Dennis Henigan edits the 2nd Amendment (video disabled)
Back in late October, I wrote "Brady Campaign hypocrisy," chiding the Brady Campaign--specifically, their Vice President for Law and Policy, Dennis Henigan--for his accusation that the "gun lobby" tries to hide the truth. This accusation positively reeks of hypocrisy, on a couple levels.
First, Henigan himself, in arguing on a video clip that the Second Amendment did nothing to protect the individual's right to keep and bear arms, recited the amendment in its entirety--except for the "of the people" part--the very part that poses the biggest problem for the now discredited "collective rights" interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Second, when this clumsy bit of Constitutional editing on the Brady Campaign's part was publicly exposed (I'd like to think I played a role in that), they did everything they could to erase all Internet tracks of the video segment--taking it down from YouTube and from their website, and bullying the web hosts wherever copies of it were posted, claiming copyright infringement.
In the late October article of mine, I had hoped to get around the copyright issue:
I won't try to post the video here (I still have it, though), because I don't want to get Examiner embroiled in a court fight over what the Brady Campaign would try to frame as a copyright issue. I think a "Fair Use" defense would have a pretty good chance--it is, after all, only 15 second excerpt from a video over 3 1/2 minutes long, but I can't drag Examiner into that.
I can, though, at least offer the audio [now disabled]. Who is promoting the "bliss" of ignorance now, Dennis?
Alas, the Brady Campaign is claiming that even that infringes on their copyright, despite the fact that this would seem to pretty clearly fall under "Fair Use" protection. Again, though, in the interest of not embroiling Examiner in a copyright infringement battle, I'll--for now, at least--forego trying to post video, or even audio, of Henigan's little editing job.
There is something, though, that I can do. At the same time the Brady Campaign put that video segment on YouTube and on their own website, they also posted the transcript, which faithfully quotes Henigan reciting the Second Amendment--minus "of the people." They took the transcript down, of course, at the same time they took the video down--but one Illinois gun blogger I read daily anticipated such behavior, and took a screen capture. Here it is, cropped down to the relevant portion:
Note also the amusing " . . . it is not legitimate for courts to edit the Constitution." Apparently, though, it is legitimate for the Brady Campaign to do so.
Update: It seems that someone who doesn't fear Brady bullying has a copy of the video--that entity has given me permission to post the link.
By the way, speaking of Brady Campaign hypocrisy and copyright infringement, we find yet another skeleton in the Brady closet. They don't exactly inspire a great deal of faith in their integrity, do they?
Comments
Clearly there is no lie, no deciet, no disingenuous statement, no low down dirty trick that gun banner liars will not embrace and use to further their twisted crusade to destroy freedom. And of the low down liars, the Brady Campaign To Prevent Constitutional Rights is foremost. Thanks, Kurt, for another great article exposing their total lack of anything resembling integrity.
Exposing their skeletons leads to other garbage and that's where the real push-back begins. Great Job!
A sister-in-law of mine said to me "what if one child was saved by banning all guns?".
I replied "What if one child was saved by a good guy who HAD a gun?"
Freedom!!!!!
Nice, Kurt. Being targeted for censorship by NCCH/NCBH/HCI/BC would seem to be a professional compliment.
i used to think they were just crazy. now i see they are not. they're just liars, thieves, and hypocrites who want to take away our constitutional rights.
THe gun lobby does try to hide the truth. They are engaged in a long term campaign of misinformation and deception. They are no different than the tobacco lobby 50 years ago.
The gun lobby consists of merchants of death and the mindless minions who follow them.
And what "truth," Mr. Not-Right, is the "gun lobby" (which would be me and the scores of millions of other concerned American gun owners) trying to hide?
The political Left seems to act, specifically, with the mindset of bratty 10 year olds. They start with limited information. They spout theories about how the world should be. In their naive minds, their theories are brilliant. They've never had to defend their theories, because they've never spouted them, before. When an adult confronts them with grown-up reality, they get angry and offended and they turn vindictive and............stuborn! They surround themselves with mirrors and people who yes them, endlessly and they act as if their silly little world represents the entire world (Think -- Nancy Pelosi). A severe lack of maturity is what is lacking in the leftist (they're not "liberal") minds.
"The gun lobby consists of merchants of death and the mindless minions who follow them"
It's hard to overstate the gall it takes to say this with a straight face. Simply put, for sheer body count, NOBODY can compete with the state. Private interests aren't even in the same league. In the 20th century alone, more people were murdered by their own governments than were killed in all the declared wars combined. And yet "mindless minions" everywhere still work to maintain and even improve the state's monopoly on violence over the people within its borders.
You wanna talk of "merchants of death"? Look to the state before demanding prior restraint upon people who have harmed no one.
Hope you'll listen to my interview of Dennis Henigan by going to The American View site. I think he has undoubtedly set a new Guinness World Indoor Record for saying the most idiotic, unConstitutional things on a one-hour radio show, mine. In fact, I think he has retired the title. Comments welcome.
John Lofton, Editor The American View
Communications Director, Institute on the Constitution
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com
They just keep digging themselves in deeper don't they!
Mr. Left,a question for you. Do you always insist on going into a battle of wits unarmed, or is this a special circumstance?
"The gun lobby does try to hide the truth. They are engaged in a long term campaign of misinformation and deception. They are no different than the tobacco lobby 50 years ago. The gun lobby consists of merchants of death and the mindless minions who follow them."
Dude, there's NO SUCH THING as the gun lobby! (If by lobby you mean a tiny interest group who stands to make money from subverting the democratic process). The anti-rights side is far more heavily financed by a few mega sized agenda-pushing contributors. The pro-rights people tend to be individuals who want their Constitutional rights respected and to be left alone.
I'm sick to death of the cynical hypocritical left acting like their positions are supported by the the majority of grass roots Americans and the pro-rights people are secretly bankrolled by stogie-chomping fat cats in an all male country club somewhere.
Two, two, two lies for the price of one!
STOP THE LYING, COLLECTIVISTS!!
In the future, if you encounter copyright problems, spread it around via the bit torrent p2p network.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!