These people aren't playing with a full deck!
So I'm having dinner tonight with my kids and the phone rings. I checked the caller ID and saw NRA. I don't pay much attention to the National Rifle Association and, since I'm a chef,I thought the National Restaurant Association might be calling for a donation like they have before. I was wrong.
The woman on the line was looking for me specifically and asked if I was a "patriotic American concerned about the Constitution." I thought "this ought to be good" and replied "you betcha!" She then asked if I would like to take a short survey after listening to a recorded message from NRA executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre. I played along just to hear what kind of conspiratorial nonsense he was peddling. I wasn't disappointed.
The message was a 3 minute rant about how the United Nations was in the process of enacting the strictest gun control treaty in history. He posited that once a treaty is enacted that it supersedes the Constitution and that we couldn't give "third world dictators" control of our "freedoms." The message concluded with the irrational statement that the world isn't dangerous because of guns, guns are what make us free.
First, this was just ridiculous. I wish the operator was listening to my reaction to LaPierre because I was laughing so hard I almost cried. What a conspiracy! If it was only true. By the way, the Senate would have to ratify any such treaty for it to supersede US law and, considering the Senate could barely muster enough votes to sustain a filibuster of a trans state conceal carry amendment, I doubt it would get very far. Second, who the hell is he trying to persuade? Certainly won't work with the progressive community. Frankly, I find it difficult to believe that even a moderate conservative would find this anything more than the rantings of a conspiratorial demagogue. Only someone who is already a righty wingnut would be convinced by such ludicrous claims. This leads me to believe that this was exactly the point of the call, to gin-up further gun-nut activity and anger.
The call ended with a second operator conducting an interview (push poll). The first question he asked was if I was concerned that the "gun hating congress" was out to destroy the Constitution. I replied that it was funny that he was so concerned about the constitution now when it had been under assault for the last eight years under the Bush administration. I also added that I found his claim that the congress was "gun hating" specious considering that congress hadn't seriously considered a major piece of gun control legislation since the Brady Bill. He responded with shock, "Oh, I understand." Then he hung up.
What a fun phone call...and satisfying.