On April 19th, gun owners and gun rights’ supporters (big overlap there) will rally in Washington to “galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind Aantimerica that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense.” The Second Amendment March’s organizers chose the date to honor the day when the first shots were fired in The Revolutionary War, at The Battle of Lexington. Members of the media checked that date and discovered that the march also fell “On the anniversary of Waco, [when] anti-government, right-wing militia sympathizer Timothy McVeigh drove an explosive-laden Ryder truck to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.” As far as I know, the Huffington Post’s Mike Malloy was the first to pick-up this coincidence and run with it. And I mean really run with it . . .
Malloy lists fifteen anti-government shootings that happened to happen in the month of April. And so a meme was born: the Second Amendment March is the child of proto-domestic terrorists.
It’s a despicable mis-characterization, perpetuated by (surprise!) MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. And how. In fact the excerpt on the official MSNBC excerpt [link above] cuts off Maddow’s intro, which restates (verbatim) the Second Amendment March’s goals [click here to see the full clip].
Maddow’s report quickly blends the SAM with an open carry rally in Virginia (“roughly the same place”). Talk about guilt by association. “There are actually TWO marches on Washington on the Oklahoma City anniversary for people with guns this year.” The clear implication: THAT’S what they’re commemorating. And she says it AGAIN.
As we confront the facts that the anniversary the day that Timothy McVeigh killed 168 Americans has been picked by not one but TWO anti-government gun rallies in Washington, there is a certain disconnect between what these organizers describe as their peaceful motives, and the tactics they are using to try to attract their audience.
A shocking and shameful smear campaign. How does this woman call herself a journalist?
Don't worry. Nobody watches NBC.
Do the Second Amendment March (SAM) organizers really expect us to believe that the 19th was chosen because it's the anniversary of Lexington-Concord of 1775? It's a fascinating history and people should know about it, but I'd wager most don't. (I didn't until today.) I know you've watched your favorite late night host's Jaywalking. More people associate 4/19 with the Waco siege and Oklahoma City domestic terrorism, and the SAM organizers know it.
What I find fascinating is that the FAQ list on the SAM homepage makes no mention of Lexington-Concord but does declare, "Our nation was won via the individual right to keep and bear arms."
Sort of. It was not the Second Amendment from the U.S. Bill of Rights (which was not ratified until 1791). It was the right of [only] Protestant Englishmen to keep arms for defense as conferred by the English Bill of Rights: "Freedom for Protestants to have arms for their own defence, as suitable to their class and as allowed by law." Note, too, that the right was subject to class and what was allowed by law. Legislating gun ownership is not an invention of liberal boogeymen!
There's plenty of obfuscation, smearing and convenient reporting on all sides of the issue!
I must agree with the previous commenter. The cartoon network has more viewers then pmsnbc. However other so called "news" networks might run with it also. As to your question how does she sleep at night. Very easy. Lies and liberal slant slant is the news to them.
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