National Robbers Association

 

The NRA is in trouble. 🤭

Former NRA CEO, Wayne LaPierre, has been banned from working at the NRA and affiliate organizations for 10 years after being found guilty of financial mismanagement.

In other words, he was stealing money from NRA supporters.

I'm sending Wayne my deepest thoughts and prayers, and I hope that he can continue to afford rent without his side hustle.

Unlike the NRA, we're using our contributions to invest in our mission: elect young progressive leaders up-and-down the ballot.

Just this year, we invested $300,000 in Molly Cook's campaign and helped her become the youngest and most progressive member of the Texas State Senate. And just this week, our investment in Oscar De Los Santos’ campaign helped him clinch the primary election by a reassuring margin. (Oscar might just be on track to be the youngest Speaker of a state house in the country 😁)

We invest contributions back into our candidates. Can you rush a contribution of $5 right now to help us build a progressive future? We promise you your contribution won’t be used to pay for a private plane. 😉

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 ADDED:

In the N.R.A. Case, Wins and Losses for the Attorney General

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, had sought to dissolve the gun rights group. She succeeded in ousting its head and forcing it to reform.

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By James Barron 

Aug. 6, 2024, 5:02 a.m. ET

Credit...Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

The leadership of the National Rifle Association was back in a Manhattan courtroom last month for the second phase of a high-stakes trial. In the first phase, in January, Wayne LaPierre, the longtime face of the gun rights movement who had stepped down just before the proceeding began, was found liable for spending $5.4 million of the group’s money.

In the second phase, the stakes are higher. I asked Danny Hakim, who has covered the trial, to explain where things stand.

You called the case so far a split decision. Why?

Each side can claim some wins.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, had originally sought to dissolve the N.R.A., an idea that was rejected by Justice Joel Cohen of State Supreme Court in Manhattan long before the trial even started. She had also sought to impose an outside monitor to oversee the group’s finances and governance for three years. Justice Cohen also rejected that idea last week.

But James accomplished a great deal. Even some of the N.R.A.’s former insiders thought she was surfacing legitimate corruption problems that needed to be addressed, and she succeeded in winning the ouster of Wayne LaPierre, who had led the N.R.A. for more than three decades. He resigned on the eve of the trial and was then found liable by the trial jury for misspending $5.4 million. The former chief financial officer, Wilson Phillips, was found liable for $2 million.

Her case hobbled the N.R.A., at least in the short term. The group is a shadow of the political powerhouse it was as recently as 2016. Its revenue and membership have also plummeted, and its legal costs have soared.

If there’s no outside monitor, what happens now?

Justice Cohen laid out a series of significant reform measures, the details of which he wants the sides to negotiate.

The kinds of steps he laid out have the potential to loosen the grip of LaPierre allies over the N.R.A. and open up the organization’s governance to more of its members.

Among other things, he told the two sides to discuss how to make it easier for candidates to get onto the group’s 76-member governing board and to explore shrinking the board to a more manageable size. And he wants to overhaul the association’s audit committee, getting rid of members who were around when troublesome conduct was occurring.

A witness during the trial testified there was “a new N.R.A., N.R.A. 2.0.” Is there?

Depends on whom you ask. The attorney general’s office has argued that there’s little evidence to support the idea that the N.R.A. has really changed its stripes much. Their point is that the group only began reforming how it operates under the duress of scrutiny from the media and an investigation.

By contrast, the N.R.A. has countered by pointing to a number of steps it has already taken and saying that outside oversight would be gratuitous.

Justice Cohen seemed to see merit in both arguments, but he expressed doubt that the N.R.A. would “simply lapse back” into problematic practices. He said in court that “it cannot be ignored that the environment surrounding the N.R.A. has changed significantly and, in my view, unalterably” since the case was filed.

He added that a monitor “would result inevitably in a long, awkward and potentially speech-chilling governmental intrusion on the affairs of the organization.”

Ironically, given that James once sought to dismantle the N.R.A., her investigation could lead it to become more cost-conscious, more transparent — and more effective. But it needs to repair relations with its members at a time when other gun groups have gained prominence, so it’s hard to predict to what extent an “N.R.A. 2.0” will rebound.

Where does the new president of the N.R.A.’s board fit into the picture?

In May, the N.R.A. elected new leadership. But the two new top leaders of the organization have very different visions for the organization, according to their trial testimony.

Former Representative Bob Barr of Georgia, the new board president, is a longtime LaPierre ally. He represents the old guard of the organization. The man replacing LaPierre as chief executive, Doug Hamlin, ran the publications division but wants to break from past practices.

Hamlin would like to reclaim control over decisions about litigation strategy. Barr and his predecessor, Charles Cotton, who remains a highly influential figure on the board, prefer to keep the board in charge of legal matters.

Justice Cohen, for his part, didn’t find the testimony of Barr and Cotton fully credible, particularly after it was revealed that they had portrayed the first phase of the trial to other N.R.A. members as a success.

Can LaPierre return to the N.R.A.?

He has been barred from serving as an officer or director for a decade. At 74, he’s not likely to play a major role at the N.R.A. again.

NYT

COMMON DREAMS: OPINIONS

 

JUST A FEW...NOT ALL...

Finding the Victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Oppenheimer

Where are the images of those who died by the bombs that haunt humanity still?
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/oppenheimer-best-picture-victims-of-nuclear-war

Why Can't the US Media Ever Seem to Get It Right on War?

There seems to be something about war that journalists can’t resist and blind spots they can’t overcome.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/war-good-for-copy

College Antidiscrimination Suits Over Anti-Israel Speech Aren't Designed to Win But to Intimidate

And there's the danger: when you dilate the definition of antisemitism to encompass all censures of Israel, you dilute the power of the antisemitism charge to mobilize people against real manifestations of anti-Jewish hatred.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/college-antisemitism-lawsuits

Call Them 'Terrorists' and You Can Kill as Many as You Want

We have to start claiming collective responsibility for the wrongs of our governments, which means confronting the dehumanization they use to justify atrocities.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/war-gaza-dehumanization-of-palestinians

State of the Union: War and Genocide Are Still the American Way

Peace cannot be found in the endless military packages but in the corridors of diplomacy and peace talks, where dialogue and negotiation pave the way for lasting solutions.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/state-of-the-union-war-and-genocide-are-still-the-american-way

The Fossil Fuel Industry Can’t Avoid Liability for Discarded Oil and Gas Wells

Congressional Democrats are digging into the maneuvers corporations like Diversified rely on to make millions while unplugged wells poison communities with dangerous levels of methane gas.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/liability-oil-and-gas-wells

Why I Don’t Rely on Hope

I have gravitated toward projects for social justice and ecological sustainability because they have provided some meaning in my life, not because I imagined success.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/don-t-rely-on-hope-activism

Lessons From 4 States That Boosted Tax Equity

Lawmakers seeking fair tax systems based on the ability to pay have many options.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/4-states-boosted-tax-equity

With Genocide in Gaza, the Word 'Never' Has Been Stripped From 'Never Again'

The Palestinians, facing down the most powerful countries in the world, left virtually alone even by their allies, have suffered immeasurably. But they have won this war.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/genocide-gaza-never-again

When Will Western Countries Stop Fueling an Endless Cycle of Hate and Violence?

The message from the countries who rule the world is that Palestinians have no human rights.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/western-countries-hate-in-gaza

Planetary Cease-Fire Now!
Isn’t it strange that, after all these millennia, we humans can’t seem to truly face, no less truly deal with, who and what we are and what we repeatedly do to ourselves, not to speak of the rest of this planet?

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/planetary-cease-fire

Veterans Aren’t Fooled by Biden’s Mixed Messages on Gaza

Veterans are calling for a permanent cease-fire and an end to U.S. weapons shipments to Israel.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/veterans-biden-gaza

When the Big Oil CEO Blames You for the Climate Crisis His Industry Created

We simply “waited too long,” said ExxonMobil's top executive last week. But never mind, the important thing is that we made “above-average returns.”

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/exxonmobil-ceo-blames-public-for-climate

Good Riddance to Wayne LaPierre—and Hopefully Soon the Entire NRA

For the first time, the NRA can’t buy their way out of this problem.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nra-wayne-lapierre

COMMON DREAMS: Top News: 'Corrupt Egomaniac' Kyrsten Sinema to Leave Senate

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 ■ Today's Top News  Progressives Cheer Senate Exit for 'Corrupt Egomaniac' Kyrsten Sinema Sinema's exit sets up an election between Rep. Ruben Gallego and former television anchor Kari Lake. By Thor Benson Groups Forge Emergency Coalition to Pressure US on Gaza Cease-Fire "It is long past time for the United States to use its leverage and uphold U.S. law to end Israel's indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza and have this war come to an end." By Brett Wilkins New Rule Under Biden Would Save Americans $10 Billion a Year in Credit Card Fees "CFPB's new rule demonstrates that policymakers can—and must—take on predatory, deceptive behavior and act as a strong check on corporate power." By Thor Benson Poor People's Campaign to Lawmakers: If You Want Our Votes, Work to End 'Death by Poverty' "We are putting politicians in every state on notice," said Rev. Dr. William Barber. By Jake Johnson NOAA Warns World's Coral on Verge of 'Worst Bleaching Event in History of the Planet' "It's looking like the entirety of the Southern Hemisphere is probably going to bleach this year," one scientist said. By Brett Wilkins Legal Experts Agree: Only Voters, Not the Supreme Court, Can Save Us From Trump "It's clear that if anyone is going to save American democracy, it is going to be the voters." By Jake Johnson JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! JOIN WITH US ■ More News Scientists Won't Classify Anthropocene as 'Epoch' Yet, But Say Human Impact Undeniable Majority of Americans Want Halt of US Weapons Bound for Israel: Poll As US Backslides, French Celebrate Historic Abortion Protections Many Voters in Key Swing States Unfamiliar With Trump’s Authoritarian Statements: Poll VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion Hey Biden, Listen to Michigan! The 13.3% of Michigan Democrats who voted uncommitted sent a strong message to the president: “Listen to us and give us a reason to vote for you, or you’re putting your re-election at risk.” By James Zogby When the Big Oil CEO Blames You for the Climate Crisis His Industry Created We simply “waited too long,” said ExxonMobil's top executive last week. But never mind, the important thing is that we made “above-average returns.” By Bill Mckibben Good Riddance to Wayne LaPierre—and Hopefully Soon the Entire NRA For the first time, the NRA can’t buy their way out of this problem. By Hudson Munoz VIEW ALL OPINION

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