NRA sells (gives?) mailing list to Republican Party!!

[revcarol]

My late husband was registered Democratic, voted Democratic since Jesse Jackson ran for President, and had given to a wide variety of progressive causes.The only thing he ever did that was non-progressive was to join the NRA.(I was shooting at NRA tournaments at the time.)

So today in the mail comes:GOP CENSUS DOCUMENT.

"You are among a select group of Republicans who have been chosen to take part in the official CENSUS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY(Caps theirs.)

Domestic and International Security, Economic Issues, Education Issues,Social Issues, Defense Issues,and, of course, request for CONTRIBUTIONS.

Should I answer it truthfully as he would have, or not waste the stamp money?

Totally pissed at the NRA for giving out the names of the members.

[flamingyouth]

1. Lots of orgs. & cos. do the same

My family has subscribed to the Economist for years. Hence, the GOP thinks we're repukes, which amuses us to no end.

My dad is always screaming at my mom: "Don't just throw that Republican shit in the garbage! People might see my name on it! We need to shred it first!"

Believe me, RevCarol, I feel for you...

[htuttle]

2. Oh, that's funny

So, the organization that's trying to keep the government from having a list of gun owners, is giving the government it's own list of gun owners?

...and they said irony was dead...

[MrBenchley]

9. Irony abounds with the NRA

the NRA also claims falsely that the bill of rights covers only individual rights, not collective rights...but it's currently in court suing under the theory that its COLLECTIVE freedom of speech is being abridged by campaign finance reform.

Meanwhile it's never ever gone to court to try to prove its lie about the Second Amendment covering individuals...that's "never" as "not even once."

[trotsky]

3. Do this:

Fold up a bunch of junk mail, stuff it in the return envelope, and put it in a community mailbox. NRA will have to pay postage due to receive garbage! HA!

[HFishbine]

8. Or Do This

Answer the questions as if you are one of the most extreme right-wingers on the planet. Help tilt their message away from mainstream America.

[kwolf68]

17. You rule

Shit...I may try to get on the NRA list just for this purpose.

I used to be in their computer (was once a member and got the American Rifleman and lived in the same delusional paranoia), but I am sure I've been put in the delete file by now.

If not, then I dare them to call me.

[Maddy McCall]

20. YES YES YES...I did that with an envelope I received from Republican

gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour. Wadded up as much stoff as I could and put the bumpersticker he had sent me ON the envelope, and then mailed it back. Not only did he have to pay postage, but the bumpersticker could not be reused.

If EVERYONE would do this, it would stop a LOT of this kind of mail.

[MissB]

4. I just posted that I received the same one.

Select group? I don't think so.

I'm sure we received one because we just moved and haven't re-registered.

I'm debating on how to answer our questionairre. I really loved the back page, asking whether I'd join to RNC by making a contribution today. There are three options. The first asks for a dollar contribution. The second says I don't have the money, but here is $11 to cover the cost of the survey. The third option says, no, I favor electing liberal Dems over the next 10 years.

I'm choosing the first option, and writing in $0.00 in the "other" category.

[im4edwards]

5. The NRA is primarily an advocasy group

what did you expect ? Not trying to be a smart aleck but this can't be considered shocking.

[ShaneGR]

6. Call the NRA and bitch

I would.

[revcarol]

7. But the mail was not a total loss.

I got a nice thank-you note from Kucinich for my generous(minute) contribution. He appreciates every $.:dem:

But no check from the one who owes me money.:spank:

[DoNotRefill]

10. I dunno....

I periodically get Repuke spam snailmail. I also belong to the NRA, but am a lifelong registered Democrat who has worked on a Democratic congressional campaign. I seriously doubt the Repukes got my mailing address from the NRA...because the NRA can't even get their shit together enough to send my magazine to the right address.

On the humorous side, I keep getting solicitations from organizations I'm not eligible to join...just last week, my wife got a membership application from AARP...she's 33...I told her to join us up, so we could get free coffee at fast food restaurants. :)

[izzie]

11. You go after the NRA and tell them how you feel.

:thumbsdown:

[BullDozer]

12. Probably not from the NRA

Totally pissed at the NRA for giving out the names of the members.


I wouldn't pin this one on the NRA for selling your name to the GOP.

A quick google shows that the GOP has done this before:
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13443
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A33353-2002May4¬Found=true

for example.

If in fact the NRA has sold or given their membership list to the GOP it would be a change from their usual policy.

Q: I want to join but I am concerned about my privacy. Is NRA membership data confidential?
A: NRA Membership data is considered personal and confidential and as such may only be accessed by the NRA and our agents. Your personal information will not be provided to any “mailing lists.”

[MrBenchley]

15. Too too funny

"If in fact the NRA has sold or given their membership list to the GOP it would be a change from their usual policy.
Q: I want to join but I am concerned about my privacy. Is NRA membership data confidential?
A: NRA Membership data is considered personal and confidential"
And we're supposed to believe that because the lying shits at the NRA SAID SO? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha......

[BullDozer]

19. So predictable....

Peddle your "the NRA is the big bad boogie man" load somewhere else benchley.

There is nothing in evidence that suggests that the NRA turned their membership list over to the GOP. Try again bub.

The simplest explanation is usually the right one, and that in this case is most likely the GOP as they have done before, as indicated by the links I supplied, is trolling for the pulse of the Democratic faithful by sending out mass mailings to see where they might be able to slide their "policies" to in order to garner more votes.

I'm sure that if any manchurian NRA members such as M. Moore found that the NRA did in fact sell the mailing list off in contradiction of their posted policies that it would be well documented and screamed from the rooftops.

[MrBenchley]

22. Yup...it's predictable that the RKBA crowd

will pimp for the right wing loonies of the GOP.

[BullDozer]

23. See clue... go buy it

I know it's such a hardship to want the truth.

What is totally predictable is that whenever you hear NRA your pavlovian response kicks in and you begin to spin your tales of the NRA boogieman. Go ahead blame them for everything, it's damn funny to see.

Unless you can produce proof that the NRA did, in contradiction of their stated policy, in fact sell or give their mailing list to the GOP for the purposes of this mailing then you don't have a leg to stand on.

Anything else you have to say on this matter other than the above proof is pointless and amounts to nothing more than yapping.

BTW- Don't forget that the NRA has a history of giving money to Democrats, although to a much lesser extent then to republicans.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. that's how bush was selected Robertson and the CC gave bush its list

ahem voters list and look what bush gave them in return

can we say "operation blessings"??

[Lefty48197]

14. NRA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican party

their actions don't surprise me anymore.

[novakara]

16. your math doesn't add up

You got a piece of mail you don't like and you presume it was because the NRA sold its membership list? Hate to burst your bubble, but its more likely you got the mail from a magazine subscription, or possibly a hunter license application (if that applies in your husband's case).

The NRA are tight asses with their lists, I have tried to get small selects of their names for various political projects for groups on both sides of the aisle, to no avail. Lots of political groups trade or rent names on their lists, often times in small batches as part of a prospect by another group to see if the list is interested in the message they are pitching.

Unless you have documentation from the sender that asserts the name was rented, sold or traded to them by the NRA, I'd say you haven't made much of an argument to suggest that's the case.

[leesa]

18. Pretty much what everyone predicted with the NRA

That's why the issue of registration was such a joke. NRA members are already flagged. A cop I know used to say about NRA members, "Yup, they are red flagged"

[FubarFly]

21. kick

:kick:

[leftofthedial]

24. wsho else would want it?

nt

[revcarol]

25. Tomorrow I'm going to send it back,

with all the "wrong" answers, and stuffed with things from the ACLU. NOW,etc. They pay the postage.

[spanone]

26. They deserve each other.

[Loyal]

27. Lame

Not all NRA members are Republicans, and I sure as hell do not want to receive GOP mail!