Welcome to The Resistance. I hope you'll pass along this information (and
forward this email post). There are three parts to it: First, how the
"RKBA!" logo, and the idea of The Resistance, came about; second, why I made
the RKBA!-Liberty Bell stickers, how you can get them from me, and how you
can make your own; and third, some suggestions on how to use the stickers.
--Sam Cohen 8/23/99
=============================================================
=============================================================
On August 7, 1999, a number of ideas came together for me, and I posted an
email message on the Internet. Here is [a slightly corrected version of]
that message:
----------- RKBA! Welcome to The Resistance (women too) -----------
If this makes sense to you, please forward it to others...
We in the Massachusetts Firearms email list have been working on pro-gun
public messages for months. This grassroots project began with signs for a
rally in Boston Common in May; progressed to ideas for a billboard campaign;
evolved into slogans for lawn signs; and now focuses on stickers and stencils
inspired by the pink triangle of the gay freedom movement. The effort has
coincided with what is arguably the most dangerous political and cultural
assault on personal freedom in this country's history.
Throughout the process, we've brainstormed and argued to try to find the one
most effective message, the one best idea for words and graphics. This may
have made sense when the goal was an expensive billboard, but now it's not
necessary: any number of excellent short phrases can work on lawn signs, and
several recent suggestions would work well for stickers or even (let's say it
out loud) roadside graffiti. There's no need to cull the ideas down to
one... as long as there's a single unifying symbol to tie all the messages
together and identify them as coming from a single, unified group of people.
That key unifying symbol already exists, and has been right under our noses:
RKBA! Four capital letters... plus the exclamation point.
It's short. It's known to us, to all other pro-gun activists, and to many
other gun owners. (And don't disparage the need for a rallying symbol of
solidarity within this kind of movement.) More importantly, it's just
cryptic enough so that people will want to know what it means -- and we'll
tell them.
Add it as a logo to signs and slogans, and as a sign-off or postscript to
longer messages. Use it alone, or with the word "Freedom." (Hand out
thousands of "RKBA! Freedom" stickers to kids on the subway. Thanks, Richard
C.) Use it anywhere you'd paint or draw a symbol. You can make it part of
a fancy stencil, but you don't have to. It's only four letters and an
exclamation point: write it on restaurant checks, on invoices, on packages
you send, on business cards... anywhere people will see it.
Go ahead and make lawn signs that say "Save the 2nd Amendment" or "Criminals
go where guns are banned," or any number of other good phrases (maybe even
including "Silence = Death," appropriated from the gay freedom movement), but
add "RKBA!" to the end. (How about: "For the Children -- RKBA!") Design a
stencil of a five-pointed star with the digit "2" inside (thanks, Sasquatch)
-- but put "RKBA!" underneath it. See http://www.GunsSaveLife.com/Burma.htm for some great "Burma-Shave"-style pro-gun roadside signs from the Champaign
County (IL) Rifle Association. Stay tuned to the Massachusetts Firearms list
for more ideas. Just add "RKBA!" to everything. Rick Vaughan
( jurist@attymail.com ) signs his excellent messages with the tag line, "The
Right to Self Defense is a Fundamental Human Right - RKBA." Rick, add an
exclamation point.
Why the exclamation point? [First, to help make the four letters evoke the
Second Amendment by suggesting the all-important concluding phrase, "shall
not be infringed (!)" But also,] To signify the imperative: Join us! Do
something! Don't give in! Learn, educate, speak out, resist! If we all use
it, this symbol -- RKBA! -- will be our version of the clenched fist of the
black power movement.
Now... Some of us breathe more deeply with mention of the Sons of Liberty,
and most of us stand just a little taller with thoughts of 1776. But the
anti-freedom forces have made a lot of progress in this country -- so much
so, in recent years, that times have changed; we've entered a "new reality"
(thank you, Andy B.) -- and a better model for us than the Concord Patriots
may now be the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation.
When someone asks who's writing RKBA! everywhere, and wants to know who we
are -- tell them we're The Resistance.
We're not the NRA (although most of us may be members); we're not any other
group. We're not conservative Republicans. We're not the Christian
religion, in any of its versions. We're not for or against abortion,
legalization or suppression of drugs, or any other issue except individual
liberty and the right of the people to keep and bear arms. And because --
like the French Maquis of the early 1940s -- we're the voices of freedom in a
country governed by tyranny, we're also The Underground. (Yes, that's
already happened: How many of us want to advertise our gun ownership?)
One further thing: We won't succeed in regaining our freedom without the
support of more women, now over half of all voters. The other side has been
shameless in deceptively preying on women's protective instincts, and we must
devote a large part of our efforts to reversing this process.
To this end, one technique is to modify some of the RKBA! symbols: to the
bottom of the letter "B," attach, as a descender, the lower part of the
female symbol (like a small inverted crucifix). This version of the RKBA!
logo would go nicely with appropriate signs and messages -- for example
(thank you, Kevin McD.), "Support Gun Permits for Women (RKBA!)." We could
even discuss copyrights with the NRA and post "Refuse To Be A Victim (RKBA!)."
Let's make this work -- and may God help us. RKBA!
Sam Cohen
SamCohenXX@aol.com
=============================================================
One of the most appealing ideas behind this campaign was inspired by the
story of how a company had printed thousands of small stickers with their
corporate logo, handed them out to people in a large city, and then watched
the stickers appear in so many places that they attracted the attention of
the news media. It occurred to me that we could do the same thing, so I
created a graphic design with "RKBA!" on a Liberty Bell silhouette, and
ordered a few thousand round, two-inch stickers.
Some people thought that this first design was "too militant," so I created a
modified version. You can refer to them as "the red one" and "the blue one."
I'll describe both designs (and give you their Web URLs, so you can print
your own if you want), then offer some commentary. You can see color images
at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/redandblue.gif (Thanks to Len C. for the
Web site. Also, check out Len's neat freehand art at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/ljcfree1.gif
Sticker #1 ("the red one"): Round, 2" diameter, red ink on glossy white,
"permanent" sticker (not peel-off). Surrounded by an outer circle:
silhouette of Liberty Bell with a bold "RKBA!" worked into the center of the
graphic; the word "Freedom" reversed out over the top crosspiece-support of
the bell; and, aligned in a circular curve following the edge-circle under
the bell, the words "Join The Resistance." Graphic is reduced to 45% of the
.gif image at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/Sambell2.gif
Sticker #2 ("the blue one"): Same as #1, except: Blue instead of red; the
word "Freedom" (at the top) is removed; and, in place of "Join The
Resistance" (under the bell, on a curve), the words "Cherish Your Freedom"
(in slightly larger font than the tagline of Sticker #1). Graphic is reduced
to 42% of the .gif image at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/Markbell.gif (named
for Mark B., who suggested the use of the "Cherish Your Freedom" tagline,
which is borrowed from the banner of my gun club).
Let me make a couple of points, please.
First and foremost, I'd like to repeat that no one should get hung up on any
particular graphic; what almost everyone seems to agree on is the single,
"pure" idea of getting "RKBA!" into the public consciousness through a
"critical mass" PR campaign -- as a tag line or logo to unify OTHER pro-gun
messages/images/slogans/etc. Most people also agree with the idea of running
that PR campaign, at least in part, on an "underground" basis (hence, The
Resistance).
Second, for what it's worth: Design #1 is SUPPOSED to be a little
"militant." One thought here is that, with its suggestion of rebelliousness,
it just might catch on with young folks, who'll be most active in spreading
it about. Note that the reason for making 2" circles instead of 3" ones is
that they can be placed more surreptitiously (and carried in a shirt pocket).
Another thought is that this design will communicate urgency, let the public
know that some people feel strongly enough to mount this campaign, and (this
is important) register better precisely because the message is a strong one.
Will it be a counterproductive for some? Maybe -- but (again, for what it's
worth) my informal poll says that it will do more good than harm. In any
case, take your choice.
Here's what a friend wrote:
<<
As you know, I liked the Vive La Résistance theme...but then I always
preferred Winston Churchill to Neville Chamberlain. More recently, it seems
that black civil rights proceeded when the reviled Black Panthers got going,
and gay rights got off the ground led by a bunch of kick-ass drag queens in
The Stonewall Riots. The women's movement even had S.C.U.M, and I won't
offend sensibilities by telling you what that stood for <g>. Tough Israelis
like Moshe Dayan and The Entebbe rescue made anti-Semitism and terrorism less
a popular sport. And then look at the horrendous success of ACT-UP, the AIDS
activist group (even though I wanted to shoot them the night they disrupted
the San Francisco Opera opening in 198?.) Point is, I am not too sure that
"nice makes right" is a winning philosophy. I have only seen RKBA being
whittled to nothing during the sixties/seventies/eighties/nineties while the
NRA et al continued their best Neville Chamberlain impersonation. I
suggested a poster campaign...say Suzanna Gratia Hupp holding her favorite
self defense weapon with RKBA! and Vive La Résistance. I still like that
theme. And ain't I a woman? Anybody ask Claire Wolf what she thought...or
Sarah Thompson? It has always struck me that on any issue you really have
one {unpopular} minority doing battle with another (ruling caste) minority,
with the majority wafting towards whoever looks like the winners, but
basically wanting to sit it out. Your job as a minority player is to rally
and inspire your own troops, and neutralize the mob in the middle so they
stay out. You will never win many over unless you look like a winner, or
scare them half to death. Appeasers do not look like winners. Just my two
cents' worth to add to the largely conciliatory posts that were included.
Still, to use an old resistance phrase, "Chacun a son gout." Do both! RKBA!
Vive La Résistance!
>>
If you can help spread these stickers around, mail me a self-addressed
stamped business-size envelope with postage as follows: 33 cents postage
(one ounce) for 28 stickers; 55 cents postage (two ounces) for 92 stickers;
77 cents postage for 156 stickers (three ounces); or 99 cents postage (four
ounces) for 220 stickers. (Each "package" includes a two-page insert; 64
stickers weigh a bit under one ounce. If your envelope is very heavy, I'll
decrease the number of stickers to make the weight. You'll need only one
stamp on the envelope you send me, even if you include a love note along with
your self-addressed stamped return envelope.) Please don't ask for more
stickers than you can distribute. My address is 27 Vine St., Andover, MA
01810-5025.
This is not a business, but I'll accept contributions to cover my costs. In
the first press run, the actual cost per sticker is 4.326 cents. I'm told
that costs in future press runs may be higher, but they'll still be under a
nickel apiece.
Please be sure to include a note with your email address or phone number, in
case I have to contact you to advise you of a delay for reprinting. Also,
after October 1, 1999, please contact me before you mail me anything, to see
if I'm still doing all of this. Email SamCohenXX@aol.com, or call
978/475-5646.
You're welcome to make your own stickers, or use the designs on pro-freedom
signs. Please note that I've been advised to copyright this material to
protect against its appropriation or improper use, so: NOTICE: RKBA! and the
RKBA!-Liberty Bell design are Copyright © 1999 by Sam Cohen.
Some people want to make modified versions that spell out what "RKBA!" stands
for. I believe that (a) we should purposely not elaborate on "RKBA!", but
deliver it as a teaser and wait for critical mass -- when there are so many
of them around that the PRESS will ask one of us and publish the explanation
of this ubiquitous mystery (and remember, the whole idea is to add RKBA! as a
"logo" to OTHER pro-gun/pro-freedom messages, so a full wording would clutter
things); and (b) in the context of stickers (as opposed to larger signs),
leaving the message short and cryptic will favor the spreading of these
stickers by kids who (we hope) will be attracted to the "in-group" mystery
nature of the message. If you do decide to spell out the words, however, I'd
recommend expansion to:
The [R]ight of the people to [K]eep and ear [A]rms SHALL NOT BE
INFRINGED[!]
The "of the people" part is crucially important, lest people argue that that
right applies only to the National Guard, or some such BS. Also, as I should
have stated in the original 8/7/99 Internet post, the basic idea of the
exclamation point is to refer to the operative part of the Second Amendment:
"shall not be infringed (!)"
=============================================================
Now, where should these stickers go? Where they'll be seen by the most
people. Everywhere. Here are a few ideas: This Halloween, put a few
(unpeeled - that is, with the backing still on) in trick-or-treat sacks along
with the candy. Lots of parents will see them, and some may even use them
later. Stick up doctors' waiting rooms (on magazines that you donate), store
fronts (with the store's permission, of course), and letters and packages of
all kinds. And remember, high school and college students may be our most
important "market."
[NOTICE: This communication is not a solicitation to break any laws. I will
not ship these stickers to anyone who I know will use them in an illegal
manner.]
You can also have fun with them. A friend writes:
"Do it in a spirit of harmless mischief. All stick-up suggestions MUST be
non-violent and non-vandalistic. That is why rags were tolerated in their
heyday at universities throughout the British Empire. Thinking up and
executing rags was also excellent training; many of Winston Churchill's most
brilliant misdirections of the Nazis were really just more elaborate and
serious rags."
"Just daydreaming… Why not stick up anti-gun newspapers like the New York or
LA Times, particularly on days they run one of their anti-gun headlines,
hmmm? Just put your 50 cents in the machine and stick up the papers. <VBG>
…. I would reaalllyyy love to stick it to our dear Dianne F and Babble Boxer.
At one of their $1,000 a plate fundraisers, stick up the glasses, the
dinnerware, the podium…<VBG>"
=============================================================
Thanks for your support!
Sam Cohen
SamCohenXX@aol.com
=== Gun control creates defenseless victims. It's more than wrong, it's
obscene. RKBA! ===
===== Justifying the right to keep and bear arms by statistics, on the basis
of beneficial behavior by the many, is as dangerous as denying that right on
the basis of criminal behavior by the few. You do not justify fundamental
rights. RKBA! =====
[This message has been edited by Jim March (edited August 25, 1999).]
forward this email post). There are three parts to it: First, how the
"RKBA!" logo, and the idea of The Resistance, came about; second, why I made
the RKBA!-Liberty Bell stickers, how you can get them from me, and how you
can make your own; and third, some suggestions on how to use the stickers.
--Sam Cohen 8/23/99
=============================================================
=============================================================
On August 7, 1999, a number of ideas came together for me, and I posted an
email message on the Internet. Here is [a slightly corrected version of]
that message:
----------- RKBA! Welcome to The Resistance (women too) -----------
If this makes sense to you, please forward it to others...
We in the Massachusetts Firearms email list have been working on pro-gun
public messages for months. This grassroots project began with signs for a
rally in Boston Common in May; progressed to ideas for a billboard campaign;
evolved into slogans for lawn signs; and now focuses on stickers and stencils
inspired by the pink triangle of the gay freedom movement. The effort has
coincided with what is arguably the most dangerous political and cultural
assault on personal freedom in this country's history.
Throughout the process, we've brainstormed and argued to try to find the one
most effective message, the one best idea for words and graphics. This may
have made sense when the goal was an expensive billboard, but now it's not
necessary: any number of excellent short phrases can work on lawn signs, and
several recent suggestions would work well for stickers or even (let's say it
out loud) roadside graffiti. There's no need to cull the ideas down to
one... as long as there's a single unifying symbol to tie all the messages
together and identify them as coming from a single, unified group of people.
That key unifying symbol already exists, and has been right under our noses:
RKBA! Four capital letters... plus the exclamation point.
It's short. It's known to us, to all other pro-gun activists, and to many
other gun owners. (And don't disparage the need for a rallying symbol of
solidarity within this kind of movement.) More importantly, it's just
cryptic enough so that people will want to know what it means -- and we'll
tell them.
Add it as a logo to signs and slogans, and as a sign-off or postscript to
longer messages. Use it alone, or with the word "Freedom." (Hand out
thousands of "RKBA! Freedom" stickers to kids on the subway. Thanks, Richard
C.) Use it anywhere you'd paint or draw a symbol. You can make it part of
a fancy stencil, but you don't have to. It's only four letters and an
exclamation point: write it on restaurant checks, on invoices, on packages
you send, on business cards... anywhere people will see it.
Go ahead and make lawn signs that say "Save the 2nd Amendment" or "Criminals
go where guns are banned," or any number of other good phrases (maybe even
including "Silence = Death," appropriated from the gay freedom movement), but
add "RKBA!" to the end. (How about: "For the Children -- RKBA!") Design a
stencil of a five-pointed star with the digit "2" inside (thanks, Sasquatch)
-- but put "RKBA!" underneath it. See http://www.GunsSaveLife.com/Burma.htm for some great "Burma-Shave"-style pro-gun roadside signs from the Champaign
County (IL) Rifle Association. Stay tuned to the Massachusetts Firearms list
for more ideas. Just add "RKBA!" to everything. Rick Vaughan
( jurist@attymail.com ) signs his excellent messages with the tag line, "The
Right to Self Defense is a Fundamental Human Right - RKBA." Rick, add an
exclamation point.
Why the exclamation point? [First, to help make the four letters evoke the
Second Amendment by suggesting the all-important concluding phrase, "shall
not be infringed (!)" But also,] To signify the imperative: Join us! Do
something! Don't give in! Learn, educate, speak out, resist! If we all use
it, this symbol -- RKBA! -- will be our version of the clenched fist of the
black power movement.
Now... Some of us breathe more deeply with mention of the Sons of Liberty,
and most of us stand just a little taller with thoughts of 1776. But the
anti-freedom forces have made a lot of progress in this country -- so much
so, in recent years, that times have changed; we've entered a "new reality"
(thank you, Andy B.) -- and a better model for us than the Concord Patriots
may now be the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation.
When someone asks who's writing RKBA! everywhere, and wants to know who we
are -- tell them we're The Resistance.
We're not the NRA (although most of us may be members); we're not any other
group. We're not conservative Republicans. We're not the Christian
religion, in any of its versions. We're not for or against abortion,
legalization or suppression of drugs, or any other issue except individual
liberty and the right of the people to keep and bear arms. And because --
like the French Maquis of the early 1940s -- we're the voices of freedom in a
country governed by tyranny, we're also The Underground. (Yes, that's
already happened: How many of us want to advertise our gun ownership?)
One further thing: We won't succeed in regaining our freedom without the
support of more women, now over half of all voters. The other side has been
shameless in deceptively preying on women's protective instincts, and we must
devote a large part of our efforts to reversing this process.
To this end, one technique is to modify some of the RKBA! symbols: to the
bottom of the letter "B," attach, as a descender, the lower part of the
female symbol (like a small inverted crucifix). This version of the RKBA!
logo would go nicely with appropriate signs and messages -- for example
(thank you, Kevin McD.), "Support Gun Permits for Women (RKBA!)." We could
even discuss copyrights with the NRA and post "Refuse To Be A Victim (RKBA!)."
Let's make this work -- and may God help us. RKBA!
Sam Cohen
SamCohenXX@aol.com
=============================================================
One of the most appealing ideas behind this campaign was inspired by the
story of how a company had printed thousands of small stickers with their
corporate logo, handed them out to people in a large city, and then watched
the stickers appear in so many places that they attracted the attention of
the news media. It occurred to me that we could do the same thing, so I
created a graphic design with "RKBA!" on a Liberty Bell silhouette, and
ordered a few thousand round, two-inch stickers.
Some people thought that this first design was "too militant," so I created a
modified version. You can refer to them as "the red one" and "the blue one."
I'll describe both designs (and give you their Web URLs, so you can print
your own if you want), then offer some commentary. You can see color images
at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/redandblue.gif (Thanks to Len C. for the
Web site. Also, check out Len's neat freehand art at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/ljcfree1.gif
Sticker #1 ("the red one"): Round, 2" diameter, red ink on glossy white,
"permanent" sticker (not peel-off). Surrounded by an outer circle:
silhouette of Liberty Bell with a bold "RKBA!" worked into the center of the
graphic; the word "Freedom" reversed out over the top crosspiece-support of
the bell; and, aligned in a circular curve following the edge-circle under
the bell, the words "Join The Resistance." Graphic is reduced to 45% of the
.gif image at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/Sambell2.gif
Sticker #2 ("the blue one"): Same as #1, except: Blue instead of red; the
word "Freedom" (at the top) is removed; and, in place of "Join The
Resistance" (under the bell, on a curve), the words "Cherish Your Freedom"
(in slightly larger font than the tagline of Sticker #1). Graphic is reduced
to 42% of the .gif image at http://www.cardinalsoftware.com/maf/Markbell.gif (named
for Mark B., who suggested the use of the "Cherish Your Freedom" tagline,
which is borrowed from the banner of my gun club).
Let me make a couple of points, please.
First and foremost, I'd like to repeat that no one should get hung up on any
particular graphic; what almost everyone seems to agree on is the single,
"pure" idea of getting "RKBA!" into the public consciousness through a
"critical mass" PR campaign -- as a tag line or logo to unify OTHER pro-gun
messages/images/slogans/etc. Most people also agree with the idea of running
that PR campaign, at least in part, on an "underground" basis (hence, The
Resistance).
Second, for what it's worth: Design #1 is SUPPOSED to be a little
"militant." One thought here is that, with its suggestion of rebelliousness,
it just might catch on with young folks, who'll be most active in spreading
it about. Note that the reason for making 2" circles instead of 3" ones is
that they can be placed more surreptitiously (and carried in a shirt pocket).
Another thought is that this design will communicate urgency, let the public
know that some people feel strongly enough to mount this campaign, and (this
is important) register better precisely because the message is a strong one.
Will it be a counterproductive for some? Maybe -- but (again, for what it's
worth) my informal poll says that it will do more good than harm. In any
case, take your choice.
Here's what a friend wrote:
<<
As you know, I liked the Vive La Résistance theme...but then I always
preferred Winston Churchill to Neville Chamberlain. More recently, it seems
that black civil rights proceeded when the reviled Black Panthers got going,
and gay rights got off the ground led by a bunch of kick-ass drag queens in
The Stonewall Riots. The women's movement even had S.C.U.M, and I won't
offend sensibilities by telling you what that stood for <g>. Tough Israelis
like Moshe Dayan and The Entebbe rescue made anti-Semitism and terrorism less
a popular sport. And then look at the horrendous success of ACT-UP, the AIDS
activist group (even though I wanted to shoot them the night they disrupted
the San Francisco Opera opening in 198?.) Point is, I am not too sure that
"nice makes right" is a winning philosophy. I have only seen RKBA being
whittled to nothing during the sixties/seventies/eighties/nineties while the
NRA et al continued their best Neville Chamberlain impersonation. I
suggested a poster campaign...say Suzanna Gratia Hupp holding her favorite
self defense weapon with RKBA! and Vive La Résistance. I still like that
theme. And ain't I a woman? Anybody ask Claire Wolf what she thought...or
Sarah Thompson? It has always struck me that on any issue you really have
one {unpopular} minority doing battle with another (ruling caste) minority,
with the majority wafting towards whoever looks like the winners, but
basically wanting to sit it out. Your job as a minority player is to rally
and inspire your own troops, and neutralize the mob in the middle so they
stay out. You will never win many over unless you look like a winner, or
scare them half to death. Appeasers do not look like winners. Just my two
cents' worth to add to the largely conciliatory posts that were included.
Still, to use an old resistance phrase, "Chacun a son gout." Do both! RKBA!
Vive La Résistance!
>>
If you can help spread these stickers around, mail me a self-addressed
stamped business-size envelope with postage as follows: 33 cents postage
(one ounce) for 28 stickers; 55 cents postage (two ounces) for 92 stickers;
77 cents postage for 156 stickers (three ounces); or 99 cents postage (four
ounces) for 220 stickers. (Each "package" includes a two-page insert; 64
stickers weigh a bit under one ounce. If your envelope is very heavy, I'll
decrease the number of stickers to make the weight. You'll need only one
stamp on the envelope you send me, even if you include a love note along with
your self-addressed stamped return envelope.) Please don't ask for more
stickers than you can distribute. My address is 27 Vine St., Andover, MA
01810-5025.
This is not a business, but I'll accept contributions to cover my costs. In
the first press run, the actual cost per sticker is 4.326 cents. I'm told
that costs in future press runs may be higher, but they'll still be under a
nickel apiece.
Please be sure to include a note with your email address or phone number, in
case I have to contact you to advise you of a delay for reprinting. Also,
after October 1, 1999, please contact me before you mail me anything, to see
if I'm still doing all of this. Email SamCohenXX@aol.com, or call
978/475-5646.
You're welcome to make your own stickers, or use the designs on pro-freedom
signs. Please note that I've been advised to copyright this material to
protect against its appropriation or improper use, so: NOTICE: RKBA! and the
RKBA!-Liberty Bell design are Copyright © 1999 by Sam Cohen.
Some people want to make modified versions that spell out what "RKBA!" stands
for. I believe that (a) we should purposely not elaborate on "RKBA!", but
deliver it as a teaser and wait for critical mass -- when there are so many
of them around that the PRESS will ask one of us and publish the explanation
of this ubiquitous mystery (and remember, the whole idea is to add RKBA! as a
"logo" to OTHER pro-gun/pro-freedom messages, so a full wording would clutter
things); and (b) in the context of stickers (as opposed to larger signs),
leaving the message short and cryptic will favor the spreading of these
stickers by kids who (we hope) will be attracted to the "in-group" mystery
nature of the message. If you do decide to spell out the words, however, I'd
recommend expansion to:
The [R]ight of the people to [K]eep and ear [A]rms SHALL NOT BE
INFRINGED[!]
The "of the people" part is crucially important, lest people argue that that
right applies only to the National Guard, or some such BS. Also, as I should
have stated in the original 8/7/99 Internet post, the basic idea of the
exclamation point is to refer to the operative part of the Second Amendment:
"shall not be infringed (!)"
=============================================================
Now, where should these stickers go? Where they'll be seen by the most
people. Everywhere. Here are a few ideas: This Halloween, put a few
(unpeeled - that is, with the backing still on) in trick-or-treat sacks along
with the candy. Lots of parents will see them, and some may even use them
later. Stick up doctors' waiting rooms (on magazines that you donate), store
fronts (with the store's permission, of course), and letters and packages of
all kinds. And remember, high school and college students may be our most
important "market."
[NOTICE: This communication is not a solicitation to break any laws. I will
not ship these stickers to anyone who I know will use them in an illegal
manner.]
You can also have fun with them. A friend writes:
"Do it in a spirit of harmless mischief. All stick-up suggestions MUST be
non-violent and non-vandalistic. That is why rags were tolerated in their
heyday at universities throughout the British Empire. Thinking up and
executing rags was also excellent training; many of Winston Churchill's most
brilliant misdirections of the Nazis were really just more elaborate and
serious rags."
"Just daydreaming… Why not stick up anti-gun newspapers like the New York or
LA Times, particularly on days they run one of their anti-gun headlines,
hmmm? Just put your 50 cents in the machine and stick up the papers. <VBG>
…. I would reaalllyyy love to stick it to our dear Dianne F and Babble Boxer.
At one of their $1,000 a plate fundraisers, stick up the glasses, the
dinnerware, the podium…<VBG>"
=============================================================
Thanks for your support!
Sam Cohen
SamCohenXX@aol.com
=== Gun control creates defenseless victims. It's more than wrong, it's
obscene. RKBA! ===
===== Justifying the right to keep and bear arms by statistics, on the basis
of beneficial behavior by the many, is as dangerous as denying that right on
the basis of criminal behavior by the few. You do not justify fundamental
rights. RKBA! =====
[This message has been edited by Jim March (edited August 25, 1999).]
