<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Democracy is a bitch, ain't it?<br><br>-Scott</div><div><br>On Dec 22, 2012, at 12:58 PM, "Tom Hansen" <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Courtesy of CNN at:</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><a href="http://tinyurl.com/d5w9myh">http://tinyurl.com/d5w9myh</a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "> </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">------------------------------------</div><div><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><image.jpeg></p><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: left; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By Samuel Burke, CNN</strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tennessee lawmaker Debra Maggart was a lifetime member of America’s most powerful gun lobby, the National Riffle Association.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">She had an A+ rating with the group and even supported allowing guns in bars.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But when Maggart decided not to back a bill allowing guns in cars – even on properties where the owners did not want guns- the NRA turned against her.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The group did everything in its power to ensure her election defeat.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">They succeeded.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“We tried to work out a compromise,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Wednesday, “after that they came after me because I was the caucus leader and I was the only person in leadership who had a primary.”</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maggart said the NRA poured money into her small district, attacking her from every angle. She says they created a “Defeat Maggart” website, and used billboards, robocalls, radio ads, YouTube videos and 12 full-page newspaper ads to drive her from office.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“They convinced the people where I am from that I was for all these things and that I was actually going to put your family in danger because of this bill.”</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">They changed her rating on gun legislation from an A+ to a D.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maggart believes the NRA’s aggression actually boils down to money.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“They create phantom issues in order for people to write them a duty check. I am convinced of that. They frighten people and they have to have a bad guy.”</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maggart never thought she would become the bad guy.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I was surprised because I had always been supportive of gun legislation. I am a pro-Second Amendment person,” she told Amanpour. “I had a great record on promoting the Second Amendment, but that didn’t matter to them”</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The NRA on Tuesday made its first statement since the Sandy Hook massacre, saying it is prepared to “offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: -webkit-auto; padding: 0px 0px 7px; margin: 12px 20px 12px 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maggart is doubtful and had some words of advice for policy makers: “If you are a lawmaker you have to be able to sit down and have a grown up conversation about these things and not be afraid of them using bullying tactics, like they did on me – Using fear and intimidation to stifle the discussion. And that’s what they have done.”</span></p></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">------------------------------------<br><br><div>Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .</div><div><br></div><div>"Moscow Cares"</div><div><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div> </div><div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>=======================================================</span><br><span> List services made available by First Step Internet,</span><br><span> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.</span><br><span> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a></span><br><span> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a></span><br><span>=======================================================</span></div></blockquote></body></html>