Change You Can Believe In

During SAFR Chicago, the time came to create Change We Could Believe In. Specifically, the "Old Diaper" had had its chance, and it was time for the "New Diaper" to get a shot at protecting the pants. The problem was that if you wanted to get to the restrooms in the Thompson Center with a stroller, you'd have to cross the crowd, get inside, find the right elevators and then take the hallway to the back. (I am being informed that the stroller is significantly cleaner than the public restrooms and therefore the ideal place to change the baby.)

But wait . . . . what's this? Why, it's art in the public square. It is aesthetically . . . . well, white and squiggly. But it is also hollow.
(I am being informed that this sculpture is A DINOSAUR.)



Anyway, inside it was shady, cool and private. Who says public art doesn't have a practical purpose? Change You Can Believe In, my friends.

I wonder what Dubuffet would say?

Sad Panda Alert: Fr. Michael "Snuffy" Pfleger at SAFR Chicago

I'll be honest: I was a little disappointed with the attendance at the Second Amendment Freedom Rally this year. Last year's crowd was larger, probably at least partly because the Heller decision and the presidential election energized a lot of casually pro-gun people. By comparison, this year's crowd was smaller . . . . but it was hard not to notice that the famous Father Michael "Snuffy" Pfleger of the Snuffy and JJ Show came out to protest us with a whopping three followers and no Jesse Jackson. I'm not kidding; this photo is not doctored in any way and there's no tricky use of angles. This is just the best Snuffy could do.

Incidentally, if you look closely, you can see a kid bravely holding up the wall in the background so that it won't fall, snuffing Snuffy and his three loyal disciples. Kane was interested in the SAFR event and all, but here he's staring at the police officers. He has just discovered that the Chicago PD uses four-wheel ATVs . . . with blue strobe lights . . . . and street tires. Naturally, he is impressed.
That's Kenny Polhamus of KAP Guns grinning like a drunken tourist in some poor girl's spring break photo (that would make you the young lady, Snuffy.) What I really didn't get was the purpose behind showing up with four people holding incomprehensible signs. The NRA is a corporate gun dealer? Wha? Let's look at all the ways that's odd:

• The NRA doesn't sponsor the SAFR, Snuffy. That would be the ISRA and IllinoisCarry with a lot of help from the Second Amendment Sisters, Pink Pistols, and others. CORE was a big help this year (yes, the Congress Of Racial Equality.) The NRA didn't even send a representative this year, although an NRA member set up a table with NRA literature.
  
• The NRA actually does sometimes sell guns, usually commemorative items, but I wouldn't say it's a gun dealer in any normal sense of the word. Either way, you don't explain why it's a bad thing to be a gun dealer. Are you assuming that people will see the words "gun dealer" and think "Heavens to Murgatroyd, not in my neighborhood!"? I don't see that happening.
• If you're going to be a gun dealer, is it better to be a private company than a corporation? Why?

(Thanks to Robb Allen for the Sad Panda icon and Chris Conmy for the photos from SAFR. Click the Panda to see Robb's blog; click the photos to see Chris's other photos.)

Is You There? Or Is You Square?

As these words are posted, the Second Amendment Freedom Rally is commencing in downtown Chicago. Before it's over, we're going to have a lot of fun.

Ralph Conner, the Chairman of CORE Chicago,
is going to talk about appearing in JPFO's movie
No Guns for Negroes and the racist roots of gun
control.

Valinda Rowe is going to speak about
her experiences going from victim
to political activist.



Richard Pearson and Mike Weisman are going to tell us what ISRA has planned for the next year.

I hope you made it, but if you didn't, I hope you check in and see what's happening. Chris Conmy will be Twittering SAFR this year . . . actually, he started last night at Portillo's. This is the strength of the pro-gun movement: people. Numbers. Boots at the grassroots. The anti-gun side has great sticky gobs of money with which they do their best to drown us, and they're now moving to raise more in Illinois specifically to try to unseat pro-gun politicians--they've threatened to spend $75,000 in a single Illinois race to frighten their enemies. We don't have those gobs of money, but we do have what they don't: ordinary people who will give the small amounts of money they have, take time off work, and vote. SAFR is our expression of that difference writ large; the other side doesn't do anything like SAFR, despite the general belief that Chicago is "their territory," because they cannot do it. They don't have the ability to put out a call for large numbers of people to take a day off work and gather somewhere; most of the people who do such things for them are being paid in some way, while the people attending SAFR today took the day off and paid their own way.

That's the Illinois pro-gun movement. That's our strength. That's us.

Chicago 2A Freedom Rally THIS FRIDAY

Second Amendment Freedom Rally! FRIDAY JUNE 26, 2009 11am - 2pm James R. Thompson Center 100 W. Randolph St Chicago, IL FEATURED SPEAKER RALPH W. CONNER, CORE-Chicago featured in the hard-hitting video No Guns for Negroes Come celebrate the first anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court's decision in D.C. vs Heller. Let's show our support for the RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CHICAGO'S LARGEST EVER SECOND AMENDMENT FREEDOM RALLY! So, here's your chance. If you were a marshal last year, you know it was no problem at all. The James R. Thompson Center is a really good venue - there are no bad seats on the plaza - so volunteers do not have to worry about missing out on the rally by being a marshal. If you didn't get a chance to help last year and you'd like to pitch in this time, jump aboard and welcome! For those unfamiliar with the marshals' jobs, the responsibilities include: Define the area and keep people out of the street for safety, Keep the crowd from blocking entrances to the building or the sidewalks around the plaza, Help people find signs, information, restrooms, water, etc. Communicate with security and police personnel to handle emergencies Look cheerful and answer questions, and most importantly: Seriously, this next thing is really important, so pay attention: Enjoy ourselves and have a fun day with like-minded people. Last year a few of us spent maybe10 minutes at most after the rally picking up a few things, counting chairs, stacking things - in general helping with a minimal bit of clean up. Please email reliable contact information to Marshal Volunteer Coordinator Don Gwinn at dongwinn@thefiringline.com or call 217-502-2452.

Links

We thank each and every one of you for your diligence and commitment to the Second Amendment. Please feel free to forward this and all Firearm Alerts to your friends, family, and other contacts. Sincerely, Valinda Rowe IllinoisCarry.com spokesperson

Is It Paranoia If They Really Call You a Terrorist?

Low-level terrorism in Springfield, IL

I'm trying hard to be the voice of reason, here, but this is the kind of thing that makes it hard:
Days of our Trailers: Low Level Terrorism

Apparently, the DoD is teaching its personnel that "protests" are "low-level terrorism." No, I haven't seen a lesson plan or a presentation, but according to Fox News, the ACLU has obtained copies of a written exam with a question where the correct answer to "Which of these is an example of low-level terrorism?" is "protests." I've been a teacher for some time now, and I can tell you this: there are probably things being taught that aren't on the test, but it's very unlikely that there's anything on the test that's not being taught in depth.

The Defense Department defends this document in the Fox News story Roy linked by saying that it may be part of training for overseas personnel, and it may simply mean that protests are events to be avoided because they can be low-level terrorism in those other countries. I'm not really buying that one, but I suppose it's possible.

The thing that worries me about this is that Roy at Days of Our Trailers walked the state capitol here in Illinois with me back in March. We gathered in a convention hall, marched through the streets with uniformed people blocking the traffic (well, that was the Springfield Police Department, and we did, after all, have a parade permit for our low-level terrorizing, but they didn't have to enjoy it so much) and then held a rally on the lawn of the Capitol . . . there may have been some shouting and possibly some signs were waved in the air. Then we went inside and petitioned our representatives for redress of our grievances. I think I might be in some trouble if Roy decides to turn me in, but maybe I can explain that it was all his idea.

Low-level terrorists indoctrinating youth members in Chicago

I think it's very likely that this will go away as the test is quietly retired and the new version miraculously loses the terrorism language . . . . which is good, in a way, because it's good that they realize they messed up and that something needs to be done. I worry that it's not good in the sense that this is not just a one-time slipup, but an attitude that's been slowly becoming more common for years now. The thing I hate to hear most is when someone says, "Sure, it's your right to protest, but it makes you look weird." Sure, it might, but I don't care. No one is going to embarass me out of exercising my rights. And guess what? If protesting is low-level terrorism, then next Friday I'm going to be a low-level terrorist again, and I'll wear that badge proudly. Come join us in Chicago on the 26th. We're going to be upbeat, we're going to have fun, but we're going to insist on our rights as Americans and as human beings, and if anyone tries to label us "low-level terrorists," they're going to be the ones embarassed.


Seriously, are these people the terrorists?