Capital District SCOPE and Organized Gun Owners Of New York are hosting a July 29th Civil Rights rally at the Empire State Plaza Albany N.Y., for the rights of the law abiding but politically incorrect. ( Politically correct people of conscience and all others opposed to bigotry and prejudice are also invited to attend). We will be gathering at the base of "The Egg" for the 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM rally to publicize a growing acceptance of actions and policies against law abiding but politically incorrect citizens, (gun owners, the patriotic, the religious, veterans, law enforcement, tax protesters, etc.) actions and policies that would be considered hate crimes if applied to any politically correct group. 

We plan to make this an election year issue that legislators and public policy makers learn to avoid supporting in the future. We will have roughly three months in which to do this between the rally and elections. The bigger the crowd we have, the more media attention, and the better the opportunity to make our arguments to a large segment of the American people.

Guest Speakers

Amongst our speakers we have Niger Innis, son of Roy Innis (NRA Board member and head of CORE, Congress Of Racial Equality). As a spokesman for the country's third largest Civil Rights organization Niger will (as he did at the Second Amendment Sisters rally in Washington DC) argue that the Second Amendment is as much a Civil Right for ALL Americans as our freedoms of speech, freedom of worship and the right of the people to peacefully assemble to petition the government for redress of grievances. People who have argued that the 2nd Amendment is not an individual right, do not want to explain how a Civil Right is not an individual right, especially on the eve of elections. 

We also have Dr. John Lott as a guest speaker. When Dr. Lott was at the University of Chicago he conducted the most exhaustive study of civilian firearms ownership and the deterrence of crime ever, he also published and stood by his results and eventually published the book 'More guns, Less crime'. 

Dr. Lott is one of the world's leading experts on the facts and figures of the benefits of gun ownership, and debunking the popular myths of gun control. After the rally he will be signing of his new and updated second edition of 'More Guns Less Crime' at Barnes and Noble 20 Wolf Road Colonie (where there will be large numbers of copies to buy for those who have not yet). This could be a valuable family heirloom to leave your heirs, proving your family was there at the start of OUR Civil Rights Movement.

Louis Wein, is already in a primary race against Richard Lazio for the Republican and Constitution party line. Louis Wein is a pro 2nd Amendment, pro Constitution, Conservative with backing by people like his election committee head Alan Keyes. Louis Wein is very much worth checking out at our rally and at http://www.weinsenate.com. Richard Lazio's voting record can be checked out at (http://www.vote-smart.org) in the column on the left, under "Categories", look for "Voting Records". You'll see what to do from there. Check out Lazio's voting record on 2nd Amendment issues (he has bragged on local TV about supporting the Brady bill, the Assault weapons ban, and refusing to accept NRA donations), check out Lazio on a whole host of other issues. 

We will be inviting Rosie O'Donnell, Donna Dees Thomases, and Katina Johnstone, the NYC Million Moms March coordinator responsible for the opposition to the NRA theme restaurant in Times Square. We will be offering them a chance to defend their beliefs and public statements about the 2nd Amendment, gun ownership and the NRA Eddie Eagle program. 

We will propose you can not have good public policy and legislation based on bigotry and prejudice or lies and exaggerations, and that the resultant government sponsored hate crimes are bad for all citizens. We ask the attendees how ever if the opposition does send representatives that we be polite, and NOT let the media depict us as BEATING UP ON MOTHERS! Some of whom may be there to cry over deceased children!

Government Sponsored 'Hate Crime'

We will also be asking people to remember the legislators who argued for public funding of the desecration of the American Flag in the name of art, as well as public funding of the exhibition of Christ on a crucifix soaking in urine and a portrait of the Virgin Mary decorated in elephant turds. Those who would use our tax dollars to fund the desecrations of icons sacred and near sacred to tens of millions of our religious and patriotic citizens, are unfit for leadership positions. 

We are slowly being desensitizing to government sponsored treatment of politically incorrect groups that would be considered a 'Hate Crime' were it directed at any fashionable, politically correct group. From restrictive public policy and legislation based on lies and exaggerations intended to promote bigotry and prejudice against gun owners (12 - 14 children per day killed by guns, etc.), to desecration of symbols and icons sacred and near sacred to politically incorrect groups, ( the religious and/or patriotic for starters). This is the year to question ALL candidates on where they stood when issues of government sponsored hate crimes came up for support, on their watch!

For the actions of a small fraction of 1% of our number, how did the label Patriot become derogatory on our watch? (Hint: traditional 'authoritarian' values like patriotism are politically incorrect). The transformation of patriotism in one generation from main stream to fringe extremism for the actions of a very few of us serves as an example of what may be in store for members of other law abiding groups that become politically incorrect over the actions of a small minority of their members. (Traditionally penalizing a large group for the actions of a small sub group has been bigotry, prejudice and discrimination, now called a Hate Crime)!

Freedom to practice; time proven western religions, civil rights such as gun ownership, free speech for conservatives, military service, law enforcement and a host of other 'authoritarian, old fashioned ' disciplines have become politically incorrect. ON OUR WATCH! ALL these groups were mainstream and respected a generation ago, ALL helped make our country unique and great, the vast majority of their members did nothing to deserve the treatment they get today! Who's group may become politically incorrect in the future?

In late 1992 popular entertainer Sinead O'Connor all but ruined her career by ripping a photo of the Pope on TV, weeks later she is booed off the stage by a 'pop culture' crowd in a Madison Square Garden tribute to Bob Dylan, for her offence to Catholics. Last year Chris Ofili became a celebrity for desecrating a portrait of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung and porno photo cut outs. How far popular culture ('pop culture') can come in seven years.

The same crowds that supported Ofili in 1999, supported Andres Serranno's 'Piss Christ' in 1987, and Salman Rushdie in 1988 when he insulted Islam with the 'Satanic Verses'. Orthodox or Muslim fundamentalists have been pretty much demonized, Christian fundamentalists are well on their way, how long before once again, those of the Jewish faith? Today's 18 year old was 5 when government sponsorship of 'Piss Christ' was being defended by pop culture as not censoring cutting edge "Art", today's 18 year old grew up with such ideas becoming increasingly mainstream since. 

If tomorrow or in five years some 'artist' soaks a Torah, a Talmud, a Koran in urine, decorates a likeness of Abraham, Martin Luther King our Buddha in animal turds, will it be a hate crime? Or will it be 'art' to exhibit at public expense, least we infringe or censor free expression because it offends "some people"? 

Reminding the public of what opportunist bigots have done with our tax dollars to tens of millions of law abiding but politically incorrect citizens might cost some of them enough votes to cost them re election. We might cost others enough votes that they all shy away from supporting legislation and policy that is merely fashionable and politically correct, but would be considered a hate crime if applied to politically correct groups. Without the exaggeration and lies of political correctness a lot of gun control looses it's appeal to a lot of people . 

Without the votes of these policy makers a lot of gun control legislation can not pass, without their support a lot of policy harmful to other law abiding but politically incorrect groups will not pass, or be funded either. When bashing politically incorect groups cost colleges and school systems funding and support, as would bashing politically correct groups we will see a lot less of this bigotry and prejudice passed off as education! We get the opportunity to make such a statement to our elected officials and their minions once every two years, every four years we can do so in so many races. 

Opposing government funded bigotry and prejudice is more than a statement against 'hate art', it is defending time proven religious and patriotic values against growing politically correct bigotry. We are fighting insensitivity to, and 'main streaming' of, government funded 'hate crimes'.

Politically correct or not, do not turn a blind eye to government sponsored bigotry and prejudice, for who can say when a group you care about falls victim! Help open the eyes of others to bigotry and prejudice based policies and legislation against gun owners and tens of millions of other good contributing citizens. Policies that can not do what they are supposed to because they deal with fantasy, not the serious problems they are supposed to solve!

Gun owner, religious, patriot, veteran, politically correct, any one committed to justice and equality, take a chance on doing something new, come fill our ranks, so our message can not be ignored. This is the time to start asking ALL candidates about positions they have taken on Government Sponsored Hate Crimes! AND DO NOT ACCEPT AMBIGUOUS ANSWERS! These are our tax dollars being abused against us and tens of millions of other law abiding people! The longer we wait to act, the worst it will get!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS POSTING, AND HELP SPREAD THIS INFORMATION !

PS

Visit SCOPE'S web site (listed below), go to our Civil Rights page and print out the web page for our July 29th rally. Print it out and with a little trimming it makes a nice hand out and poster. It will be constantly update with new speakers as they verify. And not everybody we have invited has yet verified.


Tom Chandler Chairman Capital District Shooters Committee On Political Education SCOPE N.Y.'s largest Second Amendment Civil Rights Group http://www.scopeny.org Civil Rights-Individual rights of personal liberty guaranteed by Bill of Rights (first ten Amendments) and 13th ,14th, 15th and 19th Amendments. Black's Law Dictionary New Pocket Edition 1996 sacres@juno.com