Afterall what better legislative way to get what you want than put up constant and indignant smoking screens ... ie. diverting rhetoric:
NRA ready to stand its ground over Stand Your Ground
by Marc Caputo, The Miami Herald -- 03-25-2012
[...]
Zimmerman has not been arrested. Sanford police cited an immunity clause in Stand Your Ground.
The law’s authors say the police are misconstruing Stand Your Ground. But Rep. Dennis Baxley said he doesn’t want the law touched.
“There’s nothing in the law that says you can pursue and confront people,” said Baxley, R-Ocala. “There’s nothing to clarify.”
The NRA’s lead lobbyist, Marion Hammer, has praised the law for giving citizens the right to defend themselves.
“It has become very emotional and political,” she told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Politicians who say we need to rewrite the law are politically grandstanding.”
... What better legislative way to get what you want -- than wielding that ever-present
"hammer" of a well-funded negative ad campaign sure to run, against any Representatives brave enough to
'stand their own ground.' ...
Brave enough to spotlight the need to clarify this vague and dangerous NRA-sponsored law ... a law which in effect makes the responding officer an instantaneous Judge and Jury ... determining instant guilt or innocence, according to their initial gut reactions when then arrive at a scene of violence. A scene with only one soul left standing.
Here's the smoke screen, the diverting rhetoric ... stated a bit more directly.
NRA Lobbyist: Stand your ground is ‘good legislation’
by khaughney, OrlandoSentinel -- March, 26 2012
TALLAHASSEE — The National Rifle Association’s chief advocate in Tallahassee said Monday that putting the Stand Your Ground law on trial because of the Trayvon Martin case is a “mistake.”
“The stand your ground is a good piece of legislation,” said Marion Hammer, the group’s lobbyist.
Hmmm? ... is that some guilty-projection ... or just a
legislative preemptive strike?
Afterall those Lobbyist "Hammers" are expected to take such bold stands, reflexively, in order to earn their keep ...
Meet the NRA
Marion Hammer (Board Member)
Employer: Former president of -- and current lobbyist for -- the National Rifle Association
[...]
Controversial Actions and Statements: [by current NRA Lobbyist Marion Hammer]
* On March 20, 2012, Hammer responded to the controversial shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. The shooter, who was not arrested, claimed that he acted in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Hammer, the NRA lobbyist who championed the law in the Florida state legislature, stated, “So for law enforcement to rush to judgment just because they are being stampeded by emotionalism would be a violation of law. This law is not about one incident. It's about protecting the right of law-abiding people to protect themselves when they are attacked. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the law. And if the (Republican) governor (Rick Scott) wants to waste time looking at it he can knock himself out.” Since its enactment in 2005, the “Stand Your Ground Law” has been tied to a number of shootings that involved the questionable use of deadly force.
* In January 2012, Hammer renewed her opposition to an effort by the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association to ban the carrying of firearms in hospitals and nursing homes, claiming that it "panders to the anti-gun political agenda of South Florida organizations." According to Hammer, doctors, nurses and other medical staff have a "constitutional right" to carry loaded guns in these places.
[...]
* Hammer described elected officials who wish to regulate guns on the local level as “gun hating-Liberals.” “The legislature...made it clear in (1987) legislation that no future ordinances regulating firearms and ammunition could be adopted," she said. "And through that 24 years, there have been a number of counties that have arrogantly done it anyhow because there were no penalties in that bill.”
[...]
In 2010, Hammer received $190,000 in compensation from the NRA for consulting work, in addition to the $110,000 per year salary she receives from Unified Sportsmen of Florida.
Only $190K, Marion Hammer?
you slacker!
The going rate in DC for selling out your principles -- is $300K a year to start.
-- that must be what $100K Kicker from the Sportsmen association USF, is all about eh? ... to put you on a par with your peers:
Lobbyist Salaries
by Shelley Moore, eHow contributor -- Dec 20, 2011
[...]
Salary Range
The median salary for a lobbyist as of May 2011 was $98,398 per year, according to Salary.com. The middle 50 percent of lobbying jobs paid $79,162 to $135,936 annually. The bottom 10 percent of lobbyists had annual salaries below $61,650, and the top 10 percent were earning more than $170,000 per year.
[...]
Particularly lucrative opportunities exist in Washington, D.C., for the most-well-connected lobbyists, such as former legislators or White House staff, according to an article by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum published in the June 22, 2005, issue of the Washington Post. As of that time frame, these individuals could earn entry-level salaries of around $300,000.
This is what "representation" in America has come to. It a revolving door system, where access is granted to the highest bidders. (And caution and deference is granted to the 'opposing forces.')
and the NRA is bidding high ... as per usual ...
National Rifle Assn -- Heavy Hitters
opensecrets.org
[...] Between 2001 and 2010, the NRA spent between $1.5 million and $2.7 million on federal-level lobbying efforts. During the 2010 election cycle, the NRA spent more than $7.2 million on independent expenditures at the federal level -- messages that advocate for or against political candidates. These messages primarily supported Republican candidates or opposed Democratic candidates.
[...]
Lobbying Stats, 2011 [NRA]
Total spent on lobbying: $2,905,000
Number of lobbyists hired: 29
Number of current revolving door personnel: 12
Number of bills mentioned: 63
...view more [NRA] Lobbying
Afterall it's just another day ...
Another day at the Office, for Lobby America
by jamess -- Jul 11, 2009
When Lobbyists constantly get the run of the place -- it is We the America People -- that end up with the WORST Representation (and worst Legislation too) ... that their unlimited money can buy ...
And that is what Lobby America is all about ... giving money a voice ... in what used-to-be OUR democracy.