By David Codrea
USA – -(Ammoland.com)-“This summer, OFA organizers around the country are looking ahead to this movement’s future,” a promotional email from Organizing for Action (formerly “Obama for America”) begins. “This is a crucial time to prepare for the fights to come, but also a time to take stock of all we’ve accomplished together.
“As part of that reflection, we’re giving one lucky supporter the opportunity to talk to the Organizer-in-Chief himself about how far we’ve come,” the email explains.” OFA is launching a new contest giving you the chance to tell President Obama which of this movement’s accomplishments mean the most to you.”
Cool. Plenty of “bitter clingers” would love the chance to tell this guy to his face just what they think of his stewardship of the Constitution. Where do we sign up?
Here. Just be aware it’s a bit more involved than wining a door prize. There are some non-negotiable rules, and those don’t exactly comport with the administration’s position on admittedly less important matters, stuff like living and working in this country, and voting.
“Promotion open to all U.S. citizens, or lawful permanent U.S. residents who are legal residents of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, and 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law),” the fine print advises. Why, if, as Obama’s Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson maintains, the millions of people in this country illegally have “earned the right to be citizens”?
Who in good conscience would take away something that has been earned? Who would infringe on a right?
And that’s not the last hurdle those of us who wish the same opportunity to shake the Great Organizer’s hand as Ahmed the Clock Boy must clear. There’s also the little matter of – hold on a second, I just put in my email address and zip code to enter, and they’re requiring me to donate before letting me proceed on their website, something the fine print says isn’t necessary…
No worries – I got an instant email reply telling me I’m entered, and giving the opportunity to “double your chance to meet President Obama in Washington, D.C. Tell OFA what part of this movement’s accomplishments you’re most thankful for, and you’ll have another shot at winning OFA’s contest to meet the President…”
Feel free to bend some ears. What’s the worst thing they could do to you, put you on some kind of list your presence here hasn’t already more than doubled your chances for?
Back to that that last hurdle mentioned above: The grand prize includes “round trip tickets for winner and one guest [and] two night’s hotel accommodations for winner and one guest…” TSA has something to say about acceptable forms of government-issued identification.
The thing is, Obama’s Justice Department tells us requiring those “effectively disenfranchises” minorities. The former head of the Civil Rights Division even warned state attorneys general in Texas and South Carolina requiring such IDs for voting would be a great way to get stomped by the Feds. So what makes the OFA contest any less discriminatory?
One other obstacle, not apparent this time, but spelled out in previous promotions, such as OFA’s James Taylor concert contest held earlier this year, is the potential requirement for you and your guest to pass a “universal background check.” It’s no doubt spelled out somewhere, along with OFA’s “sole discretion” to disqualify a winner based on criteria that includes not just security risks, but a potential to be “disruptive.”
That’s a pretty wide net, and no doubt includes anyone whose online history suggests they might not be properly in reverent awe, or who may even bring up topics the Organizer-in-Chief would rather they did not. That probably leaves most AmmoLand regulars out.
“No fair,” some may claim about discrimination, disenfranchisement and hypocrisy charges. OFA’s contests have to operate within the framework of existing laws.
Since when has Obama ever let that get in the way of a self-serving executive action? Especially to advance the cause of “progressive social justice”?
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.