Liberty Notes

By K. L. Jamison Esq.

November 2004

We mobilized our people to get out the vote. This effort was crucial. We increased the pro-gun majority in congress and the legislature. Nationally 60% of gun owners voted for Bush. This means that Kerry was able to fool 40% of us.

We lost some races, there is now a Carnahan representing Missouri in Congress, and another is Secretary of State, her job is counting votes. This cannot be good. She dared to run claiming to be the pro-gun candidate. There was a slight effort to vote out Supreme Court Judge Richard Teitelman. He had voted that the License to Carry law was unconstitutional. He won with 62% of the vote. There was an ill-conceived and poorly executed effort to rate all judges up for retention elections. Concocted by outside parties, it was presented to movement activists by a usually reliable source as indicating anti-gun judges. The system was to vote against any judge appointed by either Holden or Carnahan. This condemned circuit judges who had previously been appointed by Governor Ashcroft, and judges I knew were NOT anti-gun. This effort also failed. While intended to warn judges not to let personal opinions into their judgments, it only served to make judges circle the wagons. The bar associations rallied behind the judges. This only makes the judges less concerned about public opinion. The moral of the story is that to remove a judge one had better be right and well-prepared, and better win.

Senator Gibbons in St. Louis was targeted for supporting us on License To Carry, even running someone from the "Million" Mom March against him. Two days before election day propaganda portrayed his vote for LTC as "racist". In a district which voted overwhelmingly against Proposition B, he was thought to be easy pickings. Our people supported him aggressively, and he won decisively. WMSA assisted the efforts of Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance on his behalf. When the "racist" claim was launched WMSA was asked to have people to back him up. Gary Davis had his pickup fueled and ready for the trip had it been necessary. His district is far from us, but the laws he passes are very close. Closer to home, Luann Ridgeway won in the 17th Senatorial District in Clay County. Such is our confidence in Luann, we endorsed her as soon as she filed for the position, before we knew who would oppose her. This will replace an anti-gun senator with one who is very pro-gun. State Representative and WMSA member, Susan Phillips in southern Platte County was attacked by the Star as having a "radical conservative" voting record (I think they meant us). She was opposed by a great deal of money, and won.

The Democrats could not understand these results. They offered us money for our votes; money in the guise of jobs, medical care, social security and the like. But the pundits agree that election results were about principles; moral leadership, and gun rights. The Republicans were defined as the party of moral principles, the Democrats as the "party of Michael More’s Fahrenheit 911". The Democrats cannot understand why voters took principle over what they considered to be our economic self-interest.

I am proud to know men who went to the war and risked their lives for their country. They are called heroes. Today we have heroes who sacrificed time and money to defend our principles. Our principles define who we are, and they are not for sale.