Monday, May 01, 2017

A Heartstring-Tugging Non Sequitur

Received via email, coincidentally right after my latest Oath Keepers piece:
Hallett, Ryan <ryan.hallett@grey.com>  Today, 9:14 AM
Hi David, Racism and discrimination are haunting America’s conscience. Anti-immigrant sentiment, often based in racist and hateful ideology, is on the rise in our country, but few of the “haters” realize that approximately 11% of all U.S. veterans come from an immigrant background. Veterans have made real sacrifices for our country and are among the most respected and honored Americans, which is why Southern Poverty Law Center is partnering on Vets Fight Hate, a campaign to urge Americans to think twice before judging people who are different than they are and whose stories they don’t know or understand. Through Vets Fight Hate, immigrant veterans are responding to hateful tweets by sending an inclusive message of peace and unity to positively impact our fractured society and fight back against those spreading hatred. You can view the powerful new PSA here. Additionally, visitors to vetsfighthate.com can sign up to receive more information on the campaign and learn how to get involved. Either way, I hope you will consider sharing this with your readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s any additional information I can share. RyanGrey Group Disclaimer
Ah, I see -- their video says they've "identified haters with a large group of followers and fought back with personalized messages."

Ryan is calling people like me a racist and a hater. That's an old SPLC fundraising strategy. So is setting up an Astroturf organization with a resonating name. And teaming up with a slick, well-funded Grey Advertising propaganda campaign featuring "the most respected and honored group in the country" has produced a campaign intended to shame and to silence.

So "Hi" back, Ryan.

To claim the basis of my concerns is hate and racism is insulting and ignores the actual issue, which your "outreach" avoids.  So you get the same challenge as everyone else:

In addition to explaining away the California experience, produce credible data – something that can be independently validated – that “amnesty” and a “pathway to citizenship” for MILLIONS of foreign nationals in this country illegally (and even legally, with current culturally suicidal policies) WILL NOT overwhelmingly favor “progressives” and anti-gunners. Show us your sources and methodologies for determining this WILL NOT result in supermajorities in state and federal legislatures that will be able to pass all kinds of anti-gun edicts. Show how this WILL NOT result in nominations and confirmations of judges to the Supreme and federal courts who will uphold those edicts, and reverse gains made to date.

Notice I didn’t ask for platitudes or for anecdotes about exceptions to the rule, or about who is turning up in increasing numbers at gun stores and ranges – that doesn’t matter if he can’t point to a corresponding overriding shift in voting trends. I didn’t ask for wishful speculation about how education and outreach programs MIGHT help bring more over to the NRA side. I'm asking you to show how all credible estimates putting the disparity at over 70% Democrat and anti-gun are wrong (and how the needle barely moves in the right direction after 20 years).

You lobbed the ball over here, Ryan. It's in your court.

[Click to enlarge]

1 comment:

Ned said...

Still nothing? Bueller?