When The Armed Genius began publication at the dawn of 1993, Bill Clinton was about to assume the title (though apparently not the responsibility) of President of the United States.
Now as February 1998 draws to a close, the Clinton presidency is in meltdown over—of all things—illicit sex with a subordinate not his wife, but young enough to be his daughter. And while Hillary Clinton mutters darkly about a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, your editor demurs. If the Clinton presidency is destroyed, the fault lies entirely with the Clintons themselves.
Nor is its end, if it comes, to be regarded as success for The Armed Genius, even if this newsletter has devoted an excessive amount of its attention to the excesses of the Clintonista regime.
There is nothing to cheer about connected to Bill and Hillary. They should never have been given the job in the first place—some of us, including most TAG subscribers, knew this in 1992 but were ignored by the Electoral College.
During Clinton’s tenure, the Brady Bill has become the Brady Act. A law was enacted banning ugly guns despite their being statistically insignificant to the crime problem. Another law enacted under Clinton denies the Second Amendment to any person who was ever convicted of domestic violence, even under the loosest definition used in the most liberal state or municipality.
Clinton has sent American troops to serve as moving targets for civil insurgents in Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia. And unless sanity prevails in D.C., a mostly dismantled and demoralized U.S. Air Force will soon be sent to carpet-bomb Iraq.
Constitutional and legal protections for Clinton’s political opponents have been disregarded, the right of the American people to expect ethical and forthright behavior from its leaders has been abolished, and the principle that no one in America is above the law, has been completely forgotten.
Yes, the attempt by the First “Lady” to communize the world’s best medical sector, came to naught. And it’s true that two generations of Democrat one-party rule on Capitol Hill came to an impolite halt in 1994. But many of the constitutional hits we as citizens have taken, have occurred since 1994.
Some among us say this constitutes proof that the Republican Party is as corrupt as Clinton and the Democrats, but closer to the truth is the fact that, with Clinton still in office, the corrupting influence that orbits and protects him (which includes much of the Washington press corps) remains strong, and anyone who craves public approval, regardless of party, is susceptible to it.
Removing Clinton may not excise the corruption entirely, but it will drive it once more into the shadows where it lurked, angry and vengeful, during certain previous administrations. And it may resurrect shame in the larger society, a sign that people are once more hearing their consciences.
What, though, would it mean for the individual right to keep and bear arms?
The most likely (but by no means certain, if my sources are to be believed) result of Clinton’s early departure would be an Al Gore presidency until at least January 20, 2001. How does Gore regard the Second Amendment?
About the same way he regards property rights. This is the man whose concern for the environment extends beyond policy, into our homes, our bodies, our minds. So critical is the environmental problem (he believes) that nothing must be allowed to delay implementation of some kind of “bold action.“ Nothing—not good science, not the Constitution, not even simple common decency.
Which is worse—a known scofflaw who flouts the Constitution for his own gratification, or a fanatic who would flout everything in pursuit of his brand of global salvation?
We have to think about these things, and be ready.
The fifth anniversary of the birth of The Armed Genius also occasions a look at where this venture has been, and where it is going.
The initial goal of TAG back in ‘93 was to help get intelligent, articulate pro-freedom Americans working together in productive ways to promote the individual right to keep and bear arms. One of the
words I used back then, if I recall correctly, was “networking.“
Of course, in 1993 only electronic engineers, software developers and “hackers” were using the Internet. Today people of all walks of life are online, networking on a daily basis, at the speed of light, about the issues that mean the most to them.
One pioneer of this kind of networking was Jim Bohan (pronounced as though spelled Bowen), who with Richard L. Hartman and others used the Internet in 1994 to help defeat U.S. House Speaker Tom Foley. This project, called De-Foley-ate Congress (DF8), circulated messages critical of Foley and of his Democrat colleagues in Congress while Republican upstart George Nethercutt campaigned to replace him in the House of Representatives. DF8 was credited with a large part of Nethercutt’s success.
Afterward, Bohan and Hartman collaborated on another project, an Internet information list called NoBan whose mission is to bring about repeal of the 1994 ugly-gun ban. In 1995 NoBan nearly accomplished its mission—only to be thwarted in the U.S. Senate after a certain federal building in Oklahoma City was the target of a certain terrorist bombing.
NoBan remains in existence, its purpose unchanged, but its co-founder Bohan recently succumbed to a heart attack in the line of duty—sitting in front of his computer.
NoBan will continue without Bohan, its subscribers including members of the NRA Board of Directors, activists for Gun Owners of America, and elected officials across the country. Its messages arrive at their destinations within minutes of being sent. And NoBan is by no means the only pro-freedom resource on the Internet.
By contrast, The Armed Genius, with its two-month turnaround and dismally shriveled subscriber list (my fault, no one else’s), hasn’t the firepower to compete with these other resources. Nor is it my wish to look upon these other media as competitors; their goal is the same as mine, and they do it better.
For that reason among others, your editor has concluded that the energies I invest in producing this newsletter limit the amount of energy I can invest in these more powerful means, while reaching too few people and offering too little timely, useful information for those few.
This, the thirtieth issue of The Armed Genius, is the last. If you had any additional issues remaining on your subscription, the enclosed check is your refund.
Recent issues have become little more than a compendium of my opinion, too much of it being about Bill Clinton, not enough of it being about the individual right to keep and bear arms. Undoubtedly this fact is to blame for the lack of response to recent renewal calls; of late the subscriber base has shrunk to a stubborn core of loyal supporters who enjoy my opinions and thus overlook the other shortcomings.
When I sent out the previous issue, I still intended to publish this newsletter well into the future. I had discovered a printing option that produced better quality, and used it. And I used this better quality as the excuse for asking a small increase—but to be honest, I would have to raise the subscription price even if I continued to use the unsatisfactory option of prior editions. That last renewal call brought no response. And my efforts to sell the e-mail version have netted me only four such subscribers.
What have I been producing here that has been worth what I have been charging? For less money you can subscribe to any one established gun magazine, get more issues, and more content per issue.
Internet subscribers can get opinion e-mailed to them for free, while I’ve been charging $1.50.
I thank you all for staying with me this long. Please take your refund and put it to more productive use.
