. My mommy taught me that a long time ago.

 

[SomeKid]

Did Pratt of the GOA actually say that about the WGO, and did Dick Baker actually say they spent more money than the NRA? If either of those are wrong, you have your proof right there.

 

[DMF]

How odd, not too long ago many of the members of this forum accepted every comment from the Executive Director of the WIG Owners as the gospel truth, without any consideration to whether or not he might be pushing hysterical rhetoric and sensationalizing a story rather than presenting the truth. There was a lot of blind faith in his comments despite at least one member pointing out there probably was a heck of a lot more to the story than what Corey Graff was spewing.

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=93934&highlight=WIG

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=93431&highlight=WIG

 

[AJ Dual]

Did Pratt of the GOA actually say that about the WGO, and did Dick Baker actually say they spent more money than the NRA? If either of those are wrong, you have your proof right there.

Dick did say that about the WGO right here on THR, IIRC.

However, it was more like "The ludicrous claim that the WGO spent more than the NRA on concealed carry in Wisconsin."

So it's Dick's words, but creative editing to strip them of context.

 

[Monkeyleg]

SomeKid, early on, WGO implied that they (he, meaning ED) was somehow affiliated with GOA. I emailed Larry Pratt, and Pratt said that there was no connection between the two groups. He did, however, say that GOA supports WGO's efforts.

As for my quote, this is what I posted here on THR:

"The above report shows that WGO spent more than the National Rifle Association on concealed carry in WI in 2005.

Doesn't anyone else find that remarkable?

Anyone who's spent time at the Capitol last year knows what kind of resources the NRA was putting into WI.

The finances of the WCCA are 100% transparent to anyone who wants a look.

With the WGO having reported $84,000 for 13 hours of lobbying time in 2005, I sure hope somebody will check to see just how much of that money went to the Executive Director."

ED's taking my comments a little out of context, isn't he?

Lucky, it's been a long time since I sent out emails about WGO. ED needs to attack me, Jim Fendry, the NRA, Zien, Gunderson and everyone else in order to make himself look relevant.

 

[AJ Dual]

It seems to me that he's now intentionally baiting us.

Which would give credence to the notion that we ought not "feed the troll". It is indeed painfully clear that WGO's "branding strategy" needs us as a foil to set themselves (who am I kidding? HIMSELF) apart.

(And the light bulb goes on!...) I also wonder if WGO released their newsletter via the web due to cash flow problems? Perhaps the "membership" isn't bringing in enough for Graff communications to send out hardcopy anymore?

 

[Monkeyleg]

"I also wonder if WGO released their newsletter via the web due to cash flow problems? Perhaps the "membership" isn't bringing in enough for Graff communications to send out hardcopy anymore?"

WGO still showed spending $63,684 on lobbying last year, even though our bill was killed in February. How much went to Graff Communications? It will be a couple of months before that information is available. Of course, ED can disguise those numbers on his IRS 990.

 

[SomeKid]

Monkey/AJ,

I had a pretty good feeling your quote was ripped out of context. Funny how he uses your quote to support himself on his site, but of course he attacks you on the next page.

As for Pratt, is he supporting the effort of VT carry, or is it WGO he supports? (Yes it is splitting hairs, but it puts the situation in context. I for example support VT carry, but not WGO.)

If the GOA is accidentally supporting WGO, we should correct the GOA.

On Zien, I know he was your champion in the WI Senate, and that WGO attacked him, did Zien survive?

 

[Monkeyleg]

SomeKid, Larry Pratt was approached by some of the most senior members of NRA/ILA and told exactly what WGO was doing:

In July of last year, WGO filed to create a political action committee (PAC). The purpose of a PAC is to raise funds to give to candidates who the contributors support. For example, last year our PAC (WCCM) raised roughly $33,000 for pro-gun candidates.

On or about September 1st of last year, WGO filed to have WGO-PAC's status changed from PAC to Independent Expenditure Group. An IEG can run ads directly promoting or opposing a candidate. However, the IEG must indicate which candidates the group will promote or oppose.

WGO-PAC filed the IEG change, and indicated that it would spend its money opposing Governor Doyle, Senator Dave Zien, and Representative Scott Gunderson.

Of course, ED never told the people contributing money to WGO-PAC about this filing change. The people who gave money to WGO-PAC thought that they were supporting pro-gun candidates, not paying for ads attacking Dave Zien.

WGO-PAC spent next to nothing opposing Jim Doyle (ED paid for one single cartoon on WGO's website attacking Doyle). The bulk of the money they raised was spent on radio ads attacking Senator Dave Zien in his own district, at a time when the Democrats were tasting blood, and going after Dave with everything they had.

Dave Zien lost. The absolute most pro-gun member of the WI state senate lost, and WGO-PAC helped.

Unless I was lied to by our NRA lobbyists (which I do not believe), Larry Pratt knew all of this. As I said, he was contacted by some of the most senior leadership of the NRA, told what WGO was doing to Zien, and asked to denounce WGO's actions.

As far as I'm concerned, Larry Pratt can go to hell. If he was so oblivious to the political situation in Wisconsin as to ignore pleas from the people with boots on the ground here, then his credentials are worth zip. If he understood what was being explained to him, but chose to stand behind WGO, and let the state senate fall into the hands of the anti-gunners, then I question his motives.

We now have a situation where, for the first time in over ten years, gun owners in Wisconsin are now going to be playing defense. Thanks to the turnover in the senate, loss of Republican seats in the assembly, and Doyle's re-election, we're now facing a bill that would ban the private sale of firearms in Milwaukee county.

But Milwaukee county is only the start. Veteran legislators are predicting that, if the bill wins the floor votes, the ban will go statewide. It may take another legislative session to add the rest of the state to the ban, or legislators may just amend the bill as written right now to cover the entire state.

And this is what WGO (aka "ED") helped to do.

Vermont-style carry versus shall-issue? That's not the point.

If ED really cared about gun issues, why would he do everything possible to help the anti-gunners win control of the legislature?

Ask yourself why a so-called "pro gun" group would help the anti-gunners win control of the state legislature.

Ask yourself how a group like WGO could raise more money for lobbying expenses in 2005 than the NRA, when we were fighting the fight of our lives? When we had NRA lobbyists living full-time in the state capitol, and spending every waking hour working with legislators from both parties to get our bill passed?

And WGO reports just 13 hours of contact with legislators for an entire year, at a cost of $84,000?

Could it just be that WGO isn't a pro-gun group, but is actually being paid by some of the big national anti-gun groups such as the Joyce Foundation? Or is WGO being paid through other routes from Governor Jim Doyle's vast cash network?

These are not paranoid questions, given WGO's otherwise inexplicable actions. Actually, they're the only conclusions I can draw.

 

[SomeKid]

Monkey,

If I had known the first part of your post a year ago, I would not have spent my money to become a GOA lifer. I knew Zien was fighting for us all, and hearing he is out does annoy me. Any chance he may run again in the future, or was it a complete blow out? After all, 06 was just a bad year to be a Republican. Maybe he could take his seat back?

The second part, regarding WGO's motives I have already asked myself, and have to admit I already have my own answers to those questions: They are a state level AHSA.

 

[Ratzinger_p38]

You guys have nailed down just one reason I dont, and will not, donate to the GOA.

 

[Gray Peterson]

Same here. GOA will not be getting a dime of my money. WCPS will be getting money, though.